just thoughts:

as to those who did well in wrestling starting in high school...GREAT!!! but, my point was that MOST will have difficulties..some, such as these, can overcome lack of mat experience - which is probably the most critical element in later success - with outstanding physical skills and outstanding coaching. when those two are mixed it's virtually unbeatable.

as to not teaching healocks, cowcatchers, etc. it's the EMPHASIS on those particular moves, usually through well meaning dads or coaches, and the OVER-RELIANCE on those moves by the youngsters that can stymie fundamental development. yes, wrestlers need to recognize moves...but by teaching the fundamentals of inside positioning, solid base, movement, level change, angles of attack,etc, many of those same 'power' moves are simply negated. where it tears you apart is when you see kids hit stiffer competition and lose due to that over reliance. i think what happens most is that many coaches/kids figure 'why fix it if it works?' without looking deeper than the next opponent.

as to the maturity of the sport in kansas, i absolutely agree with coach neil's assessment of the 'basketball' phenomenon. unfortunately, too many of our peers in the basketball community do prospective athletes an injustice when they don't lay the cards on the table and direct the young man/woman to the wrestling room.

another thought: the 'no cut' policy that many schools maintain actually hurts wrestling (in which the no cut rule simply doesn't apply due to the nature/structure of the sport) because far too many basketball programs, particularly in smaller schools, will have 30 kids out and most with little or no playing time...

Tim Shea