Comparatively speaking, Kansas does well nationally. Particularly when you consider the state population. We always do well as a team at the Senior Nationals and at Fargo, usually finishing in the top ten. We also do well in the National Duals, we even beat California for third in 2001 placing behind Oklahoma and Ohio. We usually finish in the top ten there as well. When you look at a comparable state, population-wise like Oklahoma, you see the difference. Oklahoma has won like 8 of the last 10 National Duals Championships and almost always places in the top five at Nationals with even better success at Fargo. Kansas has great wrestlers but for every one of them, Oklahoma has 5-10. For
every Zach Roberson or Eric Akin that Kansas produces, Oklahoma produces 5-10. The question is why? More appropriately, to answer the question of the initial post, is why does Kansas not produce as many Robersons, kids that can win a DI title or All-American honor? The answer definately does not, in my opinion, have anything to do with high school coaches or officials. I have HEARD that they emphasize more riding and pinning out in Western Kansas which would compromise the developement of "feet" wrestling, but that is definately not the case in most places. As someone who has coached high school wrestling in Oklahoma and Kansas, I believe the difference to be in Junior High. Oklahoma schools run their Junior High programs like we run our High School programs so our kids are already behind Oklahoma when they get into high school. Junior High wrestling in Oklahoma is serious business. Junior High wrestling in Kansas is a joke, Wichita does not even have junior high wrestling. We run our junior high programs worse than some kids programs and that is why some kids do not even wrestle for their junior highs and instead stay on the kid's circuit. Just a thought. What do you think?