I have been sitting here reading about Wamego wrestling program and Hiawatha wrestling and I went to school in Wamego and Moved to Hiawatha when I was 20 so I think I should have my say in this. First off I think Wamego has a good wrestling program and making a coachs change will not hurt the team that much and the people of Wamego need to back the new coach and the kids all they can, theres nothing better than suporting kids in any sport but wrestling is by far the hardest sport in Hi School and most of the kids that do well have wrestled in the kansas kids wrestling for years. by the way I just turned 63 and still coach in hiawatha kids club.
Now for Hiawatha and there team, I hope all the coachs in 4a can remember a few year ago when a coach named Rod Spellman took a group of kids with four sophmores and a freshman and the rest were upper classman and won regionals at marysville with the best 4a schools there including Wamego and since then Hiawatha has been down and I feel its not the coaching staff thats at falt its the sign of the times in that kids do not work at it like they use to, and I don,t think you can blame the school coachs its the kids that are at falt.
Rod Spellman steped down this year and will still teach the middle school wrestling but I feel somewhat like its my falt because in the last few years we have had two or three parents brake up the wrestling program in our kids club and that is one reason our hi school has not been getting better in numbers like other schools. We lost four kids to a club that should be wrestling in Hiawatha and I started a new club this year and took three to kids state and two kids took third both Hi School wrestlers. So I think it time to stop blaming coaches or the school people and lets take a good look at the parents and there kids and make the coaches glad they are coaches.