Nigel, when I introduced this topic I did not think it was possible that it would become one for that much controversy. I really wanted it to be a thank you type topic for Mill Valley. I guess when you introduce a topic you never know what you can get. I guess this is as good as place as any to have what seems to be our 2 to 3 times a year disagreement about the merits of the split tournament format. I am not giving up on convincing you because I really do mean that statement that I would like to see you actually become a strong advocate in future efforts to open wrestling up to more participants and the general sport public. I believe your statement that you have put more into the sport than 90% of the people your age and you are vocal on the forum, so I might be crazy but I hope you can be converted someday.
Nigel, I believe you said that you are about 23 recently. I am 54. I think most people who have read our respective views on these issues over the last several years might have guessed the other way around based solely on our views. I know I thought you were older than me when I first started reading your posts. I heard from another person who would not believe me that you were in your early twenties. I always thought younger people were suppose to be about change and older people had the reputation of wanting to keep the things the same. Anyway, I want to address specifically some of the points you made in your last post.
Your point about a tournament being able to be done in six hours if run properly. Sure that is very possible. I have seen it happen often. That still can translate to 10 hours or more for many of us. We get there by say 7 to weigh in, add 2 more hours. If you have a conservative drive of 1 hour (many times it is a lot longer), you can add another 2 hours. So on what you have defined as a well run tournament, you are talking about at the minimum of 10 hours for most of us. And your statement of us having a better appreciation of what long day is then simply being in the stands is probably laughable to most parents especially those in charge of younger siblings. It reminds me of a parent who works coming home and complaining to the parent who stayed home and slaved all day with housework and the screaming children. I bet there are a lot of parents would love to have you try to sit all day in those stands and handle those screaming kids in a packed gym. I am sure your ref job is hard and exhausting but try doing the parent in the stands thing for about 10 weeks in a row including the drive to and from the meet with tired and cranky kids. The six hours that you talked about is actually the total time including driving that most of us are hoping for from a split format tournament.
Probably what concerns me the most about your attitude on this issue are your statements that you are not bothered that we as a sport remain behind some other sports, that this sport should basically be only those Spartan few who are willing to totally dedicate every ounce of their strength and time to becoming a State Champion. If Mr. Nowak you and other whining parents do not want to make this type of committment than find another sport for your kid. You know you told me that about four years ago on another topic. My son is an 8th grader and has been wrestling for eight years. I am pretty sure he is going to be wrestling thru high school. Believe me that he and even I as a parent have made a lot more than the average time committment to wrestling and that has been a year long effort. He loves the sport and excels at it. He also absolutely loves the split tournament format. It just amazes me that you are okay with wrestling being a secondary sport to the public. I really don't deep down think you believe that. It is just you want everyone to come over to your Spartan committment to it. We need as I believe Scott pointed out above people with all different levels of committment to it to succeed. I believe at least 95% of the people involved with wrestling do not want it to be a secondary sport and would love to see it grow in popularity with the general sports public.
Nigel, Parents are not the enemy. If wrestling makes some changes to please parents, wrestling is not going to die in fact it may thrive because of it. My final piece of advice as one old man to one young man is: "Get with it young man for the times they should be a changing!!!".
