The only kind of State tournament I was ever used to before coming to Kansas five years ago was all-emcompassing, three-day extravaganza with all three classes (and about 300 schools) in Des Moines, Iowa. Every session would have anywhere from 10,000 to 14,000 fans in the seats at any one time, with eight mats going non-stop. It was exciting, it was a rush and it was an unforgetable experience I went through from a very young age on.

Coming to Kansas in 1997, the system here took some getting used to, but over the last few years I have come to realize that while it would be fun to have some of the other classes around, the tournament in Hays if fantastic. And while the TRADITION is to have all of the other classes together, perhaps it is time that -- like basketball -- we split the other three classes up and give them experience of being the center of their "universe" for a few days. As I have discovered since my move here, once you try it that way, you might just like it.