Emotional melt downs happen in wrestling. The younger they are, the more likely it is that they will have one. Older wrestlers still have melt downs, but they usually are not as dramatic.

My son had his share of melt downs early on. He never took it out on another wrestler, and when he played the blame game (someone cheated, the official made a bad call, the Earth wasn't round, etc.), he always vented to his mom or I. Don't think we didn't vent back, because we did. I am glad those days are gone. He still gets upset, but he is upset with himself for not performing up to the standards that he has set for himself.

I watched a lot of wrestling this past weekend, and I saw a lot of great matches, incredible talent from young to old, and just had a great time all around. I did witness something that really dumbfounded me. During the picture taking on the podium, someone was saying some things to an obviously very talented wrestler. I am pretty sure that the wrestler knew how he good he was, his competitors knew how good he was, and anyone that knew anything about him knew how good he was. I just thought this was a little over the top.

If I had to guess why young wrestlers act like they do, good or bad, I would have to put 70% of the blame, good or bad, on those that are most influential in their lives. I am sure that the percentage is higher than 70%, but I am leaving a little wiggle room one way or the other, because as we all know, kids will be kids.

To stand up for a coach who did the right thing. I am not sure the team or the kid, but it was a high-school kid who got beat stood up through his headgear all the way down the entry way into the exhibition hall and yelled curse words. I am not sure if the official dq'd him or not, but the coach went over to the head table and made sure he was dq'd for the rest of the tournament. Great job coach this sets an example for the young kids in your program that it wont be tolerated.

chad i agree with you that the parent needs to handle it. then you get some mom screaming at you out of the stands when you do handle it that your abusing your kid. my kid throws a temper tantrum i will whip his ass right there in front of the entire damn crowd like it or not. he did it back in 6 and under and hasnt done it since.

Amen.

I saw the boy on mat 2 hit his opponent in the head with his lower forearm/elbow. I understand the ref did not follow exact protocal and therefore the wrestler could not be ejected. In this case...our coaches would have never let the wrestler back on the mat...he would have been pulled. As a parent, I would have pulled him. I also witnessed a parent yelling BS walking up and down the stairs even after his own coach explained to him what had happend in his sons match...it is time for parents to step up and act like parents. More parents need to be ejected and coaches if they condone this type of behaviour.

I just had to reply to this thread. I was there all weekend and I managed to not see ANY of that bad sportsmanship happen. I do want to tell a story about a good sport I saw on the mat right in front of our seats. He was probably a 10 yr old. I do not even remember the mat number now and i do not know the young boys name or club. BUT I watched him lose twice and both times he was so frustrated and mad and upset I thought for sure we were going to see a monster fit.But I could see this very small very young boy pull his emotions together to shake his opponents hand and then as soon as his opponents hand was raised he gave him a huge hug he then turned to the ref and gave him a hug, then went and shook hands with the other coaches and then waited until he was off the mat to dissolve into a puddle of tears. His coach(maybe father) had to pick him up in a ball to get out of the way. I was in tears watching this boy i did not know hold himself together long enough to do the right thing!! I know I am a sappy mom but I wish I knew this boys name so i could tell his mom and dad (and coach) what a great job they are doing teaching him the right way!!

In the big political clubs the parents dictate how things are ran. If the coach gets on to a kid you better believe mommy is going to start bitching up a storm. Even when its not her kid! If mom and dad would stay out of the way and let coach do his job their would be less and less FF'S & DQ'S.

Care to clarify "big political clubs".

Clubs that cater to mom and dad so they won't take their kids somewhere else.

Knowing that you are from the wichita area, I'm curious as to which teams you are refering to that are run by "mommy and daddy" and not the coach? I'm not trying to be a d*** just trying to figure out if you are calling my team out or not.

Bryce Hughbanks
Maize Wrestling Coach

Somebody's paranoid LOL.... referring to a experience I had early this year. Some of the parents in the stands saw me correcting my sons pushups and decided they were gonna go bitch to the director. I could go on and on but let's leave it at that.

I don't remember ever going to a maize practice but I could have been drinking that day lol

HS 189 had two wrestlers DQ'd in separate incidents. One was after a 12-12 OT match that ended 12-13 in triple overtime. For a kid to throw a temper tantrum at this age for such a close match is rediculous. Winning is important but honor is the name of the game. Disgracing yourself after such a hard fought battle is just plain disgusting. This kid doesn't understand or belong in this sport. As for the second DQ, using the "F" word to the ref should be a guaranteed trip to the parking lot.
Todd Durham

I have seen far more good sportsmanship than bad. Something for thought, I bet if you had coaches, dad or moms wrestling in the finals and lost in overtime or due to a questionable call how many ejections would we have than? It is embarrassing for the wrestler, the club, coaches and the parents when their wrestler shows bad sportsmanship. If your wrestler has never done this then you need an award,,,or perhaps it is early in their wrestling
career. I have seen the MOST respectful kids and parents lose it one time or another.
As far as throwing a temper tantrum at "this age",,,,really,,did you see how some coaches and parents were acting?? Todd, I'm glad your not a screening "future" wrestlers for understanding the sport or decided "who belongs" in this sport.. swearing should not be tolerated or unsportmanship conduct,,however,,I admit I have not always been able to walk on water like you..

Dawn

the biggest thing is this. they made a mistake, they were punished. hopefully they learn from it. the most important thing is to give them a chance, to become better.

The kid launched his headgear not just threw them. It was an act of rage. Rage is dangerous in a combat sport. Ask Mike
Tyson.

Now, if he would have launched his opponent's headgear (with his opponent's head still strapped in), that would have been considered an act of rage.

Actually, one of my son's opponents threw his headgear against the wall after one of their matches which cost his high school one team point at a tournament. I applauded the official for making the call since he hadn't even left the mat yet and barely shook hands afterward.

The coaches of the 189 lber that launched his headgear were immediately on him and addressed the issue with him. A sad way to end his senior wrestling year and a tough lesson to learn.

Good point ReDployd. My bad There was no head in the headgear. My point is maybe we are putting too much emphasis on winning and not a great fight that was just 1 point short. I don't think a bystander deserves to be pelted by a flying headgear. Especially when the kid should have been proud of his effort. I agree it was addressed ASAP

Should ejections from the state tournament be treated any different than an ejection from a normal open tournament? Currently the first time offense is 8 days unless special circumstances warrant an additional suspension. With the State tournament being the final tournament of the season for a lot of the wrestlers, coaches, and parents how should we modify our bylaws to put some teeth into the punishment for improper behavior on this final weekend of the season?

All opinions are welcome...thanks.