Only 2 mats at Regionals ??

I understand the Colby 4A regional plans to wrestle on only 2 mats. Can this be true?

True

Why would KSHSAA award a regional to a location that doesn't have facilities for 3 mats? I hope your local restaurants are still open at midnight.

Ron, I know you've had a few scotches since the last time it was in Colby, but we still got out and were eating by 9pm Friday night.

Bronco: Scotch or no scotch, I do vaguely remember a regional there in 2005 that was dominated by the Goodland Cowboys with Andale and Colby placing a distant 2nd and 3rd. And you, my friend, helped to speed the tournament along with your rapid pinning of opponents in the 130-pound class. I'm sticking with midnight unless they plan to have the semi-finals on Saturday morning instead of Friday night.

I think the Subway in the new truck stop is open all night!

With all due respect to a Subway in a truck stop. I just think kids deserve better than that. With up to 266 wrestlers possible, and only 56 moving on to wrestle the next weekend, it would be a nice gesture to provide them with the opportunity for a decent meal after the completion of wrestling on Friday. Its one of the few perks that most schools haven't cut yet.

3A is a 2 day regional.

Thank you, Patrick. So is 4A. When Colby hosted in 2005, it was held in the Community Center and I believe there were 3 mats then. Since then, they have built a new school. A good architect would have designed that new gym to house 3 wrestling mats. Because we all know what we adore on a basketball floor is wrestling mats from door to door.

And Patrick.... How DO you get your monkey to do that on your avatar? That's awesome. Van Halen? Or Jimmy Hendrix?

Sorry Ron, That is Pete Townsend all the way.

Harry Lamar taught you well. Stay Classy.

Well said Ron.

Why is Colby only running 2 mats? We were at the last Colby Regional and, if I recall, 3 mats were run. Reservations at one of the few places to eat HOT food (non fastfood)were made prior to the end of day 1 of the tourney & it took us over 2 hours after we ordered to get our food and not what we ordered. They ran out of food. It just seems wrong that 80 percent of the schools going to this regional should have to travel approximately 4 hours to compete and not have the opportunity for adequate meals or sleep.

Colby ran two mats at the Community Building in 2005 as it will not safely hold three mats. Colby has not built a new school since 2005. Our current high school was built in the mid-1990's. I agree that it is a real shame that the gym at the high school does not have enough room for three mats for regionals or enough seating for that matter.

We will host the regional at the Community Building this year as well.

I think a good idea would be for parents to come up with some delicious crock pot items for Friday night, thus insuring a healthy and great tasting meal that evening without having to worry about crowds at all of the restaurants. Plus it gives a chance for the parents and families to mingle with the wrestlers.
Here is a recipe to get things started:
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1.25 cups
Nutritional Info: 257 calories, 4.1g of fat, 24.9g of carbohydrates, 7.8g of fiber, 29g of protein, Sugars: 3.9g
Weight Watchers® PointsPlus®: 6 *

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. can tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel)
1 14 oz. can red enchilada sauce
6 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp. tomato paste
2 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup masa harina (or corn meal)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings: chopped tortilla strips, chips, cilantro, onions, avocado, chopped jalapenos, cheese, Greek yogurt, light sour cream, etc.

Instructions

Add the chicken breast, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, garlic cloves, salt, onion, peppers, tomatoes with green chiles, enchilada sauce, chicken broth, and tomato paste to the slow cooker.
Cook on low for four hours. Remove the chicken and shred with 2 forks. Return to soup and add the beans.
Mix the masa harina (corn meal) with 1/4-1/2 cup of water (more if needed) until smooth. Add to the soup and let cook for 30 more minutes. Top with 2 tbsp. cheese. You can also stir it in depending on your preference.

Then I stand corrected if that school out by the new Walmart has been there that long. It seems like only yesterday I helped pour the concrete for the old Walmart under the tutelage of Stephens Construction for $3.50/hour. I must be losing it. Please at least tell me the Bee Hive is still in existence, and Lampe is still 6'4".

Thanks for the recipe Coach Whisnant. I didn't realize that hotel/motels allowed the cooking of food in rooms, especially unattended. With that being said, we might have to give that a try. Maybe try to cart a grill 240 miles and set up outside.

The Bee Hive is still in business and Coach Lampe is still every bit of 6'4"!!

I was thinking the meals could be cooking at the Community building, or parents could visit with hotel staff and use the lounge. I really like the idea of a grill, especially if you have one of those traveling Coleman grills, steaks for dinner after a hard Friday of Regional wrestling would be awesome. I am an optimist, so I always try to adapt and make the best of whatever life throws my way.

They still cook an amazing Cheeseburger, love to stop by there on my Harley Rides.

Beehive

Here is another awesome recipe, Hope to smell it cooking somewhere soon.
Hungarian Beef Goulash
Nutritional Information
(per serving)
Calories 180
Total Fat 5g
Saturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 48mg
Sodium 250mg
Total Carbohydrate 6g
Dietary Fiber --
Sugars --
Protein 25g
Calcium 0
My Plate Inspired
hungarian beef goulash

Serves: 8
Total Time: 4 hr 30 min
Ingredients
U.S. Metric Conversion chart

2 pound(s) beef stew meat, (such as chuck), trimmed and cubed
2 teaspoon(s) caraway seeds
1 1/2 tablespoon(s) sweet or hot paprika, (or a mixture of the two), preferably Hungarian (see Tips & Techniques)
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 diced tomatoes
1 reduced-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon(s) Worcestershire sauce
3 clove(s) garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon(s) cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Place beef in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Crush caraway seeds with the bottom of a saucepan. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in paprika, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture and toss to coat well. Top with onion and bell pepper.
Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Pour over the beef and vegetables. Place bay leaves on top. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours on high or 7 to 7 1/2 hours on low.
Discard the bay leaves; skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stew and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Tips & Techniques

Paprika specifically labeled as "Hungarian" is worth seeking out for this dish because it delivers a fuller, richer flavor than regular or Spanish paprika. Find it at specialty-foods store or online at hungariandeli.com and penzeys.com.

2 mats is almost as ridiculous as seven KC metro teams traveling 2.5 hours to Pittsburg.

Easy for you to say Will, we have to go to that regional in Colby, and our drive will be longer than 2.5 hours.

Does it really take that long to get to Pittsburg. I drove Chanute to St. James over Christmas break in under 2 hours.

You can make it in 2 but not if you have 15 people in a bus. It isn't about the single drive it is about the lack of fiscal common sense. You don't make 7 teams travel from a common place to accommodate one team staying home. It is a gross misuse of tax dollars.

I enjoy a good road trip, you have too out here in Western Kansas, where we normally have to travel 4 plus hours for our regional tournaments. plus it is always cool to see other parts of our great state.

Yea but you don't have 7 schools within 20 minutes of each other and your regionals are not eight teams. I don't mind road trips when they are necessary. This was just a bad deal and makes no sense.

With the exception of maybe the Lake Wilson area and the Red Hills in South Central KS everything West of Salina looks about the same to me. I do a lot of driving out West esp SW KS and it is about as boring as it can get. The worst drive ever is in Saskatchewan driving West of Regina to Calgary in Canada. Flat for hundreds of miles totally a bummer to drive. Just a heads up, fly or ride a train if your headed that way, you won't be sorry.

I am from Goodland it never surprises me to read a
and listen to the whining about having to drive out to western Kansas about once every four or five years. Every year for years we made the drive to Topeka for kids state, every year for high school regionals and the next weekend to witchita for state and now Salina. It is what it is, it's part of the sport, if you don't want to make the drive then stay home.

But you chose to live there not us, why should we suffer.

Ya your right we don't want anyone to suffer so I really think Colby and Goodland should just drop there wrestling programs. If you actually consider it suffering you really have problems. I'll tell you what suffering is, I just lost my 21 year old daughter in a tragic accident. Be thankful you can travel wherever it is to watch your sons or daughters and quit complaining.

Since I have been in Colby our regional tournament locations are as follows.
Russell 135 miles
Pratt 222 miles
Clearwater 307 miles
Ulysses 153 miles
Pratt 222 miles
Concordia 206 miles
Chapman 236 miles
Abilene 225 miles
Grand Total 1,706 miles one-way

Since when is Pittsburg in Western Kansas??

Did I say Cokeley was complaining, no I didn't, I was referring to the teams coming to the Colby regional. Like always you have to get your typical remarks in.

I was just razing you western ks folks. Bottom line is if you are in the sport of wrestling you better be ready to travel.

Does eveything they do makes sense...no

Buhler has been trying for 6-7 years that I know of very hard to host a regional. It seems like Buhler would be a good spot. It is also about getting kids more interested in the sport. I can't imagine the impact of hosting a regional and subjecting some of the kids to the high level wrestling and prestige why not pass that around a little more evenly.

So on the 10 yr average you have had to travel 170.6 mile one way. I am taking in acount including this year and 2005 (I think that is what I saw was the last time Colby hosted) as factors for travel. I also assumed these are consecutive years.

That comes out roughly to just a little over of 2.5 hours of driving.

To me that isn't that horrible.

Sorry, you posted that right after I complained about seven teams traveling to Pittsburg. I thought it was safe to assume you were taking a shot at that comment.

I am so sad for your loss. my prayers are with you and your family.

I guess if you don't like the selection your team can opt out...

Back to the original issue... ONLY TWO MATS???

Yes, back to the original issue.... I wonder how many regional sites have 2 mats vs. 3 mats? Do the 5A & 6A sites use 3 mats for their 1 day tournaments? Was having facilities able to fit 3 mats a consideration in determining regional sites at all?

I have never been to any bracketed tournament with 8 or more wrestlers where only two surfaces were used. Simple math will tell you how many matches and how much time it will take. I think you will be in the gym for a VERY long time for a this event.

I'm sure not complaining about the travel time. But my calculations of 16-man brackets shows there is a possibility of 112 matches in the first round, 56 in the quarterfinals, 56 in consolation first round, and 56 in consolation quarterfinals. This is 280 matches divided by 2 mats times an average of 5 minutes per match (assuming a few pins, byes, etc). I come up with 700 minutes of wrestling. The tournament starts at 1:00. This would be a mere 11.66667 hours of wrestling assuming there is not a 45-minute delay like there was in Holton a few years ago when a young stallion from Abilene broke his arm on mat 3. Then make weight, grab a bite at the aforementioned truck stop Subway, and back to the room to get some sleep.

In 2005, Colby started the championship semifinals at 11:00 on Saturday morning. The serious wrestlers aren't out until 2:00 in the morning very often during the season. Why expect them to be up that late the night before their biggest matches of the season?

Typically you figure 13-15 matches per hour. This takes into consideration the byes, pins, and shortened 1st period on the back side. Since there are only 15 teams in the Colby regional this will be 364 matches. That works out to 182 per mat. Since there will be opens by many schools we will go with 15 matches per hour. That works out to 12.13 hours. With no breaks you could wrestle just 6 hours on Friday and be done at 7pm and then 6 hours or a little more on Saturday and be on the road in the late afternoon even with an hour lunch break. It can be done but you won't be able to stop wrestling much and your officials will get a little worn out.

Just 15 teams? You mean to tell me that Lindsborg-Smoky Valley isn't allowed to bring 2 full teams?

Just bring the JV team Ron:)

My new math. Last year's Abilene regional was a lot of the same teams and had 48 byes in round 1. So this brings the first day total to 184 (even though all the other 16-team regionals are probably wrestling 1 more round on Friday and still getting done earlier). 92 matches per mat x 5 minutes = 460 minutes. That would be about 9:00 barring any major delays. Still late. But better than 2:00 a.m.

And Alex Ryan is always good for a few "touch" falls if he is on the whistle, so that could speed things along a little.

I believe our AD is planning on wrestling the semifinals on Friday evening like all other 4A Regionals. I believe wrestling will start at 1 on Friday afternoon.

. Not complaining, just trying to put a perspective, we get to travel 3.5 hours and Will was complaining about a relatively shorter trip, although his complaints were for a different reason understandably. Looking forward to being in Colby.

I personally don't think that it's an issue for Colby to have only two mats at their regional. That regional has only 15 teams, and to top that off, not every team has a full lineup, so it won't go as long as you think.

As for a few years ago, I remember Ellis hosting a 3A regional with two mats, and they usually have 20 or so teams in a regional in that classification. Started at 2 and didn't get out of there until after 10 or 10:30.

The 3-2-1A State Tournaments used to always be wrestled on 2 mats, and all of the regionals were on two mats. Had good breaks between sessions. Just enjoy getting to actually watch more matches, it doesnt take that long. But of course, this is probably the same set of people that think 3:00 is late to get out of a kids tourney!

USA wrestling did an extensive study and survey which concluded that the number one complaint about wrestling was too much time in the gym for a very limited amount of wrestling for the person of interest to the spectator. This is why they are encouraging split format tournaments.

Not going to argue about kids. We all understand the limited attention span and other problems inherent with the 12-14 hour tournaments we used to have.

But for high schoolers, I have always liked the early starts, breaks between sessions for proper meals, and time to relax and reconnect with old friends rather than the hurry up and get out mentality that seems prevalent. I never thought that 9:30 or 10:00 was too late to get out of the finals. Just my opinion

This is a primary reason KSHSAA should change the 32-32-64 classification scheme for 6A, 5A and 4A to 40-40-40 or 40-40-48. Goal should be one day, Saturday 10 school regionals at 4 locations in each class (if 40 40 48, 4A regionals would each be 12 school). Don't know how this will effect travel distance and times.

Don't know what to do with 321A. With 90 plus schools in 4 regionals it would be difficult to do one day regionals in 321A. Could maybe micro manage each regional by using projected bracket opens to balance the number of wrestlers rather than the same number of teams at each regional--just don't split a team to 2 regionals. Does this make sense as I tried to describe it???

Main two reasons KSHSAA should change the school classification scheme for wrestling: level the field for state tournament qualification and economy. Current 6A and 5A regionals are one day tournaments, comparatively, the two day 4A regional tournaments are grossly inefficient, costly in money, time and hard on the buttocks.

Reclassification to 40 40 40 or 40 40 48 can be wrestled in one day, Saturday, regional tournaments. Each tournament would be an 8 team bracket. If more than 8 wrestlers in a weight class, would require some bracket modifications: a pig tail round or a wrestle-in round. Might consider that pig tail and wrestle-in losers wound be one loss elimination rounds. With the historic number of first round opens in all classes in all weight brackets in all regional tournaments, don't think the pig tail/wrestle-in single elimination round would be a big deal. Note. Trackwrestling has a whole page of bracketology, how's that for a big word, that will provide a workable bracket and seeding process for a one day tournament with more than 8 (10-12) wrestlers in a weight class.

Added: could even consider a reclass to 42 42 42 (126 schools) or 42 42 44. But, if possible should keep the total number schools in a class evenly divisible by four (40/4 or 44/4 or 48/4). An odd number of school in a class exacerbates the bracketing problem and intent of having a one day, efficient tournament

I must admit, the 2 mats vs 3 didn't really affect the time & quality of the regional at Colby. Great job and a shout out to the Colby administration & staff!

The packed gym and close quarters really added to the atmosphere & intensity of the tournament. It was fairly normal drama for a regional tournament including some upsets, some freshmen standouts, skin inj./dflt on day one, some very good officiating, some poor calls, etc. 4 abnormal items were:
1. A pep band to start the tournament!
2. Hospitality! = A bake sale, free brackets handed out in the stands, space to set up tables for wrestlers lunch, & more.
3. Multiple retracted calls after a coaches questioned call - all by one official. (I counted at least 4 during the tournament)
4. At 182 some local boo-ing for an unfortunate injury where a wrestler passed out. The winning wrestler showed concern, was appropriately not penalized, and by body language obviously felt bad about the unfortunate situation.

Again, all in all a fantastic tournament. Thanks for making the 2 mats a success!