I was there when another very good wrestler won his 4th State Championship. His name was Bo Maynes. The people that supported him made a lot of noise...and they quit announcing other winners until the crowd had ample time to express their appreciation. I believe the whole tournament came to a stop for a while after he won his title match. The same situation occured when a very good wrestler by the name of Zac Roberson won. I was on the otherside of the arena and I didn't see anything wrong with the way the Abilene fans were chanting his name...and I saw plenty of people who are very knowledgeable about wrestling stand up all over the place.
You know, I remember a time at the Wichita Classic when an outstanding wrestler showed up from Oklahoma. This Oklahoma kid had won lots of national tournaments and was no match for anyone in his bracket. His last name was Matlock. His coach was overheard saying he was disappointed that there wasn't anyone in Kansas that could hive Jimmy Matlock a match. Bob Stein heard him say that, and Bob said he knew a kid that could give him a match and he wasn't as old or as big as Matlock. Bob came and go Jake and they set up an exhibition match...Jake won. The coach from Oklahoma started a very respectful clap that the crowd joined in on as they paid their respects to jake's performance. That coach knows a wrestler when he sees one. Everyone might have know this wrestler who wrestled for the University of Oklahoma at the same time in the same weight as a wrestler by the name of Dave Schultz. I guarantee you that people in Oklahoma have a great deal of respect for this coach. Anyone who knows anything about wrestling respects Jake. He does it right. Those who distract from his achievement are only demonstrating their lack of knowledge about the sport, or their own poor sportsmanship. I know that Jake is very well respected everywhere that he has performed. And, people were standing and clapping all over the place for Jake. Maybe the announcer should have held up like they did in years past. But, I really didn't notice a problem or a lack of respect by the Abilene fans. I think they were doing just what they should have been doing...expressing the respect for Jake.