Re: What a Weekend! Memorable moments at 5a State
Originally Posted By: Spartan Wrestling 05
Wow, what a weekend. It’s 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday and I am just waking up from a four hour Nap trying to recover from a fun filled weekend of state wrestling.
This weekend marked my 7th year at a Kansas State wrestling tournament. Wish I could have seen the other classes, but 5a at Hutch was some of the best wrestling I have seen to date.
What was lacking from the setting of a big time arena was made up by some hard nose wrestling by all. These Kansas kids are really looking strong.
Highlights included:
• Watching about a third of the University of Nebraska Huskers’ (Cotton, Koehn, Isenberg) and ˝ of University of Minn Gopher’s (since Atticus Disney is so big, I count him as ˝) recuriting classes in the finals.
• Mitch Arnold (an absolute artist on the mat).
• My boy Nick scrapping with Kyle Detmer in the Semis
• Trisen Graham’s and Romeo Cotton quest for 4 titles
• Philip Haines and Isenberg going head to head in the finals.
• Pete Tapia and Detmer in the finals.
• Scott Elliot----wow!
• Atticus Disney’s Flip at the end of the tournament (how does he move like that?)
Well my days as a parent spectator in this great event are over as my boys move on. Paula and I will be at many more of these events, but I think I will be able to relax a little more.
What a super job by all these fine Kansans young men. Best of luck to all in the future.
Mike Flynn
my response :
Any idea if the 5A highlights or finals are available or will be re-broadcast. I've always felt that Kansas needs to do more to promote our sport to the average sports fan/John Q and Suzy Parent. I know that annually the 1-3A Finals are shown on KTWU or whatever your local public broadcasting affiliate is but there is never very much advertisement or media regarding this great sport which has produced some very high level wrestlers in recent years.
I use Wayne Simien for an example- Kansas (native) biggest name in Basketball to go pro recently. Look up his stats and then compare to the Zach Roberson etc. or wrestlers from our state who have gone on to being in the top 10 or so in the world at their respective weight classes. Kansas Wrestling keeps getting tougher and tougher every year and we are putting more and more in top notch programs (Division 1's best) as Mr. Flynn stated above and I just wish that the rest of the State/Media would recognize just how outstanding KANSAS WRESTLING is !!
Folks, let's face it- Kansas does have the talent to support a top notch D-1 program with talent from in state that could compete with the Iowa Hawkeyes which I idolized their program led by Dan Gable in my youth. I never did think it was possible but it is and I would love to see it happen in my lifetime. Anybody else ?
It's time to quit out-sourcing OUR talent and stand up for what KANSAS WRESTLING has become ! Greg Grater, Bob Cairns, Rocky Welton, Jody Thompson, Larry Tilton, Rod Spellman, Ken Jones, Ben Bennett, John Akin, Fritz Knorr, Jake Durham, Chuck Elvin, Gary Ulmer,Bill StanHope, Bob Gonzales, Kit Harris, Randy Hinderliter etc. and great wrestling communities like Clay Center, Beloit, Oakley, Norton, Hays, Derby, WWC, Emporia, Hays, Valley Center,Olathe,Columbus, etc. and the countless good people of our sport (those who've helped build it) would be proud !! WE OWE IT TO THEM !!
