A general statement. Coaches are more competitive than all but a few of their athletes. They would not be coaches if they were not! The no coach/athlete contact out of season has a purpose--or many states would not have adopted it.
A wrestling coach that attempts to MAKE kids practice and wrestle outside of the season will soon find himself without a team. The ONLY kids who will do so are the ones who want to. Wrestling is not LIKE team sports in that a coach, one with any ethics, tell a kid that he will NOT be a starter if he doesn’t come to his spring practices. It is NOT the coach’s choice. The beautiful thing about wrestling is that the athletes determine who is in the starting lineup, not the coach. You are naïve if you don’t think nearly every wrestling coach in Kansas would do about anything to get more athletes in their room not thin them out by burning them out.
If my son wanted to be a geometry whiz no one would tell him he couldn’t work with the geometry teacher every day all summer long. What is the difference???
You are being naive if you think coaches are not control freaks, and you are showing signs on naivety, and of a control freak, by the way you are wanting to control KS HS wrestling.
I am very puzzled by your statement that I am trying to “CONTROL HS WRESTLING” when my suggestions merely permit a program to have a choice. By desiring more FREEDOM I am a control freak. That seems, well contrary!
As far as the 500 mile travel restriction, why not do a survey and see how many of the HS that wrestle want to travel out of state more than the 500 miles. Have heard a lot of West Kansas complaints on how much and the long distances they have to travel for in state competition (have seen some team busses that are travel coaches). If you do the survey, don't query the coaches, survey the principals, athletic directors, and superintendents--the people who have manage the money.
WHY, WHY, WHY do we need this rule??? Travel is self policing!! If you cannot afford or do not want to go then DON’T. Blue Valley HS never leaves the metro area! If it is about missed classroom time then limit that but not by a mileage limit. The rule is outdated and stupid. You don’t need a survey when the rule is unnecessary! Again I ask you “WHY is it okay for the band to be able to travel ANYWHERE but the wrestling team only 500 miles from the border?” PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE show me the common sense behind this rule!
The video rule is the same. This rule is practically unenforceable and is only complaint driven. There are lots of people out there who cannot attend and would like to watch matches. Why have a stupid rule in the handbook if it is not worthy of enforcement?
I enjoy reading your comments. Thought out and well presented (except when you get on a soap box, i.e. "FREEDOM TO CHOOSE", plus a few other darts you occasionally throw).
Someone needs to get on a soapbox with a bullhorn and microphone! The process to change any of what we would like to have happen is so cumbersome that it is nearly impossible. The entire process needs to be overhauled as an entire generation will flow through the system before anything meaningful will happen.
Not to be disparaging but I sometimes think you are probably more competitive than your son--who is an excellent HS wrestler who will succeed at a much higher level in college.
Why would it be disparaging to say I was more competitive than my son? Isn’t it every dad’s dream to have their son excel and achieve their goals? Without competitive dads there would be no competitive athletes.
About all State Tournaments in the same building. I really liked the combined 4, 5, and 6A Tournaments at in that big arena north of Wichita. Great atmosphere! Don't think western Kansas wrestling community will ever agree to one big, big tourney. Certainly did not care for the Iowa format where only one class on the mats in each session.
Kansas is one of very few states who do not host all of their state wrestling tournaments in the same venue at the same time. Iowa’s is perhaps the MOST prestigious high school state tournament in the country. I want to see all of my friends and all of the wrestlers at the same place at the same time. The present format of having only 4A in Salina is a joke. It is so quiet on the night of the finals. By 285 there is just a bit more than a cleanup crew left. I HATE IT!
Where is the spell checker???
Enuff said!
I cleaned up your post for you.
