Would love to have 6U in regular state, if ending in Feb, and I don't know why there is a HS div. anyway.

From a lifetime of wrestling, 3 months is plenty of time to get ready for state and those that want to keep going, or go year-round, have plenty of opportunities. Football is not the problem.

For me, I don't see the value of going through March but sounds like there's no consensus on the season end date...really appreciate everyone's thoughts and discussion.

I do not think you will ever shorten the season, but for younger kids it does make sense. By the middle of February alot of younger kids are done. Your solutions:

On starting earlier, Kansas does start late. Missouri starts kids tourneys normally the 1st weekend of December. Kansas normally has nothing to compete.

You do need to take breaks, we normally took a break every 5 weeks, and seldom wrestled both days of the weekend.

I also think we lose alot of kids because a tourmament takes ALL day Saturday. Parents burn out much sooner then kids do. Maybe clubs should start running more week night duals with a couple of neighboring clubs.

Just remember, the hard core, are going to keep the season long, just like they do in baseball and soccer. In girls traveling softball they start practice in January and go thru late October. No real difference.

ok so do they take a break during that long baseball season. my guess is no. all im saying is if you have to take a break in there then something is wrong. that means its too long. run it straight through and be done without breaks. its not that hard. nov., dec. jan. and feb would be plenty. most teams start practicing in oct and nov anyways.

you know we did the kids dual thing for a couple of years, it was great. younger kids at the duals, taught the kids the "team" side of wrestling. the kids that participated, still talk about it 5 yrs later.

,
scotty i wouldn't lie to you about the kids taking breaks. there's summer vacations, karate tournaments, bbqs, trips to the lake, all sorts of reasons that they take breaks in the summer too.

how does this argument work out at work, do you tell your boss that since you take breaks the work day is too long?

sorry but i just don't see where dropping march, and adding november shortens anything. my PHS math isn't the greatest, see if i can get this. we wrestle all of march 4 weeks, high school regionals and state are the last 2 weeks of Feb. so now you've taken away 6 weeks out of the season. why don't you skip starting in Oct. and Nov. wait until Dec. to start your practices? jj stated 3 months is plenty of time to prepare, then start in Jan.

we all know that the reason every body starts so early is to KEEP UP WITH THE COMPETITION. if you really want a shorter season. stick to your guns, be a man of your word, and start in Jan.

Or end your season in February as a good number of kids/parents do. Nobody says the season isn't complete until the state tournament is finished. It can end at any time before that and still have been productive.

now you are reading it wrong. your right your math might not be good but your reading is even worse. i never said you start wrestling tournaments in nov. i said start in november through the week before highschool state. i never mentioned start in oct practing then start wrestling in nov. i meant start practing in november like most clubs do due to football. im sure there are a handful of kids that start in oct. nov. through the end of febuary is 4 months. that is plenty for the young bodies. then i promise you that the freestyle program would greatly improve and so would kansas overall by doing so. like i said im just going to do what i think is best for my kid and i know everyone else will to.

maybe i need a tutor, please explain how i read this wrong.

we don't start practice until nov. and that's just the kids who are going to early tourneys Tulsa Kickoff, etc.

the majority of the kids start in dec., we encourage breaks throughout the season, and low and behold, we still have 35 kids ready for subs, and 6u state.

i'm not saying that this is for everyone, again all kids are different. but it seems to be working.

the kids that only wrestle usually start practicing in oct. so they can wrestle in the okie tournaments. so those kids are wrestling from then til then end of march. all i know is wrestling is a grueling sport and the wear and tear these kids go through they will pay for when they get to be old like you. i mean look at the way you walk your knees are shot bucko lol. now take that from the age of 5 to the age of 18 and that cant be good. i really didnt wrestle that much when i was younger like my boys do now. i still have knee problems. not just from wrestling but that was part of it. i dont see it ever changing but thats ok cause i will do what i have been doing with my kids. whatever im doing seems to be working for them. i just hope they dont start having injuries and get sick of it before highschool. thats why i let them play other sports. no all kids are able to be good in other all sports.

You know everyone needs to stop talking out of boyh sides....

People get on here and say make the season shorter so we can start freestyle or take a little break before baseball etc etc etc
But the thing about wrestling is you you can make the season as long or as short as you want. Don't change the entire season and say its for the kids when its really about making your life a little easier.
Yes its tough to do wrestling practice and baseball at the same time.
Yes it stinks to miss a big tournament to get to watch HS or college wrestling.
Yes you feel to stay ahead of the curve you gotta wrestle OK to get ready for the KS tournaments.
These are all your choices as a parent. Make the decission that is best for your kid and stop trying to make the season accomadate you so you don't have to make the tough choices.
These kinda of choices are what makes us less the perfect parents in someones eyes. Lol
Just do what you think is best for your kid cause I don't see it changing anytime soon because everyone has different agendas.

And just FYI....
My comments are not directed towards any one person or club.
It just seems like the mindset of everyone that has posted on a thread of this type over and overis the same when its really their decission in the end.
Just do what is best for your kid!
There is no right or wrong IMO!

Well said! As a parent you know your child the best. It's a fine line and if you push it to much, wrestling will lose another wrestler. You can wrestle all the tourneys you want to, or don't want to. I think really this post is about burnout, and I've been there with my own boy. You have to be realistic and keep and eye on their mental and physical state or you'll lose them.

Tha age of the kid makes a different also.

Does my 12 yr old practice as much as he did when he was 6? Heck no.

Does he go to the same amount of tournaments. heck no

Just like BLT and Troop said judge the level of the kid and make adjustments as needed.

I have always been a late starter, not taking my kid to a tournament until mid-late January. I alwyas felt likt it worked best for him. Did he miss out on some great tournaments, yes but he was focused and ready for the ones that count at the end of March.

It is as simple as you guys said the season is what you make it and the State tournament is at the end of March and manage your season however it needs to be.

i guess BLT is a better speaker than i am. he got the point across easier. orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr maybe bockover just likes arguing with me.

p.s. scotty the reason my knees hurt now is from football. seemed like everytime i went to go get a downfield block, there was always some comet, tiger, viking, bulldog, 'nado that i had to jump over to get the block. it's your fault. if you wouldn't have gotten run over. i wouldn't have to jump over you to go celebrate in the end zone. hahahahahahahahaha!

it's just like everything in life- it is what you make it.

Ok
So I'm going to soap box again...
The other reason we can't/won't/shouldn't shorten the season is because we already need more weekend then what we have for clubs to run tournaments. We see threads about mat time and small brackets etc etc
The problem is we have so many tournaments on so many weekends that the competition gets watered down. Same 3 kids every weekend! If you move a weight class you get combined anyway. Do you not think that leads to either burn out or complacency
Plus these clubs need these to raise $ or they have to pass it on to the kids and that chases some away as well.

I heard Jeremy Biddle say the other day that our role in this sport should be for the benefit of the kids. I agree. We need to start making decissions as parents/coaches/clubs that makes this experience easier/better for them not us.

I have a high school son that has recently givin up all other sports to focus on wrestling. Any extra mat time after H.S is over is just what he is looking for. I wish we had more local events in the Wichita area over the summer for him to attend as traveling long distance is a strain on the pocket book. Even just getting groups together to get mat time with new people would help. There might be more than I know about since I am new to the summer part of wrestling. Any info would be great

Tony Purler or East Kansas WC these are the best in dist 1. IMO

I think one of the main points of this thread is being missed. We are developing kids so they can become high school wrestlers, college wrestlers and hopefully Olympians (I know those are high hopes). If those levels of wrestling don't have fans, and spectators at their events they will not be around long. If you don't have a fan base for your sport you won't have a venue. We are having our kids wrestle the same time as high school state, Jr. College qualifiers, and nationals. NAIA and NCAA qualifiers and Nationals instead of being the spectators they need to keep their sport going. I understand taking time off during the season and doing what is best for your kids, but we are part of the problem not the solution to more high school and college wrestling programs. We need to be supporting wrestling at the next level now or our kids my not have those opportunities in the future. Let’s get the season over so our kids can see what they have to look forward to. They can get more mat time doing the Olympic styles after the NCAA’s are over.

ok blt if its the for the kids ask the kids what they want. ask them if they want to shorten the season or wrestle for 6 months. i know there will be a handful of kids that will say they want to wrestle year round but what they dont realize is all the strain on that body now makes them pay later. so your right we will all do what we want to do and i will continue to let my son play baseball because he wants to and he is very good. i will continue to let my son play football because he wants to and he is very good. i will let my son play basketball because he wants to and he is very good. i will let him wrestle when he wants to because he wants to and is very good. so if thats not for him then i dont know what is. he is old enough now to make most of his decisions but its my job to educate him about life and how these sports will affect him later on in life. guess not all of us are that worried about our kids in that manner. im out. see you guys at subs, districts and state. headup i do like to argue with you after all you wear purple panties and that makes me laugh. so bring your 12 pack of budlight to state and i will drink it and we can argue over whatever. also maybe we can jet over the the seabrook tavern and see who can eat the 3lb. cheeseburger. you have me by about 60 lbs but i am a cheeseburger eating machine. ok not sure how much you may have me by but i am a steady 200lbs. whats another 3lbs of cheeseburger going to hurt. hell blt might even be in on that one. dont sing it just bring it.

Scott
60 pounds??? You flatter me lol!
I can only hope we see you at state!
But you need to bring the 12pack cause you lost the bet.

I can cheese burger with the best of them if you want a shot at the title then you need to talk to Hartley.
I watched him put away a 3 pounder in about 5 minutes!