Should challenging for 2nd place be allowed if you take 3rd place because sometimes the best people are on 1 side of the bracket and wrestle in the semis.

I feel like this is great in theory, but it is not a cure all solution. Yes I will agreee, many times I have seen the best two wrestlers meet in the semi finals of a tournament. One goes on to take first, and the other walks his/her way into third. It happens on all levels including high school and college, but I dont see them having "challenge" matches. My problem with the challenge match is that we have experienced it. My son has taken 2nd at Tulsa Nationals on 2 occasions and been challenged each time. You CAN NOT lose the championship match and expect the wrestler to be at the same level for a challenge match. It does not happen. Fortunately, he won both, one in overtime the other by 4 pts. The overtime wrestler we have defeated by 6 or more points each time after. The 4 pt. match, we have beaten by 10 pts. What I am saying is that the Championship loser is not the same wrestler and is at a HUGE disadvantage mentally: so it can also be argued, (justifiably) that you dont get a TRUE 2nd place in alot of "challenge" matches either. This is just an opinion from experience of the challenge match. It takes more than just 30 minutes or so to get over a defeat at a tournament that means so much to these wrestlers. That really needs to added into the equation of whats "fair" also.

I also agree moeder because you can be mad you lost and ur not there in the mind but if you have a while before the challenge match then i think it should be allowed because i think you should place by how good a wrestler you are.

But at the state level then you would have people who would want to challenge for fourth....because it is basically the same situation....they would have faced somebody who is better....so if you are goin with the challenges for 2nd and 3rd wouldnt it be the same to do 4th and 5th....just an opinion...?

its not as big of a deal 2nd place in my opinion is alot better then 4th

Challenges were set up for large tournaments with little or no quality seeding and no qualification tournaments. There is no challenge in HS or college.

It is a great "theory" and even better for marketing for the large tournaments, but it is rarely a true match for 2nd place. As Moeder stated the kid who just lost the championship is at a major disadvantage coming off a big loss. And Squidprorow also has just as valid a point. Where does the challenge end? 4th? 6th?

Twister

Sometimes gettin third is an honor. At least you go out winning your last match unlike the second place man.

My son was challenged in the state championships in Nebraska, he had given all he had for the championship match and was not able to regain the focus for the extra match, it is tough, i could see it being used throughout the season at such tourneys as Topeka, Salina etc, but state,u come in with a placement from districts,,

I feel challenges for second should be used, if all tournaments, not just the large ones, used the challenge format, kids would be used to it. We have used the challenges at our tournament in Columbus for the last couple of years with mixed feelings, the main problem we have is it is different than they are used to.

As for the extra matches created, you could eliminate the 3rd/4th place match if the kids have already wrestled on the front side of the bracket.

I'm not much in favor of adding challenge matches but would surely live if they were added, however to suggest eliminating 3/4th place matches would definetly make me determined to keep them out. There are just as many times that a wrestler gets beat out the front and then beats the same kid for 3rd as there are times when possibly the two best wrestlers meet before the championship match. Lets say your son loses in overtime or by 1 point out the front, that kid then loses to the eventual champion. Since your son has lost to him in a match that could go either way, he doesnt have a chance to wrestle for a placing, and this kid gets to turn right around and challenge for 2nd. Doesnt seem fair or logical to me at all. If you want challenge matches, then live with the extra time/matches but dont limit who gets to wrestle out the back and be rewarded with a placing. Alot of kids work their tales off just to place 4th and that keeps them going. Take 3rd and 4th place away - then I would guess we could delete the post about how to get more kids involved in our sport if we are only going to cater to the elite.

Couldn't have said it any better Moeder!! Because I've seen kids beat on the front side and turn around beat the kid for 3rd on the backside.

The way I've always seen it. You can only challenge for 2nd if you lost to the champion. If you take 3rd and you lost to the kid that takes 2nd there would be no reason for a challenge.

You shouldn't be able to challenge at all. If you lost in the first place, you can't win the tournament. 3rd and 2nd aren't too much different and that's why we all got into the sport, competition. That should just push you harder to win.

Anyone who has been in this sport for more than a few years understands that there is really no difference between 3rd and 2nd. It just meant that you were beaten earlier. In fact, I always appreciate the 3rd place finishers more than the 2nd because they were able to come back. If you start to challenge for one spot, then there will be those who will want to challenge for another. You have to either allow challenges for all places or not allow for all places.

I told my son after his lost in the semi's this weekend that if he finished out the back side and won 3rd, he would feel better than the wrestler in 2nd place after the match. He told me he would not, but guess what....he was jumping up with his hands in the air while the 2nd place wrestler was smacking the mat and yelling.