every year, I can't wait to get to Wichita and watch great wrestling and all the things that come with it like the flag ceremony and parades, etc, but the one thing that really upsets me is the way the fans, wrestlers and coaches are treated by the management. they consistantly bother the fans, harassing them, threatning them and bullying them for, i guess the reason to seem tough. My fans couldn't really enjoy the tournament because of security guards treating them like 2-year olds with rules. An example would be a grandmother of one of my wrestlers was told to sit down or be ticketed for getting out of her seat for 5 minutes to talk with her grandson in the isle. What crap. I could understand if the collseum was a nice place, but it's a dump. Another example that sticks out is a cheerleader, in uniform, is grabbed at the door going downstairs and asked if she is a cheerleader. What's that? She's in uniform. There is no excuse for grabbing a high school girl like that. Great job tournament, but horrible hospitality once again by the collisum.

I agree with you totally on this point. To go one step further I would like to say that the coliseum does not have facilities that are appropriate for the handicapped/disabled. They not only did not have much seating available for the handicapped/disabled, they also did not care about making sure they could get around. The handicapped parking was was such that you went in to the arena on the ground level and had to take the elevator up to the stands, but then security did not want to let the people go back down the elevator to return to their cars. The stated that only wrestlers and coaches were allowed downstairs. Handicapped people were supposed to go outside and all the way around the building to get back into their cars. What a joke. Maybe they need to look into another facility for future years where they are more accomodating to everyone. You have to have security, but there is a better way.

I totally agree with your statements and one step further, The papers the wrestlers were given that gave us the times and suppose to be rules for the event to give to the parents were not followed. They stated in writing that coolers were allowed but must be kept under the seats with no glass containers. We challanged that with security and were told that was for wrestlers and was to be kept under the bleachers, come on like your suppose to have a lock on your coolers. We had a wrestler who went to get wieghed in the first night and just in that little area had his pants stolen. For an event of this size, there has to be a different place to hold with better hospitallity.

I am not sure about this but I heard a rumor two weeks ago that the state was wanting to move anyway due to the excessive rent for the Coliseum.

After reading all of this, I guess I need to eat my words. For years, I have advocated the merger of the two State tournaments into a spectacular like the State track meet, with all classes at one site (in their own classes). But after reading about all the constant problems in Wichita, all I can say is Thank God for Hays. The 3-2-1As are fine right where we are; the rest of you have fun; we'll be just fine!

I'm a former media member and I've always heard what a nightmare that is for the members of the fourth estate. No, Hays is just fine (other than the five-hour drive one way). We little guys have it pretty good!

TOPEKA EXPOCENTRE

Salina Bicentennial Center

Bramlege Coloseum in Manhattan

My advice is to get with your school and team and whoever was effected by this horrible display of hospitality and write KSHSAA. State the things that you felt were unacceptable behavior by the security and management. I am going to write them and also tell my fans to write as well. It makes me sick to see our kids and fans get treated this way after working so hard to get to this point in their season. It should be the most enjoyable experience not a negative one. The colliseum is a dump, lets move somewhere where we are wanted.

I agree with whoever it was that said Bramlege. Salina is vastly too small seating-wise, and the Expocenter is probably too far east. Bramlege and Manhattan has the seating, infrastructure, and even outside entertainment. At the sake of condridicting what I just said, try this one on:
Wrestle the 6A-5A-4A part of the tournament at Bramlege and the 3-2-1As at Ahern. Too much? OK, we'll stay in Hays. But get out of Wichita, please!

I don't know if Manhattan enough hotel rooms to accomodate everyone. It is tough to find a hotel room in Witchita close to the place, I can only imagine what Manhattan would be like.

I have to say we have wrestled at both,and Hays is much better....wichita was not much fun.

Wichita is also way too crowded. There isn't any good place for the kids to warm up. The floor is like ice or was the last time I was there. Hays is just fine. The indoor track around the lower level makes a real great place for warming up. I don't know that the Topeka location is any farther from the farthest NW point than Wichita is. I really don't know that it is built much better space wise than Wichita though. I remember having to drive to Goodland for state tourneys, Topeka wouldn't be bad. Bramlage also would be great I think. I guess I haven't ever been there. Please don't combine all 4. I never saw anything special about three being together. 2 and 2 maybe!!

The Expocentre is a great facility and the kids' state and nationals are always wonderful, but if you haven't been, let me tell you that their security are the contraband gestapo. You can not bring ANYTHING in. My son's grandfather was once made to dump a bottle of water out and told to refill it at the fountain, I have had diaper bags searched, camera bags, etc. They won't even let diabetic people bring their own food. You have to tell them ahead of time and they will arrange to have food for sale for these people. Unless you plan to run to your car every time you are hungry or thirsty or pay the exorbitant prices they charge, I see that as a big negative.

I would love to see State at Bramlage, and I really like the idea of 4A, 5A, 6A at Bramlage and 1-2-3 A at Ahearn, but I agree, the hotel space would be a big problem.

We were lucky to have not experienced the problems I've seen described, but we did encounter some rather cranky security people. I hope a good solution can be worked out.

321A is just fine at Hays,I would hate to see it move,so far everything has worked so why change it?

You're right, Hays is fine just the way it is. The FHSU folks do a great job and the hotels and resturants are wonderful. What the big schools do is up to them, but we're happy where we are.Thank you Hays!

I totally agree that we need to get out of the Coliseum. We had a manager harassed and kicked off the floor this year. Two years ago a wrestler was kicked out for sitting in the isle. It took begging and pleading by the coach and AD to get him back inside before his next match. I think the Wichita people have forgotten what the State Tournament is all about. State should be a very special event that honors these athletes for their hard work and dedication. The kids who make it to State deserve to be treated like kings. I feel they are treated like little children.
Personally, I would like to see 4A and 321A in Salina at the Bicentenial Center. I think Hays does an excellent job of puttin on a tournament, but most 4A schools are east of Salina and don't think they would vote to go out the Hays. 5A - 6A can go to Topeka's Expo or Century II in Wichita. Maybe even trade off every other year. I feel the tournaments would be more personable and fan friendly.
I am going to write the KSHSAA also and would urge others to do the same.

I agree Hays puts on a great tournament, moving it would accomplish nothing. I've been to Salina, and Topeka and they are not nearly as nice as at Hays. I actually live much closer to Salina and a little closer to Wichita and still would perfer to drive a couple extra hours to Hays and be treated well and enjoy a well run tournament.

I admit I am biased on the issue, but I too feel that it would be inappropriate to take the 3-2-1A from Hays. I realize that travel would make it tough to get 4A approval to join 3-2-1A in Hays. But, conversely, would it be appropriate to reward the Hays tournament staff and the fine merchants of Hays for their role in handling the best state tournament by stealing the tournament from them?

The Wichita Coliseum has gotten to be a big dissapointment the past couple of years. The security either does too harsh of a job or not a good job at all. I think there were too many people on the floor that did not belong, but for one reason or another they got down. There were a couple of incidents in our section where a child and a lady vommited at different times and it was not cleaned up. We even had a fan harass a manager while she was trying to videotape matches. I did hear some rumors about a lease running out at the coliseum or it costing too much. I would like to know if that is true or not. I don't think there are any easy decisions when it comes to moving sites for the larger classes, but I do agree that we should leave Wichita.