Its okay to be scared. You aren't the only staying away from me, Gibby has been running around with his tail tucked between his legs ever since I wrestled him last.

Jordon, Jordon, Jordon.

It's not that I'm scared, I'm just bored. Beating the snot out of you and making you cry got old two years ago.

Bubowski-Pleasant Ridge's situation is interesting. I am curious why their superintendent is not more invovled. He should know the value of summer wrestling and college. For any old timers they might remember Roger Pickering the superintendent as Dan Gable's back up in the 72 olympics and the former head wrestling coach at Dodge City Juco.

Just a thought.

SlamBam

Jordan, I have beat you once, I was fat and out of shape when I did so, I will beat you again. Now I am going to tech you in three minutes. All take downs... I wont even try to wrestle you on the mat! haha!

And Gibby is right, it is boring beating up on you young kids.

Bubowski:

I can see you are very passionate about things and that's good. I guess not being there in a year, I can't speak to Coach Weber or Chris Powers' recent reaction to things, other than to say that the impressions of things you have are about 180 degrees from the people I knew and worked with for seven years.

There are two points I would like bring up however:

First, where would you propose that the wrestlers practice? At the moment, the balcony is all that's available. I do know there was talk of eventually moving somewhere else in the building once construction was done but I don't know where they are with that. Sometimes, you have to settle for what's there; that's not Coach Weber's fault, nor is is Mr. Powers'.

Second, I was at the Les Gutches' clinic in 2003 in the elementary gym, and I recall talking to at least a couple of the Pleasant Ridge varsity wrestlers. If you would like to contact me privately, I'd be glad to provide you with their names.

One other thing -- you're assessment that Chris Powers is not supportive of the wrestling program is inaccurate, and I know that for a fact. Coach Powers is a former wrestling coach and his son wrestled varsity for the Rams for four years. He might not like the way things are, but calling him unsupportive is not accurate and not fair.

Church,I noticed you were bored till you were red in the face beating up on young kids preparing for nationals.Looked like if you were any more bored you might passout.(just an observation).Congratulations on your new job,it has been a pleasure to be involved with South wrestling.Thankyou and Coach Nigg for all you have done for Tim and Kansas wrestling

HaHa! That is funny. Thank you very much and I am excited for the future. My expectations are high for the next decade of South Wrestling. I need a few more bodies in the room, but do not mind molding what I have already into something good.
South high has not ever really been known as a place that got good wrestlers from junior leagues. Nigg found football players, kids in the hall, cross country kids and made them good by their junior or senior year. Never a technical group (few exceptions) but a hard nosed aggressive mean group of kids.
I hope to be able to do the same thing that he did with kids and give them an opportunity to do something with their lives.
Tim was a pain, but a pleasure to work with in both senses. He will be missed next year. Hopefully he is a bird about 130 miles up the road so I can get up there and see him compete a few time.
Now it's time for all of us coaches to join together and make bring Kansas Wrestling to the top!!

Bub,
i would suggest you email your concerns to Chris. he is a pretty open guy and i don't think he will duck any answers. If the parents truly want a top-notch program, it will happen, if not, they will get by status-quo with outside coaches such as myself and Coach Weber are. They have a very stable teaching staff, which i think is a strength of the district.

There are some really good kids and families still there and associated, talk to the Meinerts, Woods, Culbertsons, Smocks, Marshalls and see what they really want--all have been around the sport in that area for years. I would love to see the PR program as tough as it was in the Coach Saucony days.

But i also know, there were times when i was considered a crazed idiot for asking a kid to consider wrestling freestyle or usa or even lift weights after the season. I took many phone calls telling me i was asking too much. Maybe i was, but you can only want it as much as your wrestlers and parents want it, i learned that mistake the hard way.

I respect Coach Weber and i assume he is responsive to what is asked of him by the administration and parents. Should the coach be in house? sure, I think Weber would even agree with that, does the atmosphere exist for a return to to a highly competitive program? i just don't know. Can they be competitive at regionals, can the kids get better every year, Yes they can.

Well, I am sorry, but I am not mistaken. I know who the kids were, I had known them for several years, and I know they were Pleasant Ridge varsity wrestlers. Whether or not they were on the roster is irrelavant; they were there. Now, I didn't say they were participating; I simply said that I talked to them there.

But I am impressed with the amount of effort you went through to try to prove me wrong. Well done!

Darren Weber is a former alum of Pleasant Ridge and was in fact a State Champion in I believe 84 @ 167 lbs. I find it hard to believe that he does not care sincerely about the success of his program. I cannot speak to the way he runs his practices or techniques he instructs but I am sure that he has his kids on the right track. I can tell you here and now that he will indeed have a couple wrestlers who will be top 3 @ State in the next couple years in Jeremy Keen and Dennis Wood. Jeremy was a Sophomore this year and lost to Colin Hase(Silver Lake) @ Regionals in semis 8-0 to finish 3rd. He was just a titch better than Dennis who only weighed in the neighborhood of 85 lbs. this year. Dennis went on to win Kids State this year @ 14 & U-- 80 lbs beating Sharky Slyter in the finals. I think you would serve the program better if you support his efforts rather than publicly bash him where the youth can likely see the discord and to have someone telling them they will not prosper under his tutelage as he (Weber) may be old school (Folkstyle) in laying the basics but that can get you a long way if you perfect your moves. If you drill enough, it becomes automatic and hard to defense perfect technique. I would hope that his kids buy into his program because you don't win individual State Championships as he indeed did by luck. I feel that things seem to be heading in the right direction there, best I can tell.. as my son has participated in the Kids Tourney there the last 5 years and there seems to be positive upbeat club parents/ supporters working it and it is a very nice little tournament. As far as the High school level goes, my squad participated in 2 very well ran tourneys and 2 team duals with them and they had very good and enthusiastic fan support and their competitors definitely had their fundamentals down. Were they Norton, St. Francis, Hoxie or Effingham(ACCHS) ?? NO, but I sincerely believe that he can get them to where they are very competive because the feeder program (Kids) is looking up. Administrations hire teachers first and coaches second and in a technical sport such as Wrestling they are likely better served with someone that CAN teach them rather than just blow a whistle. I also doubt that he would discourage them from going to camps, expanding their knowledge etc. You may have had a run-in with him that has caused you to dislike him but what are your credentials, background in the sport to bash him so? I would hope that you could work out your differences , ...from a fellow Coach who competes against his squad, he does not appear at all as you have so described. Maybe it is your approach. Please try to talk to him and Coach Powers as they seem to be good people who care about their kids and try to get them better, is that such a bad thing ??

Matt Meinert who as a Freshman placed 3rd @ Regionals @ a fairly tough 135 lbs bracket and only lost to Jason Corwin (Silver Lake) 7-5 will also be a force to be reckoned with for the Pleasant Ridge Ram squad the next 3 years. Ethan Brown(So.)171, Jason Smock(Fr.) -2 regional wins @112, Elliot Matthews(Fr.) 2 Regional wins @125lbs., Joe Phillips 160lbs(So.)10-4 record going into regionals, are battlers who will add support also. They just need to fill all their holes with fair quality kids. It may be two years off before you get your State placers but they will be a pretty decent team next year already.

One of the problems many small schools go through is sort of an ebb and flow when it comes to success. Attracting teachers who coach wrestling is tough sometimes; maybe out west it isn't, but it is tough. And in many small districts, when good young teachers who coach do come in, they don't stay long, as the bigger money and opportunities of big schools attract them. Either that or they get tired of negative, meddling parents and say the heck with it.

Immaculata was on the verge of having it's program cut in 1997 before Coach Shea took it over; if he hadn't, it would not have been there. He and I managed to keep it alive for five more seasons, but then it finally ended. That has greatly saddened me, but it happens.

That's why I find bubowski's argument that Coach Weber and Coach Powers are seemingly conspiring to kill the program so far-fetched. From what I can tell, it's young, but it's alive and well. Are they the Norton Bluejays of Hoxie Indians just yet? Well of course not; don't be silly. Could they be a pretty good team in a few years? Absolutely.

Darren Weber and Chris Powers have given heart and soul to the Pleasant Ridge wrestling program for a long time now. They deserve better than to be chopped up here; much better than that.

Grandview High School in Grandview, Mo is searching for a head varsity assistant for next season. We're located just across the Mo-Kan border off 435 and 71 highways. Other coaching positions available include head boys track, head girls track, head cross country and assistant middle school football. Teaching positions include HS special education, social studies and possibly physics. MS openings are social studies, pe and math. If interested please email Greg Linhart at greg.linhart@csd4.k12.mo.us or call our principal Ted Vernon at 816-316-5888.

"klint deere" I thought woods was a coach too. i dont know what the head coaches name was but i thought there was only to.

woods i believe was the assistant to Weber this year

ok

Unfortunately, My Head Coach is leaving. He's going some where in Topeka >> I think Gocke is going to take over... I'm not sure....

yes scotty, it is true..sadly oh and hes a "seaman" now