To try to cram 4A boys, 321A boys, and 1A-4A girls into one arena at Salina? Don't get me wrong, i like the idea of having a state tourney with another class there, but crowding the arena is going to be an issue, a huge issue.....
8 mats instead of 4, so floor seating will be gone, so all wrestlers, managers, coaches, cheerleaders will be moved into the stands, which are already relatively full with just 4A boys wrestling. Start stuffing the 321A crowd in there, plus the girls' tourney crowd, and we have fights in the stands over seats........
Keeping in mind that I already stated that having 321A with us is a positive in my opinion, and I don't know what the issue is that is not allowing Hays to host 321A, but it certainly isn't a 4A problem, which brings me to my biggest complaint: a 3 day tourney, with 3 weigh ins...... seems like there are a couple of classes being treated under a different set of rules than other classes......

I'd be willing to give it a crack with keeping the girls' tourney on Thursday, then trying to get all of 321A and 4A boys in the one arena at Salina on Friday and Saturday.

Maybe someone can give me a good reason for our kids to have to weigh in 3 times for the state tourney......

Thanks
Doug

I think this is going to be a huge problem. My suggestion is a staggered format:

Wed/Thu - Boys 321A (or Boys 4A)
Thu/Fri - Girls 4-1A
Fri/Sat - Boys 4A (or Boys 321A)

This way only two classes in the arena at at time. And each class has a 2-day state tourney, instead of 3. I don't think Tony's Events Center can handle all three classes at once.

Only way the 3-day tourney could work is if it is in all sessions, guess we'll see what KSHSAA sets up.

The State tourney (in some form) MIGHT be moving to Topeka the following year which is much bigger in terms of floor space and seating. Guess we'll see about that, too.

By far my biggest complaint is the 3 day weigh-ins. I would think they could have scheduled different sessions over the 3 days to keep all divisions at only 2 days for weigh ins (Thursday 321A wrestle up to placement matches, Friday 4321A Girls wrestle through semis and 4A boys wrestle through semis, Saturday $321a Girls and 4A boys finish out the tournament. Heck I would even take 3 separate 1 day state tournaments over three day tournament (for example 321A Boys Thursday, 4321A Girls Friday, and 4A boys Saturday)

The floor seating is relatively new to 4A correct? When I was wrestling there the only let wrestlers and coaches down on the floor and while you were warming up you had to stay behind a gate until your match was on deck. If we have people fighting in the stands over seats thats a problem with our culture, not a KSHSAA problem.



You might see it as an unfair advantage to have to weigh in 3 times but it's what most other state tournaments who run it 3 days do. In the long run it will better prepare those athletes for the future and also encourge safer weight loss practices.

As a college coach, its a step in the right direction. Going to 2 tournaments in stead of 3 makes recruitment that much easier and gets KS wrestlers more exposure to more college coaches.

Leave it to Ryne to doubt me before he knows the facts. Seating on the floor where they have bleachers slid out from one side for wrestlers and coaches and cheerleaders is what I meant. Now there will not be any seating on the floor because they are going to be eight mats on the floor now so my idea of keeping the girls on Thursday and keeping both boys classes on Friday Saturday is still in doubt because we are cramming all the fans for both boys classes into an arena along with cramming all of the wrestlers cheerleaders coaches and managers into the stands

I’m not opposed to a three day tournament at all as long as everyone plays by the same rules. I’ve already said that I like the idea of sharing a tournament with another class. I would like to share a tournament with all classes if there’s a place that can handle it, and everyone plays by the exact same rules.

And when it comes to fighting in the stands, I guess we should just submit to everything unelected (and “elected” 😉)bureaucrats tell us to do without questioning. Obviously that was a tongue-in-cheek joke, but you know damn good and well there are gonna be some arguments when people are trying to save seats

Also weird how all of a sudden social distancing isn’t important and we can cram three times as many people into one arena without worry 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 maybe we should make everyone “mask up, get vaccinated, and for sure don’t use ivermectin”….😂😂😂

PS this a joke also.

Simplest “solution” to test drive that is zero change schedule wise:

Thursday 1-4A girls tournament (like it has been)

Friday Saturday 321A boys and 4A boys at same time (like they have been)

I read the same thing you read. 8 mats for Thursday and Friday. So saturday you will probably get your floor bleachers back. You want there to be 3 weigh-ins acrossed the board for equality. Fine. At the end of the day there is no competitive advantage for anyone, so nobody is really hurt by this. 4a and 321a kids will just have to be safer about their weight loss.

The only time I witnessed a fight almost break out in the stands in Salina I was a freshmen in high school and it was between the Andale and Abilene crowds after the Sam Thoman vs Marvio Tishhauser final.

I agree! Having 6 to 8 mats with one row of bleachers and chairs on the floor in another room is NOT the way to run a tournament. Being 83 years old and having to climb down stairs to go to the other arena is frusrating. With no hand rails for the bleachers (which are always full) leaves us no choice but to set on the floor and not being able to see the match. 2023 was bad enough and now to double the matches and add 1 day? Crazy! You are forcing me to take the only route avaiable to me! Track and Flow wrestling at home. My rant!

I would love to see the tournament moved from Salina. It can't happen soon enough.

The forums are showing a glimmer of the glory days!!

I’m loving the discussion, it needs to be had and seen.

Rock on wrasslers!

I agree that Salina will be overcrowded with 3 tournaments going on at the same time. 8 mats is too many as the seating on the floor is helpful for the teams and cheerleaders. Salina will have to open up more gates for people to enter the tournament and open up the exhibition rooms for the teams to put their food and coolers.

I don't mind having 3 tournaments at one site, but I really think that they need to change the schedule and environment around. Could we use 6 mats and still have floor seating for teams? Also could we have each tournament be 2 days instead of 3 days? One tournament run Thursday and Friday, finishing the majority of the tournament on Thursday and do placing matches on Friday on two mats along side the other tournament. Then Run the other two tournaments on Friday and Saturday with the current schedule we use for Friday and Saturday? Obviously I'm coming up with solutions out of the air here, but this can be managed and scheduled better than what is being implemented/proposed.

If we go to an all class, all one venue, that can handle seating, parking, etc., and it has to be 3 days, i'm all in. How about this: 5A and 6A have to weigh in the day before their 2 day tourney starts, then again the first day of competition, then again on day two of competition..... Why would there even be a consideration of having two classes having different weigh in rules than the other two classes? Ludicrous to say the least. And KSHSAA is keeping a straight face while sticking this up our a$$.........

Apparently you don't get that 4A and 321a are being punished because KSHSAA doesn't have a place for the 321a tourney. And asking the kids to weigh in another day isn't a big deal? Tell that to the kids that have "embraced the suck" all year, and whose bodies have become accustomed to a 2 day weigh in, and recovery, etc. Then at their most important tourney of the year, "oh by the way, you get to weigh in 3 times this weekend!!" We'll have kids that it won't affect because they aren't cutting weight, and we'll also have kids cutting so that we can split up our best kids and fill a roster. Not many schools have their best wrestlers all split up without anyone having to cut weight.

Pretending like it isn't a big deal isn't getting you anywhere here......And asking us to "just shut up and take it" isn't going to cut it either.

1-4A Girls on Thursday
4A and 321A on Friday Saturday
No schedule change for any of the competitors. I don't get what is wrong with my proposal? I'm still suspicious that we are going to be like sardines in Salina, but i'm ready to give it a shot, mainly because i like the idea of sharing a tourney with the 321A crowd.

If the two boys' tourneys actually have room, and there are no fights in the stands, then let's do it again every year, while you try to figure out a place that can handle an All Class tourney.

Brandon, what is wrong with my Girls on Thursday, both boys tourneys on Fri and Sat?

I'd have no problem with starting a little earlier, and having the finals at a later time, instead of mid afternoon on Saturday. I know, travel time home, blah blah blah, but 6:00 sure seems like a more prime time to have the finals anyway.

Salina is a bad place to have the state tournament with Class 4A alone. I wish they could move it out of there to say, Topeka or Wichita. There's no way their concession stands or restrooms can handle the crowd. Plus, it seems like the people there are rude to the teams.

It is going to be an absolute $h!tshow. There will be fights in the stands over seating. The venue has no respect for the fans, wrestlers, or coaches. It is nothing but a cash grab for them. And for the love of god, I hope they ban cheerleaders from the event. This is one of the worst possible solutions to the problem of not having a host for 321A. I honestly have no clue what they are thinking. It is sad that so many fans, wrestlers, and coaches will not even be looking forward to the state tournament next year.

The only positive part of this is the announcing and the 3 tournaments at 1 site. Great for fans and college coaches. The seating, 3 weigh ins, no locker rooms, no hospitality room, no warm up areas, concessions, no team camp areas, will all be a mess.

If we are going to do a 3 Day Weigh-in....they should do what most states do (Add State Dual Tournament: Top 2 teams from each region).

But three weigh-ins is ridiculous. This was a cost saving measure by KSHSAA once again not doing what is right.

Two cents put in the bucket....add Dual Format or leave it at two days