Do you consider 100 wins to be an outstanding benchmark with today's scheduling and point system????


I don't think it's that impressive for a wrestler to compile 100 wins anymore!

To average 25 wins a season; assuming your are varsity all four years and assuming you can stay injury free; yeah that is still pretty impressive. The increase in the number of dual tournaments results in more matches but you still have to win those matches. Also the trend is leaning towards tougher scheduling for your wrestlers to ensure they are ready for regionals, so there are a lot of very good wrestlers out there with double digit losses.

I still think that it is a nice milestone, but it definitely is not what it used to be. Back when wrestlers were only getting 25-30 matches a season THAT was impressive. Now with wrestlers getting 45-50 matches a season it can very easily be accomplished in two to three years. Times change and so must our measuring stick.

I agree Papa. It is an accomplishment to be on varsity all four years, stay injury or illness free, and win 66% of your matches. It is a solid accomplishment. 125 would be excellent, 150 GREATNESS, and 160 ELITE. Someone will hit 180 soon. They don't track record number of career matches but I'm guessing Reese might have it with 197 so far. He should pass 200 at state this year if everything goes his way. Mat time is what it is all about for getting better. Getting 15 quality matches a year is tough in Kansas until more tournaments go to a pool and bracket (Scramble format) or we get KSHSAA to embrace 6 matches per day.

Finally somebody asked the question. I didn't want to seem like I was diminishing somebody else's accomplishments. 100 wins is not a big deal anymore. I am sure my kids wonder why don't you put me on there coach. Konitzer hit 100 in the middle of his junior season I think. Many of my kids will win over 25 matches this year which would make hitting 100 easy. But they will also have 14-20 losses this year.

Some of that depends on the depth on your team. I have seen several very good kids not make their high school team (rare but it happens) - so not so many matches for them typically in their freshman or sophomore years if they are the back up. Some of the kids I am talking about are from various different high schools and have the ability to place at state. They normally all hit 100 plus but could have hit 140 plus had there not been another several studs around their weight class options - in front of them.

C'mon guys. This discussion demonstrates an inherent bias toward eliteness. 100 wins isn't important? Only celebrate those kids who are awesome before they hit high school? You are all making a lot of assumptions.

What about a four-year varsity kids who starts as an average wrestler and by hard work gets to be very good in his final two years, thus reaching 100 wins? Julius Coats from Tongie comes to mind.

What about a three-year varsity kid who lights it up and reaches 100 wins? Who cares?

I think we very often in this sport only focus on "ranked" kids and "elite" wrestlers and want everyone to fit this mold.

I have plenty of kids who will NEVER place at state, but in the course of going through our program have become very good wrestlers. We MUST realize these guys are important, too.

I would rather have 50 "good" wrestlers out than 10 "elite" wrestlers. That way, more kids learn the valuable lessons our great sport can deliver to them.

Rant over, feel free to disagree. It is America, after all.

Shawn Dolezilek
Head Coach, Jefferson West HS

Well said Coach Dolezilek!!

What is wrong with a "bias to eliteness"? This is competition right? But I would agree 100 wins is something to be proud of.

I think that any kid who makes it through a whole wrestling season has accomplished a great feat and should be congratulated.

I just don't think that 100 wins is a valid benchmark to judge greatness on anymore.

Wrestling happens to be one of the highest forms of competition.

And with 45-50 matches a year that means you could easily go 100-100. A .500 wrestler is not something to make a big deal about.
One of your last sentences was "That way, more kids learn the valuable lessons our great sport can deliver to them." One of those lessons is that nobody rewards average or below average performance. Company's hire those that bring something to the table. Greatness is rewarded not mediocrate.

everyone gets a ribbon mentality

High school wrestling rooms are not fun at times. Its hard work! This is why there is more participation in basketball. Because a high school wrestling room is a place only the minority can handle. So when a young man gets to 100 wins lets congratulate them. They earned it.

We get it Beeson. Nobody was as great as you. And nobody was a tough as you. I have to agree with coach Dolezilek on this. If everyone turned their nose up at average wrestlers like you do there would be nobody left in the sport but the elite.

Good post Coach Dolezilek. Keep building a fine program.

Congratulate the 100 wins. Many programs have very few if any in the 100 win club. These guys will remember that milestone for the rest of their lives. A simple post to acknowledge their accomplishment for a job well done is the right thing to do.

I don't think anyone is turning their nose up on wrestlers that get 100 wins. I am just saying there is nothing wrong with being elite.

I do not believe anyone is saying that 100 wins classifies a wrestler as elite, all it is is a milestone. Especially for those wrestlers that started off slow or even JV, a 100 wins is huge for a kid who went 20 and 25 to start his career and finishes his career 105 and 50 or any other 2:1 ratio.

I also agree that any wrestler that finishes a season should be congratulated. Look at the all class rankings I would guess that half of them will not even make it to 20 wins this season, due to injury or what not. Some of those may end up being state champions. So 25 wins a season, for 4 straight seasons, is worth a post on the web.

Great Conversation Guys. I usually don't post much, but this is an issue that is dear to me.

Beeson - everything is relative. I think a 100-100 kids for St. James is probably a heck of a good wrestler. My program doesn't constantly seek the level of competition they do, but my program would only have 2 kids out if I did. It's all relative.

I will disagree that people don't reward average performance. MOST people in the workforce are average, and they aren't continually fired. Case in point, as a sophomore I made varsity for the first time and went exactly 15-15. 8 of my losses were to state placers, but I never got pinned. The instructions from my coach were to keep the matches close to give our team a chance to win duals. This "celebration of average performance" gave me enough confidence to have good junior and senior seasons.

I am NOT advocating an "everybody gets a ribbon" mentality. I do, however, want every kid to have a sense of pride in being in a tough practice room and surviving brutal workouts. I tell even my least successful kids that they beat everyone that didn't have the guts to come out for wrestling.

Coach Dolezilek

What percentage of freshman that participate in wrestling achieve 100 wins? I would guess less than 5%. Maybe less than 1%.

Average workers don't get fired, but they don't get promotions, raises, or special recognition either. I'm not saying 100 wins isn't an accomplishment, I'm just saying it is getting easier and easier to do with the number of matches available. Whenever something gets easier it's value diminishes. Not that there is no value, just not as much as in times past.