Takedown45, I am very disappointed in you. I would definitely agree that this forum is no place for personal attacks. I will take you at your word that you feel the same way and will refrain from personal attacks in the future. In my post, I was just trying to prove a very simple point. Our USAWKS age divisions were carefully thought out to be as “inclusive” as possible. They each are 24 months long and are structured to pit kids of the same maturity level together. I contend that the toughest jump up in age division is the one you are about to make.

The jump from six to eight could be described as the toughest because it is the first. You have made that first climb up the ladder and reached the pinnacle to suddenly be thrown back to the bottom. But those who work hard will survive, continue to improve their technical knowledge of the sport, and will find success at the next level.

The jump from eight to ten could be described as the toughest because of the wrestler’s anticipation of another jump. But those who work hard will survive, continue to improve their technical knowledge of the sport, and will find success at the next level.

The jump from ten to twelve could be described as toughest because “oh, my gosh that boy has hair on his legs”. In this division you have boys that are prepubescent wrestling those who have crossed over and have gained the power of testosterone. You will see boys who have honed their technical skills be overpowered by the strength of their competition. But those who work hard will survive, continue to improve their technical knowledge of the sport, and will find success at the next level.

The jump from twelve to fourteen could be described as the toughest because of all the reasons described in this thread. But those who work hard will survive, continue to improve their technical knowledge of the sport, and will find success at the next level.

The jump from fourteen to sixteen could be described as the toughest because of all the outside distractions that are discovered which pull these “young men” away from our sport…girls, cars, and jobs….just to name a few. But those who work hard will survive, continue to improve their technical knowledge of the sport, and will find success at the next level.

I think I understand the issues…but I don’t think that you can look at this issue with tunnel vision when changes made with good intentions in mind could have the unanticipated consequence of upsetting the entire apple cart. So what may happen to the level of freshman participation in our sport if we force them all to wrestle in a High School division? I’ll tell you what I think could happen. Many of these 14 year olds will choose not to participate and we will loose more kids at what could be described as a critical age “forever”. I think that most coaches have similar views of this issue as Coach Seible. They want these boys to wrestle. They don’t care whether it is Freestyle, Greco Roman, or Folkstyle. They just want them to wrestle as much as they can. You will find a common thread in each jump in age. While they are each equally scary, those who work hard will survive, continue to improve their technical knowledge of the sport, and will find success at the next level.

Are the eighth graders in this division at a disadvantage? Yes, I will concede that fact. But, is it more or less of a disadvantage than the five, seven, and nine year olds face? I am not convinced. If they are coached properly they are prepared for the first or second week of March when they start to run into the older side of the division. There are examples of those who do a good job preparing for that level of competition every year. This year a few of those examples in D1 are Tyler Baughman, Ethan Mumaw, Tyler Terron, Trent Robb, and Ryne Cokely. Next year it will be another crew. Will all these boys place this weekend…maybe not, but I wouldn’t bet against any of them.

The first lesson you should learn in this sport is that life is not always fair and right after you learn that lesson you quickly learn how to create your own justice…one match at a time.