I think the guys running the tournament and camp are doing a good job, and should be commended for their efforts. I am sure it's not easy. I am also thrilled that southern plains is in Hays. Calsbad, NM was no fun. That said there should be no requirement to attend for anyone. The camp should stand on it's own. If people want to be there, they will go. Time allowing my son will go, but he should not be required to. The camp should be good enough to draw people. We need as much participation as we can get. 2nd Point-It's especially crazy for the Schoolboy kids that will have FS/GR state, then possibly a SB camp, then SB duals then are expected to get from Indy to hays in one day to go to southern plains camp then the southern Plains tournament. That is too much for a 12-13 year old to be gone for almost 3 weeks straight. I would think after the state, SB duals, training for much of the early summer, they are as ready as they can be for the Southern Plains tournament and a rest would be more beneficial than another camp at that point. My son has talked about SB duals more than any wrestling tournament this year. He will pick that over southern plains if forced. Hopefully the voice of reason will prevail and we can do both. But after 15 matches or so in a week, he will need a couple days off before Southern Plains tournament. A camp in between is not in his or others best interest. Timing has as much to do with it as anything. I would probably bring him the last day or so, just to stay tuned or if there was a weeks break in between he would be there, but something has to give. Just my opinion.

24/7

To place a qualifying requirement on kids to wrestle in the Southern Plains REGIONAL event is hurting Kansas wrestlers. In the dual team concept a camp makes more sense. This is an individual event. As stated earlier in this thread, many times our Kansas kids end up wrestling each other in the bracket. No team scores are even kept. Can it be any clearer that summer participation is declining? I still believe the goal of the organizers of this camp is to PROMOTE participation, not discourage it. We have to do the right thing here for our Kansas kids and change the camp requirement.

Eric Johnson

Was talking to a number of wrestlers in Newton this weekend, once in a circle of 4 national champions and their dads, we all agreed, Winter wrestling is a great warm up for Summer wrestling.

I still don't understand why we have this requirements. I listened at the state meeting and 2 things caught my attention that seem to be at odds with each other....

1. We were told we want to maximize KS participation in Southern Plains because it is back in KS.

2. All KS participants have to attend a camp in order to participate in southern plains.

These 2 goals/guidance/desires of the state board don't support each other.

I understand why the board made the camp a requirement but I just don't think it is a realistic requirement if you want to maximize participation.

As I see it, the executive board has two choices...
1. Maximize participation
2. Keep the camp requirement

The following are the reasons I do not support the idea of a camp requirement....

1. Not realistic to expect 6,8 and 10 year olds to go to a week long overnight camp without their parents or local coaches. I think this will keep most kids in those age groups from participating.

2. A lot of kids are playing baseball and other sports during this time of year. Most can break away for a weekend tournament but will not leave the team to go to a camp for 10 days.

3. Cost. This sport is already very expensive. Adding on the price of a camp makes it infeasible for a lot to even contemplate participating.

4. 24/7 pretty much summed up the plight of the School Boy aged kids.

BLUF: If you want to maximize participation, then drop the camp requirement.

If the board chooses to keep the camp requirement then I would like answers to the following questions so I can give informed information and guidance to the wrestlers/parents on our team about attending this tournament or not.....

1. If one of the reasons for the camp is to foster the Tm KS concept then do the kids (regardless of age) that attend the camp and wrestle in the tournament get tshirts, shorts, singlets, etc.? Just like the teams that go to Fargo.

2. Can we get bios on the coach's running the camps and get their contact info so parents can contact them before sending their little guys to them for a week?

3. Can local club coach's attend so we can learn the technique that is being taught/recommended by the state of Kansas? If so, what is the cost?

BLUF: I hope we choose to maximize participation and do away with the camp requirement. As it stands right now, I cannot aggressively encourage or recommend to my wrestlers and parents to participate in the camp or tournament. I will tell them about it but I won't encourage them to participate. Do away with the camp requirement and I will do everything I can to ensure maximum participation from our club.

If you want to have some type of screening criteria then make the requirement that you have to participate in the Freestyle and Greco State tournament.

Just my thoughts.

Shawn Budke

my son summer wrestled for the first time this past season.he had a tremendous time and never even wrestled a match in a dual or tournament (by his own choice).this year he wants to be more involved to the extint that he is wanting to travel to wrestle.if i would have made it mandatory he attend tournaments and or camps i dont think he would be so excited about wrestling this summer.like most kids my kid plays on a very competitive baseball team and is excited for that season as well,but all kids need some kind of break to heal,be a kid,and find other interests besides sports. So to mandate any camp is perposterous in my opinion.

Still looking for feedback. If you would take your kid to the Southern Plains Tournament to compete if the camp requirement is abolished then you need to post here during the next ten days.

The mandatory camp serves to exclude not include and, while the organizers surely mean well, they should rethink the entire process. Let the kids have a summer and wrestle when they can fit it in and when their parents can afford it.

Tom Williams

I/ve got to agree that I can see many more negative aspects of "forcing" our youth to attend the Southern Plains camp than there are positives. The School Boy duals team example has been used already, but I can say from personal experience that we declined to attend Southern Plains after the School Boy's trip. There was a much needed break after that competition. I simply cannot support in any form mandating these kids to proceed directly to the camp in order to compete. If this were a competition requiring "try-outs" to make the "team" I could understand. But this is OPEN and putting a stipulation in order to attend is rediculous and unnecessary.
And please, dont use the excuse that the coaches wont know the kids. I have a hard time with that one. The first Southern Plains my son attended he participated in the camp as well. When it came to the tournament he practicly had to run all over the gym and beg for a coach to be matside for each match. It seemed that only the wrestlers that were known by the coaches PRIOR to the camp were getting the attention anyway. We also had the situation that we wrestled against a Kansas wrestler that did NOT attend the camp. While my son looked for a coach, one of the CAMP coaches was in the other wreslters corner!I'm sure that has been addressed and wrestlers are better represented now, but it is not a valid point to use.
I am sure that my son will attend the camp, but NOT BECAUSE IT IS MANDATORY, and no one should be put in that position. LET IT BE THE WRESTLERS CHOICE AND OVERTURN THIS MANDATE!!

I am completely opposed to making the Southern Plains Camp a requirement to compete at this Southern Plains tournament wouldn't it be great to see this tournament have to many participates. It just is not a good argument that these coaches need to know these athletes for any kid that makes it through will already be known to all involved. My vote if there is one would be NO requirement to go to camp. I also have a real bad taste when the powers that be will not even listen to voices of reason and discuss this for we are still about bringing and getting kids to compete and stay in wrestling are we not?

I really appreciate you sharing this information and I do NOT support any MANDATED participation. Kids need to understand that participation allows them to improve their skills, but as you mention there are too many variables to mention why kids need to have choices and when they CHOOSE to participate in wrestling they can't get enough. I'm not much on talk forums but I will ask Mike to check it out. Let me know if you need any additional information to support this discussion.

Thanks!

Jennifer McCormick

Mrs. McCormick and her husband have two sons who have wrestled for the University of Missouri and a third who placed 2nd at high school state last year. I feel her feedback is very valuable to the wrestling community.

From: eric akin [mailto:eakin@kc.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 11:21 PM
To: William Cokeley
Subject: Re: Summer Wrestling - Southern Plains

Will,

I just got this email, and this is an issue that I have had a strong opinion about for a long time. I never have agreed with the state on this issue. I feel there are numerous ways it can violate people's personal issues/lives, financial situations, wrestling goals, etc. Here are a few of my points that I think are important.

1. What if a family simply can not afford the camp, or it's simply something they don't feel is a good investment?

2. Maybe a kid doesn't feel comfortable away from home or in this particular setting, but wants to compete at the tournament. Many of these kids go to this camp without knowing one other kid there. This can be a very uncomfortable for a kid preparing for a big tournament.

. .but these are the most important points in my mind:

3. The camp simply doesn't follow the blueprint of some kids goals and plans to be prepared to win. Some people prepare their wrestlers through out the spring and into the summer on a regular schedule, and prepare them for national events. It makes foolish sense to send them off all of a sudden to a 5 day boot camp that leaves them sore, tired, and homesick. This is not how top wrestlers train for all of the toughest events. So why change the plan in the middle of the course? Maybe some kids need the camp, but some kids are on course to reach their goals with the plan their parents and coaches have them on.

4. It's the investment into the sport by the wrestlers and the parents that is at stake. The parents and wrestlers make this their lives. These national events are monumental events and stepping stones in their careers. It's only right to leave the play calling in their hands and not in the hands of the state. The family and coach should be making the decision on where they train and how they prepare, so there is no one to blame.

Eric Akin

I guess I will report on this issue. The Executive Board of the Kids division met this past Sunday in Salina. They had previously made the camp a requirement for the Southern Plains tourney. At the 2006 State Body meeting they were asked to reconsider that requirement.

I attended as a guest and they did consider removing the requirement. After a great deal of discussion a motion was made and second to rescind the ruling. The motion was defeated.

Anyone (Cadet and under) wanting to attend the Southern Plains tourney must attend the camp. One of the issues brought forth was the financial burden that the camp places on some. I would urge parents in this situation to contact Bob Phillips. He will try to insure that money is not a deciding factor.

Incredible.

1. Who voted for and against?
2. Our goal is to increase participation, right?
3. Where are the North and West regionals and can we carpool?

It looks like we need new leadership for Kansas wrestling, when the governing body puts the goal of increasing camp participation ahead of the best interests of each individual wrestler it is time for them to either step aside or be voted out.

Tom Baughman

Or we need to quit funding Schoolboy Duels which might push more kids to Southern Plains camp.

That would set us back ten years.

sportsfan02-That has to be one the most illogical statements I have ever heard. The schoolboy duels are the building grounds for Cadet and JRs. Showing well and placement at Cadet and Jr. Duels and Fargo are the key if a kid wants any chance to wrestle in college. We are all so quick to take pride and credit for Atticus Disney, Sharkey Slyter, CJ Napier, Romero Cotton, Tyler Koehn, and more. Any coincendence they were all on the first Schoolboy duel team KS put together????? That age group has preformed better than any in many years and I believe one of the reasons is they started putting a importance early on FS/GR.

Having the Southern Plains tournament back in KS is a great thing, why would be restrict involvement by not funding the Schoolboy team? That's just dumb.

2nd point-Now that the powers that be have decided the Southern Plains camp is mandatory, What provisions are there for the Schoolboy kids that will be driving back from Indy the same day there are supposed to report to Southern Plains camp. Does anyone really think it's reasonable to expect 12/13 year old kids to be away from home and under that grind for 3 weeks straight? Let's reward the kids that are representing our state nationally!!! Let's figure out a way to accomidate them and anyone else who wants to compete. That is what it's all about.

I would suggest that the Schoolboy duel kids are allowed to show up to the Southern Plains camp maybe late Tues. or something to give them couple days rest after 15 matches in a week.

There has to be a voice of reason. I am not attacking anyone, but only asking for a plan to work with all the kids that will be our wrestling leaders in 3-4 years.

24/7 Mike Pursel

Let's get this straight. If Kansas kids don't attend the mandatory camp they will not be allowed to enter the Southern Plains regional? Can they enter on their own as an independent? Can they bring their own coach? Can a coach from a state that supports kids wrestling coach them?

Eric Johnson

Nobody is saying you can't go to Schoolboy Duels. Just do it on your own money instead of Kansas Kids money. We can use the funds previously used on Schoolboys to get bigger and better at Southern Plains camp.

As to Chiefs question! A wrestler has to sign up through their State organization.

As to 24/7, I am confident provisions will be made. There was conversation about wrestlers returning from the duals specifically.