A couple of comments.

A sport, like life, evolves. Those that don't evolve with it will be left on the wayside.

Comment number 1 - Junior high wrestling seasons are different in various areas based on the convenience for a select few (administration). Some progressive districts and leagues understand that KSHSAA extremely limits the competition of the athletes and have done one of two things; a)have the wrestling season start in October and finish in December or b)eliminated the sport altogether because participation wasn't there. The kids were either not in the room because the kids didn't want to go out or because they realized they got more mat time in two weeks of tourneys than they did in junior high. As budgets crunch, I can see more of this becomming an issue on financial grounds for the junior highs. I don't want to say if it's right or wrong because each situation is different.

Comment number 2 - though I'd hate to see it happen, dropping the 16 year olds and adding 6 year olds could be a smart move. Hear me out though. As a person that looks for a long range plan for our athletes wanting to go on to the next level, wrestling the kid's state tournament as a 15/16 year old is not where it's at - period. With that being said, I don't know exactly where the six year olds would fit into the state tournament. Remember, their weights go by 3 lbs(?). That's a whole lot more participants. The concept is interesting, the practicality is in question.

Comment #3 - Freestyle/Greco should become a standard course in our athlete's wrestling appetite. If you ask any wrestler that has come into contact with me through the freestyle/greco clubs I've coached at, they will tell you they are believers in this philosophy. Our elite athletes understand it. Our kids that desire to reach that status are working to attain it. And the high school wrestler that truely wants to compete at the next level and be recruited knows that college coaches take more stock in the Fargo results than they do high school state championships.

Sure there are kids out there that have been successful by not following this agenda, but they are the exception and not the rule. For every one person that doesn't follow this mindset, I can name ten that do.

Comment #4 - By shortening the kids season, perhaps we can eliminate some of the "burnout factor" that plagues our sport. The numbers on the age divisions don't lie. Perhaps, by shortening the folkstyle season and incorporating freestyle/greco into the mainstream, we could in fact lengthen the season and keep everyone's interest up. Sometimes a change in pace or style is all a kid needs to invigorate him. I know it does me an the kids I work with.

Suggestions for change should be in the arena of change to benefit the growth of an athlete's skill level and not because of convenience for adults. As parents (though I'm not one yet), most will forego convenience if it will help our kids develop.