i thought what really sucked was how the center had walls all around it so it blocked off your view if u were sitting. After a hard match, u just want to sit back, relax and watch some wrestling. With the walls, people were all standing and crowding about and wrestlers couldnt even watch each other.
I realize its normally a hockey rink, but man that is one really annoying inconvience about the colliseum among other things.

I DONT WANT KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY TO MAKE ONE RED DIME ON WRESTLING IN THIS STATE. YOU KNOW WHY!

If you want clean bathrooms, don't pee on the floor. It's that simple.

And as for the security, sure they're jerks, but would security anywhere else be any better or worse?

I have no affiliation with the Colliseum, but I think most people just complain too much.

And Westphal- dimes aren't red.

Kansas State University should never make a thing on Kansas High School wrestling and it is not joking matter to most of us. If they ever give them the opportunity to make money out of the pockets of parents and wrestlers from this state it will be a travesty. Grant, nobody will take that as a joke. You can if you want but no entity ever hurt wrestling in this state as much as Kansas State University.

And by the way it is W-E-S-T-F-A-H-L

The "barn" is not the best location, but the building is about all we have.
Wichita can not find another time to have a horse show? Why do we have to fight with stock trailors and winnabagos in the parking lot?
And for the most part the mat workers were ok.
I would much rather see 1st and 2nd year refs working the tables and weighins - getting some state experince.

By the way - would it be possible to have an area to feed the birds - so they won't be eating on the mats during a match next year?

loll you dont like the birds huh lol. We could have it around Wichita North and we could dine with all those crows. If you have ever seen a tourney in the Topeka Arena, that is pretty nice. I saw the National AAU's there and it was really a great place to watch a tourney. Heck that isnt much farther than Wichita for most schools. Maybe an hour or so by the time you go north and south for most schools. I think they could do a heck of a deal there.

lol we watched a blackbird land right on a cheerleaders leg and she had a fit. Really that was kind of entertaining when you think about it.

The urine on the floor wasn't from bad aim. The urinals were clogged for so long that they were overflowing. I reported it to a security person, and heard her call it in to maintenance. Apparently it wasn't his day to worry about it.

I did think that the security people I was around were more cordial than they had been in the past. I carried a cooler full of water, oranges, etc into the arena through the pass gate for my son, and I was only asked if there was any glass in the cooler.

The birds were entertaining, especially the one who dropped a bomb on a duffel bag next to our manager!

I think the KSHSAA should negotiate some of the things they want. ie. wrestlers can bring in food and drink, Wichita Visitors Bureau provides a hospitality room, etc.

I love watching all three classes together, but the atmosphere at Hays is a lot better. However, you'll never get that atmosphere at a big arena.

Westfahl is right about Manhattan and Kstate being the absolute enemy of wrestling in this state. I remember when they hired Fred Fozzard, a world class coach , and had Several VERY good ncaa wrestlers (Woofter, Younger, etc.) and were really set to go places until the administration found out that they would have to spend money to go to a higher level than what they had before with coach Knorr. When they looked at that, and how much money it was going to take to create a football team that could even beat North Texas State (took several years) they decided to go with football. If you are a wrestler or a parent, or a fan, and you have ANY interest in div. I NCAA wrestling, that is what the "ol power cat has done for you. a fact for those who may have forgotten.

According to what we were told at our Regional coaches' meeting, Wichita basically told KSHSAA that they were the ONLY arena in the state capable of hosting all three classes and if they (KSHSAA) didn't like the arrangement they could go elsewhere.

Right now the proposal on the table has the 3-2-1As staying put in Hays, the 5As and 4As in Topeka and the 6As in a high school gym in the Kansas City area (which I guess was the 6As idea for some reason I don't fully understand).

While I have never coached at Wichita, I can only say that if there are this many complaints about the Kansas Coliseum, then we have to move, especially with that "take it or leave it" attitude!

Instead of spending time bashing KSU for dropping wrestling a long time ago, I think we should be attempting to start a program at one of the three D1 schools in the state. Once Title IX is settled I think it will be easier than any of us realizes. Had we had our act together when KSU added equestrian and rowing we might already have D1 wrestling.

The Wendy's down the highway was good food though Good job Wendy's!!

K-State didn't turn their back on wrestling because of title IX they did it because the didn't give a ----, pure and simple. They don't deserve a cent and nobody ought to forget that they did that to wrestling in this state.

I promise you that Farleigh and I are not the only ones that hold that against K-State. If they try to put that tourney there the sound you hear will not be thunder it will be thousands of people in Western Kansas remembering.

send 4A to Basehor. They have nice facilities and know how to run a tournament.

I hope Joe reads that, he deserves that compliment.

I remember regionals at Basehor last year, and it was nice. Id just hate to be the poor fans from Goodland, Colby, or Ulysses who would have to make the long trek almost to KC.

If you look at the map though it is only about another hour and a half up here they have to go so far south to get to Wichita it really isn't much farther to get to Topeka and the arena there. What is that called the Expocenter or something like that. That is a beautiful facility and has had some really big events in it. I would like to see them stay together. I think it is much better.

We used to go from Caney to Goodland for state, take a look at that mileagle lol.