My son falls in the category of wrestling hard every weekend but usually not winning 1st. He is a tough kid that gives it his all and makes whoever he wrestles work for a win. For three weekends after state, the boys that knocked him out of 1st place asked him to come spend the night/weekend with them. One of them actually thanked him for making him a better wrestler. I think every kid he has met in the last 2 years is on his facebook page. I read it every day, and you know what. Not one of them talk about wrestling, bling, belts, rings, jackets or 6 ft tall trophies. They are talking about fishing, girls, baseball, football, and camping. He may not ever win a belt or jacket that he will eventually grow out of or lose. But he will have friends for the next 50 years that he met on the mat. Who knows, one day they might all be on these forums talking about things that didnt matter to them as a kid, but for some reason mean so much when they have kids that wrestle.

Paul,
Our son is the type wrstle we should give an award to (if such an award were to be made up). It's these type kids that make Kansas wrestling what it is, not the studs winning tough tournament. It's these kids that keep the studs on their toes and keep them working hard. They deserve more credit than they get.

Andrew Steele

Keep them exicited and working hard. I went from only qualifying for Kid's State once to being a two-time finalist and one-time champ in High School. It was all due to having the drive to improve and the work ethic that my parents instilled in me.

I like the twist that this thread has taken down the stretch. The kids that work their tails off, but haven't reached the top of the mountain. Yet, they love the sport and continue to drive on. I would throw my son into that category.

He got invited as an alternate to the Middle School National Duals although he didn't even qualify for Kids State this year (probably heard this before, but his District bracket had to be one of the toughest in the State). I told him to have a great time, but to understand that it would be extremely tough. He did have a great time, and I think he represented Kansas very well going 7-1. He wrestled five alternate matches (5-0) and three team matches (2-1, losing to a State Champ from North Dakota). He came home a Middle School National "Alternate" Champion, gold medal and all.

I asked him if he made any friends outside of the kids that he already knew. He said that he did make a new friend in the alternate room with John McNabb from the Salina Kids Wrestling Club. I have to say, I think that was one of the best things he got out of this event.

I know for a fact that awesome practice partners make great wrestlers. I also know that awesome competition makes great champions!

Let me use Brycen Schroeder as an example!

If I greatly miss quote anything in here Scott Schroeder can chime in and correct me!

Mom is a teacher and Dad is a firefighter!
Very noble professions but don’t pay a million dollars a year!

The kid travels the state this year and wins every tournament!
Did not lose a single match to a KS kid this year.
He had a goal to win the Trinity this year.
This kid travels the county looking for the very best competition in the country in the WOW series!
Last year he was pinned in the first 30 seconds of the first period by Dylan Burnoski from Illinois
They knew they were going to see him again this year. They could of ran up or down a weight but they didn’t. The kid beats Brycen in Tulsa and the Trinity quest is over. But Brycen isn’t satisfied! He trains and trains and fundraises and trains and fundraises and makes a trip out to Reno for another shot at this stud. He goes to Reno, sees this kid in the finals, and BEATS HIM!
Did Brycen win the Trinity? No!
Did Burnoski win the Trinity? NO!
But Brycen earned his points and was named to the WOW All Star Team and the 8U Outstanding Wrestler.
To me, this is what I hope the KS series would be like, but on a smaller scale. I would like to see Kids from all over our state, traveling to see the best competition and using that competition to train harder to be better. Who knows, maybe if a kid gets beat over and over but has no quit in him (like Brycen this year) it might even drive him to take up freestyle! But, come state time these kids have seen each other, they have trained harder, they have learned from their mistakes or developed new tactics and then at state we get to see what kid has grown the most throughout the year and that makes him the very best.
To ME this is the perfect example on how a series would make KS wrestlers better. And this in return this grows and makes KS Wrestling stronger!

Beeson has been right on this topic the entire time. His points about the possible affects such a series could have on Kansas wrestling have not been successfully disputed by anyone. He gave numbers and facts and everyone on the other side gave their emotions. Remember the triple crown we have now, was designed to increase interest in Freestyle and Greco. The numbers appear to show we have plenty of interest in folkstyle now, so why the need?? In fact, we already have a series - its called, subs, districts and State.

Owlbacker excellent post. It gets to what really separates wrestling from most other sports - our kids to know kids (and become friends with them) from other schools and towns. The friendships mean more than any award will, at least I hope. Everyone should go back and read the last sentence of your post and think about it.

BLT nice story - but, did Brycen do this for any awards, or for the competition. I assume he is just a competive kid - as such, no triple crown is necessary. All the triple crown idea is about is an award so the parents can brag. Remember when most of our kids go back to school after a weekend tournament most of the other kids in the school would have no idea what our kid just went thru or really care. In the end, its all about self-satisfaction from doing your best and being able to see friends you only see during the season and on facebook.

John
Beeson did give numbers but so did I. They were very different. I'm not saying his were wrong and mine were right but we must of counted differently cause there was a large varience.

As for Brycen...
Ya he did it for the Trinity award and the recognition that comes along with it but never was he afraid of the awesome competition that he knew the Wow Series would genarate.

As for the triple crown...
It kills me that has even been brought into this topic. Bockover misworded what he was saying in the begining and this was always a series topic.
The reason it kills me is because the Triple Crown is an award that is all about bragging rights because it is one tough mother to win. Only the very best and most dedicated wrestlers win the triple crown.

And come Monday...
Our community supports or wrestlers. So after winning OW at liberty or winng Tulsa or placing at state or winning Reno the school has our wrestlers bring in their awards and they do a small feature on the morning school news program. They talk about where they went and how many kids were in the bracket and how they train and etc etc etc.
And for the whole day the kids at Nelson Elementy are talking about wrestling. And our little guys are walking around promoting the sport of wrestling in Kansas.

I just want to say that it saddens me to see all the push back this series idea has gotten. I really don't understand why people feel so strongly againest this.
We are really just talking about taking tough existing tournaments throughout the state. Promoting a very tough single bracket per weight. And rewarding the kids that travel the entire state and face the best competition throughout the season and do well in these tournaments.
IMO
This will only make our state series that much tougher cause these really good kids will of already wrestled in a series tournaments and will of had to go back and practice harder to be ready for these kids come state time.

This also promotes unity and communication across all the districts. It could allow some tournaments to CoOp with smaller clubs that do not have tournaments or non profitable ones. This would clean up our over crowded schedule or allow smaller clubs the chance to fundraise by helping a larger tournament.
These tougher tournaments could continue to draw more competition from across the country.
If the series produces extra money it could be used to award more kids. Maybe award the second and thrid place kids or maybe even help out by donating to the freestyle programs. Or maybe even help struggling clubs with new singlets or a donation towards much needed new mats etc etc etc.
All I see this series doing is supporting and strengthening the wrestling in our state by giving back.
Why would anyone not be in support of the ideas listed above.

Beeson is right - he is always right - he knows what is right- (when you say right - I think of Beeson)or @ least we can say that because beesen does the most posting, he THINKS he is right., Hail Beeson.
It doesn't look like the series has hurt oklahoma wrestling at all. FYI BEESON - As someone who has played the series - my kid and the group of kids we wrestled the series with all had fun chasing the points, and getting the bling if we won - the series tournies were tournies, thats it! - we went where we thought the most wrestlers in our bracket would be, and if that just happened to be the series tournaments, all the better. The series drew us to oklahoma for fun and competition and I bet it would draw some okies up here-(more competition). I promise I wont' wrestle a series tournament again because beeson is against it.
P.S. I didnt see Beeson @ St. James wrestling freestyle this weekend.
But of course I wouldn't have been @ St Sames either if there had been a series tournnament.HA!HA!
Again I say "cut weight to motivate" at least 9 pounds in the 6/u and at least 12lbs from there on out. "If your not cuttin- your losing to those who are" -
And remember "remote weigh-ins always alleviate ringworm"

I am assuming that I must have beaten you in High School. That was 20 years ago....let it go.

No Beesen, I never wrestled here. I find it funny that you would bring up something 20 years old though. Maybe YOU need to let it go. What either one of us did 20 years ago is irrelavent. My point is, everybody has an opinion - but that doesnt mean they are right-or wrong. From what I read on these forums, it appears that if someone doesn't agree with you, they are wrong.

Again I say "cut weight to motivate" at least in the 6/u (FYI beeson thats a joke)and remember remote weigh-ins seem to cure ringworm

LIGHTEN UP BEESON! You don't have to go to a series tournie or wrestle freestyle/greco.... if YOU don't want to... thats your choice.
I know why you don't go to them anyhow - it's because your running! (FYI-again a joke) I'm telling you its a joke, because I just dont know how smart you are - seems to me a person in your position should listen twice as much as they talk. Is kinda like poker - you don't always have to show your hand.
We still love ya though! Least your doing something - even if it is "only running your mouth".(Again thats a joke - Hope you can handle it, you gotta admit its a good bust) especially when we see how you dish out your opinions.

Birddog- Since you know who I am, make sure you come up to me at Rose Hill and run your mouth telling me a good joke. (FYI-not a joke) I don't think you will but wanted to give you the opportunity, I will just look for the Birddog with its tail between its legs.(FYI-again, not a joke)

Beeson, if you should run into Mr. birddog & you do have a confrontation, make sure Tom Richards isn't there & it doesn't go the to disciplinary committee. Believe me from first hand experience it can get ugly & the whole story isn't always told.

No confrontation....just an introduction.

Nevermind....I know who Birddog is. No introduction will be needed.

Birddog - Klaus Schmidt- Eureka, Kansas. Aren't you the district II director? I would hope a person in your capacity wouldn't feel intimidated by posts on the website, disagreing
with your opinion. Because it sounds like you want to kick my ... You are validating what I wrote in my earlier post. If someone doesn't agree with you "they are wrong". So now If things don't go your way - you start kickin ..., Could there be some truth to to what I wrote? Most poeple don't get their buttons pushed that easily.

Klaus, some are worth kicking...others aren't. Your safe. I know there are alot of idiots on this forum, I just never took you for one of them....guess I was wrong. See I can admit when I'm wrong.

There is NO WAY I am going to read all of this but my opinion is: We are a USA Wrestling state. USA Wrestling's triple crown is winning nationals in your age group in Folkstyle, Freestyle and Greco Roman. Three kinds of wrestling thus the TRIPLE CROWN just like what we have set up for winning State in each of the three styles. If you want to have three other tournaments in a series in KS lets call it the Triceratops and give out a dinosaur head statue for winning the three tournaments. A few years ago we were talking about giving out a I70 Challenge trophy if you won Hays, Salina, Topeka, and Mill Valley. Somehow the idea died off.

Will my boys be able to wrestle in the Triceratops & the Cowley County Cup? If not we got a tough decision to make.

I am waiting for the Township trials!