After 5 years in Fargo as a national team coach and reflecting each and every year what can be done to improve our results and make us a top 5 team in the nation I want to know what can be done to make this happen. One can make excuses of numbers in the state,etc. However, it is going to have to be an effort from North to South, East to West to make this happen. By no means am I the all knowing but from I see, the following needs to happen:

#1)Training must begin in March and continue until the National Tournament in July. I am not saying 5 days a week for 5 months. But Mat time must be a priority a couple times a week. Not just any mat time, but working on USA Wrestlings designed technique to become successful.

#2)Treat Fargo like it is: A National Tournament. Too many kids attending do not take it as serious as it is. It's the toughest tournament in the nation. It's not band camp, it's a national tournament. We do not go there to hang out with friends, sell gear, eat in the cafeteria, oh and then wrestle a little bit. We go there to compete against the best in the country and athletes need to realize this and focus on this to be successful.

#3)Weight classes: Plan on going to the lowest weight your body will allow for both styles. Many of the top kids are coming down another weight class from high school. That is why you never stop training, dieting etc. It's the biggest tournament alive and you have to treat it like it. Also, plan on remaining at that weight for both styles. Too many kids want to bump up after greco b/c they don't want to put out the effort of pulling weight again. This is wrong and only in very few cases can you be successful and become an All-American at this. You are in Fargo to bring home trophies and get better... Choose a weight, train for that weight, get it down early, and stick to it for 7 days of wrestling.

#4) We also must remember what we are: We are team Ks. We must get rid of the mindset of "I am not working out with other teams" or as coaches "I train these kids only" etc. We must be willing to work together and make it possible for us to train together more often. Steel does sharpen steel. However, we must also make an effort to get those who are not quite there to the point of being an All-American.

#5) As coaches, we must all be open to new technique, training habits, etc. Our way is not the only way. If it was, we would be the best in the Nation. We are not. We must all be willing to take time to learn, study, and be students of this sport. I personally have so much to learn and I owe it to athletes I train to find as many ways possible to make them better. We don't do this for money we all know. We do this b/c we were raised doing this, we love it, we probably don't know any other way and we want to give it back because we appreciate the experiences wrestling has given us. But until we make ourselves better and change the mindset of today's athlete, we will be on a treadmill going nowhere!

Good luck all of Kansas this fall and I am looking forward to seeing you all in the Winter, spring and summer for "Wrestling Season"