Channel three, KSNW, in Wichita did a nice story on the Wichita area guys that wrestle for OU just a minute ago. It not only focused on a great bunch of wrestlers and young men; it also discussed our lack of a DI program in Kansas. This was one of the most thoughtful wrestling stories that I've seen on local TV. Good job, KSNW!

It was a great story on some great young men. I have to agree with ya Jilka.

Well, Jim Kobbe messed up on his statistics over how many colleges have wrestling in Kansas. He forgot to mention Baker when talking about 4 year colleges and he said there are only 4 JUCO programs.

Come on Jim, I thought you would have done a little better research having wrestled back in the day for Douglass High School under then Assistant Coach, Dusty Rhodes.

Other than that it was a good and timely piece put together for a sport that does not get enough media coverage.

Here is an article that Jim Kobbe wrote a few years ago about his experience in wrestling.



Grappling with Responsibility by Jim Kobbe

I wasn’t a bad junior varsity wrestler in high school, I was dreadful.

Perhaps I should explain.

Growing up, I always played basketball. We had a goal and backboard in our back yard, for goodness sakes, not a wrestling mat. Wrestling, however, was big in Douglass, which had wrestling families with children born, I think, wearing singlets. And during the 1970s, the Bulldogs had quite a few state champions.

While in high school, I wrote a few articles about the wrestling team for the Augusta Gazette. Assistant coach and shop teacher Dusty Rhodes (who yelled “clean UPPPPPP” at the end of each hour) had apparently read some of the articles. He suggested I go out for wrestling to learn about the sport.

So I did.

I was a senior.

Starting to wrestle at seventeen was like learning a foreign language, which I would attempt the following year in college. But that’s another story.

I quickly learned that there was more to this sport that just flopping around on a mat. It is a sport of great athleticism. It is a sport of technique. It is a sport of terminology.

Single-leg. Double-leg. Duck-under. Fireman’s carry. Cowcatcher. Heel pick.

Sheesh!

For a horrible athlete to try and learn this and compete against guys who have been doing it since they were born is like taking a crash course in Spanish, then going to Mexico and trying to fit in.

My perfect 0-4 junior varsity record is a testimony to my ability.

In my first match, my opponent from Goddard pinned me in less than thirty seconds. Matches two and three went pretty much the same, but in my last match, I survived into the second period.
As in matters of the heart, fails tends to lead one to say that much was learned from it. Perhaps because of my extraordinary failure as a wrestler, I learned some extraordinary things from wrestling.

Sure, I learned what a fireman’s carry is. And I learned by watching two of my friends win state championships that year. Most of all, though, I learned about responsibility and accountability. And I learned both on the Saturday after Christmas.

You see, there was a practice scheduled that morning. At seven o’clock. Of course, it snowed and was terribly cold and the snow was blowing.

The bed felt extra warm and cozy that morning, as I stared at the alarm clock. Maybe I’ll skip practice, I thought. They won’t care if the JV 185-pounder isn’t there.
I wanted to skip. I really did.

But I didn’t.

I got up, got ready, scraped the windshield and drove to the high school. The heat had been turned off in the locker room. And only about half the team bothered to show.
We went upstairs to the mats, did some basic warm up stuff…and then were told to go home.

Huh?

I showered, went home and went back to bed.

What a sucker I was.

A few days passed and we were back in school. At our first practice since the holiday, I dressed and went upstairs to wait for things to start.

But this practice started a bit differently.

The head coach was a guy named Dan Provence. Kind of a fun-loving guy, but a guy we knew not to mess with.

Coach Provence blew the whistle. He pointed at one wall and said, “Everybody who came to the practice last Saturday…over here.”

Then he pointed at the other wall, “Everybody who didn’t…over there.”

He had “them” face “us.” One by one, each one of them had to tell us why he did not come to practice.

After all the sheepish responses were finished, Provence turned toward “us” and told us to get dressed and go home.
The rest stayed and had to run. And run. And run until they dropped.

Today, I did not want to come to work. It was cold and there was a light snow falling and staying home sounded awfully good. But here I am.

Thirty years later, I often think of that wrestling practice. I wonder whether Coach Provence scheduled that holiday practice as a test of character. Either way, it was a great lesson for a junior varsity wrestler.

Now if I could just do that fireman’s carry…

Last Update: 2/17 11:34 pm


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< PreviousNext >Play VideoVideo 1 of 1All Video Local wrestlers have major impact at the University of OklahomaLocal wrestlers have major impact at the University of Oklahoma

NORMAN, OK--More than 5500 high school wrestlers took down an opponent, or were taken down themselves, this season across Kansas. Few of those will advance to the college ranks and very, very few will stay at home to do it.

Newman and Fort Hays State are the only four-year schools in Kansas that offer varsity wrestling, along with four community colleges: Pratt, Colby, Neosho and Labette County.

So the best of the best in Kansas are forced to find opportunities at other NCAA Division I schools.

Seven have landed at the University of Oklahoma, including Goddard former four-time state champion Tyler Caldwell who says it offers a rich history with “a big crowd, big fans.”

Caldwell has become a poster boy for Sooner wrestling. As a freshman last year, he placed fifth in the NCAA tournament, which gave him All-American status.

This season, he is 27-4 and ranked second nationally in the 165 pound weight class.

“This year I'm not a freshman any more,” he said. “I kind of have the mental toughness, (the) mental edge that I need this year to win the title.”

Coach Jack Spates says Caldwell’s competitiveness has allowed him to quickly transition into college wrestling.

“It's not really that he's a great wrestler in terms of technical skills, but he hates to lose and refuses to do it.”

Caldwell also feels at home, as one of five Wichita-area wrestlers on the Sooners’ squad.

Two are from Bishop Carroll High School, Jordan Keller and Ty Detmer, and two others are from Heights, Chase Nelson and Kendric Maple.

“I love it here, it's a family,” says Nelson.

The “family” is close-knit by design. Scholarships are hard to come by. Only 95 Division I schools have varsity wrestling, including OU, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa State in the Big 12.

Fewer opportunities mean the level of wrestling is ultra-competitive.

Maple led the Sooners last year with 33 wins and qualified for the NCAA tournament. This season, he couldn’t make the first team and is a redshirt.

“It's basically fueling the fire this year...just to come out next year and be a national champ.”

Along with Caldwell, Keller and Nelson wrestle on the first team. Spates calls his school “Kansas South.”

All say they are glad to be at Oklahoma, but wish they had the option of staying in Kansas.

“Being in Kansas with the right coaching staff and team, I'd definitely consider,” said Caldwell.

Instead, “Kansas South” will grow by one more next season, as Daniel Deshazer will join his former Heights teammates.

Spates understands their sentiment and would like to see wrestling grow.

“We have profited greatly from their lack of having a collegiate wrestling program and yet, at the same time, we would really encourage Kansas to add a Division I wrestling program.”

“I think it's what's right and what's fair considering they have such great high school wrestling.”

Uhm...Baker University was top finishing four year school in the Kansas Cup and they get snubbed. NW Tech supposedly has a wrestling team, but they don't even have rosters for any of their athletic teams on their website.