Lots of kids will go. The Sothern Plains Camp usually will take close to 100 from the camp. I'm expecting a bigger turnout from the Western Kansas wrestlers because the camp is now located in their backyard as apposed to the location of the camp in the eastern part of the state.

Plus, those kids that got a taste of the camp's development in the eastern half will more than likely travel out west for the camp. I think the eastern half of the state (those that participated) see the benefits of the camp and will continue to be campers. Of course we always have wrestlers that didn't participate in camp that show up for the tourney, I'd say about 25 conservatively.

The Southern Plains camp is a great camp just because the kids are on the mat 3X a day and are focusing on just the Olympic styles. What I've noticed with our club's wrestlers is great leaps and bounds from the "novice" wrestlers (new to the styles) from the end of the season to the day of competition of Southern Plains. Our wrestlers are sold on the camp and have been going for quite some time.

Have your wrestlers look into the camp. It's cheap in comparison of other more notable camps, it's subsidized by USA Wrestling Kansas (driving the cost down), and it's a great way to get your kids around people as passionate as you about wrestling.

I use to be on the staff and was continually impressed with the product we put out at the end of the camp. Kansas as a whole does quite well at the tourney as you can see from the results immediately from placings at the tourney and the national level.

You can also see the it from the quality of high school wrestlers that grew up through the system and their accomplishments. Grater, Cornejo, Baldridge, Deshazer, Knox, Bedore, and others. This is not to say that their coaches aren't doing thieir jobs, but I think the camp does something for the mindset of those that participate. It helps expose them to some of the greatest in the region and coincidentally, we usually beat them.

What their coaches realize is that exposure to other coaches, wrestling partners, and other states, will help them develop even more.

I guess you could say I'm a HUGE advocate of the camp.