Change my previous post to read Minnesota, S. Dakota and North Dakota. I think at least Minn and N. Dakota have HS hockey, don't know about S. Dakota

I quickly read the Peterson Weight Study which was supposedly the support basis for the reducing the number of HS wrestling weight brackets. I am certainly not a statics guy, a lot of data to assimilate, and the study would make for a good masters or doctoral thesis. A possible short coming in the study as I read it was the lack of a discussion or presentation of information on the normal distribution of all high school age kids by weight--the old Bell Curve distribution if you please, not just the distribution of wrestlers by weight. From several of the Peterson charts it appears that the peak of the Bell Curve is around 180++ lbs--we all know kids are getting bigger and stronger. Might be wrong but it seems that the current 14 bracket system, and the Peterson recommended bracket, currently are constructed peak the distribution in the 145 pound area. All this I addmit from a quick read of the study.

So, where are we. Hopefully, still at the current 14 brackets, with more study to be done on the ifs and ors of any bracket. However, one last comment: sometimes you can study an issue to death. Its the art VS the science arguement. You may occasionally have to to go with the gut (art) feeling.

Right now my gut feeling is more brackets, not less.

agree there needs to be a smaller split at the top 215 to 285 is to much, a big disandvantage for the kid who plays football at 240 to far to go down but giving up to much weigt to the true heavys

One thing I want to be clear about to is that in no way am I for the reduction of weight classes from our current total of 14. My first preference has always been for the addition of weight classes. Most of the feedback I received two years ago on the national forum though was that the addition of weight classes was unlikely and they were more worried that the current number of 14 would be reduced.

Contrarian, congratulations on Lansing's great season. Your team did great and I think you are looking good for another great season next year.

This is a bad Idea. I'm a small school coach this year I had 10 kids out and Five of them had a alpha weight was between 139 and 142. I don't understand how having less weight class will help exept instead of losing by 24 in a dual we lose by 15. I always thought we want to create more ways for kids to be involved instead of less
Adam Polansky
Republic County

Coach Polansky,

I agree with you that wrestling should be about creating more opportunities and should not be cutting weight classes.

I think we could create more opportunities if Kansas had a system like the NAIA does that allows for a team to take 12 wrestlers (2 more than the college weight class bracket total of ten) and up to 2 per weight class. In high school this would mean each team could wrestle at state up to 16 wrestlers and up to two per weight class. This type of system would have served a situation like yours this year very well where you have five wrestlers between 139 and 142 alpha weight. You would have had the option to wrestle all five in weight classes very close to their alpha weights. For example you could have wrestled two at 135 and two at 140 and one at 130 or 145.