One thing that attracted me to this sport in the first place was the lack of politics. The varsity team was determined by one-on-one competition not by who your dad was, how much money you gave the booster club or if the coach liked you. Now the very thing I despised, politics, is right in the middle of the sport I love. Instead of focusing on making more opportunities for kids, finding more coaches for kids, getting more kids to wrestle, improving facilities, rewarding volunteers, treating those who love the sport with respect we are focusing on these things:

Limiting coaches passes
Upholding ejections with no executive oversight or appeal process
Fatten the bank account as much as possible
Force coaches to have background checks

I am sorry but none of these objectives will help our sport grow or make it more enjoyable for those who are already involved. I am not saying I disagree or agree with any of these topics but what I am saying is why isn't our energy focused on:

Getting more kids to try our sport

Creating more team events for kids

Fund more wrestlers and events

Figure out how to sanction a 6 and under state

Create a novice state

Work on losening the KSHSAA up to get more kids from Middle School and Junior High to join USA Wrestling Clubs

Fund more open practice facilities and clinics

Create a Kansas tournament series to allow wrestlers to generate points and win awards

Why can't we focus on positive things? Sportsmanship is no different today than it was when I started kids wrestling in 1971 so why are we wasting our time on this topic? We need coaches and the kids need them more than ever at state. We need more coaches passes, not less! The problem is that a majority of the 70 clubs left during the voting portion of the meeting were upset that about that number had left early so they voted to show their displeasure by taking away passes without thinking what this was going to do to the kids. I didn't right down the names of those who voted for it but I know that Bob Stein was adamantly against this but to no avail. Common sense could not prevail. I have thought long and hard about how to overturn this decision but I cannot short of an emergency meeting which a quorum of club directors would attend. We DO NOT want to empower the Executive Board to make decisions without the State Body approval. Are there any other ideas out there?