After participating in both, I could not see much difference in the competition other than the 171lb. class was so tough. However, some things I did like better was the seating for the fans. It was not that crowded in their huge gym. I thought the refs were very good. The announcer was awesome. You could tell he was as excited as anyone to be there. Joe Keeler amd coach Neil did a great job on this tournament. Thanks to all!! The food was good too.
Thank you for the complements on our tournament. I hope everyone enjoy the great competition. I would also like to end the debate about which tournament is tougher, Basehor or Newton. I think both tournaments are great in their own right as well as several others throughout the state. It really says a lot about the level of wrestling in Kansas when there are enough great teams in the state to field two tournaments like this on the same weekend.
FYI: If anyone plans on inviting Santa Fe Trail to their tournament be sure to stock your hospitality room better than what we did. Kirk Wiscombe (SFT Coach) pretty much polished off all the food in sight.
SFT left because Basehor is alot closer for our fans and was a comparable tournament. We also went to Colby which wasn't exactly close to home. This allowed for parents and fans to come to a big tournament relatively close to home. Wish we could do both!!