Kids wrestling is a volunteer organization, for the most part. Unlike high school kids coaches are NOT paid professionals. Kids coaches put in ten to fifteen hours during the weekdays and then give up their Friday evenings, Saturdays, and lots of Sundays helping promote, coach, take care of, parent, etc. many, many kids from 4 years old to 16. Most of them don't get paid and don't want to get paid. What do they want more than anything? To see their wreslters win! They want a match that is fairly officiated without bias. They want an official who could care less who wins but knows the rules, how to be in position, when to get down, when to keep it safe, etc. They don't want a know it all control freak who has rabbit ears and thin skin. The officials are the ONLY paid professionals at our tournaments. Although you could enforce the HS rule I think it would eliminate MANY, MANY coaches. Do we want that? Lets work on being more patient, getting more high school wrestlers involved in officiating, promoting wrestling and promoting food officiating. The process for selecting officials for state is "broken". We voted four the District 1 officials at our seeding meeting. This doesn't work because the BEST officials are officials that you don't recall their name! Last year I sent an email to EVERY District 1 club director requesting recommendations. I received THREE responses! This process is BROKEN. It is a good ole boy network just like the KSHSAA system! We need a tracking and rating system. It should be done online and mandated for the director of every tournament. You should earn your way onto the mat regardless of your experience or political connections. If you work high school all season and only a couple of kids events don't expect to unseat an official who pays his dues by hitting every Kid's event on Saturdays and Sundays. If we fight about throwing more coaches out we are going to become our own worst enemy by disallowing our most passionate advocates to attend our events and practices. That would be like putting a gun to our head and pulling the trigger. Lets work together to get along and improve!!