I'm trying to figure out why Kansas Freestyle and Greco has become almost extinct. I'm still a newcomer to Kansas having moved herw about 5 years ago. I grew up in Texas and Wyoming where I traveled to Kansas every year on a normal basis to wrestle Freestyle/Greco. I know there was a time that Kansas was seen as a Powerhouse state in those styles. What happened? While other states numbers have been growing ours has all but died. Not to long ago every tournament that we attended either had a booth set up or the announcer would speak about Wrestling being dropped from the Olympics. As a state we came together to help the cause that many throughout the world was fighting. Then as soon as the vote came in to add wrestling back we forgot about it again. I started a Freestyle/Greco program this year in Wamego. I had spoke about it for the past 4 years and had been told time and time again that it wouldn't work, kids didn't like the styles. Man were they wrong. I haven't seen so many smiles in a practice room. Every practice the numbers increase. Kids that during the Folkstyle season never attended a Wednesday practice due to church are coming to Freestyle and Greco practice on Wednesday's because how much fun they are having learning the styles and the new moves. I challenge the coaches around the state. Take a little more time to volunteer your time to something your already love doing. Offer time in the room teaching theses styles. If we don't get the younger kids involved soon to Freestyle/Greco in our state it will be gone and gone soon.

It is a simple matter of Folkstyle being available at all times of the off-season. Folkstyle didn't used to be there after the end of March. Now, between national dual and open tournaments, and the proliferation of both team and individual camps, FS/GR has suffered.

I had been out of the sport for almost 25 years before getting back in. From just my personal, unscientific observations, kids are burnt out after a 5 month long season. We are asking young kids to go longer than our high school season.

I would say a lot of it has to do with kids doing other sports. With a club of over 100 kids we don't get a ton either and most of our parents that have expressed interest in it just can't juggle that with baseball and/or soccer.

I don't believe it has anything to do with the length of our folkstyle season, the kids that want and can wrestle year round are going to do it. Many of the kids have been juggling 2-3 sports for the last month and others stay committed to 1 but as soon as wrestling is over they go straight to the diamond or pitch.

When most of us older adults played sports we played 1 sport at a time and when it was done we then went to another, now kids are juggling multiple at once because we feel that if we don't do a sport year round they will never be great.

I have also always thought that a lot of it has to do with the amount of "rural" clubs we have in KS. If you don't live around one of the larger cities in the state people just aren't going to be involved.

All that said we have had around 40 area kids at each of our freestyle sessions so far this season and we will keep promoting it. I hope it stays that way but I also understand why many are not in there.

I don't buy that the season is to long. I've heard this argument from parents (never kids who usually tell the truth) that the season is to long. At the same time 90% that make this argument have no issue with starting baseball practice in January and playing all the way until October. From what I remember the majority of when I was a youth played multiple sports until high school age but there was never a short supply of competition or lack of availability for us to try. I'm putting this issue our state is facing on the coaches. If we don't even offer Freestyle/Greco to our kids how can we expect them to try it and fall in love with it. It doesn't matter if you have 2 kids in your room or 50 kids in the room. In the end it's worth the shot to give them the chance to improve, love and enjoy the styles.

I believe the aspect has to do with other sports as mentioned after the Folkstyle Season. Baseball is a huge one, but also track, soccer, and then the kids start into football. I don't think it is the length of the Folkstyle Season burning the kids out, but the kids not having much of a break to be kids. I think it is that they are in a burn out circle really. I see them start with Football in the fall, then into wrestling, then into baseball, then back into Football, wrestling, baseball. We stick with Wrestling and football. we do GR/FS after Folkstyle, but we do slow down. No tournament every weekend, but we do hit some here and there like Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and make a "Vacation trip" out of it.