I personaly thought that the Oberlin Invite was very slow and wasn't well ran. I myself am wondering how there going to fit 18 teams in there small school.

They have done it before, that's where regionals was my junior year. There is definitely not enough seating, they brought in closed circuit TV's for the finals and set them up in the cafeteria. If you want to see the action in person, show up early! Should be a lot of good wrestling.

What do you mean by slow and not very well ran? It started no more than 10 minutes late and there was only one break during the day. The only thing that slowed the tournament down were the wrestlers that weren't there when their match was up.

Oberlin has hosted regional more than a few times and has been well run. They can put another mat in the gym, but will have to forego some seating if they do that.

If they didn't have some of the best teams in the state at that regional there wouldn't be a problem with seating. As it is, like coachtwink said, "Show up early!"

I'm sorry for criticizing how Oberlin ran the tournament. I do know that the wrestlers were very slow checking in and should have been more prepared. I'm sure that Oberlin will run a great tournament as I know they have in the past. I also know that part of the reason the tournament was so slow was, because they were trying out the software they are required to use for regional wrestling. I'm sure its more of headache than its really worth. I apologize for attacking Oberlin.

Well done pintowin. That speaks to your character. Get there early to get a seat and Oberlin will host a great tournament. .

Ive been to regionals at oberling more times than i can rememeber and it always runs pretty smoothly and i never rember there being not enought seating, so im sure it will work out.

Are you kidding wrestlingfan65?? You must not have been to Oberlin very much if you can say that...Seating there SUCKS

ive been there everytime they have had regionals since i was 12 so thats about 4 times and i never rember it being a problem, but maybe we just get there early enough.

crowded and scrunched. i hope everyone is prepared to have people sitting on their laps. i cant wait to be sitting on top of my neighbor with a million people trying to get in the door way... i remember when kale wrestled there his junior year, i was only and 2nd or 3rd grade and remember the facility.... definetly not big enough to host a western kansas 3-2-1 regional....

You know I will be giving up a bit of my identity here,but as a part of the media,I yet to get a good seat at Oberlin, I remember when I first started I was position at the extreme SW corner of the gym, although I could see the mats, I couldnt feel comfortable.
I always thought that maybe I didn't get respect as a media personal becuase that I wasn't a fan favorite,but when I seen that the local media was treated the same way, I thought that maybe it was because the room in the gym wasn't there.
I was treated well for hospitality,but they had no room for fans and media.
This is the best regional in the state year in and year out.
I was there when they set up the camera and I also was there when they ran out of snacks.
I always wish that a NWKS community would get a regional but I feel that the state needs to comeout and see if they are capable of hosting a tourney.
I know that NW KS is dwindling and the facilites are not adequate,but maybe it's time that if your gym can host three mats then that is when you can host.
I am sorry NW ks,I love it out here ,but we need to feel comfortable and we are the best regional and we need to have all of our fans to feel at home....

Wakeeney has a brand new gym and norton has one the same size that both work really good so i dont think there arent the sites but towns really want to host it for economic reasons and for money for their schools. but i agree with you i dont have a problem with oberlin but if everyone else does then maybe it shouldnt be there anymore.

Bitch, moan, cry and complain. What it boils down to is Oberlin will host a well run tournament with very smart and wrestling-wise workers. They always have. I am sure all the other regional sites will do the same. No matter what the situation some ppl.can always find something to bitch and cry about. Get there early, get your seat and quit crying.

My turn to bitch, moan and cry. I think that if the wrestlers and cheerleaders would be more considerate in the amount of space they take up it would allow for a lot more seating capacity. At a recent tournament I went to take a seat and the area was reserved for cheerleaders from a particular school with blankets, pillows, and lunch totes. Through the day I watched the "reserved seating area". The only appearances by the cheerleaders was to retreave a snack or or pillow they never collectivly sat in the reserved area. Wrestling teams are guilty of this too. Taking up a whole section with equipment bags ect. and seldom sitting there. I realize that the atheletes and cheer sqads are entitled to seating but try to be consolidate and not take more space than is reasonable.

Big Daddy.................and keep your fingers crossed that the Fire Marshall does not show up that weekend.

You can never satisify everyone, someone will always complain. My kids are gone but I have followed wrestling a lot of years, and I believe some of the best wrestling comes from around western kansas. You can look at Wakeeney last year, with the mat against the west wall and on the east side the walkway was always congested. When Norton had regionals they did use 3 mats which is nice but to see the 3rd mat you had better be sitting on the south side or you wouldn't see it. Nothing against those towns, they ran a fine tourn. but it goes to show that there's always something to complain about if you go looking, and now people are already complaining. You people should be happy to see some of the best wrestling in the state compared to some other regionals. I am not sure if oberlin is using 2 or 3 mats, what time does the regional tourn. start on Saturday? Do the teams have to be there early?

I know all of the people at Oberlin that will be in charge of running the tournament. They are very competent and will run a very good tournament. But I do have concern with seating and the possibility of only two mats. The last time we attended a Regional Tournament on two mats was Phillipsburg 2003. Our 189 lb wrestler stepped off the mat at 12:03 am , Saturday morning after wrestling all afternoon Friday. In my opinion that is not in the best interested of the WRESTLER.

So I do not think that anyone is whining or complaining. I think that they have legitimate concerns. Oberlin has hosted the regional tournament about every 5 yrs. But if we want to advance the sport the KSHSAA should require 3 mats all in the same gym and a minimum seating capacity of 2,000.

No question about the three mats, but seating 2000? the only 3A gym in NW Kansas that is has a FIRE MARSHAL rating of 2000+ is Norton with 2200. WaKeeny, as beautiful and as spacious of a facility as can be found in our neck of the woods, is, I beleive officially rated in the 1600-1700 range.

IMHO room for three full mats in the same gym and a RATED seating capacity of 1500+ should be required.

The fact that i know this makes me pretty lame but i am going to share it any way. Norton's seating is some where around 1800 and Trego's is some where around 1600+. But the thing to be remember is that WaKeeney counts a seat as 18 inches long and Norton Counts a seat at 16 inches long, which doesnt sound like that mouch of a diffrence but when you break it down if WaKeeney counted a Seat as 16 inches they would have more than Norton, just by a couple but still more than norton. Not that any of this makes a diffrence but just pointing it out.

Just out of curiousity, do you know what the seating capacity of Russell's gym is?

Alex, I do not know the capacity of Russell's gym, but am guessing it is at least 1800, and maybe closer to 2000.

Wrestling fan 65--I do not know where you got your information but be assured that my knowledge of BOTH gyms is as great, and probably greater, than yours--which perhaps makes me lamer than you.

The seating numbers can be compared as apples to apples. Neither gym has individual seating, therefore the width of seat measurements used to determine capacity can be the same.

The seating on the north side of the WaKeeney gym with the bleachers pulled out in the upper mezzanine matches that of the north side of the Norton gym; in regards to number of rows of seating. However, the number of rows on the south side of the WaKeeney gym is only HALF that of the south side of the Norton gym. The WaKeeney gym is longer and therefore does yield more seats per row on the floor bleachers than in the Norton gym; but the lack of number of rows on the south side is far greater than the addition of seats due to the longer rows. Also, the pull out bleachers in the mezzanine on the north side of the WaKeeney gym
are not as long as the floor bleachers--therefore, the row-length advantage is lost there.

Don't take my word for it--count the number of rows in each gym and multiply by the length of a row. Divide that by any number you choose, 16", 18" or 20". The calculations will yield more seats in the Norton gym than they do the WaKeeney gym.