the decision for my 2 sons at this point has been made. i left it up to the both of them this year. unfortunately they have decided to pursue other things and not wrestle this season. i am hoping its just for this season and hopefully they may make the decision to come back later in the season. i just want to thank tons of people throughout the long journey. brady started wrestling back when he was 4 years old. drew started about the same age. the things they have learned and the things that i have learned makes it hard on me as a dad, coach and person. first off i want to thank one of the best guys i have ever met in the sport of wrestling. we go way back to our boys wrestling at 6 under state. after that season we talked in the summer and decided that our boys would be great practice partners. well after several state championships and national placings they had to square off this last year in the finals at kick off classic. whether you like him or hate him he has earned my respect. what he has done for my 2 sons i can never repay him enough. he didnt have to take my sons as he could have just taken his boys in his shed that sits in his back yard and worked on his boys only. what he has done for the sport of wrestling many people wont understand until he takes your son to that shed and whips him into shape. he has built a dynasty from day one to the present day. coaching from 8 kids to over 100 kids now and still making it work isnt an easy task. yes he has had many helpers along the way but the kansas young guns wouldnt be where they are today without Max Fisher and Terry Lange. many kids at the high school level wouldnt be where they are without those 2 guys either. im sure i will drop in and out of gyms over the course of the year in hopes that my sons change their minds. so if you see them you can always encourage them without asking me first. i will always make the journey to watch state wrestling at the high school level with or without my sons wrestling as i have since i graduated from high school. good luck to all of you and your sons. just remember its a marathon and not a sprint. just because they win all their matches at 6,8,10, 12 doesnt mean they are going to be state champs every year come high school. remember to hug them and tell them that you love them at night time as i did when they were younger but not so much in the past couple years. just a few things i have learned throughout the past years. dont use this talk forum to talk crap. if you have a problem with someone talk to them face to face in a positive manner. the talk forum only fuels the fire. beeson is actually a pretty good guy if you are able to sit down and talk to him. do not talk to him on the web forum lol. do not drink that stuff that lindsey drags around with him. that stuff will probably make you sick. the most important thing i have learned is listen to other coaches, and most importantly your own kids. dont make them do things they really dont want to do as they wont give 100 percent. guide your kids dont force them to do anything. last but not least is one thing i wasnt very good at. do not argue with the refs cause they are almost always right and very few times will they change a call. also take time and watch bob from salina coach a match. it will give you a good laugh. oh i almost forgot. take someone that doesnt know the sport of wrestling to a kids tournament and watch some of the crazy parents and coaches. thats all i got for now. thank you.

I am just curious WHY they decided they didn't want to continue wrestling? Retention and sustainment to the high school level should be one of all of our club's goals.

well since your the 2nd person that has asked me that in the past week i had to sit down and look at some of the reasons. with my son there are several reasons. one being finances. my wife lost her job 2 years ago and she had to start over. we make quite a bit less money now and with 5 kids we had to make some changes with each kid. i have 2 girls in high school and they now only play 2 sports each. with brady we had to sit down and ask him what he really likes. wrestling was at the bottom of that list. its not because he wasnt good at it but the long drag on of the season was much of the reason. to keep up with kids these days most kids have to wrestle 8-10 months and some wrestle all year. you do that for 8-10 years and it wears on you. in the past few years he told me his favorite part of the wrestling season was going to omaha and wrestling with a team of kids from all over the state. honestly in my opinion i think club sports is hurting all sports not just wrestling. i used to play in chanute rec league then at the end of the season we formed 2 all-star teams to play in a couple tournaments. that was for baseball. i didnt start tackle football until i was in 7th grade. now they start in 2nd grade. another reason he said was because he likes basketball better. its more fun to play and all his friends from his school play basketball and thats what he liked to do. is be with his friends. me as a dad coach probably wasnt the best thing for him. i pushed him and pushed him hard. i made tons of mistakes with him. as kids get older they sometimes have to make decisions. i honestly think with the emphasis on school work is making it hard for kids to play multiple sports come high school as well. brady struggles in keeping focus on his school work and i am not sure he will be able to succeed in 3 sports in high school. if i could go back and change anything about wrestling i would not make it competitive at a young age. i would start november first and be done at the end of january. then if he wanted to do more start freestyle wrestling. we need those kids to be at high school state so they see the reason why they are wrestling in the first place. i know not every one who reads this will agree but these are my thoughts on this. if my wife would not have ever put that stupid basketball goal in the driveway when my kids were young they would not have ever picked up a basketball lol. i dont think we can sit here and say there is one reason we are losing kids at the high school level. add all the reasons together would be more logical. the biggest reason in my opinion is the long season along with the toughness it takes to be a good wrestler. not many kids that are not good continue. there are a handful of stories but not the majority. kids that are good in several sports are more likely to continue with a sport that is easier and more fun to do. i think kansas overall needs to look at a shorter season and make it fun by doing more dual tournaments. i would like to hear other peoples thoughts that have had kids not continue as well.

Every parent and coach should read this story. Your kids may come back to the sport. They may need to recharge their batteries. As a coach, parent, and sports participant - make no mistake I am competitive and know the feeling between a W vs L. But as a coach/parent now, I want to develop the student/athletes in the sport. Success is measured differently for each wrestler. When they are in elementary, middle school, HS, college, and/or the Olympic/International level - I want THEM to LIKE and be passionate about the sport. At all levels, every person is different, but when it is difficult and fun they will knock down their own walls and overcome obstacles. We as adults can guide them on the path with positive reinforcement as they learn whatever activity they are interested in.

As a father/coach gearing up for our first season at 4 I am truly grateful for your input and story. I hope your boys find their love for the sport again.