I have heard many coaches talk about this toward the end of the season. Is this something that some of the bigger tournaments are looking into. I think we have some of the best tournaments around like, derby, Maize, salina, park city and west kansas classic for the bigger ones. is there not a big tournament on the east side of the state in d1. would be cool to start the eastern kansas classic to. I hope sprawl grows next year. What are everyones thoughts on this.

It should never include invitationals! The ones that should count are folkstyle, freestyle and greco state tournaments.

I dis-agree. not all wrestlers do all that. My wrestler just does folkstyle then takes a much needed break from wrestling and plays baseball, basketball, football and enjoys being a 9 year old kid. I think we could come up with a triple crown that includes just wrestling folkstyle during wrestling season. all those invitaionals are the biggest tournaments in kansas and all produce i would say over 1000 wrestlers and to win those tournaments is an accomplishment. To win 3 of those tournaments would be more of an accomplishment. to win all of those tournaments would be awesome.

The goal is to promote Freestyle and Greco. Folkstyle has a strong center. I know ALOT of studs that can not win all three styles. I know alot of wrestlers that can win the rest of these tournaments pretty easily. Personally I do not like the idea of a series in Kansas.

I think we leave it the way it is. One of my wrestlers has brought home two out of the three state titles just once has has yet to earn the triple crown. Like Beeson said this encourages some folkstyle studs to move over and do FS/GR. By promoting FS/GR and getting more wrestlers involved in those we make our Folkstyle program even stronger. I think all the Studs in Folkstyle already head for the big Folkstyle Tournaments now. Lets keep it as a tool to improve our state's great wrestling system as a whole not just folkstyle.

Andrew Steele

We have one its called folkstyle state tournament.

That is why they give medals at all of those invitationals. To try to make a special award for one tournament only devalues the other tournaments being held on that same weekend. For those that complained about the cancelation of tournaments during this past season, it could be worse!

There already is a KS triple crown, just like there is a national triple crown. As mentioned it's folksytle state, freestyle state, and Greco state and it's a booger to win.

If you want a KS folkstyle series then organize and start one. I agree with Beeson I don't think it's needed, but if it increased participation in some way great.

But don't try to change the KS triple crown that exists.

I think its an awesome idea!
Take 3 or 4 or 5 of the bigger tournament that are spread out over the season and put a point sytem to the placing and give out awards to an over all SERIES points leader or give special awards to those that win all of them.
I have spoken to Hughbanks from Maize and some of the people from Derby about maybe considering something like this.

Consider this..
Take a few of the tournaments that give out awards that are above the average medal.

The Belt from Maize!
The Rings from Haysville!
The GIANT Medals from Derby!
Maybe the big trophies from Sprawl or the Classic?
Maybe the plaques from Salina?

These clubs work together to promote a series point system.
They could also go as far as supporting each other via table workers, satellite weigh ins, mats etc...
They all chip in purchase an overall award (singlets, jackets, bikes, GIANT TROPHIES or ALL THE ABOVE)for point leaders from either each age or weight or whatever.

What an additional and special incentive for our KS wrestlers.
Some of the states around us already do it with great success.
I also think that these tournaments could get even bigger then they already are and start drawing even more out of state tallent then they already do.

Look at JOC..
It is a bunch of clubs coming together and putting on one of the biggest tournaments of the year. We could so do that here in KS.

Consider this....

Most of these tournaments are starting to be too big as it is now. They can barely hold the tournament where they are now without people getting on here and complaining about space and time.

Why do we continue to try and make the awards bigger and bigger? Really, these are just a local tournaments. I think we make them bigger in our own minds then they really are.

Why do kids need an incentive to wrestle? What happened to doing it for the love of the sport?

These tournaments will never draw the out of state talent that we desire because of USA cards.

All of these fancy Jackets, Singlet, Bikes, and "crazy" trohies are gonna cost money. Where does that come from? You are going to have to up the entry fees to $45-$50. Now your not getting the best, you are getting the ones that can afford it.

I still say it is a bad idea. What happens when they get to high school and college and all they get is a 2" medal? Let's be realists...the awards are for the parents not the kids. What do we have left to award them with....Tiara's...Crown's?

Sadly, that is what our sport is becoming, all about the bling.

Chad
I disagree!
I think they wrestle for a bunch of COMBINED reasons!
Incentives, awards, trophies, a tee shirt, to be called "All American", the size of the printed bracket, competition, the love of the sport, cause their parents make them, or whatever...
Everyone wrestles for a different reason.

I guess I don’t think of big awards like other people do! I look at them as a "Congratulations and Thank Yous" from the club that held the tournament. Tell me some one that would rather be at a restaurant where the waitress says "thanks" or they say "Thank You Very for your business, I hope to see you again real soon"!
When you run a tournament you are in the service of others. It truly is a hospitality type event. You try very hard to make your tournament an Excellent EXPERIENCE! The award is just part of it.

Another point...
If you had to spend $35 for an Oklahoma card to go to JOC, Tulsa Nats, the Kickoff plus all the other OK tournaments then you wouldn’t do that? Sure you would!
I’m not trying to sound like Don King but whatever we can do to promote KS wrestling and its WRESTLERS is going to be a good thing somewhere down the road! It just takes someone to step up and be first to try!

"If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got"
Ks Wrestling is GREAT! Why not try to be even better?
Some people could jump on here and say well don’t start there, start here, or fix this first. Well lets all just start somewhere!

I like the idea, and I think it would be great to have a Eastern Kansas Classic, maybe in a location like Pitt State where the D1 subs are held. This could be early in the year so it would not compete with the other bigger tournaments. I also like the idea of awarding points for these tournaments and giving All American status to those who place in the top 6. And yes some kids wrestle for the love of the sport but those kids also are pretty proud of the "bling".

Now you are gonna get Cokeley started on the KSHSAA state medals that we've had for the last 100 years............

Are you kidding me? All American status? Salina brings in a few from MO, NE, OK, NE. Maize had a few from Colorado, can't recall where else. Good tourneys, yes, but winning them shouldn't put you in the "all american" category.

Tourneys that should make y ou an all american for getting on the podium:
Cliff Keen kickoff, though not nearly as big as it used to be
USJOC, not as tough overall as it used to be, but still tough
Tulsa Nationals, enough said
Reno Worlds
Iowa Folkstyle nationals. I have seen many times that this tourney was tougher than Tulsa
Schoolboy, Cadet, Junior Duals I believe the undefeated kids are proclaimed AA
Fargo
Liberty, in some weights, is nails tough.

I am sure I missed plenty, but comparing our state's "tough" tourneys to the above is crazy.

Get your kids gunned up for freestyle/greco. Help promote the other wrestling in state and in the country. If you want some great tournaments try the state tournament at the first of May, Southern Plains at the first of June, and Kids Nationals at the end of June. Less pressure, full mats, great fundamentals (don't get turned or pushed off the mat) and you are usually out early.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFPygMNAF8M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfmI0Alym0k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riqy6oDR5kw

If that isn't good enough check out the Mango bros. in Greco.

This is what Greco is all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzd_2hmoU70

like i said travis by the time freestyle and greco get here we have moved on to another sport already. 6 months of wrestling is plenty for a 9 year old kid. i would wrestle freestyle and greco if the regular season wasnt 6 months long and didnt run into baseball season. i also agree with doug that you dont get all american status for our local tournaments. i really do like the idea of an eastern kansas tournament and hey if its at pitt then i can go back home to the gorillas. maybe then they can see what wrestling is all about and they can think about getting a college program. never hurts to try. dunston i know you can get that taken care of. i am all for kansas wrestling no matter what happens if we do or if we dont but i can tell you this that maize giving belts is 2nd to none. derby with those big medals, salina with the trophies and haysville with the rings is pretty cool.

That's the problem, people want to be given AA status, they don't want to earn it. If you want to be an AA go to a real national tournament. Don't make up some "series" or "National" tournament. If it's too hard, just make one up....are you kidding me?

In my opinion there are already too many tournaments claiming to give AA status to those who place.