Our 9 or so vans are on the road. We stopped for a bathroom break and let everyone catch up. In the parking lot a mom pulled out a scale and suddenly there was 20 plus kids standing around the scale in their underwear! LOL! Was a sight only wrestlers would understand!

hats off to all involved! 140 kids in 12 vans going to both middle school and elementary duals. Great for KS wrestling!!!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have arrived safely! Very nice campus here at Simpson College. My first time to attend. After everyone checked their weights, Team Kansas was supposed to have a short workout before weighins in the Simpson College wrestling room. We arrived to find Team Ohio already in the room and saying it was reserved for them. The KS wrestlers were taken to a field nearby, and were kicked out of there due to a track meet (field events were at the field.). Finally coaches Eric Ludke and Danny Grater took the boys to a nearby playground where they are running our boys through a short workout. It's kinda funny because some of the boys are working out in their "mandals" since they didn't bring running shoes! Weigh ins are in one hour and some nearby buffet is going to get demolished!

My wrestler was one of those kids weighing on that mom's scale. Thank goodness she brought it out cause he's been worrying all week about making weight. He was 0.2 under and can't wait to weigh in and GO EAT!!

Paratroop your posts are most welcome by those of us who can't be there please keep us all as up to date as you can.
Thanks,
KH

Great stuff. Thanks Bronson for the coverage and keep us in the loop. I really wish I could be there, but Uncle Sam had other plans for me this weekend. Give them all they can handle Team Kansas! I have seen so many of these kids wrestle over the last nine years, many of them against my son in practice or in tournaments. Good luck to each and every one of these young gladiators, and I know that you will all represent Kansas very well.

Good luck to Team Kansas. Simpson is a great campus and is where George Washington Carver went to college at. They used to have an exhibit there in the science building I think it was about him. Also it's the home to the Co-Hodge Trophy Winner Nick Ackerman who wrestled with only part of his legs and still won the DIII National Title. Ah.. the joys of going to wrestling camp there.

Anyway Good Luck all Kansas Kids.

Good Luck to TEAM KANSAS!!!!!

Ned

Arrived at the hotel, room assignments were doled out and as soon as bags were put away, it was off to the races to get food in their bellies! Each van took their kids to someplace to eat. Our van voted for a nearby chinese buffet that was destroyed by our 8 wrestlers in no time flat! I'd have to say Tyler Harris is a beast on the mat, and a beast at the buffet! Back to the hotel where there was lots of swimming and girl chasing! Apparently there is a group of 50 volleyball girls staying at the hotel! Each team held a meeting and the coaches went over what was expected of the wrestlers and what tomorrows plans were. We got breakfast at 6 am and on the road at 6:30 am with wrestling starting at 8 am. I'll try and get some updates when I can but sounds like it will be fast and furious tomorrow!

Goodnight!

Our convoy of 9 vans and parents arrived at Simpson College at 8 am. Team Kansas got some warm up time on the mats, and from the look of it, it appears that Kansas may have brought the most wrestlers! The pools are set and as follows:

Pool 1:

Team Pennsylvania East
Team ND stars
Team Michigan SE
Team SD storm

Pool 2:

Team IA black
Team CO black
Team NC
Team SD aau red

Pool 3:
Team Missouri
Team SD aau blue
Team MT grizzlies
NB Huskerland Red

Pool 4:

Team Minnesota
Team KS Spartans
Team SC Palmetto
NB Huskerland White

Team KS spartans has Team Minnesota first

Pool 5:

Team Illinois
Team NE select
Team Kansas Barbarians
Team Indiana

Team KS Barbarians have Team Indiana first!

Pool 6:
Team Kansas Gladiators
Team Iowa Hawks
Team SD westside
Team Colorado Blue

Gladiators have Team Iowa hawks first!

Pool 7:
Team MI MYWA
Team Iowa Gold
Team Kansas Trojans
Team Montana Grey

Trojans have Montana grey first!

Pool 8:

Team SW Ohio
Team Pennsylvania West
Team Montana Maroon
Team ND Stripes

Teams will wrestle round robin within their pools.

Looks like our boys will have 3 matches this am. I will try and keep everyone updated as best as I can. I'll be following Team 3 around but I'll see if I can get some other parents to help out!

Let's go Team Kansas!

PS: any updates on our elementary boys?

Team KS Trojans over Team Montana Grey 66-24!

Team Kansas Spartans fall to Team Minnesota 80-6.

Team KS Barbarians fall to Team Indiana 25-54.

Team KS Gladiators over Team IA 80-12.

Can you remind us again how the Teams from Ks go?

Round 2 wasn't very good for Kansas:

Team 1 Gladiators over SD westside 70-19
Team 2 Spartans fall to NB Huskerland 50-39
Team 3 Barbarians fall to Team Illinois 95-3
Team 4 Trojans fall to Team Michigan maroon 101-0

3rd round went a little better:

Team 1 Gladiators over Team CO blue 90ish to 6.

Team 2 Spartans over Team SC Palmetto 50 to 38.

Team 3 Barbarians fall to Team NE Select 30 to 63.

Team 4 Trojans fall to Team Iowa Gold 82 to 9.

Teams are being placed into a 32 team bracket and then we wrestle two more rounds, then call it a day.

Team 1 is in the gold bracket, team 2 is in the Silver bracket, and teams 3 and 4 are in the bronze bracket.

Good luck tomorrow boys.

Doug,

From what I have been able to pick up today, this National Duals tournament is fast and furious. There are in the ballpark of 15-16 states represented, and Team Kansas is competing very well. I talked to my son just a few minutes ago, and just from the tone of his voice, I could tell he is having the time of his life. Although he is one of the alternates, he had a great day (got 5 matches), and there is no doubt in my mind that he will remember this experience forever.

I went the previous two years, and I miss not being there. It IS fast and furious.

These duals are hopefully the start of our kids wanting to be a part of Team Kansas, and do more of this type of thing with the even more grueling Schoolboy, Cadet, and Junior duals in the summer. What typically happens is the first dual, the kids really don't know what to expect, and things are kind of quiet, but once they figure it out, figure out the scoring, getting those bonus points for pins and tech falls, majors, and figure out that though winning is important, you can also help your team by being competitive, not giving up pins or bonus points, or being a vocal leader to pump up the team.

He'll have lots more buddies as well. If you have a shy son, he'll learn valuable social skills. It would be interesting to go back and look at the duals rosters from years back, and see that the big majority of our HS state champs and placers were a part of this Middle school duals experience when they were that age. It really is a stepping stone in the wrestling journey.

The elementary school duals team will help feed the hunger for the middle school duals team.

We really do owe a huge debt of gratitude to the folks that put these duals teams together, the coaches that go along, the parents, van drivers, etc.

Can't wait until my youngest gets up to that age!!

Parents, if your kid was born in 96 or 97, have them do the FS Greco thing, so they can try to be a part of the Schoolboy duals in Indianapolis. 94 and 95 kids, Cadet duals are in Minnesota. 92 93 kids, Junior duals, is in OKC I believe. Awesome events to be a part of.