Accountability should serve as an opportunity to improve. I would expect our directors to speak their mind! Isn't that why their directors?

NO chief! director's should make the changes that they see to improve the sport for Kansas Wrestling. there is a difference. i'm not trying to infringe on anyone's freedom of speech here, but i have seen this same type of argument on these threads for over 5 years. not once have i seen anyone, will included, give a solid proposal to how they would make a rating, evaluation, or ranking process work.

that is what a state director should do. sorry will, we need solutions here. posting these videos is a start, but where does it go from here?

Are you a member of USA Wrestling? What have you done to further the sport? Where am I berating officials on this post? I just posted a video and my opinion. I do think that wrestling in Kansas is NOT as tough as it is in other states and I think it is particularly soft in Johnson County.

http://uswoawrestlingofficials.com/uswoa_home.htm


If you don't like how I do things then it is your turn to step up and do something to advance the sport. You can start by becoming one of just a handful of USWOA members. Kansas is consistently in the top 5 for wrestling and coach members and consistently in the bottom 10 of the number of officials we have. Instead of running your mouth (figuratively speaking) do something to make things better. Perhaps you have some links of you officiating matches that could help others learn better mechanics? Perhaps you will start getting some younger officials involved in an effort to improve officiating? You have lots of problems with me and you have had no problem jumping on here and pointing them out. Now I am calling you out. What have you done to improve Kansas wrestling?????

Situation Officials working in far corners of State or for only one League are not receiving enough votes to qualify for Post Season work due to following Most tournament include Out of State Teams ( not allowed to vote)
1. Multiple events with same schools result in only one vote
2. Late January and early February events do not count for post season voting due to mid January voting requirement

Target Develop Evaluation Process to support Post Season Official Selection

Evaluation to credit by meet or tournament
All Coaches/ Schools evaluate all officials
Composite score available for each event
Average Composite Score available weekly

Proposal Design Official Rating System

Officials distribute ID card to each Coach/School at meet or tournament
Card to contain following information � Front

Name
Address
Phone Number
Official ID Number

Card to have 4 Category Rating System with ratings 1-5- Back

Appearance / Mat Presence _______
Knowledge of Rules _______
Administration of Rules _______
Pre and Post Match Duties _______

Rating by Coach -total points possible 20 per event
Mark score for each Category
Total score divided by 4 provides Coach�s Composite Score for event
In Dual Meet both Coaches provide completed card to AD.
In Tournament All Coaches provide completed card to AD.
AD logs on the KSHSAA Web Site enters composite score and number of teams after conclusion of event
Official can log in and �read-only� their up to date rating.
State uses system to rank official for post season selection based on composite score and number of events/entries.



Advantages of proposed Ranking System

All Coaches will evaluate officials and provide feedback
Officials get recognized for all matches worked (Officials working the same teams week in and week out will be evaluated for every event not just one vote from the team).

Late Season events will count in post season collection selection process

Coaches input will allow officials to understand both sides of difficult situations without conflict.

State may use Evaluation System for post season selection using both Quality of Rating and Overall Score Average (total score divided by number of ratings)

Selection Process will allow KSHSAA to make selection based on weekly data instead of possible emotional votes, and eliminates the �campaigning� for votes that takes place now in some situations.

Tournament Directors may use rating system to select officials for future events.

Area Supervisors could use rankings to assign mentors or more experience officials to the younger officials

Eliminates the �Good Ole Boy� system, selection based on facts and data.



Disadvantages of Ranking System

Additional work by KSHSAA to set up system with passwords and viewing privileges

Coaches will be required to turn in rating to Event Manager

Event Manager will be required to collect ratings and enter into KSHSAA web site

Eliminates the �Good Ole Boy� system in use for many years, Official may not feel comfortable with new system.


Week Ending 12-26 Week Ending Jan-9 Week Ending Jan 16 Week Ending Jan 23 Week Ending Jan 30 Week Ending Feb 6 Week Ending Feb 13 Week Ending Feb 20 Totals
Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total Ave # Team Total
3.8 2 7.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.9 34 132.6
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 4 16 0 3.75 16 60 0 4 10 40 0 0 0 3.8875 40 155.5
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


Area Supervisors should NOT be on the mat. They should be traveling to the tournaments and evaluating the officials. We could even employee those who have been officials for years and have lost the physical ability to be in good position to travel to tournaments to evaluate officials. Some wrestlers are training more in one year than most of our officials have prepared in their total careers. Don't our wrestlers deserve the BEST officials at state? The current process provides us with the most POPULAR officials from a AD perspective. How many AD's actually attend tournaments? Absent a true grading system we will continue to see the same officials who are the best at schmoozing not the best at making the right calls in the matches that matter the most.

Josh,

That proposal was presented to Rick Bowden and I am pretty sure he promptly round filed it. You should know better than to think I am just going to whine and not try to fix something I don't like. I am just saying, you know me.

Do they currently have an evaluation process for other sports officials. If not, what makes wrestling so special as to deserve one?

I would say that they need one for all sports. A few years ago in your home town we had an officials meeting attended by Rick Bowden. Our guest speaker from the NCAA told Rick that our system was nothing but a "good ole boy network" and that we needed to put an evaluation system in place or we would be headed for disaster. So here we are... You should not get a job because of who you are but instead because you are the best person for the job. It is not ok to have the same officials doing the same tournaments 20 years in a row.

Iknow you very well,and knew damn well that you had worked on this. now that the proposal is in the open some people like alex will see that there is more thought into this other than complaining about officials. btw i have no problem with you or anyone else giving me your point of view on my officiating, but you know it's all in the delivery, . i was just trying to help out, and get something constructive out of this.

Oh how dare you use my real name, now i have to come up with something new, way to go. JA.

I wrestled through JRH, HS, some college, and through the kids federation as long as I was able from the time I started. Immediately following my wrestling career ending I have began officaiting full time. The first few years I was strictly a kid's only official, and in the last few years have transitioned to more High School and doing one college open. I have since became USAWKS, KSHSAA, NCAA, & NWCA certified.

I have not joined the USAWOA or the KWOA. I have no interest in regional or national freestyle, greco, beach, or folkstyle tournaments so feel no need to joing the USAWOA as it will not benefit me. I have not joined the KWOA simply because I'm not sure it will benfit me anymore than the training already provided by the KSHSAA staff or the information readily available through public pathways.

I recently inquried about joining the board of directors for a local kids club, as well as asked about volunteering my time to help coach one night a week as it's all the free time I have between my job & my responsibilities at home with a kid on the way and officiating on the weekends.

I helped coach the group of Kansas kids who went to Brute Adidas Nationals in I believe it was 2006 when it was in Omaha.

I think I have done my fair share at this point in my life but there is always those who have done more, or the resources to do more.



The first part of this does nothing but call out all the officials because we don't turn against each other and point fingers.

A wrestler's safety is not the pussification of Wrestling, America, or our Youth. It's about mainting a safe environment for which we as officials are responsible. Must a kid get hurt everytime to have it called unnecessary force?



Great way to represent the sport of wrestling and it's participants. Nothing like telling a well respected coach he's been coaching too long and needs to get out of the sport? Why so some hot head such as yourself can come in and do it the "right way"?



Your supposed "Good Ol Boys" system is not only in Kansas then, it must be a nationwide thing... those 7 guys who agreed it was a slam are from all over.

From the KSHSAA Code of Ethics...
...I will cooperate with the news media in the interpretation and clarification of rules and/or other areas relating
to good sportsmanship, but I will not make statements concerning decisions made during the contest...

Even on this I am guilty, with that said I wish you a good day.

Will: Of the three you posted, here is one man's opinion.
Gardner finals -- I would have called it. High lift, downward force (and Ryne's reaction was a giveaway -- hands to the side). And the kid bounced.
Iowa City -- Nope. Offensive wrestler looked like he had complete control top to bottom.
Regional semis (was that DeSoto?) -- Yep, same move. Nope, not same finish. Ryne always had at least one foot in contact with the mat, which usually constitutes offensive body control. Against the Mill Valley kid, there was a lot more force.

Biggest issue is that Ryne is a phenominal wrestler, especially in freestyle and (I would assume) greco. Officials who are not as familiar with those styles are going to be more prone to call slams than those who aren't. I had a kid at Imac 10 years ago throw a side suplay once (folkstyle legal) and the official called him for it, because he didn't know the difference.

Ryne has really developed Will; that turk is a beauty and has always been a favorite of mine (although I never had anyone who could do it half that well). Hope he finishes up a great career with number 4!!!

Yeah, that was a good teaching moment!

You don't change the way you wrestle just because your wrestling someone of lesser skill. You go hard for 6 minutes, you do what your taught in the room, your given something and you react to it. Not a slam in my opinion.