Awesome!! Greg Mann used my new word!! High five!

I feel what Beeson is saying. Back in the day I would have hidden a 4th place medal let alone an 8th. Even in kids they didnt have anything but 1st-4th.

I think Beeson should start his own club. The HA Club. I would like to be an honoree member and the chair of the committee of "if you ain't first you're last."

Does anyone have any input on the 119 lb final? Its been an amazing match the first two times into ot, this score just seemed like it was one sided this time.

way to go beeson, i was getting ripped on a couple of other threads. you really help take some of the pressure off.

I have intel that Beasley ate a box of the limited edition Cale Sanderson Wheaties before stepping onto the mat in Newton.

I'm not gonna get behind Beeson 100%, but we do coddle our kids a little too much with pats on the back. I think they need just as many reality checks, aka "you got beat becuase you don't work hard in practice", or whatever the reason might be, as they do pats on the back. I agree that sometimes an 8th place finish for one kid might be a huge accomplishment, whereas a 2nd place finish might be underachieving for another. Some kids will quit when you push them, others dig in and work harder. I made a post a couple of years ago when I returned from middle school duals,maybe it was Schoolboy duals, about a rather "out of shape" kid that was taking a beating, but kept coming back the next round for another beating. He was obviously not an athlete, but kept trying. There were a few matches where he didn't get pinned, thus saving his team some forfeit points if he hadn't wrestled at all. He caught my eye and I had to mention it. That is the type of situation, on the complete opposite side of this argument, that we need to balance out. Who knows, that kid may fill out and be an animal one day. Maybe not, but I bet he learned some valuable lessons from wrestling.

I like the idea of a hardluck bracket, like Tulsa Nationals used to do before they started their novice nationals tourney. Pretty generic medals, but mat time.

I found that post:

Must read for all kids.....
doug747
Member

Registered: November 04, 2002
Posts: 563 ...as I was sitting there keeping score at the duals this weekend, the Montana Vs. Team KS Wildcats match was well in hand for Team Wildcats. Our heavyweight stepped on the mat against a kid from Montana that was in less than tip top physical condition. You know the type, man boobs, big spare tire, the type of kid that probably draws more than his share of teasing from kids. As I watched this kid wrestle our kid, who is a pretty salty, but maybe undersized, heavyweight, I began to think, and told Coach Locke: This kid probably goes to school and hears some punk kids tease him about his belly and his boobs, among other things. But here he is, at the National middle school duals, competing. This is a sport that very few people have the guts and mental toughness to take on. The brutal practices, the multiple beatings, among other things, that it takes to become a better wrestler and person. Taking beating after beating, and to continue to step on to that mat again and again. Like I told a few of our own kids that were struggling and getting thumped this weekend: that kid is here working to get better. All those punks that are talking trash are sitting at home watching cartoons and eating candy bars. I couldn't help but go over to this kid after the match (while he is laying down totally exhausted) and tell him "good job Big Man" and shake his hand. With apologies to Nicky Dikin ( we had the dual in hand), I was hoping that this kid wouldn't get pinned by Nicky. The kid went 3 full periods, and left it all on the mat. That is a kid that will be a winner on the mat at some point, and also when he gets out and becomes an employee, husband, father, grandfather, etc. My guess is that the NCAA heavyweight champ was a similarly built kid as a youngster. Look at him now.

And another thing to remember is that the kids don't make the rules, the adults do, so we have to be careful not to hang crap on a kid that is wrestling that match for 7th and 8th. It was top four only back when I was in school also, but let me tell you, I would much rather be a kid today than back then. As a whole, we are pushing each other to get better. Coaching is better, parents as a whole ask for more dedication from the kids, awards are better, and most teams got rid of the distraction of cheerleaders...........Well, maybe the cheerleaders would be something I would still want to keep around if I were a HS kid again.........The booze and lack of dedication is what I needed to get rid of!!!!

I don't believe in coddling kids either and I sometimes think we have become too soft in some areas but now you are just being an arse to get a rise out of people (it worked).

Guilty as charged. I did go to extremes to prove my point. The more I think of it though, instead of placing 8, maybe there should be a hardluck tourney. Kids that need it would get extra matches. I did notice that most of the kids wrestling for 5th-8th were upperclassmen. I know there are two, three, or even more points of view, but I can not understand how we place lower than 4th. Use the Hardluck for the kids that need extra mat time. There has to be a cut off, I personally think 4th is that cut off.

I guess when you are in charge of the Newton or Bobcat tournament you can change that.

I understand the sentiment for believing we're spoiling the kids a bit. I just don't agree with it. Oh sure, I would rather have been someplace else Friday and Saturday than watching 300 kids roll around in Basehor for 25 hours. And I know it seems there were an exhausting number of kids on the podium posing for their photos. I will also tell you my son was one of those gangly, get pinned as much as he pinned, lanky, slowish shooting kids we all watched and cringed at, while we wondered why he ever wanted an 8th place medal at a JV tournament as a freshman.

He stuck with it and worked his tail off and stood on the podium in 4th place at the Bobcat holding a piece of pot metal he will treasure like the Ko-E-Noor diamond all his life. What do I know?

Chad,

Are you in favor of the NCAA changing their 8 deep placements?

Doug747: Nice 3 posts! Thanks, Dad

You sir, would have been well advised to hide any medal for fear of the five-o coming to take you away for possession of stolen property....I'm jusy sayin'.....

Yes Will, but it sounds better when I use it.

Don't know either one of you but that was Funny!

As a coach and a coaches kid who used to and still does enjoy the seeding meeting process when ran well. I think that in a 32 man bracket, seeding 8 was simple and logical, just as well as 8. Team races, back door/consolation bracket matches, bonus points, and how well the teams near you in team points just add to the fun of the whole sport.

For instance, when a Kansas Team places in the U.S. Top 10 it is a very proud moment. But they can't just get the team points by having a handful of wrestlers in the finals, they need people winning as many matches as they can at other weight classes, getting 3rd, 4th... all the way to 8th. And Newton TOC's 8th placers will be state placers in their respective classes.

That was a good one but he will pay for it tomorrow!