sptsfan wrote: "the wrestling experience isn't just about the cream of the crop or the best of the best, but rather the whole team."

Gee, that's really very thoughtful and sweet. Did you read that in a boys coaching manual? Do you take your kids out for ice cream after every dual, win or lose?

And, its good of Sptsfan to call Hutch, Manhattan and Garden City coaches disloyal for dropping tourneys to do something better for their teams. That loyalty you're talking about is also called cronyism. Unless of course as you suggest these coaches just happened to have had 3-4 extra points and the weekend free. That's absurd. But, I've heard this kind of irrational talk before. I can only chalk it up to the howling winds off the KS prairie and too much time in sod homes.

As a coach I take the same view on competition as I had as an athlete. I went from a disappointed state high school placer to NCAA All-American because some coach and teammates helped me believe it was possible. Even though the best beat the snot out of me for a couple of years. I never lost sight of the dream. Every varsity wrestler should want to be a state champ and on a state championship team. Coaches should inspire kids to beleive that they are capable of winning against anyone on any given day and to prepare for those eventual wins. Wrestlers should look forward to wrestling the best competition that their coaches can find. Varsity high school coaches who "protect" 16-18 year old young men from competition or feel they owe it to an old coaching buddy to stay in his weak tournament, should be run out of school on a rail. I hate coaches who intentionally set the bar low so that everyone wins medals and they look good as coaches. Sptsfan, there are coaches who think like you do. I'll give you that. You're exactly what's wrong, dull and uninspiring in high school wrestling. But fortunately there still are coaches who inspire kids to dream and work incredibly hard for a goal. They are the opposite of your "wrestling experience".

Now get back to teaching your 4th graders about sharing.