Well said Doug . 6u was full of great wrestlers and great parents. I failed to see any parents yell at there kids and for sure didn't see any hateful coaches. I dont want 6u state for recognition I want it for a year end tournament earlier in the year. 6u wrestling is the only sport I have ever been involved in that doesn't have a year ending league event.

Change in Kansas happens at a very slow pace. We need to make a decision and go with it and not leave the meeting early! In addition we need leaders at this meeting to challenge folks to stay for the entire meeting. At least announce it. Explain ahead of time the voting criteria. Maybe they did, I didn't represent our club at this meeting.

Many of the parents/coaches on this forum will see their wrestler(s) battle in high school. There will be many others that won't. When your child makes it to the high school level and still wants to compete, then they will have accomplished something special.

A year or two won't make that big of a difference to get their chance to represent the state at Kid's State. If you push them too hard too early, they may not make it to the high school level, and that is what we are setting them up to do. There are exceptions to the rule, and I recognize that. I hope that your wrestler is one of them.

The 6U pay their money. They show up to practice. They compete. They Should be included in the State Tournament Series. Jake is now 10U gonna be 12U next year, so I have no horse in the race, I still think 6U should be included.

It is not our responibility to save wrestlers, parents, and coaches from themselves. If the kid is burned out the parent and coaches should make that judgement, not the state. If they can't see it or want to push their kid, that is their right.

Let the little guys participate in the State Series.

Chad,

There are two ways to look at this, and I won't be affected whether they allow the U6 to wrestle the State series or not. There are a lot of talented, gifted, and very special wrestlers at that age. Whatever the decision is next year or ten years from now, we have to live with what that decision is.

It is too bad that the State hasn't been keeping stats on the wrestlers at the U6 State tournament in Ottawa since it began to see what percentage of those wrestlers are still wrestling today. That might shed a little more light on whether or not it is a good idea for these young wrestlers to be competing this deep into the season. If the percentage was good, let them go at it. If it was low, then we should let them wait another year or two.

I don't think we should "tell" anyone how long they can keep wrestling. Some kids are ready to go at a younger age. And we have to make sure we aren't "making things fair" by holding back those types of kids.

I agree Doug. There are those diamonds in the rough, and there are many more today than when you and I were wrestling. I applaud them, I am awed by them, and I hope that they will be the collegiate and Olympic champions of our future. I just think that the short term goal is to get as many of these wrestlers to compete at the high school level, because a majority of them won't wrestle beyond that.

The bottom line is that everyone should be treated the same. If they are allowed to wrestle the whole year they should have a final tournament.To me it is discrimination against age. Who cares if they wrestle high school or the Olympics. Those who have the determination an will to wrestle will have the rights to wrestle however long they want to no matter how long they have wrestled.

Like I said they have the right to be treated the same as everyone else.

If you don't think so then at the end of baseball tell your son or daughter that they cant play in the final tournament because they are six and see what they have to say.May not play in high school.

Everyone in wrestling hates basketball but at least the six year olds are allowed to participated in league championships.

First and second grade flag football had final tournament . Maybe we should take it away from them so we can have football players in high school and NFL.

Come on we are lazy and don't want to give them the attention they deserve.

Maybe the next Olympian quit because he had to wrestle a 64 man bracket when he was six and didn't want to wrestle when he was seven. COME ON .

I have heard people say for years that we do this for the kids. Well then do it for the kids.

Please name all the 6 & under organizations in Kansas that sponsor a STATE tournament series with qualifiers for all the sports. Baseball, Football, BB Ball, Soccer, Track, Golf, Tennis, etc. - Most of them don't. They are developing kids in their organizations and teaching them the skills, basics, sportsmanship, discipline and other fundamentals of each activity. For the long term health (mental and physical) of the kids in youth activities - I am not convinced that teaching them that the sport is about awards and standing on the podium at 6 years old. Their time is just around the corner as we prepare them for life long lessons.

I am sure that you didn't really mean this. The long term goal should be to keep them involved all the way through high school. For those that are good enough, on to college and ultimately the Olympics.

we had about 10 6u kids this year who were pretty good. 3 of them burned out begore subs. 7 of them competed in subs. 0 qualified for districts. 7 competed at 6u state. 1 state champ, 1 fell victim to the big bracket (he lost to 2nd and 3rd placers, has pinned the 5th and 6th all year), 1 went two and bbq, the other 4 won a couple of matches each.

there is a wide range of wrestlers, and records. one coach/dad blamed burn out for his son's finish at state. my son was an early burn out, we didn't compete the week prior to subs! some of these kids wreslted at tulsa, and liberty. some of them never left SEK. some wrestled novice all year, and weren't ready for the big time. 10 different kids = 10 different finishes.

my point here is this, it is my responsibility, as a coach, to work with the parents, to make sure these kids wrestle in high school. i think we made the right decision on every kid. i don't think there is one blanket rule that can cover 10 different kids.

i believe that the 6u should be rewarded with a state series. i believe that ottawa has done a great job, when the state turned it's back, and given the kids something awesome. as for burnout i believe that the natural selection of a state series would handle the burnout, just fine.

the one tournament concept is too big, too overwhelming, much tougher, than a series. imagine you are 6 years old, new to wrestling, don't understand how to read a bracket, have only wrestled in round robins, and BAM here's your name on a 64 man bracket!!

my son understands brackets pretty well, but when i told him that his best buddy was in a 64 man bracket, he said "i hope it's not a round robin, poor Gabe!"

my son is a first year wrestler and he wrestled in the 6u state. he won 2 matches then lost his next two. it was hard for me to explain to him that he was in a 64 man bracket and that he would have had to win 6 matches in a row or 8 or more matches total to get a medal. he was upset and hopefully it doesnt discourage him next year. if i would have thought about it i would have just sat him out this year but he loves to wreslte and wants to be in any tournament that he can so i let him give it a try.

I have to say we have enjoyed the 6u at Ottawa. We have been for the past three years. Was our oldest boys last year at 6u and he placed. Had a good size bracket too. Was our youngest 1st year. He got beat out and he has wanted to go back ever since then. And finally this year he got a medal.
I don't think I would change the experience for him for anything. I let him wrestle when he wants. He wanted to wrestle 8u at subs, and he qualified. He wanted to wrestle at District, and he placed. Now he wants to wrestle at state. I think it is something that can only be offered to the little guys. Because 6 and under state is so much different than a regular tourney or qualifying match.
We should keep it like it is.
Keep up the good work at Ottawa.

My boy is 14, headed to HS next year, and the 64 and 32 man brackets he's wrestled in the last 2 years, were just tough. Wrestling numerous matches one after another. I know he has Fargo and such to look forward too, but I know it was a grind. I just can't imagine putting a 6u wrestler through that. I'd say the state has to put some type of control on the 6u wrestlers with a state series, or we lose lots of good wrestlers who would have been monsters in HS. Not only at the state, but also the national level.

I will say two points on this topic. One is what I believe is right and one is my personal opinion.

First, If parents want their kids to compete at the state level at 5 and 6 years old that is their right. They pay their money like everyone else. The governing body has decided that is not what they want because I believe they are trying to "protect". They believe they are trying to protect these kids. But the reality is people will find a way if they want to do something as is the case here. This is proven by the Ottawa "state 6u championships". The challenge is that the Ottawa tournament although well intended and very well done is now more grueling than what the governing body was trying to protect kids from. 64 man brackets in one day for a 5/6 year old. Wow. That said if that is what people want they should have that right. They pay the same money as anyone else. They should get the same rights.

Now my personal opinion. I don't care how much little Johnny loves wrestles and as parents we think we need to let him have more. Wrestling that much at that young of age does nothing except provide a much greater chance of later burn out. I have no doubt many of these kids love it at 5 or 6. But the goal is to get them to love it at 14, 16, 18 and 20. I will also tell you that kids that are the studs at 5/6 have very little if any advantage over kids that are allowed to really go at say 7-9. By the time they are 12 or even delivered to HS at 14, you won't be able to tell who was allowed to wrestle 40-50 matches at 5 and who was at 9 except many of the 5/6 studs are no longer wreslting. In many cases the kids started just a little later are better by HS. They are still hungry and learn better technique. I understand every case is different. In my case my son started at 5 and wrestled one night a week and 3 tournaments. He has no clue if he won or lost. He was playing a game. He did the same at 6. He got thumped by the kids the same type of kids that were winning the 6u state championships now. He was still getting thumped by them at 7 but starting to make some gains. We turned him loose when he was 8 and he was national champion by 9. It's all a gamble to know when is the right age to let them wrestle "all they want" and "go longer" to special training, etc. It's different for every kid. I can't tell you what is right for your kids, but I will caution don't let your passion as parents cloud the long term vision. My kid would eat 100 pieces of chocolate until he pucked at 5/6 if I let him. He loved it. But that doesn't mean I let him do it. I applaud all the parents that put in the time to haul your kids and invest in their time. I just caution to wait a year or two before you put them in high pressure situations and 64 man brackets. let them wrestle and play at 5/6. I would suggest 10-15 matches MAX. It will pay off down the road.

But I will re-iterate. It's your choice and you should have that right. Just be careful. Love wrestling and it's families. Good luck and sorry to be so long winded.

Badbo, I wish I could "like" your post. Solid!

Stellar post by badbo ... "My kid would eat 100 pieces of chocolate until he pucked at 5/6 if I let him. He loved it. But that doesn't mean I let him do it."

"Now my personal opinion. I don't care how much little Johnny loves wrestles and as parents we think we need to let him have more. Wrestling that much at that young of age does nothing except provide a much greater chance of later burn out. I have no doubt many of these kids love it at 5 or 6. But the goal is to get them to love it at 14, 16, 18 and 20."

badbo,

I share your personal opinion.

i don't think the kid would have pucked after 100 pieces of cake he might have puked but not pucked. - lol i know it was just a typo.

The bad part about not doing it because of burn out is that you still let them wrestle 8u. So they wrestle a 64 man bracket and the state series. That doesn't make any sense. Then after state they do more nationals. Treat them the same. If they are too young for State then they are too young to give everyone their entry money and concession money throughout the year.TREAT THEM THE SAME.

Parents with bad attitudes burn out kids, not a lot of matches.
It is all in how you handle your child or children. If you give them negative thoughts that is all they will have. If your chid wants to wrestle twice a season or 200 always give them positive feedback. Of course that doesn't mean baby them,but if you screamed at me all the time I wouldn't like wrestling and I would get burnt out. Each kid is different just give them the choice.