WSEWC

I agree with you that our Jr. High programs are not the equivalent of that of other states. Fortunately, I have a great Jr. High coach heading up our program and he is always very receptive to what we do at the high school. Unfortunately, I would imagine that there is some friction between coaches in other districts as to what should be taught at the Jr. High level. But, I don’t think there is one lone problem or one lone solution to increasing the competitiveness of our state’s wrestling programs.

Kansas deserves more credit than it receives on the national level of wrestling. In terms of the state as whole (Eastern, Central, and Western), Kansas is still somewhat in the infancy stage for the sport of wrestling. If memory serves me correctly, wrestling began in the early-to-mid 1930’s in western Kansas. I guessing here, but I don’t think wrestling really got going in the eastern part of the state until the mid 60’s. I know it didn’t get started until 1972-73 at my alma mater (Santa Fe Trail). So, the sport hasn’t exactly reached maturity yet, but I also feel there are many great things to come for Kansas wrestling.

I think one of the uphill battles we fight here in Kansas is against the realm of basketball (forgive me wrestling fans, I didn’t want to use that dirty word, but I had to). I think we have definitely (note the correct spelling of definitely, there is no (a) in the word, thank God for spell check) made up some ground in this area, but we have a ways to go. I know one of the battles I fight as a wrestling coach is that every kid in the school thinks, or at least their parents think that they are the second coming of Michael Jordan. In the past we have had kids trying out for the basketball team that are 5’10 and 260 pounds. Some of these kids have a hard time running the distance of the floor in under a minute. What I see as a major problem is that these kids are too scared, or maybe too lazy to go out for a sport that requires so much hard work. I’m sure that like myself many other coaches have heard comments from kids that they have never worked so hard in other sports as they had to in wrestling. Lastly, and I know I’m not the only one to ever do this, but as wrestling coaches we need to make the sport more viewer friendly by making it understandable to perspective fans. Most people (non-wrestling people) don’t understand what is means to secure a takedown or what a nearfall count is, so we need to educate them. In the past during the season beginning scrimmages we have put on a short clinic for the crowd so that they could understand at least some of the calls and it seemed to help raise interest among those watching. I know none of us have the ultimate solution, but patience is a virtue.