My son was a victim of KSHAA policy as a 7th grader. And after a long drawed out protest with the KSHAA, and along with the middle school AD. We all in some way agreed that the policy was more geared toward HS, how ever middle schools and Junior Highs unfortunately fall with in these guides lines in which I will say I still disagree. It was not who's got the tougher, better program. It was a kid who wanted to improve on his skill, and by doing so wanted to wrestle. The middle school schedule like many others, was wrestle wait 10 days wrestle again you got the picture. What allot of it comes down to is money the school programs in middle school are going to take a back seat to the high school programs, so there won't be allot of travel, and only a couple of tournements at best, and any one who had wreslte in kids clubs, most of the time will be wrestling kids they have competed against for years within a rock throw of each other. My biggest problem is that if you play basketball in school (even while school wrestling is taking place), you can participate in wrestling tournements through kids clubs, and so on. The rule pertains to same sport only. Also , in Kansas the eastern part of the state I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) start middle school / Jr. High wrestling even before HS starts, than switches to basketball half way through the HS season, and Western half is the complete oppisite. My belief is that there is no State tournements for middle school sprots, what does it hert if a kid does both. It's not like he's putting a HS program in jepordy of a disqualification. I have seen my son progress through the years, and I give most the credit to his determination to better himself, the Summer Wrestling programs (Summer wrestlers make Winter Champions is the saying I believe)and wrestling against good quality compitition by going to the National tournements, and as a youngster wrestling against the Cotton Romero's, Scott Elliot's, Dereck Heckel's, and James Sparks, and along with GOOD quality coaching (I mean the ones who are in it for the love of the sport and not just their kid) to mention a few. And these are the reason's that he is now a ranked HS athlete in 5A at 215 as a Sopomore. And a quick statement about "Little League" Haven't never seen 10,000 + attendance at a HS State finals like I did at the so called little league in Topeka last year, and I would be safe to say, that no other little league sport can come close either.
