I know this is the time of year we all want to get exicted about our sport with Reginals and State coming up but I fear this year will bring with it talk of budgets and such.
I just came from Our school boards "special Session" (Republic County for those who don't know where I'm From) We are on the Short list of programs that might be cut. I think we are all aware of the problems of the state budget but I wanted to let all of you know what is going on because this could set a dangerous precedent with other small schools if they see a pier school cut wrestling.

I guess I don't know what we as a wrestling community can do but if you out there have any ideas let me know. I don't know if those from outside a school district can do much to change things but maybe if some of you can call or super. and tell him how cutting programs makes our school district look from afar
Thanks
Adam Polansky
Republic County Head Coach

Coach,

I would talk to your senator, legislative people, governor, county commission, the school district is the anchor and heart and sole of counties with a smaller population. The 1990 census showed that Republic County had 6,482 residents and the 2000 census showed the county with 5,835 residents a decline of 647 people or 9.9% over the 10 year period. If the school board decides to cut programs (whatever they may be) families will move possibly. Which means the county goverment tax base will also decline if the current residents move out of their house or pick up and leave their business and start it some where else. I am assuming Republic County is predominately agricultural. I doubt if people will pick up and leave the family farm but they might. How many schools in Republic County offer HS wrestling?
How many schools in surrounding counties offer HS wrestling? I know distance would be a problem - but could 2 or 3 schools join forces to offer one wrestling program. Or is the school district considering dropping all sports? How much does the program cost to run or how much money does the school district needs to cut? Could the county impose a 1 percent sales tax on goods purchased in the county dedicated to the school district. That way people who visit or pass through Republic county who purchase gas, food, whatever help to pay for certain programs. Their are grants (from urban foundations)for rural counties. The problem with those you have to apply every year and you need someone who knows where to find those grants and then apply for them. The county government should have a person who applys for grants on behalf of the county residents, for roads, bridges, water projects, the school should also have a person who does this type of work for school lunch program, and other programs. Just a bunch of ideas. My brother and I talked about this a year ago (budget cuts in schools) he lives in an urban area in Wisconsin and we both believe that sports programs will be more clubs like USA Wrestling running the High School Programs in the future. It may be designed more like programs in Europe - I think almost everything over in European countries are sponsered by businesses and run as a club. It is a shame but I do believe it is just the beginning.

To steal a quote from Chris Crocker:

“LEAVE WRESTLING ALONE!!!”

Political crap. Just call their bluff.

Kansas State Basketball Team Roster:

I have a few comments after the roster.



Name Pos. Yr. Exp. Ht./Wt. Hometown (last school)
0 Jacob Pullen
G So. 1V 6-0/200 Maywood, IL (Proviso East)
1 Fred Brown
G So. 1V 6-2/190 West Palm Beach, FL (William T. Dwyer)
13 Justin Werner
G Fr. HS 6-3/190 Topeka, KS (Washburn Rural)
15 Luis Colon
F Jr. 2V 6-10/265 Carolina, Puerto Rico, (Krop (Miami, Fla.))
21 Denis Clemente
PG Jr. SQ 6-1/175 Bayamon, Puerto Rico, (Calusa (Fla.) Prep) (Miami, Fla.)
23 Dominique Sutton
F So. 1V 6-5/210 Durham, NC (The Patterson (N.C.) School)
24 Curtis Kelly
PF Jr. TR 6-8/250 Queens, NY (Rice HS) (Connecticut)
25 Buchi Awaji
G Jr. TR 6-3/185 Los Angeles, CA (Loyola HS) (FIU) (Citrus (Calif.) College)
31 Chris Merriewether
G Jr. 2V 6-4/195 Jacksonville, FL (Arlington Country Day)
32 Jamar Samuels
F Fr. RS 6-7/215 Washington , DC (The Patterson (N.C.) School)
33 Victor Ojeleye
F Fr. HS 6-6/225 Ottawa, KS (The Patterson (N.C.) School) (Ottawa)
40 Ron Anderson
F So. 1V 6-8/255 Upper Marlboro, MD (McCallie School (Tenn.) )
42 Darren Kent
F Sr. 3V 6-10/230 Apple Valley, MN (Eastview)


There are 2 Kansas kids on the roster. The rest are from out of state. The teams budget is $2.5 million dollars. The say there is no state tax dollars involved in the BB program. OK - I say pick up your basketball court and go put it on a private piece of property. Also - all the faculty, counselors, educational buildings that are paid for by you guessed it us - Kansas Tax Payers - I assume these student athletes are using those facilities. It ___________ upsets me when we are taking away opportunities for our young Kansas kids at the expense of the fats cats or jay hawks, it is totaly ridiculous to cut these small communities and school districts. No different than theses huge Bank Bailouts. Lets put some limits on EVERY State institution coaches salaries, athletic directors, travel budgets, pension plans, start the
K.S.A. GIVE A LITTLE BACK LAW OR DON'T GIVE THEM SO MUCH LAW. Start taking care of the people that grew up in the state and the families that live here.

Smokey,

Explain, please.

Greg Mann
Norton, KS

What would you like me to try to explain. It bugs me that kids
are being denied an opportunity to particpate in something they like and they have to work very hard at physically and mentally. What are we talking about cutting $5,000 to $10,000 (that includes the coaches salary) per team that might be high figure.

I want one crack at the state budget and some of the college athletic department budgets. Full authority.

Consolidation, elimination of administrators, reduce waste, etc. There are SO many ways to save money that haven't been explored. Opportunities should not be sacrificed! I am talking about athletic and academic.

How much does it cost to staff the KSHSAA and operate their office?

Lets reduce the number of classifications to cut costs. That would be WAY better than eliminating sports.


JUST AS A SIDE NOTE:
How much does it cost to suit up fifty kids to play football? I am talking equipment, field maintenance, coaching staff, liability insurance, etc. Egg, you can probably tell us...

I know that NO high school sport is self sufficient so if we do have to go to the extreme of cutting something lets get the biggest bang for our buck!

The education system has been run by liberals for far too long. It is time to run it like a business!

State Owned Vehicles - Just the commute to and from work cost
taxpayers nearly $600,000 gas and maintanence. That would be about 119 - $5,000 youth programs. Wouldn't we all like a car to get to work as a benefit. I am not sure if this audit includes police vehicles. They should be able to take their cars home. There are mutliple millions in fringe benefits that could be cut or scaled back on some state, local & federal employees.


Office of Kansas Governor
EXECUTIVE ORDER 03-04
WHEREAS, K.S.A. 75-4608 provides for the Secretary of Administration to "adopt rules and regulations necessary for the efficient and economical operation, maintenance, repair, and replacement of motor vehicles in the central motor pool or any branch thereof and for all other vehicles owned by the state or any state agency"; and

From the WHEREAS, based on the results of the audit and survey, it is estimated that state employees drive state vehicles approximately 2.0 million miles per year in commuting between their residence and official workstation, resulting in a cost to state agencies of over $596,000; and

Speaking of transportation! When we were in Garden City I walked outside and saw that many of the western Kansas schools had traveled to this tournament in custom painted, transit buses. I am not talking your every day Yellow School bus but nice coach class buses. For goodness sakes, it is only 30 minutes to Scott City! We drove seven hours in a rented van! How much does it cost to own or lease, operate, maintain, fuel and garage these buses? There is so much low hanging fruit out there that any politician who suggests cutting athletic programs needs to be taken inside the caged octagon! It wouldn't take a Six Sigma, Lean Practice Black Belt to save any school system thousands of dollars. It just takes an open mind and some common sense.

I think you are closer with your 10,000 dollar figure as far as budgets. That is for 2 coaches and a coach that has to spend out of pocket money to get things. Also the uniforms are on a 6 year rotation with warms up not getting replaced in forever.

Republic County Girls basketball team has to buy their warm ups or travel suits and they cost them 50 or 60 bucks- alot to ask from kids. Not sure the wrestling team could offord to get the kids to buy them.

Ark City flies in a Purple and Gold private jet. You really don't expect us to give that up do you?

I could be wrong here but- I believe I was told that Beloit has to run their programs off of gate and concession earnings. If this is true they must get alot of gate money from somewhere. Football is probably one that could pay for itself with gate and concessions. I know the wrestling crowds are not always full to capacity. Tennis, softball, cross country, and golf are not view by many at all.

There are more hidden, opportunity costs that you have to consider with football. How much does a stadium and field cost? It only gets used a few times a year. A gym should be in constant use. From a business perspective it would be hard to justify the cost of a football stadium when it is unused 95% of the time. I am pretty sure football is a sacred cow but I would definitely like to see how much it costs and how much it makes.

Why not take the chance to use the Beaver Bus when we get it? When it comes to this stage of the game, we are sending 14 wrestlers, 2 managers and 3 coaches in 2 suburbans to regionals this weekend. And let's not forget all of the equipment that comes along with those wrestlers, and the first aid kit and the food coolers, etc. And as far as schools cutting budgets, our wrestlers have been doing fund raisers this year so the school doesn't have to put out the money to feed them. And of course, as always in this town, the wrestling parents have offered ways to help where we are needed. I have 2 boys on the team this year and if I was told that I needed to pay for part of their stay in a hotel, I would because that is the sacrifice we make for our kids to participate in the greatest sport on earth.

Sandra-

I hear you on the parents chipping in and helping- problem is we are trying to save our sport here and most of the kids on the team would not come out if they had to pay anything. I wish it were different but we are struggling right now to compete with basketball and they are kings- to keep the program we need to keep the kids out we have and find ways to raise the money- and to be honest I would guess the coach will have to do the fundraising on his own-

Our wrestlers sold ice cream sandwiches at the beginning of the season(which about did some of them in as you can imagine), and the coach has been finding odd jobs for them to help out with in the community which puts money into the fund for them. And I also understand the competing with the BAD sport. Two years ago when our BAD sport went to state, they got a police escort out of town and when our wrestlers went, they didn't even get a send off from the school----parents got involved in that one. And the best I can offer at this time is that you do need to do what smokeycabin suggests. Start beating the bushes. There are other cuts that school districts can make if they just look deep enough, but the problem is they don't want to most of the time.

We are a large 3A school. Sounds to me like it will be Football, Basketball, Track ONLY here (volleyball for girls). If this is what our school is looking at, then how many larger schools will be in the same boat? Let alone smaller schools?
I don't think it looks very promising for wrestling in the future. However, if you know your program is going to make it through the cuts please post as our family will more than likely move where there is wrestling and baseball or at least a strong Legion team.

Joe Wilcox - Chaparral

agreed-

Its not like most people are able to go through a budget and finacial report and understand it and find savings in the next couple of week- heavens- even years. Try getting the opportunity to get answers from the people that know and finding ways to cut anything - everyone has a reason for the money they get or spend. And really they all might be right- just something has to give.

bad sport *L*- no such thing in my world. I love them all- I really do and would coach any of them.