We could have one state tournament. California does it and they have over 800 wrestling programs. Just a few years ago they crowned their first 4x State Champion, Darrell Vasquez. Now that is prestigious! How many 4 timers does Kansas have now. When you go to High School Nationals and you step on the mat with someone from California you better be ready to get after it.

I totally agree with the idea of a single state tournament. I don’t like having four individual state champions for a weight class. The state tournament should determine THE STATE CHAMPION. Maybe then more people would put more stock in the 5th and 6th place finishers also. Now, will we ever have one state tournament? Probably not. As long as KHSHAA is calling the shots we can probably forget this pipe dream. I’m not sure how much KHSHAA profits off the state tournament series, but I’m sure there is some profit. More state tournaments means more competitors, and more competitors means more parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. Add it all up and it results in more money for KHSHAA. Don’t get me wrong here I’m not KHSHAA bashing. They have to make money and they do a lot of good things with that money. KHSHAA’s first concern is the student and then the athlete, as well it should be.

I also think too much is being made about wrestling D1. First off the opportunities are limited at this level and wrestling D1 isn’t the end of all ends. Why do so many people glamorize wrestling at this level? Lets face it it’s a job that most kids are not up to in the first place. All I see on this forum is D1, D1, D1. We are so hung up on D1 that we forget what kids are really going to college for, and that is an education that will provide for them through the rest of their lives. Take a look at the average D1 wrestler after they finish college and I bet you’ll find that many are not even involved in wrestling any longer. Why is wrestling D1 so important? Why, well probably for parents who tend to live vicariously through their kids. Frankly, there are parents out there that believe that if their kid wrestles D1 it will improve their own status quo. I don’t think most kids really aspire to wrestle at the D1 level, however, I do believe that these ideas are being drilled into their heads. This trend of D1 grandeur has lead to a false feeling of entitlement by athletes and college coaches are a little fed up with it.

I don’t get caught up in the statistics of how many Kansas wrestlers are wrestling at the D1 level. To me this isn’t a fair measuring stick. Instead I think we need to look at how many kids have gone on to wrestle at college because of their love for the sport. If they get a scholarship at any level, GREAT. Be happy for what they received and not bitter about what they didn’t receive. We need to look at wrestling realistically as a way to subsidize our kids higher education. I say subsidize because most full-ride scholarships don’t entirely pay for an education. And, depending on what degree you are seeking in college a D1 school doesn’t necessarily provide the best education for the field of study that one is interested in. Some of the best learning institutions in the nation are the smaller ones. They can provide a smaller instructor/student ratio, which means students can get more one-on-one assistance from the instructor. Too often students become just numbers at the larger universities and their educational experience suffers because of it.

Sorry to be such a windbag.