Just remeber that this site is supported by the USAWKS and the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association. I am glad that the usedcarsalesman is fired up about something, but his remarks are accusatory and obviously directed at a particular student, and right, wrong or indifferent, annonymous posts that are directed at our athletes don't have a place on this forum. Had the usedcarsaleman posted his name with a legitimate e-mail, his post would probably have been just fine.

1. Rick Bowden has worked for years to keep the wrestling tournament together. We don't have a venue to host it. Unless all of you philanthropic private school boosters want to band together and build a Sprint Center in the center of Kansas.

2. What makes these boards interesting is the anonymity. If you want to make everything public, go apply at the state. If they are so screwed up, quit publicly debating these issues with your superior integrity and do something that will actually make a difference instead of posting on a high school wrestling forum as if you are the grand high poobah of all things wrestling.

3. In answer to the families who put together teams to help out other kids, give me a break. I guarantee if you went to any youth game be it baseball, football or basketball the coaches kids are at short and batting first, playing qb or taking all the shots. Quit hiding behind all you do for kids, when all you do is for your kid first. You're the same parent who goes straight to the top person in the school system to complain when your kid isn't the starter. Because he finally has a coach who isn't you and he is objective rather than subjective.

4. If you don't like my posts, or don't agree with anonymity, don't read or respond to them.

There must have been a post that was deleted that I didn't see, but I would not find this post objectionable or attacking!

We will all know who the "usedcarsalesman" is in due time. Just look for Dealers Tags and Marked Down Pricing on front windshields at the wrestling tournaments.

Ronnie Johnson
rjohnson@johnmorrell.com
Great Bend, Kansas

usedcarsalesman obviously doesn't begin to understand the rules, then launches about it....

— SMC apparently has a sharing agreement with PHS, and apparently the kid in question beat out someone for 160
— This is all covered under the sharing rule. By rule, a kid from the visiting school HAS to wrestle for his own school at whatever class Regional and State his own school is it.
— I'm relatively certain that if the PHS coaching staff had a problem with this, they'd have dealt with it

This site is all about expressing your views, but if you're going to do it, at least be straight about your facts and what the rules actually are.

I would say that usedcarsalesman is already known under his previous user name and set up a new account to throw his tantrum since this was his INITIAL POST.
It's obvious who and what his intentions are and seem really uncalled for.
I'm not saying all posts mandate a name attached, but for something like this to have any crediblity and if "used" feels that strongly about the issue he ought to be confident enough to put a name on it. That would allow validity to his commitment to the overall interest in Kansas wrestling. It would put a name with all the positive things he has personally done in Kansas to promote youth wrestling, all the Kansas teams he has helped organize, transport, and coach. It would also help support all the positive recommendations that he has proposed and followed through with, etc....
No way I agree with Will on several issues, but I would have a hard time giving credibility to "used"s comments without knowing his contributions to the wrestling community. I know Wills contributions and objections; both the good and bad, and it's dissapointing to see such as directed attack on the website. I think many of us have been involved with the positive things Will has done over the years, and I doubt he'll need to worry about sitting in the stands alone. Doesnt mean I agree with all he has to say, but it doesnt make him a bad person or justify an anonomous tirade either.

Well said Tim.

24/7 Mike Pursel

I couldn't agree more with Mike, Tim, Tom, and several others that have voiced their opinion. "used", you obviously don't know what you're talking about. With out Will's efforts (in more ways than I can list) my son along with several others would not have had the opportunities they've had to wrestle on a national level as a "team". Thank you Will for all you do for Kansas Wrestling!

let's look at these arguements one at a time:

1. Rick Bowden has worked for years to keep the wrestling tournament together. We don't have a venue to host it. Unless all of you philanthropic private school boosters want to band together and build a Sprint Center in the center of Kansas:
Absolutely -- let me get out my checkbook...we'll just add 12,000 seats in Salina or something

2. What makes these boards interesting is the anonymity. If you want to make everything public, go apply at the state. If they are so screwed up, quit publicly debating these issues with your superior integrity and do something that will actually make a difference instead of posting on a high school wrestling forum as if you are the grand high poobah of all things wrestling:
"Grand High Poobah"? Now we're in the Water Buffalo Lodge in Bedrock?

3. In answer to the families who put together teams to help out other kids, give me a break. I guarantee if you went to any youth game be it baseball, football or basketball the coaches kids are at short and batting first, playing qb or taking all the shots. Quit hiding behind all you do for kids, when all you do is for your kid first. You're the same parent who goes straight to the top person in the school system to complain when your kid isn't the starter. Because he finally has a coach who isn't you and he is objective rather than subjective:
Yes, all of this is true because coaches at that level are so dumb that they'd rather play their kid than win. Besides, basketball is for girls, batting clean-up is better than leadoff and being a lineman is WAAAAAAAY cooler than being a weeny QB.

4. If you don't like my posts, or don't agree with anonymity, don't read or respond to them:
How about if you make sure of your facts before you make yourself look so bad this way?

Now I can see why you don't want anyone to know who you are.

Colgan students can wrestle with Pittsburg High School

Yes someone else already made me aware of that. But as I've stated before on here, if you have a co-op program that is almost like not having a program at all. I would think that Colgan needs it's own program. If for no other reason it would help recruit even more kids out of the local public schools.

Colgan will never get its own wrestling program because it would detract from its basketball program, just like Topeka Hayden will never be good at wrestling because it will take away from its basketball program. Now I've heard this kinda thing before, on a higher level. Let me think . . . . Oh yeah! It's just like KU & K-State won't have a wrestling team anytime soon because of Pumpkin Pounders too!

So at the state tournament does the kid from Pittsburg go to the 321A state and Pitt to the 5A state tournament. If yes who pays for a coach to go to 321A. If you can't have voluteer coaches are they going to meet state guidelines? This would also have two coaches to go to two regionals.

Yes, the student will go to what ever regional the district he attends school at is assigned. In this case it will be a 123A regional.

I believe the school that the student attends generally finds a coach and pays the costs.

Has a school without a wrestling program ever had a state champion before?

yes, Nick Newell from Mankato wrestled with Beloit in 2005 and won 321-A state at 160

I believe Foster from Sedgwick who wrestled for Halstead was a state champ.

This rule has existed forever. Why does this whole process seem like such a mystery to everyone?

While the rule has been around forever it's not something that is widely discussed around the mat or at tournaments. It almost seems that some of these kids that are being co-opped are a dirty little secret for some reason. I would like to see us move away from co-op programs in all but our smallest schools, in order to grow the sport.

But I think you're missing the point of the co-op programs....

There are kids in schools that want to wrestle but their school district can't afford the cost of a coach and transportation for just a handful of kids. The neighboring school offers to the other school to join them, get matches, get experience and compete as a member of the team.

I will say this...the idea the teams have to split up for Regionals is something I have never agreed with. Some states allow sharing teams to stay together during the postseason, but the punchline is that the enrollment numbers are added together and that program would compete in a higher class. So if Pittsburg and SMC combined in this case for wrestling, chances are they'd have to be a 5A school.

It's a trade-off, but you wouldn't have the discussion you have now.