In no particular order:

1. Music: Scrap the usual (sorry Queen, but your time is up). Go buy Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Movie soundtracks are also really good in between rounds: Batman, 300 and the like.

2. Heartbreak Round: Best 3 hours of wrestling at any big tournament. Don't let the luster of the finals fool you, boys become men in the consolation semis.

3. Random Draw for the Finals: Why not?

4. Senior Recognition: During a break on the second day, bring all the seniors onto the mat and give them a standing O. For most of them, it's their last day as a wrestler.

5. Put teams from the same league in the same locker rooms.

6. Have a place set aside for wrestlers to cut weight on Friday night. A side mat in a empty gym is ideal, also, have a good check scale available.

7. Offer a 2-day pass on the first day at a reduced rate.

8. Have paper & plastic recycling bins, for empty water bottles & unwanted programs.

9. Put big trash cans in the locker rooms, the usual can is not capable of handling that much shoe tape.

10. Make sure ALL lockers are locked/empty & ALL other equipment is locked in a cage. I've seen locker rooms that look like war zones after a 2 day tournament.

This may be a stupid question but what do you mean by random draw in for the finals?

That would be a draw for the starting weight at regionals. could be 106 could be 152 etc.

The steak dinner before the finals at hoisington is a pretty nice touch

2 Mats for the Finals. Chanute (4A) and Burlington (3A) have done this in previous regional finals. Then set the finals matches so that there are 4 different schools involved in the finals. It may be one match at a time or may be 2 matches going with wrestlers from different schools. It cuts down the finals round about an hour. Regardless of what weight you start at; the finals round on 1 mat lasts way too long and doesn't keep the fans in the stands!

updated team scores

large team score board

Another solid suggestion. Please make sure, if you have the team scores updated and posted, that they are very readable to the eyes of someone above the age of forty.

It would be nice if we could "like" posts on here!

What makes a great regional? Having to win a match to qualify for state and not just getting a free ride? Seriously...Round Robin if 5 or less in a bracket!

The Vision Quest soundtrack is AWESOME!!! Just sayin!

Is the schedule out for the tournament at Lakin?? What time it starts and all that?? Thanks!

I was thinking the SAME thing!

LAKIN REGIONAL SCHEDULE

Session I – February 17, 2012 Friday, 2:00 p.m.

Round 1 – Qualifying and First Round – 3 mats
Round 2 – Championship Quarterfinals – 3 mats approx. 20 minutes after Round 1
Round 3 – Consolation First Round – 3 mats approx. 20 minutes after Round 2
Round 4 – Championship Semifinals – 2 mats approx. 20 minutes after Round 3

Session II - February 18, 2012 Saturday, 11:00 a.m.

Round 5 – Consolation Cross Bracketing – 3 mats
Round 6 – Consolation Quarterfinal – 3 mats approx. 20 minutes after Round 5

LUNCH BREAK

Round 7 – Consolation Semifinal – 2 mats immediately after Lunch
Round 8 – Consolation Finals – 2 mats approx. 20 minutes after Round 7

PARADE OF CHAMPIONS

Round 9 – Championship Finals – 1 mat