Hi Everybody,

The U.S. Army Metro Classic for two weeks prior to its staging and for now two days afterward has been pounded to death. There has been over 15,000 hits on two websites in two states for one little dual (duel). The official count has not been made yet, but the Metro Committee thinks Wednesday night was their largest crowd ever. Last year over 3,000 people saw it, so let us say that 4,000 saw the Metro Classic this year. Then, how many more thousand will view it on television as Metro Sports plays it over and over again for the next two weeks? The committee is claiming to host the largest high school event in the Kansas City area, and do you know what? I will bet they are right, at least the largest indoor event.

Why would only a dual create such interest? Maybe the answer is that because it is a dual. Fans were there two hours, saw some of the finest athletes in high school sports, ate three hot dogs, had a ball, and went home assured that their ten bucks were well spent. Yes the two states create kind of a natural rivalry, but do you think that a two day 12 hour marathon tournament would have attracted as many fans, or maybe a better question is would it have created as many new ones?

My point is that duals are fun. I think we have driven off our fan with the huge tournaments. As our sport struggles with loss of programs, shrinking numbers, and a diminishing fan base maybe some of the blame is our own. We have made our sport so hard to watch only a few mat heads like myself will watch it. A simple dual is a great meet format. People pay a small amount of money, spend less than two hours, yell for their team, understand the scoring, be totally immersed into the event, eat a hot dog, and go home without the hangover that comes with watching 24 hours of wrestling in 48 hour period of time.

The Metro Classic was us and them and it does not get any better than that.

Gary Ulmer