I have been seeing several posts regarding these issues. There is a simple answer:

www.trackwrestling.com

This is the BEST option to solve all of the issues listed above.

It costs $.25 per wrestler, less than $60 for a 16 team tournament. You don't have to hire anyone to run your tournament so it is a cost savings! Get a few students, laptops, internet access and a good printer, your tournament will run so smooth it will be unbelievable.

Visit there site and see how many tournaments are on there. Round robins, line brackets, dual tournaments, etc. They can handle it all. The Tritz brothers, founders and developers of this site, wrestled in Wisconsin and they run a great business.

The results will be accessible from now on and the school doesn't have to worry about managing the history or anything.

People from ALL over the country can keep track of the tournament from home. Actually from all over the world if you have internet access. This would be great for dads or other relatives who have been deployed for military service. I have a friend with medical issues that do not permit him to travel to many tournaments and he loves following all of the wrestlers on trackwrestling.

This is great stuff!! Tell your coach and AD. Kansas Kids wrestling uses it for many of their regular season tournaments and for ALL of their post season State tournament series. USA Wrestling uses it to manage the Fargo Nationals and those brackets sometimes have over 100 kids in them. Lets move Kansas High School wrestling into 2010 and start using trackwrestling!!!

amen!

Totally agreed Will. Any ideas what barriers; be it perceived or real, that limit adoption? I am curious why it's not been tried by HS teams...in Kansas. Do they know about it? Is there an aversion to change?

Although the current system seems to work for it's intended purpose of hosting a bracketed sports event, our needs (wants) have evolved to require more than that and TW fills that need.

In addition to the benefits as you decribed them, I'd think the HS rankers on the board could benefit from having results available at the conclusion of each tournament.

What would the drawbacks be when compared to the current system?

I agree with Mr. Cokely. Most every coach has the software and ability to produce their records. I know some coaches aren't the type that want everyone knowing who has beaten their kids, but a win is a win and a loss is a loss.

I apologize for speaking on behalf of other coaches, but most of them are visiting track wrestling, obviously not all posting their teams info, but utilizing the information. Other useful sites are also frequented, especially flowrestlign.com.

trackwrestling.com, in my opinion, is the least subjective wrestling information site. I believe that it the best medium for hard to find information about information fans of the sport are really are interested. Coaches should be using this. I unfortunately don't think most of the A.D.'s really care, or ever will. The pro-wrestling AD's are in the minority.

in the spirit of competition, and promotion of the sport. the ad's would care when you prove the cost cutting advantages. the biggest complaint is that tournament usually are delayed getting started, for bracket changes. they usually run smooter though, and are finished earlier.

Yep. Most AD's go to sleep with a football in one hand and a basketball in the other.

I wish we could get them to wear some head-gear! We have ONE tourney at home and ONE dual meet at home for the whole season this year. Next to impossible to get the sport to grow locally with that kind of 'support'.

Are others in similar circumstances?

we have a very pro wrestling ad, he has done great for the program, worked to build a great wrestling, room and an second gym for duals. we still can't get more than one home dual though. it's a real bummer.

Ghez, why just one home dual given the fact that a second gym was ADDED?!

Seaman High School has been utilizing the Trackwrestling "Statistics Program" this season. The coaches have told me they are very impressed by what Trackwrestling has to offer. Justin and Jason are also very good listeners and will tweak any bugs when a good suggestion is made. They are also managing the Seaman JV Tournament next Saturday with the Trackwrestling solution and plan to use the "mat-side scoring" option. We were the first to utilze the beta version of the "mat-side scoring" option at the SSG last summer and I was very happy; if you have enough computers to put one at each table, this option eliminates the need to wait for bout sheets. Trackwrestling has a number of bracket formats that will help maximize the 5-match rule...I think Seaman will be using the 16 man scramble.

From my experiences Trackwrestling is affordable, user friendly, and robust in what it has to offer. I know other options are available, but I agree with Will that it would be nice if Kansas would consider making Trackwrestling our platform of choice for data management.