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Coach Knable has been all 3 of my sons coach and workout partner thru their highschool careers.He is one of the main reasons they love wrestling and are all state champions.He is an excellent example to them on and off the mat.Coach Knable runs open mats at St.X and small but excellent camps at my house thru the off season.I cant thank him enough for the hard work and effort he has put into coaching my sons. Thank you Isaac and God Bless You Jeff Lampe

So with Brock being the first 5xer in the states history does that automatically make him the best to ever do it in Kentucky? Here are some of the guys I think of when i think of the best to ever do it in Kentucky: Brock Ervin - First 5xer Nathan Boston - First kid (I believe) from Kentucky (even if not originally) to be ranked #1 in the nation. Joe Carr Jr - 4x champion 5x finalist among other unworldly accomplishments Issac Knable - 4x champion Harrison Courtney - 6x Placer; 4x champ Travis Sullivan - 4x finalist 3x champ, broke all kinds of records at the time I believe John Woelsifer - 2x champ, unlimited potential, one of my personal favorites to watch... Anybody else got any thoughts? Who do you think is the best of all time in the state? If ATM finishes next year undefeated does that make him the best? If David Carr sticks around and wins 5x how does that place him in standings with Brock? Would national success be the tiebreaker? Anybody I left out? Thoughts..........

trust me I know that there is plenty of talent other places that's why I said that that was only the kids off the top of my head that's who I know. I also said there is plenty of talent in the state to put a team together. I wasn't trying to leave the other kids out I just don't know their names off hand except for my friends boys at trinity. I know they are good wrestlers.

Could it be possible to get businesses to sponsor awards for weight classes? Like Toyota presents the awards for the 285 weight class.

I really never get into post on here I just like reading it for the humor, but after some long deliberation I figured I'd respond to some of this since after all I am a wrestling official and just finished up my 27th year of doing so. I've had the honor of working in some of the best wrestling states which date back as far as 1988 in Ohio during my college days. I for one take officiating very seriously and at the end of the day when I come off the mat I'm beat and totally exhausted, I give it my all for the KIDS and the sport that I love(giving back to something that gave so much to me). I'm not the only official that feels this way, I'm not in it for the money that is for sure. I was so sore Sun that I thought that I was out there wrestling and I'm in-shape and compete professionally in a sport to this day, so I know I'm not FAT or out of shape. It's very easy to sit back and be a MONDAY morning quarterback or be one of the brothers; coulda, woulda, shoulda. The ref should have called, if only the ref would have called, The ref could have called.... What's humorous is that most of the parents have never stepped on the mat to wrestle or if they did they were average at best and think they know more than the officials or coaches(SOMETIMES not ALL). Just as they do around the office on Monday when their NFL team blows the big game. If you want to be a part of the solution then take the test and buy your gear, donate your time to the KWOA attend the clinics, attend bi-weekly meetings in your region during season and give up EVERY Sat and one or two nights a week.... We are always looking for new officials. Rankings: Ranking are NOT who is guaranteed to win the state title that is just a stretch. Coming from Ohio there is a guy named Brian Brakeman who has been publishing a report called the "Brakeman Report" for 42 years and his avg is only at about .677%. A ranking is just an educated guess, Bamma was ranked #1 most of the year and they didn't win the national title... Brakeman has been at this for 42 years, I was 3 when he started and that was way before the internet and track wrestling and he's only above 500 and has a ton more schools/divisions-D1,D2,D3 and wrestlers to GUESS at then KY does. I think you get the point... http://www.cleveland.com/timstake/index.ssf/2013/01/brakeman_report_ohio_wrestling.html Officials are human, humans make mistakes. It's the great official that can say "hey I made a mistake". I personally know of one this past weekend where I called a TD to fast and didn't allow for reaction time. The kid did score the TD I just gave 2 to fast, could it have went the other way, yes. Then the score would have still been the same, 0-0 vs. 2-2 for the reversal I would have had to award. Once the season starts you can go to the National Federation and download the rule book and get SMART on the rules, not what you think you know. There is a reaction time and it always amazes me when the fans yell 2 or scream he's pinned or he's locking hands. When I or anyone else is 2-3 feet or 3-4 inches away making a call. I think fans and parents must have some of the best eyesight known to man or some superman xray vision to make a call 200-300+ feet away this past weekend. Stalling: One of the toughest calls in all of wrestling, regardless of the state you officiate in. It’s a judgment call and then again it's not. There is criteria that is within the book that we follow and that will guide us to make that call. NO state is uniform in this area are some stricter, yes, are some officials stricter, yes.... Can we get better as a state YES. It's one of the hardest to recognize and to get. If you don’t make contact within the 10ft circle and back out more than once then that could be stalling. I gave a stalling call to a kid that continued to back up to the point that he went out of bound 3 times and on the 3rd time I called the kid for stalling. The coach took me to the table and said, "he's pushing us out", "I said yes he is and your kid did nothing to stop it". Then the very respected coach said "what's he supposed to do"? I simply replied, "how about circle right or left and stay on the mat". The coach said, "you're right" and went back to his chair and yelled at his kid. Stalling and the clock: We do look at the clock from time to time so that we make sure that it is running and to keep tract on the time. Stalling can occur at any time, at 1:45 in the 1st or at :04 in the 3rd. I saw a stalling call at :05 in the 3rd in the finals, the kid was up by 2 and was not going to give up his lead and backed up or I should say ran away(I would have done the same thing), that is stalling and it was called regardless of the time in the match. Most of us count shots and use the 3:0 ratio, 3 REAL shots vs NONE your more than likely going to get a stalling call. Ridding the hips and not getting out to the side and work for a pin, I like to count and to show it with my arm. That way if I call it you were warned that it's about to come. I have seen and have known 100s of refs throughout this country and I'd like to think I had a great mentor in Tom Rooney from Central Ohio, not only did he call many of my high school and college matches he took me under his wing and I hope he molded who I am today on the mat. As a wrestler I would aggressively STAll my ass off to see what I could get away with. Kids these days are no dif than what we were back then... One person said it best and something that my high school coach would say, "never leave anything up to the ref". That means you SCORE and continue to score until the end of the match. In summary: If you don't want to be part of the solution then don’t be part of the problem! Go take the test, it's 100 questions open book no time limit. Join the KWOA, join your region KWOA, attend meetings give up every Sat from Dec to Feb officiating 10-12 hours a day for the LOVE of this sport. The KWOA is working on a "officiating class" that all new officials will have to take before they become an official. This will help the officiating within the state of KY. Here are the links you need. The KOWA site will have your region reps who will be glad to assist you with anything you need..... If you like post your questions here and I'm sure I or someone will answer your question about becoming a wrestling official, who knows in 10-15 years maybe you'll be at the state calling the Tour. "The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart" Dan Gable Talk is cheap, ACTIONS speak louder than words! Below are the link to help you become an official, the first one has instruction lined out for you on everything you need. http://kyofficials.com/node/13 http://khsaa.org/coaches-officials/officiating-information/

If the khsaa was to use this format for the finals the arena would be at capacity and khsaa would make more money. The finals should be something spectacular not a spectical.

Great point 8798. KY wrestling is definitely on the up swing. But unfortunately, until we can "scare" off other states' future champs, we have work to do. And let's not make this a David Carr thread. As it is, it is easy to use him as an example, but like you said, we don't know him or his family's situation. The best thing we can do as coaches, fathers, families, mentors is to continue to build on the success that we are currently having. It's all good to have rivalry within in our state, but we have to come together as a whole to gain the respect of our neighbors and the rest of the nation.

A classy post by a classy guy. Your sons are amazing, and I'm sure that you are a proud poppa! If you have to have a coach, why not a 4x State Champ. Congrats to the Lampes, Coach Knable, and St X.

I couldn't agree more. A great coach and even better person.

Yes, the level of competition in that weight class would be raised for THAT SEASON...but at what long-term costs? Do we really want our State Tournament to turn into nothing more than a Proving Ground for talented 8th graders from surrounding states? Instead of bringing in these talented 12-13 years olds in exchange for team points, why not focus on developing kids who plan on graduating from a Kentucky High School? When the single year 8th grader competes in Kentucky, he is not a Kentucky wrestler...he is temporary Indiana or Ohio transplant. And when his time is done, he returns to his state to become a wrestler who contributes to the level of wrestling in his state. Let's allow Indiana and Ohio to develop their own talent! As a result, Kentucky becomes a "Practice" state for parents willing to move their families for some hardware and for the coaches willing to receive their services. A single year of service may yield a hollow State Championship for a team, but how does it contribute to the growth and development of Kentucky wrestling, and wrestlers, long-term? Our championship is called the KENTUCKY State Wrestling Championships...not the "Kentucky State and Talented Eight Graders from Surround States State Championships." I understand that some will disagree...but this is my perspective.

Let me say this. No one is forcing Mike Barren to be over wrestling. I'm pretty sure he chooses to. That being said, every time I was on the floor next to the head table, he seemed disgruntled and not enjoying the event. Than quit your job mike!!! No ones making you be apart of our sport. He especially seemed disgruntled during semis when I saw him yelling at shaw over the walkie talkie. Get someone in there that will enjoy the job and work to bringing the High School tournament as good as the Middle School one.

I wasn't there for the final rounds on Saturday, family stuff, so I am not certain how it all went down...but if we really wanted to highlight the finals, how about this? On Saturday, wrestle all the way back, completing the Consolation Finals, and then take a break before the Championship Finals. (It doesn't have to be too long, but let's recognize these kids for their accomplishments and make it special!) During the break, elevate the Championship Mat, like the NCAAs, on risers under a center spotlight in the middle of the arena. Before the finals, turn off the lights, other than the center mat spotlight, and allow the place-winners, in uniform, to walk around the arena floor and then line up around the Championship Mat, but not on the elevated mat. (Third placers would be led out, then Fourth placers, etc.) Then, have the finalists walk out in two single file lines and line up on the raised mat for a face-off under the lights. We could then have the someone sing My Old Kentucky Home and then the National Anthem. When the wrestlers are introduced, put their pictures (Or live images) on the large team score screen as the announcer reads off their accomplishments for the year/career. (With some time limitations, of course.) Then the boys walk across, shake hands, and the lighter weights could leave to warm up. Put the actual, live, matches on the big screen as well... Award medals between championship matches and keep the thing moving. They may already do some of this, but these are some options.