Mr. Westphal,

My name is coach Ed and I read your message. I try to stay off this forum as much as possible, but my wife pointed it out to me. First off I am black and Racism and Prejudice does very much so exist but not only white on black,red or yellow. One of the biggest problems i experience is black on black prejudice. I know it sounds funny but it has been a very prevalant problem since the beginning of slavery. I can handle white on black because you know its out of ignorance and insecurity. But black on black just baffles the mind. Picture this if you can, I've been told I'm not black enough. Anyone that knows me is probably rolling on the floor right now. I know that you said that you coached an all black team from KC. Well the only color I have on my team is from me and 4 half black boys,2 little half Asian boys, and 1 Indian child. This is a team of about 50 kids and to top it off I Run the state girls team. If you think you got alot of looks and stares you ought to try being a black coach of almost 50 mixtures of blonde,brown and red haired girls from the age of 6 to 19. People always try to stare me down and try to make me feel inadequate or out of place but my God is sufficient and his power is greater than any man. So it is all in how you view things and what you want to let bother you. And let me state that behaivor does create alot of the problem to quote my mother "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE POOR DOESN'T MEAN YOUR HAVE TO ACT LIKE YOU HAVE NO SENSE." This was a saying I heard constantly as a child. That is probably why I have no problem when an official makes a bad call. Its all in how you view it. My last statement is about the prejudice against girls in this sport, even though the rest of the world has had womens wrestling for years. People in this state and country think it is not a sport girls should participate in, even it is girls on girls. Of course America is still trying to catch up with everyone else.

Coach Ed