It is not just the skin diseases and injuries that I am worried about for my child. Yes these are risks that are at all tournaments throughout the state and the nation for that matter. Last year was our last time to participate in the Classic until the venue is changed not only due to the increased risk of skin infection (5 cases in our club the weeks after the Classic) because of the horse barn venue, but also because of the respiratory illness not only did my wrestler contract, but also the rest of my family. Upon leaving the Classic last year, I blew my nose a few times to clear out the junk and the tissue was full of brown dust filled mucus. It was at this point i thought to myself, did I just blow out a bunch of pulverized horse manure? And if that is so, how healthy is this environment not only to the wrestlers but also to the fans watching. Consequently, that following week my entire family came down with a brief episode of an acute respiratory illness, which we took some mucinex and it was mostly gone by the next weekend. However, this raised a serious question in my mind as to the potential of a more serious health risk when breathing in pulverized fecal material (it may not have been fecal material we were breathing but just breathing in large amounts of dust can also harbor some health risks as well).

By and by, the Classic hosts some great competition and i believe that this tournament could be a great tournament if it werent for it being held in the horse barn. I also agree that if the Kansas Coliseum is going to charge $15,000 per day for events then they are probably going to charge themselves right out of business (as this has been evident by losing teams because of the rent issue (Wichita Wind, Wichita Wings, almost losing the Thunder, Arena Football, High School State Wrestling this year, and I am sure the list could be longer)) As for the entry fee, raise it to $30-$40 and take it into the Arena where you will probably draw even more competitors which will drive the profits even higher and make up the difference of the rent between the two venues. Just my opinion, but if it is a money issue for the venue, then raise the entry fee and the admission price, change the venue and increase your number of participants. Until this happens I will not subject my family to the conditions of the horse barn and ultimately risk my wrestler's season so close to the State tournament.