Now Mrs. Grater, you are definitely a respected figure in our tiny little world of Kansas wrestling. However, on this issue I must respectfully disagree.

Often adults* complain about the level of humor and non-serious posts on this forum (some would call it witty banter). I must admit that I am in part responsible for this. And yet, these same adults never attempt to add anything to the discussion of Kansas wrestling themselves. Case in point:

The last topic (with a reply) that was started by someone out of college that had anything to do with Kansas high school wrestling was "Congratulations to the wrestlers who got ranked in the nation." [sic], originally posted by Oldtimer on September 25th, 2003. That's a month and a half without an adult initiating a topic. The only topic on Kansas wrestling that remains on the first page that was started by an "adult" is Les Brown's "Returning points for 3-2-1a" topic, originally posted on May 2nd, 2003. That's ONE topic having to do with high school wrestling started by an adult.

And yet, on the first page alone, 35 topics which had relevance to high school wrestling were started by college-age or younger students. It starts with the topic "Mike Mancuso" and ends with "Best 103 Pounders in 321a." And consider that this is in the offseason, when there is VERY LITTLE to talk about without having the same conversation over and over. I would think that 35 topics of relevance to Kansas wrestling that had been updated in just one week would satisfy those of you who want wrestling information, especially in the dull off-season. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Of the topics that DON'T have anything to do with high school wrestling, one was started by Mr. Aaron Sweazy, who is one month away from joining those of you in the "real world." (Way to go, by the way.) Two others were started by Coaches Richard Fergola and Brent Lane that didn't have any relevance to the wrestling sanctioned by the KSHSAA. Other recent topics that don't directly include information on Kansas wrestling were such topics as the health of Mark Schieber and the "Happy birthday, Ben Pretz!" thread I started. Surely health information and birthday wishes aren't too terrible for you to skip over...

Many adults may argue that they don't post because "you crazy kids with your Nintendos and your fast cars will just end up talking about things that don't matter." And this may be true. But what is to stop you from steering the conversation back in the direction of the topic's original intent? And yes, topics drift off course, but how is this different from everyday conversation? I know I often start conversations with my parents that have to do with my studies, and then we end up talking about how totally hilarious "The Simpsons" is. To say that all your conversations always start and end on the same topic is simply untrue.

Another common complaint is that our topics have nothing to do with wrestling. On the contrary, I think they have a great deal to do with it. Talking about man-crushes, a certain coach's hot wife, and Quar is part of the sport. Anyone who has ever sat in a wrestling (puff-puff-give) circle knows that only a small part of the sport is the actual competition of the opponent. One of the main reasons I continued to wrestle was because of the comraderie felt with my teammates and my opponents, not because I particularly liked skipping meals and getting pummeled. Talking about these things on the forum only strenghtens the bond of wrestlers between different teams, especially those that competed at Fargo. It is my opinion that a forum devoted to "Kansas High School Wrestling" should consist of ALL aspects of Kansas High School Wrestling. Whether you like it or not, making fun of someone for having a hot wife is part of the sport.

And who is to say that adults are immune from our "childish" behavior? Coach Jilka from Goddard, Mamasawn, Jim Gaither, Coachtwink, etc. have all engaged in topics ranging from the size of Jilka's bum, the possible man-crush of Mamasawn, the baldness of Mike Bammes' head, and the writing ability of America's youth. Are these people criticized for wanting to have a little bit of fun? Absolutely not. In fact, most (if not all) of these people will have access to the very same forum that is meant to filter out this kind of talk. It appears to me that coaches/adults are allowed to engage in the same witty banter as youths, only they are not punished for it. Let those of you who are without sin cast the first stone...

Look, if you want to talk about wrestling, by all means do so! There are 35 topics on the first page alone! No one is stopping any of you who disagree with the level of humor on this forum from posting your own thoughts. Free country, First Amendment, God Bless America and all that. I'd be willing to bet that we'll join in and offer our viewpoint as well. But to just sit back and criticize how we don't talk about wrestling, then fail to offer any information on the sport yourself is hypocritical. To single out our beloved Mrs. Grater, before Nov. 6th, her last topic that had anything to do with Kansas wrestling was in regards to the Southern Plains tournament, posted on June 2nd. Five months ago.

I don't intend this post as an attack on Mrs. Grater. From all I have heard, she is a wonderful lady, and it is obvious that she has done much for the sport. This post is directed at those who feel it is necessary to take a holier-than-thou position and criticize young adults because they wish to have a little fun on the forum boards. If you want to talk about wrestling--post it up, and we'll talk about it. If you don't post it, we'll keep ourselves busy with other things. You willingly log on, willingly open posts, and you can skip over topics you deem non-wrestling related. If you complain, you're just being a Grumpy Gus. (And no one likes a Grumpy Gus.)

For those "adults" who want to talk about wrestling, go to your KWCA forum. In it's 2-3 week existence, 10 threads have been started. I'm guessing one or two of those have to do with the new forum and its purpose, so that's maybe 8 topics pertaining to wrestling. In the same span, I'd would guess at least 40-50 topics have been started on the high school board. Good thing you have a forum to finally talk about wrestling, though, right? :rolleyes:

Since all of you who criticize witty banter had a turn on your soapbox, I decided to take mine. And now I'll get off of it. Pob Bhillips, you can delete this topic like you did that last one, but it doesn't change the fact that the logic behind the KWCA coaches-only board is flawed. To say we "don't talk about wrestling" and then not talk about it yourself is hypocritical. And I'd be willing to bet that Les Brown, Mrs. Grater, Jim Gaither, and other select non-coaches will be given the password to the new forum...the hypocrisy continues.

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*While legally considered an adult, Prant does not want to consider himself one just yet, even though he found a gray hair the other day. Yikes.

**Really, this isn't an attack on Mrs. Grater. I'm sure she's a wonderful lady. If I'm ever in Clay Center, Mrs. G, maybe we can have meaningful conversation/a date or something...provided Mr. Grater is totally cool with it.