Your opinion please
In another attempt to make this blog interactive, I want to know what changes you would make to alleviate the problem of forfeits in wrestling. Please read the story I had in Monday's paper (see link in earlier post) and respond.
posted by Joe Tuscano at
6:06 PM
6 Comments:
I would allow wrestlers to bump 2 classes and provide a tax rebate for parents who have wrestling sons.
Everything must start with the youth programs. Look at all of the big names in high school wpial wrestling today - connelsville, canon mcmillan, trinity, chartiers houston, etc. They all have very successful youth programs. That's wear recruiting begins. Parents have to influence their own children to wrestle(to a certain extent). At the end of the day the decision to wrestle does fall on the shoulders of the athlete. If he is burnt out from 12 years of cutting weight and training I can see how one could call it quits in high school. Its important not to start too early.
At the high school level if a full team can not be fielded coaches must recruit...withing their own schools however. Hold tryouts. Seek out other athletes and football players to fill lineup holes. Plan ahead. If you are graduating 9 seniors and only have 3 freshmen coming up a coach will need to fill the roster. To stay competitive, hold team clinics with quest to bring newer kids up to speed.
I also think the weight restrictions need to be loosened. Part of what makes a great team is the coaches ability to juggle kids around the lineup for advantages up or down a weight. If you cant do this, what is the point of a coin flip to decide who sends their wrestler out first? I've seen many team matches swing from a coach changing a lineup last minute and moving kids up or down a weight. It adds another element to the match. A few years ago in the team tourney, kiski vs canon mac, Zach Mckendree has weighed in at 140(naturally 145). He could've gone anywhere between 140-152. It was a total nightmare for Coach Mary. He had Catalano at 145 and wanted that match up, but unfortunately Zach surprised CM at 140, pinned, and Catalano couldn't do the same against the replacement. It gave kiski the 1 point victory and cost CM a trip to hershey.
Wrestling is too difficult for the youth today. They can bearly play video games and text message without breaking a sweat. Wrestling is a sport that you are looked at under a microscope individually and the youth of today can't or won't handle that. Wrestling is a sport that the coach needs to sometimes handle the kids in a manner that is not allowed by our "Don't you touch my Son or I will sue you or the school or wherever I can get some $$" parents. Every school should just freakin drop their wrestling programs and start video game, and other couch potato extracurricular activities. Wrestling found a hotbed in West PA. because through the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's we still had boys that were raised and coached by hardcore hardworking fathers and coaches. The numbers of kids that learn hard work through examples of their fathers, grandfathers and coaches are dwindled to almost extinction because a lot of our kids don't have fathers at home or one that has any work ethic. Before I am blogged to heck and back, This is just my opinion and I feel that these are a couple of factors that effect the loss of #'s to a great sport. I also think that some of the great men/women that once gave all of their spare time to help with coaching and supporting this sport are not being replaced with new blood; worthy or willing to put forth the same effort. They are too busy trying to work enough to pay $3.20gal for gas, thousands in property taxes and so much on expenses that there is not much time to spare. WPIAL Wrestling 2007-2008 and for sometime nearly breaks my heart. Anyone gets the grammar pencil out and I will Chancellor you.
YOUTH PROGRAMS NEED TO GO BACK TO THE MATCH FORMAT THAT WE USE IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS. ALSO MORE MEDIA COVERAGE FROM YOUR NEWSPAPER WOULD HELP TREMENDOUSLY. KIDS LIKE TO SEE THEIR NAME IN THE PAPER. WHEN I WRESTLED IN THE 70'S-80'S THIS PAPER WOULD PUT MATCH RESULTS FOR A GOOD PORTION OF OUR MATCHES. THIS WAS NICE AND MADE ALL OF THE HARD WORK WE PUT INTO THE SPORT WORTH WHILE.
The sport is tought and the kids work very hard and do like to see some recognition. If you are not from a larger school you get looked over quite often. I think posting more results and hightlighting different kids would give some of the other kids some incentive to "try out". Also as far as the team matchs it only shows who won the team match but does not emphaized that the match was possibly lost because of the forfiets and many kids don't want to be on a losing team, they don't neccessarly see that the individuals were winners. There lies the problem as a bad cycle.
I agree qith shaun. It all begins at the youth programs. There are very few people that are "naturals" and that can just step into wrestling and be competative. Most competative wrestlers have been doing it since grade school. A successful youth program with a great middle school program will produce and excellent high school team.
In the 80's and 90's Canon Mac had Frank Snedegar coaching the grade school kids and Ken Smith coaching the middle school team. A lot of great wrestlers were produced during that time and handed to the highschool team.
Pictures of the youth matches in the paper would also help a lot!
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