We are going to the Tulsa Nationals this year for the first time. Does anyone have advice on where to stay? How to get around in Tulsa? Things of that nature. Any other informtion would be appreciated. Please post or e mail us. Thanks!

Jeff get on Priceline as soon as possible and make reservations for the Tulsa MidTown area. For Cliff Keen last year we stayed at the Adam's Mark for $25, the pain there is having to pay $8 per day for parking. We also stayed in midtown for Tulsa Nationals for $30. These rates if gotten early are a lot cheaper than anything you will find. There are also a lot of good and inexpensive places to eat. I lived in Tulsa for 8 years and it is a great city, feel free to email me for head's up if need be. The best place to stay is normally the Doubletree. It is right across the street from the convention center but you are going to pay more. Again, get reservations ASAP. We are not going to Cliff Keen this year it looks like and are hoping that we can go to TN or some of the other tournaments. Another heads up is that if possible you can split the cost of a room with someone else.

Dear Jeff:

Talk to individuals in your area who have attended the event regarding their views on seeding of the Kansas kids.

Jack and his crew are notorious for seeding Oklahoma wrestlers in a far more advantageous position to make the finals, and seeding Kansas kids on the heavy side of the bracket with the participants from New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, etc.

In an effort to combat this perceived injustice several Kansas coaches now attend the seeding meeting. If you know a coach attending the seeding meeting, ask the coach to attend the seeding of your wrestlers bracket with the pertinent seeding information.

At the weigh in, my wife was totally unprepared for the appearance of many of the youth. She was familiar with cutting a few pounds to make the next lowest weight bracket, but was shocked by the, as my wife described it, "Holocaust" type appearance of so many of the youth. A salesman from Tanita, a weight scale company, offered my wife some encouragement when their scale, which determined body fat composition, advised my kids were ten to fifteen pounds over their optimum weight.

For three consecutive years, two of my sons were blessed with the opportunity to wrestle the out of state defending champion from the previous year in a first round bout.

On another occasion, in the finals, my middle son had the pleasure of denying Lance Palmer from Ohio the opportunity to win another Outstanding Wrestler award by virtue on not getting pinned. Lance cried after the match and his father and Lance's high paid personal coach (Jeff Jordan) pithced a fit after the match. My son Robert felt like he won.

Over the years my children competed we always came home with a winning record from the tournament and always left with a sour taste from the officiating.

Have fun!

Who are Kansas coaches attending the seeding meeting? Anyone know one?

There is no seeding for the Kick-off. They only seed for Tulsa Nationals in Jan. So there is no seeding meeting to go to. Bring your check book however because everthing is expensive.

SlamBam

SlamBam is exactly right about the seeding meetings. They also only place 4 which is one reason it is such a tough tournament. I think the original question was about TN though. Seeding there is a bear as well, if you haven't wrestled the nationals you can just about forget it. It also helps to have wrestled some of the Roller tournaments prior to that tournament.

By bad I can't think all the way to January. The kick-off is placing 6 this year!

SlamBam

my son is a 6 & under 49 or 52 pounder. It is his second year. he posted a 54-18 record last year. I s it a good idea to take him to the kiskoff?

I would say that most any national exposure is good, the experience is also of benefit. You never know how well they will do. I didn't know about them placing 6 this year, that is a positive.

We're thinking about going to! Can anyone give us some info? How do they call the kids to the mat,(numbered matches or what), when and where are the brackets located, do they start up on their feet after every period, are they always on the same mat?

The most advice I can give you is try tto get a room in the Doubletree @ Warren Place hotel asap.

dmx- How were you able to find 72 matches for a 5 year-old? Are you not a little worried about burn out? Take my advice, take a break!

First of all my son had just turned 6 when the season started, second we took a feww weekends off and thirdly we can find several tournaments on saturday and sunday. My son lost some matches and had to wrestle his little butt off on the back side. Thanks for the advice!

How about the temp in the building? Is it really hot like all the others or is the temp controlled pretty well?

dmx,
In my opinion if you have to wonder if your son is ready then he probably isn't. I would advise you to ask his coaches who know his abilities, and more importantly, his maturity level. Every child is different. I would hesitate to take the advice of a person who would respond blindly to this request. Good luck to your son this year, and wish you all the best.