As I stated yes I did refuse to send my son to anything but 3 novice tournaments as a 5-6 year old, and there was a 6yr old year end tournament at the time called something else hosted by Ottawa. And yes I do think that the smaller kids should not be wrestling up, but I have also stated...It's your kid and your right to guide them. I personally think it's not in their best interest to be in a 64 man bracket. Others clearly disagree as shown by the polularity of the 6U events. I am OK with everyone doing as they wish, I am not hardcore enough to say we should "ban anyone". That is their right. I only try to offer the opinion that I don't think you gain anything, and you add additional risk, but if you or anyone makes that decision for thier family. It's not my role to say that is wrong.

24/7

all of our 14 & 16s are former kids club wrestlers that we have coached since thay were 5 & 6 so thay are not hard to coach.and so what if they placed in HS state they want competition and in some cases kids club is harder than HS. look at colt Rogers 2X HS state champ,and last year at kids state got 2nd, and Gilliland? from Hoxie a 4x er HS took 3rd at 16 in kids.so lets not make 14 & 16s state a novice torny. It is fun to watch 6u and say (aww thats cute) and( wow that kid did this move and he's only 6) But to see the progres of the 8s, 10s 12s 14s & 16s is much moor exciting to me.

I have been a coach in the kids club for better than 20 years and at the state meetings there are some people still trying to cut out the 16 year kids because they want to bring in the 6 and under which I would like to see because of the money it would bring in, But cutting out the 16 year old kids is a no no.
these kids are the heart and sole of wrestling and to tell them no is nuts and as long as kids want to wrestle I say let them.
When they get in to high school most schools make there kids in all sports to keep there grades up or they can not be on a team, well I know that kids need to work on there grades but I still rather see them in to sports or band or any thing else than be kicked off a team sport and put them in a car running up and down the street or out drinking and getting in trouble with the law, and I think thats what the state needs to look at. My grand son was killed this last week and he was a kid that fell though the cracks at school and was kicked off the wrestling team because our school did not take hin out of a coarse that he was failing and the A.D. made him quit wrestling and he quit school and went to drinking and got in trouble with the law and was killed this week. things like this are the things we need to address and yes it starts at a young age of 6 in wrestling or other sports and it should not stop till they get out of school.

can someone please explain to me where the 35 dollars for the 1929 6 and under wrestler goes to. I have talked to several coaches this weekend and have heard that alot of those funds goes to the freestyle club. Now first thing is first. You make all those kids pay 35 dollars. Then you tell them they cannot have their own division at the state tournament. Now if thats true I have a serious problem with it and I hope that 1928 other kids parents would to. Now that is the real joke. By the way for you to say that a 6 and under state championship is a joke your a fool. Is that any worse than a jv kid that could not make varsity in highschool to win a kids state championship. Thats what I thought. So whoever the money man is please explain to all 1929 6 and under parents where our money is going. Let me ask you another question. If you take that 35 dollars away from those 1929 kids how much money would you have then. Would you even possibly have the money to run the state tournament and your freestyle teams. If not then do not cut these 6 and unders short. They deserve it as much as onyone else.

Bockman,

If that is what it comes down to Mr Bockman then lets do it. No more 6U USA Cards! Do you think that the rest of the program lives off 6U? You are crazy! What do you recall of your youth before you turned 8 years old? If you think your kid needs 100 matches, camps, year round coaching, tournaments, a state championship all before your kid turns 7 years old then you are PATHETIC!! Not a great deal of funds come from the $35 back to the state of Kansas to begin with but even if they did you have to trust that the future of this sport is supporting the older divisions that don't have the numbers. Have you even read and thought about the comments that have been posted regarding this topic? Print them out and read them when your kid is a freshman and you go to a tournament where half of the teams don't have a full lineup. Without high school wrestling there would be NO reason to have kids wrestling. Please just give up your ridiculous position on this topic.

The only thing I agree with you on is that you have "a serious problem." 6U wrestling should be for fun and putting this kind of crap out demanding a championship is just idiotic.

LOL! well put Cokeley.Bockman you should really do your homework befor you go spouting off with your fingers.Plus like i said befor 6&u do have there place, its called 8&u.

just so you know Mr. Cokley. Your the one that mentioned 6 and under is a joke. Your the idiot that typed that. Dont be putting your finger in my face when you did it. Its my kid, my money and I want to know where that money is going. I have heard so many stories thats why I am asking. If you cant handle that then tuff. Your right 6 and under do have their place. Its with the rest of the kids. I will not let this die because unlike yourself I enjoy teaching and watching the 6 and unders wrestle. Im pretty damn sure im not the only 6 and under coach and parent that thinks the same way. I just not afraid to get the information that I want. Not saying anyone else is afraid but like I said if my money is going to the freestyle then I do have a problem when my kid is one of the kids left out.

The 6U kids do not fit in the present state tournament format. It is a joke that you and anyone else thinks it is important to crown a six year old as a state champ. The information you have requested has been posted time and time again. I will dig it up off the forum since you are not capable of doing so yourself. If you don't like where your money is going then spend it somewhere else! I want 6U kids to wrestle, be coached, and to learn but they DO NOT fit in the present state tournament format. I have suggested, only because the market demand such, several options to do so. That is a compromise. I think it is a joke but I do support it. You can keep administering CPR to this topic but before anything will happen your kid will be in 8U. Hang tight while I find the information. By the way, I like it when I get someone so flustered that they resort to calling me an idiot. I am really not sure what your driving at with that finger pointing comment. 6U will benefit more by having a stand alone tournament. The state tournament pays for itself and makes money without a 6U group. If you have a problem with Freestyle then you need to get out of USA wrestling because our state and the USA governing body support freestyle and greco roman wrestling. I guess you probably think that since only a select few get to wrestle in the Olympics you don't want any of your money going there either.

Why do you think 6U season needs to be as long as the rest and that they should be added to the present state format?

How is he left out? he wrestles right? your money goes to USA wrestling ,membership fee, medical & liability insurance.these things sometimes coust money.

yeah he pays for his wrestling every week too. he isnt getting the same oppurtunity as everyone else that goes through the same thing that he does. he is forced to wrestle 8 year olds. thats the whole point.

cokley i am asking because your right I dont know. I have just heard. So yes fill me in on where the money goes. I know you have been around along time. I am not trying to start a fight but you do not have the right to call my son a joke. thats the finger pointing i was talking about. you made that comment then said i started it. I would not get so flustered if you did not say that my kid is a joke. I do take that personally. Crowning a 6 year old is not the arguement for me. equal oppurtinity for those kids is my argument. I would be ok with putting those kids in another place but many others that have olders kids are not. Your right my older son will be 8 and older next year, but I still have a 3 year old thats on his way up. So im not going anywhere for a while.

Okay ... (taking a deep breath) ... let's keep it civil please guys! As always, I appreciate the passion but I (and others) would hate to lose this topic!

If you need to ... there is the private message function!

Both my sons did that very same thing, and when they worked there way up to Dist, then state it made it even more special for them. and what i'm hearing is lets just give it to them, they worked hard.Earning it will mean more to them than giving it to them.

my oldest started at 3years old, went to dist. at 6 & 7 and finley state at 8 , when you get to high school your 14 and wrestle 18 year olds whats the diff?

should we have freshman state for high school since our 9th graders work just as hard as everyone eles?

... great line!!

Originally Posted By: Kathy Juby
For coaches cards we keep $15 per card. For competitors we keep $10 per card.
_________________________

The Budget is available so that you can see where all of the funds go. I think girls wrestling gets $10,000 maybe most of that comes from the six year olds.

I don't believe I have called anyone's son a joke. I am saying that 6U wrestling needing all of this focus is a joke. If we don't invest today's funds in tomorrow's athletes there will be no future. How can you justify spending all of 6U funds back into 6U when 80% of them will not be around to wrestle in high school?

Will, 24/7, Windjammer, my12floz, and others have made a number of excellent points, but 'my 6U in going to get a D1 scholarship' crowd do not listen. I understand. I am not really trying to insult anyone, but, please read what you are saying. What I am proposing is that this issue is actually looked at from a research type point of view, instead of just through emotions. As such, to actually help get this going in the right direction, let looks at it through a study. All kids get a USA Number. I would assume this information is in a data base. Lets encourage our state officers to propose the state do a study that tracts when a kid starts and when he quits kids club wrestling. Right now if you compare the numbers of 6U to 12U there is over a 700 kid drop-out rate. But, that is actually higher as a lot of the 12U started after they were 6. For instance, my son started when he was 8. So if we could actually see what the dropout rate was for kids who start at say age 5, and so forth, we could then see what the optimal age is for kids to start wrestling. And, I know, not each kid is the same, and not each family handles it the same. However, to me, if we know that x% of kids who started at 5 dropped wrestling by, say 8, then we could see why that was. In other words, in this study a sampling of parents/kids who have quite wrestling could be interviewed to see the reason why. I am not saying we would use that information to enhance or eliminate 6U wrestling, but it would be helpful to parents and clubs to see how they should manage their 6U kids. And to be clear, we have a new grandson, an I cannot wait to have him on the mat. But, I think 3 or 4 novice tournaments at the age of 6 would be more than enough. Remember if you start your child at 4 he/she can wrestle for 12 years.

ok oz. this is the way its set up for the 6 and unders right now since they are not included with the state. there are 2 states for this group and all you need to do is sign up. now is that earning it. i didnt think so. by the time they get to highschool those freshmen are prepared. most of the 103 are freshman so it wouldnt be any different than 6 year olds wrestling 6 year olds at state. next.