Just wanted to say that you guys did a great job thanks for the hard work. From your Great Bend coaches.

All but the ref on mat 8 at state!!!! I don't know who he was but he was the main ref for that mat and was HORRIBLE.. If a coach had a complaint or asked for clarification on a call he treated you as if you were an idiot...You know he's bad if another ref watching your match tells you, "you got screwed"...Question, why at a level of state can't there be 2 refs watching each match this would cut down on all the controversial calls, would it not?? If you see locked hands from your angle and the ref does not who is to say a 2nd ref couldn't catch it,just for an example..Kids work too hard to make state to lose on a minor technicallity....

better yet, instant replay like football. the 2 coaches could have flags to throw to challenge the call. the zebra then could review film and have 1 minute to uphold the call or call stands as called.

if you lose your challenge you lose, well can't think of what you would lose.

AND NO I AM NOT SERIOUS ABOUT THIS EITHER. HAVE NOT POSTED IN AWILE FIGURED IT WAS TIME FOR NIX TO COME OUT.

I wasn't going to call him out but since you did I will join in, we sat at mat 8 all weekend and noticed several time he was slow getting to the mat checking for pins. He also seemed to wander around watching other things other than the match he was working. I seen him miss LH (which isn't that hard to miss) and several quick reversals. Almost like he forgot who started where and when he looked back after he missed the actual reversal seen no change and awarded no points. This actually happened to my son. He did change it because we were awarded NF points and it is hard to get NF points without a reversal. He didn't seem too grouchy once confronted, but did want to conferr with the table worker on the starting position of the period before he would listen to our coaches. I completely understand him wanting to do that.

If we wouldn't have gotten NF points I have a feeling our coaches would had a hard time pleading their case with him.

I thought most of the officials did an outstanding job and were very courteous and professional.

However, I was dissapointed to see that one official had a pinch of chew in his lip when out on the mat. I won't call him out by name, but I wanted to let him know that yes, it was noticable, and yes, it was very poor form.

Is this the same ref., that reffed most of the 8U 40lbs.-61lbs. excluding the deshazer/dryden match? The one that Spex and Teamroper are talking about not Damon.

Sorry I read it wrong, yes he started the final of 8U at 40 and I didn't see when but got switched out before the "match" your refered to.

at district 1 i saw a match with the 3rd period ending and a kid took an oppenent down and the ref was on the other side and said they were out but they weren't from my angle in the stands. When it is a blood match you need 2 refs like in high school state and in college.

I will agree with Spex and Teamroper then. This guy needs a little more training before he officiates state. Possible solution is put him on the 16U matches. I believe they are easier to officiate because there is not near as much rolling around. I believe 8U are the hardest to officiate.

Not sure if it is the same guy or not, but the person (younger guy) impersonating a referee on (I think) Mat 2 at district 2 was beyond atrocious. The head referee had to come over and deal with his screw-ups, non-calls, bad-calls, ALL day long.

It is beyond me how these kids, who work very hard all year long and battle their hearts out to qualify, can have their state ambitions affected by this level of incompetence.

Not the same guy...this guy was about 40+. I think all of the others did a pretty good job.

This ref was at the 6U tourny in Ottawa and after watching him there I was shocked to see him in Topeka. My son wrestled on mat 8 so I watched alot of matches on that mat and he just did not seem to be paying attention to the action. I actually saw him 2 or 3 times raise the wrong kids hand after the match was over.

how do they go through the process to get refs for tourneys?

For the State Tourney ... they are all based on the District Directors recommendations!

Really, I was at the district 1 tournament and saw some excellent refs. I did not see but maybe one of them at state. And, the decision to leave out Jim (can't spell his last name), given his commitment to the sport, was I thought very disrespectful.

i dont know any refs but i see how they pick now. just wondering

I have heard different ways that the refs are chosen. I have heard that the tournament director can select them all and I have heard that the director selects the head ref and then the head ref selects his crew. anyone know if either or both are done that way?