heck i am on the kids side here. obviously i dont know what i am doing posting on here. I thought it was a great match and did not undrestand what all the uproar was about. i will try not to throw a wrench into these threads anymore.

I wasn't referring to the 152 lb. match Chief. Two of the other champions acted poorly, and both can be seen on the highlight film. I pointed them out to my son, and hopefully he will learn from them, how not to act.

That was one heck of an exciting match from start to finish. Both guys went out there and got after it and each pushed the pace. One of the best high school matches that I have seen in KS high school history. Emotions sometimes get the best of us and is it acceptable at the time? NO! But it happens to the best of us and like many said it is a learning lesson. Watch the Div 1 NCAA finals at 149 last year. Metcalf VS Caldwell. I don't think that Brent Metcalf was very happy with the way he reacted to his loss at the end. I'm sure coach Brands took care of it and Brent learned from it and is now focusing on another national title. The way he reacted does not make him a bad person or a bad person for the sport he hates to lose and acted with poor sportsmanship during that match. I'm sure both coaches will take care of it and both of these wrestlers will refocus and be successful at the end of the year. Great match and in the referees defense not an easy match to officiate. Lots of questionable scramble positions.

Well, it's only reasonable that you tell us what you think you saw, because even though you don't want to put the opposing coach out there, that is exactly what you did!

I personally don't think any of it is a big deal. Wrestling is a very emotional sport and many times gets the best of athletes, coaches, parents, refs, spectators, etc.

Losing sucks!

Ha! You are probably the best voice of reason. Some of us old dudes need to grow up! ;-)

This is pretty much everything all summed up, or it is in my opinion.

i just noticed that the end of the cokely/blair match is edited.

I understand that the whole match is still there but if people are going to trash Ryne then they should be able to watch the sportsmanship of the others as well.

It was too cold to wrestle this weekend anyway.

The "P" Club.

#135 match in one link http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/play/260380

Yep. Good point. The VC kid appears to wave his hands around in the air first at the conclusion of the match, in a taunting fashion. Ryne took the bait. I doubt he'll do that again.

I put the original back up after J.Dales post

Wow, Dean if this is what you wrote in the past, about the kid from TOHK, then you have really had a change of heart. No matter who you are, what you have done for the sport, how good you are. There is no room for bad sportsmanship.




Mike Rodriguez

Agreed! Make'm wrestle all the time! Too much standing around, hanging on heads. . .

If we want our sport to grow in terms of new fans/wrestlers, than we have to make it more exciting. Watch those Cheesehead finals that Will posted. Those refs kept the action moving there!

I remember a kid I was coaching in the state finals back in MO in the late 80's - early 90's (Brett Stewart). To start the match, POW, low single just as soon as the whistle blew. Later back in the neutral position with only about 5 seconds left, instead of the usual 'walk around until time expires' -- POW! Another low single TD right off the whistle. Finished the match with a double grapevine - PIN! Now that was EXCITING!

You lost me Mike. What did I write in the past about the kid from TOHK?

I very well may be guilty of the sin of being a hypocrite. Just about any one that is honest with themselves, knows they have inconsistencies within themselves.

I don't approve bad sportsmanship. In a perfect world it would never happen. But, we are fallen creatures in a fallen world. Bad sportsmanship is a mistake. Are we all not guilty of committing mistakes on a DAILY basis? Acts of omission as well as commission?

I agree 100%. It was not just these two that wrestled like that, almost every other wrestler in the finals did. I'll get corny for a minute, but nobody looked like they had "the eye of the tiger." I would love to see two wrestlers really go at it, but I don't know how you teach that.

someone earlier talked like they would like to see some of these matches on flo. i didn't see any big time scrambles in any matches, like i expected. i agree with beeson, no eye of the tiger, no going for the kill. i'm not sure whether i saw two guys going for a win, or two guys trying not to lose. anyway it's early in the season, the matches will get better as we get closer to feb.

But isn't this the reason that the semi's are usually better in big tourny's like this. Everyone is going all out to get to the finals then they get cautious in the finals not wanting to lose. It's been that way for years and probably won't change.

Good point. Do you see more 'eye of the tiger' intensity in the semi's and then they get to caution in the finals and wrestling in a style that says, "i don't want to lose" rather than in a style that says "I want TO WIN"?

Maybe one way of teaching it is to watch tape of how this 'wrestling not to lose' style, usually backfires -- and then supplement that with matches were at least one has 'the eye' wither they win or lose. Good question on how to teach it.

Watch a lot of the Metcalf/Caldwell match and the matches prior to it where the commentators said stupid things like, "Coming up soon -- UNDEFEATED and HODGE trophy winner Brent Metcalf who is all most guaranteed to win his title tonight..." Yeah, only problem is someone forgot to tell Caldwell that . . .

Or, go back even further. Teach them about 181-0 Gable vs. Owings (sp). You can watch the match on youtube.

Wrestle to WIN. Not to lose. Aggression pays off. Too much defense will catch up with you and sooner or later you will become toast.

I don't know. Those are just some thoughts.

I hope somebody has the 'magic formula' so we can present it to all so these finals will be more dynamite rather than a chess match.

A FINAL additional video of the Cokeley/Blair match!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGNRd5WG2bA