acbulldog-

I am sorry about the comment. I thought it was you, but perhaps it was someone else that had an acbulldog name. And I know I failed to place at State in my 2 trips to the State tournament. I may not be a "success" in others eyes, but accomplishing what I did in my 6 years of wrestling was an accomplishment to myself, I don't really care how others view me. Earning a State medal doesn't mean that much to me, I am proud of what I've accomplished and that's all I care about.

No it was me on awhile ago and you assumed I was in high school but I have been out for a couple of years.

Gibby come on now you just said it your a Teacher have fun with that 20,000 you make a year.

Man, it's a good thing they don't have state assessments in Economics. I have a feeling that AC would lead the pack in unsatisfactory marks there too.

You'r a little on the low side. Actually a lot.

Even behind me??

Richard, what you truly know about the wrestling programs at both Leavenworth are so sadly lacking, it not only defies belief, but only adds to your usual level of ignorance.

FIrst of all, yes, Leavenworth is a basketball town. Fortunately, the hard work of Dave Schmidt has created a competitive program at Leavenworth High. Unfortunately, the same history can't be said at Imac. After some tremendous years in the 1980s, the program fell on hard times and those have continued.

During my years there, we did attempt to start a middle school program, but despite some strong recruiting by myself and other staff in the school, we only ever managed to get two or three kids a year. And quite frankly, in a school Imac's size, with no tradition whatsoever, getting 15 kids a year out was pretty good. Unfortunatly, after the program really struggled during the 2002-03 season after I left, it was dropped last year.

Richard, I realize that your bashing of me despite your ignorance of the real situation only further proves my point -- if you don't agree with Richard, you are evil. Sort of like dealing with Fred Phelps, I suppose.

But despite you and Gibby's bashing of me goes, keep it up if you like. It doesn't really change anything, nor does it change my feelings as it what we accomplished in four years at Imac. I am proud of what we did and of the people that were part of those years and I miss them and think of them often.

And whatever way you try to spin it Richard, my comments about wrestling in Kansas have only been meant to show my respect for it and to voice my hopes to see it get better. That is a job of a coach, by the way. If I went too far with some of them, I apologize to my friends.

Richard, your passion for the sport of wrestling is admirable and I respect it a great deal. But your defensive attitude and your habit of speaking on topics of which you aren't fully briefed on makes you hard to take seriously -- well, that and bragging up getting people fired -- which I don't. Use you passion for good Richard.

Sorry -- to edit my fifth paragraph; don't want Gibby bashing my editing skills, too.

But as far as you and Gibby's bashing of me goes, keep it up if you like. It doesn't really change anything, nor does it change my feelings as to what we accomplished in four years at Imac. I am proud of what we did and of the people that were part of those years and I miss them and think of them often.

Imac was an average team at best when you were their. You lost to Pleasant Ridge with their 6-8 wrestlers every year. I really don't see what you are talking about, Lansing has a very good kids program that draws 40-50 kids from the whole Leavenworth area, Pleasant ridge has a kids program with 15-20 kids every year and so does Ft.Leavenworth, what do you mean no kids programs.The program was dropped because it was not competetive the kids didn't know much about how to wrestle

You're right bub --- we were average by the time I left, and far below it when I got there. My last year there we beat Pleasant Ridge and Perry-Lecompton in duals and tied Mill Valley (although by the tie-breaker criteria we have today we would have won). In addition, we finished in the upper division of every tournament we competed in that year, including finishing third at Wamego. We also competed in the KVL with the likes of Lansing, SFT, Basehor-Linwood and Tonganoxie.

My better kids did participate in the club at the Fort and two straight years we took around 10 kids to participate in the University of Northern Iowa' s team camp. We were in the process of getting a better feeder program going in 2002, when I foolishly decided to move on. After I left, that never materialized.

Were we world beaters by the end of the 2002 season? No, but we were better than we were when I got there. Could we have continued to get better with me there? I'd like to think so.

I have never said that we were of the Hoxie class, nor have I ever claimed to be Dan Gable or John Smith. I was just a guy with a wrestling background who was asked to make a bad situation better. I think I did that, and frankly I wish I had stayed around a couple of years longer; perhaps I'd have been able to shore up the foundation and keep the program afloat. Perhaps not, but I'm betting we could have done it.

Coach Holmes,

Had to step in here, just could not resist the temptation. Even though you guys were our arch-rivals and personally my teams at PR never lost to Imac I always championed yours, Coach Barba, Shea, Darnelly and Connells efforts to keep a program going at Imac. There should be one there today, no excuses.

It was my hope to combo with you guys during the lean times that were coming to keep both programs competitive, I am sorry we never got the chance to do so. Hansen and now Weber did and do a good, nice compettive job with the PR boys, but i think my kids were much better prepared to compete on a regional basis, mostly because i had most of them for a great deal of time through kids and middle school as well. They also were so **** ornery that the only way to settle em down was to work their butts off.

My brother and I started the Lansing kids club and that feeder is paying off immensely there for Coach Averill, it is nice to see those young men grow and how competitive they are as high schoolers. I am sure, had you stayed there would still be wrestling at Imac.

I know Gibby and like him, he now coaches my son in freestyle. I don't think there is any way to give him the perspective we had from a small school viewpoint, struggling for kids and doing the absolute best you could have done with what you had. You don't have to defend yourself, you did great with what you had. Glad to see you still in the game

Klint Deere

acbulldog-

If you are in fact out of high school then you need to get a life other than talking trash to high school kids about how good Ark City was "back in the day." Now, the reason everyone assumed you were in high school was because your posts have the overall intelligence and wit of an ego-driven freshman. So if in fact you are out of high school then I feel bad for you and your inability to mature since then.

So in other words, grow up.

Klint, old friend, it is nice to hear from you. It's good have an opinion from someone who was acutally there. And as I have said in other posts, if there was anything I had to do over again, I would have figured out a way for the permanent survival of the program at Imac. I still have hopes of its return, but that's probably down the road. I know I will be the first one in line cheering if it does.

Take care my friend, and stay in touch.

Quote

"What a bunch of garbage.

I believe we can all agree success breeds success. Not all students at Immaculata or Leavenworth are basketball players. The recent success of the football program at Leavenworth High School, a one year turn around by a new coach, proves my point. Fact is the lack of producing a winning program at Immaculata directly impacted participation by students who were not basketball players. Last I knew, part of the job of the high school coach is to promote the program in school and recruit in school athletes to participate and grow the program.

Sadly, the former coach was unsuccessful in his endeavors and the program was dropped."


Richard,

My quote of Leavenworth being a "basketball town" might have been a small exageration and was not meant to slight the success of other sports there, especially wrestling. It was more of a statment that the success of Leavenworth basketball overshadows other sports in that town. Kind of a problem the whole state can identify with.

I am always glad to tout the success of Leavenworth Wrestling. I believe last year there were 4 LHS grads wrestling at the college level and Leavenworth has been one of the more consistent teams in Kansas City for the last 30 years. No one works harder than coach Schmidt.

I think the success of one football season is not a good comparison. If the new LHS coach leaves after four years and Leavenworth goes back to the door mat in the sunflower league, are you going to call him unsuccessful.

I believe VS Vike Coach had a lot hurdles to overcome at Imac than a coach at Seaman would have to overcome. For example, and please correct me if I'm wrong because I'm not sure, but VS Vike coach wasn't a teacher at Imac, but was solely employed to do wrestling. Under these circumstances it's very difficult to "promote the program in school and to recruit kids".

Like I said earlier, Imac wrestling was in serious trouble before VS Vike coach arrived. There were teams with 4 or 5 kids on it. Give the guy a break.

Correct Scholar -- I was not a teacher at Imac. And thank you.

My thoughts:

I find many of the posts regarding IMAC as simply boorish, ill-mannered, and simply ignorant. I don't expect apology, for those who have made those statements are obviously more concerned about their own self-worth than those they demean.
I would also hope you would sign your name to your posts other than a simple acronym. Perhaps 'anon' would suffice? It's not witty...it's simple sarcasm. It's not discussion...it's base criticism.

You do have a right to state your opinion. I spent 20 years in the service protecting that right. I would hope however, that what you pass for candid observation isn't passed on to the very wrestlers who you instruct. Sarcasm, boorishness, and cynicism are traits best left to fools.

Coach Shea

Coach Shea:
Well said!

A big hello from Ned & Nathan Price in Atchison.

Ned

And another thing, please no more crap about McDonalds. That's getting personal and very offensive to many. There are a lot of good, intelligent, hard working people working at McDonalds. There are many people whose existence depends on that job and they probably take great pride in their work even though others might not view it as a noble profession. Plus, I cannot imagine a world without McDonalds which is what we would have if no one was there to ask us if we want fries with our Quarter Pounder and do we want to super size them. We need people that work at McDonalds. They are important components of our society.

And a big salute from up north your way Coach Shea!!! Oh, and of course, salutations to Ned and Krispy Kreams to Nathan!!!

VS Coach

Nathan says if we are coming back next he wants Fresh Krispy Kreme!!!

Ned

We'll see what we can do Ned...I might have some connections!