I was wondering what everyone thinks about having some control over the scheduling of kids tournaments. Currently clubs are allowed to have tournaments whenever and as many as they want. What if clubs were limited to one per season (either novice or open) and only one tournament per 70 mile radius? Tournaments are the most common source of revenue generation for clubs so it would make sense to have the state regulate to the point of mediating possible conflicts.

I disagree. Clubs should have as many tournaments and as close to other tournaments that they want to have. Tournaments are a great way to fundraise and most clubs help some kids out with travel expenses or the like to national tournaments. For the closeness matter, it is the wrestlers' choice to what tournament they want to go to. The clubs that do have more than one tournament (Burlington is the only one that leaps to mind that isn't an open/novice weekend) obviously have great leaders that truly love werestling because I doubt they are pocketing the money from the tournaments.

I am sitting here and I try to bite my tongue but I can no longer just sit back and let other people control the success or failure of our tournament. During the summer I heard our high school was going to start a kids club and talked to some people and decided I wanted to be a part of the building of this club. I went to a couple parent meetings and at the last meeting volunteered to be director of this new club. I also attended the state body meeting and listened to all the clubs request the week for their tournaments. It was based on this and carefully going over the list of upcoming tournaments that we at Mill Valley selected March 9 for our tournament as there were no other tourneys scheduled in our immediate area. At the Linn County tourney Mr. Hess had the nerve to not only announce that they were having their second tournament but they "needed" to do this to raise funds to buy new singlets for their club. For those who didnt know, they had already had a tourney where they had according to Mr. Hess over 700 kids in attendance. If I had anything to say to Mr. Hess I would just ask where the thousands of dollars went from the first tournament? I will let his club members find the answer to this question. As far as our tournament we will have it as scheduled! We have talked with several clubs in this area as well as clubs from other districts who plan to attend. With these things in mind I do invite any clubs who did not get flyers to give us a call but please keep in mind we will have a limit on the number of entries accepted so we can have a quality tourney. I personally have nothing against Mr. Hess and the club he represents but I do have a problem with the greed that is so damaging to other clubs both new and well established. Now that I have that off my chest I need to go to practice.

Just remember we do it for the kids! See ya on the mats.
Jeff Broadbent - Mill Valley Wrestling Club

Thank you, Jeff! We too are a brand new club and are in need of a large fund raiser such as a tournament. I worry that if there were to be restrictions put on these events that we would have a problem even trying to do a "first time". At this point we do not have the manpower, nor do we have the facility to host one, but eventually we hope to do so.

I have to agree with Broadbent, I sat thier Sat. and heard this and just shook my head. If we have a tourney in SEK that has 350 kids we think its great. This Hess guy with his love of the sport and his gread for more money will be able to sit back next year look at his wrestlets in thier gold plated singlets and be proud of what he's done. Two 700 kid tournaments and no respect from any other clubs.

My name is Amy VanHoose, vice president of Gardner Edgerton Wrestling Club, and Robert Hess' partner in this club. First of all we did cancel our tournament as of Monday the 18th. We did this due to all the factors mentioned in your comments and also due to Mr. Cokely's plea to us that we received via e-mail. However I didn't get this information to Mr. Cokely before my old email address went out as I was his contact at Hoosead@aol. It was not Hess' soul decision to host another tournament, it was amongst our board and we all agreed to it, so if you are upset with one you are upset with all. As for all of the thousands we reaped from our tournament of 524 entries and 40 scratches, please contact me to see where the $'s were spent and the $'s that were left over. There is no greed in our club anywhere - we have - as well as any of several clubs in KS- sponsored those in our club that do not have the funds to participate, we have supported charities in our own communities, and we must pay refs, security, and the USD 231 school district to host our tournaments. I have been with this club for 4 yrs now and will continue to remain here. We as well as Mill Valley and the others are here for the KIDS; that being we canceled our tournament.

I can speak on behalf of our whole club in offering any support in helping clubs with their first tournaments. Emporia has done this and continues as do many others. We love wrestling, we love kids and are here for them.

Amy VanHoose
GEWC

I have to agree with Mr. Cokley. I think setting some guidelines for tournaments would be a great idea. There was a club who scheduled a tourney after we scheduled ours and it made our turn out very slim. It was our first tourney after a reconstruction of our club, but I believe we did a good job for our first time out. It certainly was a learning experience and our tourney will be just that much better next year. Why don't we spread the wealth around and make our clubs all that much better for our kids and our sport.
(sorry this is late, I just registered)

After reading the posts relating to the establishment of tournament guidelines, I wanted to offer yet another viewpoint. I have been involved with wrestling for 3 years now. I love the sport and am thankful there are so many wrestling enthusiasts out there who give endless hours of their time (on a volunteer basis)to ensure our sons and daughters receive the best coaching possible. I understand the frustration some clubs are feeling regarding tournaments. I remember only a few years ago when there was just one open and one novice tournament each weekend. In just a matter of a few years, thanks to the tireless efforts of so many, the popularity of wrestling has increased so much that we find ourselves in the current situation ... having more than one open/novice tournament each weekend. Another way to look at this situation is that we now have more options available for clubs to consider. In the case of my son's club, the parents/wrestlers are not limited to attending one tournament. If there are three tournaments in one day, the wrestlers are given their choice of which tournament they would like to attend. The club does not endorse specific tournaments. For the more experienced wrestlers, the club provides the option of traveling and attending "elite" national-level tournaments. Local tournaments are an option for those wrestlers who prefer not to travel. The club provides the option of novice tournaments for those beginner wrestlers. Our club's nine coaches are divided up each weekend in order to offer the wrestlers and their parents the option that best fits their schedule/wrestlers ability. Let's face it ... especially toward the end of the season, we parents need to attend a local tournament or two not only to give ourselves a needed break but to allow us time to take care of our other obligations. Unfortunately, there are not many local tournaments available. Let's change that!

In my experience over the past three seasons, I have attended tournaments that were either ran exceptionally well or extremely poorly. Those who have been involved with wrestling for a number of years can attest to this. When I say poorly run, I am referring to a lack of "table worker" impartiality, (yes, I have seen table workers cheat for the host club ... just this past season), improper bracketing, lack of organization, etc. These are all areas in which clubs looking to host a tournament need to consider. As in many facets of life, we are tasked with having to gain the confidence of our peers in order to reap the rewards of our efforts. Tournaments can be viewed in the same way. In all reality, the hosting of ones first tournament is like a crap shoot. You plan for a large turn out, and hope that things will run smoothly so that your club will realize a good return ... one that will help your club provide more for your athletes. Unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed when planning such an event. Having multiple tournaments on a given weekend is something that is not going to change. I know there are clubs out there that have been having tournaments on a specific weekend for a number of years ... and they will probably continue to do this. Instead of looking at it as a hinderance (someone taking money from your tournament), one can view it as an opportunity to experience what your club's tournament has to offer. And believe me, if you put on a good tournament, word of mouth will be your cheapest and best form of marketing. I believe we all have our favorite tournaments that we look forward to attending every year. If you are planning to host your first tournament, strive to make yours the one everyone wants to attend. If you are local (within Johnson County) you are at an even greater advantage, as there aren't many tournaments offered here in our area.

As for my son's club, Olathe South Falcons Wrestling Club (OSFWC), they have yet been able to host their own tournament due to lack of venue (the cost of renting a gym is more than the club can risk investing). There are other fundraising options. Currently, OSFWC wrestlers are selling candy bars to earn money for equipment and to sponsor athletes from limited means. If all goes well and all of the candy is sold we will receive $1,500 for our club. No, it's not as much as a tournament could possibly bring in but it is the best option available to us at this time. We do not have matching singlets, nor do we have matching warm-up suits (and we should not fault those clubs who do) but we do have a club of 64 fine, young men willing to work hard at making their club the best it can be ... even if it is selling candy door to door at a buck a piece. Our children look to us for example. It is our responsibility to mold them and teach them sportsmanship and to put them first. We are all here for the same reason ... the kids. I know that when the OSFWC is in a position to host a tournament, I plan on volunteering my time as it takes a number of people to make a tournament successful. I also plan to seek out those clubs who are willing to offer first-time tournament hosters all the tips and how-to's on ensuring a successful tournament.

To those of you who want to restrict the options of parents to choose which tournament they want to attend or are angered because you are forced to compete with other clubs for entries, you need to ask yourself "who is the greedier?"

In closing ... would anyone like to buy a candy bar?

A Wrestler's Mom from the Olathe South Falcons Wrestling Club

By having two tournaments in a small geographic area, you are actually hurting both clubs. The funds for the club are generated only after all overhead has been taken care of. If two clubs split the pool of attendees then no one wins. It isn't a matter of greed. Since these tournaments are sanctioned, I feel the sanctioning body should govern where and when tournaments happen. There should be some guidelines or rules to apply. If a tournament violates or is unable to meet them then they should not be permitted to host the following year.

I want to say I appreciate all of the effort and work that everyone has put forth to host the many tournaments we have the option of attending. This is not an attack or a matter of greed. It is an idea which I feel would ultimately benefit the kids, after all that is who we invest in this sport for.

I am the high school coach at Gardner Edgerton, and I have been working with the GEWC for the last four years to improve wrestling in our community. We are trying to appease our more advanced wrestlers. One of the ways our kid's club wanted to accomplish this was by holding an open tournament. The only date that the school facility was available was March 9. They expressed concern to me about that being the same date as the Mill Valley tournament. However, they told me they were trying to give our older kids one last chance to wrestle in front of their home crowd as a member of the GE kid's club. If our kid's club was worried about the money aspect, wouldn't they express the same concern as the MV kid's club of not having very many wrestlers due to another tournament being held the same day? At no point were they trying to backstab the Mill Valley club.

Those people attacking the Gardner Edgerton kid's club and directors seem to be caught up on the only reason people host tournaments is for the money. Step back and look at it from other clubs' perspective. Options on where to wrestle are always nice.

It bothers me to see our kid's club cancel a tournament to appease other clubs that are "bad mouthing" them across the whole state. They have put a lot of time and effort into hosting their tournamnet. But our kid's club director and staff are quality individuals and it shows when they appease people that call them "greedy".

Good luck to all wrestlers as they approach the state tournament. May you reach your goals.

Coach Yeamans

P.S.-I constantly have fundraising companies contacting me. If some clubs would like me to forward some of those calls to them, let me know. It may help solve some of the financial arguments going on.

Tournaments are not the easiest thing to put into effect. I feel that all clubs should be able to put on as many tournaments as they want. When our club goes to a tournament and finds that is it very poorly run, we try to attend another club's tournament the next year. Also, I believe that promoting wrestling is a big factor. When children are from homes that are financially challenged then wrestling with a club that only has tournaments long distance is out of the question, so if there are a couple of tournaments offered on the same weekend then these children also get to participate because the parents can afford it. One reason I love this sport is because NO ONE is ever "labeled" financially challenged in it--parents or children. Under priviledged children would benefit from wrestling just as well as children who are not as under priviledged. Keeping open the opportunity to go to several different locations throughout the year will help. As far as "competing for business" Once a wrestler has paid his entry fee--NO REFUNDS guys. The club still gets it's money. This is a benefit to all. If everyone would look at all the plus' and negatives on the subject maybe keeping more availability is the answer. And if you look at the profits that actually arrive after all overhead is paid you will see that even after hosting a tournament--it seems like you should have more money left then what you do. So if a club is willing to give up it's time to volunteer to host a tournament--no matter how many times--then I say GOOD FOR YOU. You are really in it for the children. Also if a club wants to hold more than one tournament a year then you do not have to attend the second tournament--I know that this year there were some tournaments from clubs on the same dates that My husband and I had a hard time picking which one to go to because we wanted to go to both--if they had two tournaments then we would have been able to go to both club's tournaments.

I just think that we are all missing the boat on the tourney thing. Nobody want to tell a club where they are going to wrestle and no club should tell an individual wrestler where to wrestle. We decide as a club where we are going because we like to go together and cheer our kids on together. If a member of our club decides to enter another tourney, we try our bust to get out there and support that kid too. The point is that if Osawatomie, Paola, Ottawa, and Gardner all decided to have a tournament on the same weekend, who wins. No one. Lets level the playing field and give our kids quality tournaments with good competition all over the state.