Originally posted by Nigel Isom:
With no disrepect to you Mr Nowak. It seems like every year you and Mr. Cokely are the only two people who seem to share this opinion. Im not saying thats a bad thing. My only point in this is that the majority of people in this state have spoken out in large numbers about how they would like to continue to trend that has forever been in place here in USAWKS.
I don't see the big problem with is, both as a former coach and now officiating. I think its great for wrestlers to get as much competition as possible all year long, and fed wrestling gives these kids 4 more weeks to get that much more competition.
Nigel,
Clearly, they are not the only two that have this opinion. As was quoted in a previous post, "everyone gets their advantage". We can all agree that it is an advantage wrestling all year with seniors and then wrestling 7th graders. Liberty Nationals has it right, "No freshmen in the 14U division". I also think that many high-schoolers feel the same way as Jacob Nowak. They would rather not wrestle 7th and 8th graders. Do you find it curious how Missouri as well as several top wrestling states disagree with 10th graders wrestling 7th graders for a state medal? Why does Kansas endorse it? Additionally, our High School kids miss an entire month of freestyle practice...We are discouraging a true "Grand State" possibility...We end up discouraging 8th graders from wrestling at Subs and subsequently in High School. If you have 16 7th and 8th graders at the State tournament instead of 3 wrestling against 13 High Schoolers, the excitement level for those kids will be high going into High School. I see SEVERAL 7th and 8th graders that don't even travel to Subs knowing that the brackets are full of Freshmen and Sophomores. This is a DIRECT result of Kids State in Kansas being High School State, Act II.
There are several other points that make this issue laughable when someone comments that nobody minds having two High School State tournaments.
Eric Johnson
Chief Renegade
