To make the KS national team should be quite an honor and something a wrestler should aspire to achieve. The difficulty with our current system is that it is not well defined. It’s human nature that most, if not all, people want their incentive systems well defined. In speaking with the parent of a double Fargo champion he commented, “There has to be some defined criteria”
Coach Peterman makes some great points in his posts about having FS/GR state champions securing a spot but then goes on to say that those state champions may not be the best our state has to offer so he tries to garner and “All American” caliber team wherever he can find them. Can’t fault the coach.
As a state we are attempting to grow FS/GR and our championship numbers indicate we are making progress but, we still don’t attract “the state’s best” for some reason or another. There will always be conflicts; prom, work, family, injuries and so on. No system will catch everything.
The trouble I have with the system we have today is that allows wrestlers to make a national team who “elect” not to wrestle anyone from there own state. If you believe things you read or hear, there will be members of our respective teams that were available to wrestle at our state tournament, Southern Plains camp or the Southern Plains tourney but made a choice not to do so. To me that is just wrong. I can understand missing one or the other but all three? How can you lay claim to be the best if you don’t wrestle the rest?

I would suggest the following for Cadet and JR:
1. State Champions in each disciplines are guaranteed a FULLY FUNDED spot on the national team (this includes Fargo) if they so chose.
a. Prior to leaving the state tournament each wrestler must declare whether they intend fill their spot on the team. If they don’t declare they lose their spot.
i. This will help the coaches determine head count on day one.
b. This should also increase the incentive to participate at the state tournament.
i. This also means we need to continue to improve the FS/GR state tournament “operations”
2. All national team members must attend a “national team camp”. This may be a Saturday somewhere or it could be Southern Plains.
3. At this camp the weight classes can be challenged for spots on the national team.
a. I might suggest the current state champion must be beat 2 out of 3
4. If the national team still has openings or needs alternates the coach can fill these positions using the state tournament and the team camp as criteria in their decision.

It’s not perfect but it’s a start.

Dean Watson