SpartanMom

I think officiating has been an issue at every tournament I have been to this season. The lack of consistent officiating will probably always torment us--especially since there is usually high school events occurring at the same time and officials are limited (however it is better than it was years ago). As for table workers--considering none of them were wrestlers (since the high school was hosting the regional duals) it could have been much worse--they seemed to be quick learners. Overall, I still think it was the most organized tournament we have been to this year. I think it would be great if every school would have folks volunteer to work tables at district-regional-state events so the host school could ensure they would always have qualified help. When the host school doesn't have the option of seasoned table workers it can be difficult. At least the table workers there seemed to pay attention instead of texting and talking (which I have seen often). I think every tournament could be better--especially if folks would work together.

District 8 weigh-ins started at 7:30 and we were on the mat at 9:08. We were finished around 3:00. Everything went very smooth--it was very organized--I wish every tournament ran this smooth.

Region 8 Zack Troxell from Wayne Co. is an 8th grader that placed 1st at 130. Mike Parris from McCreary is an 8th grader that placed 4th at 119 and Dennis Susaita is an 8th grader from MC that finished 5th at 112.

2005 was in LaRue County--that was the first tournament. I don't know of any other wrestler who has won all 4 years other than Jake. He is such a great kid--but then again Joe and Wendy are great people so it's no wonder. Congratulation Jake!! I am sure we will continue to hear great things throughout his entire career. He will be a GREAT Kentucky success--he certainly represents our state well already--Keep it up Jake!

Mouse--I am not sure where you are from, but the reason the regionals were not held at McCreary is because Coach Cash contacted Stan and declined to host--with only two weeks before the tournament was to take place it was amazing that he found another school that could host on such short notice we are thankful Letcher County was willing to bite the bulliet. Concerning the location--the decision for the tournament to be held at Johnson Central was made last year at the planning meeting the night before the State Tournament 2007. Every coach should have known for the entire year about the location. Not only was it discussed there, but it has been posted on this site several times so I can't believe anyone, especially a coach, would not be aware of the location. I know it may be a long trip, but people in Eastern and Western Kentucky have to travel for every tournament--it doesn't hurt anyone to travel to them once in a while. The roaming location from year to year does exactly what was discussed earlier--it gives other programs a chance to reap some benefit for their programs. I hope the youth program continues to grow--maybe our kids will see the entire state before we finish!

I am not sure how this post turned from undefeated to Joe B. but after reading it I would like to add my personal experience--my son wrestles in Southern Kentucky--when my son--Cole and Joe's son were in 1st grade they wrestled each other at the elementary state tournament. Joe's son won, but I think what happened after that defines the type of coach Joe B. is and why wrestler not only respect him, but actually LOVE him. Even though Joe knew that our kids would continue to be rivals--until one of them grew--he told me that Cole had natural talent and if we were interested in getting together he would like to work with Cole. I can tell you--we have been in many sports for several years and I have NEVER had an opposing coach ask to work with my kids to improve their skills. Needless to say--we took him up on the offer for a season (and would have for a lifetime if it weren't a 3 hour drive to practice). During the time he worked with Cole he taught him more than we had ever thought possible. He even opened his home to us on several occasions. After we started working with Joe--we took another child with us. The impact that Joe had on that child was unbelievable! He is the first coach our children had been exposed to that just LOVED the sport and the children. No matter win or lose--he made them feel like champions when they stepped off of the mat. I know Cole was young, but athletes at any age can tell when a coach is truly concerned about them--that love and interest is why Joe B. is a GREAT coach--it also helps that he has more skill than anyone I know. We haven't been with him for the last 3 years, but I will always consider him as a GREAT coach and a GREAT person. He loves the sport and the athletes. If we had many other coaches like him the sport would be unbelievable. I think you have no idea how many kids Joe has influenced throughout the state--not just in the E-town area. Joe is one of those people that makes me believe there is good out there!

Spartan Wrestling Club is open to anyone in the area that would like to wrestle. We do have wrestlers from both Wayne and McCreary County, but if anyone in the surrounding area is interested in wrestling you are welcome to stop by and check us out--Just contact one of our coaches--Matt Troxell at troxell157@hotmail.com or Jeff Clark at jeff.clark@mccreary.kyschools.us. We are building a program for year-round wrestling so you are welcome anytime!

I was unable to go to the last meeting, but unless something has changed that I don't know about 6th graders are eligible to wrestle in the elementary tournament. I have been out of the loop since May, but I don't think that would have changed. In our district 6th grade is still in the elementary school.

We are excited to announce the formation of McCreary County Spartan Wrestling Club! We practice Monday-Friday 6:00-8:00. If anyone in the area is interested in wrestling with us please contact coach Matt Troxell at troxell157@hotmail.com. We are really excited to get our team on the mat. Getting a late start we are still looking to fill some dates so if you are hosting and have an open spot please let us know--if we are free on that date we would love to get on the mat. I really appreciate all the help you guys have given us already! I have received several contacts so we do have some events on the schedule. I have worked with you guys for the past 5 years and I would have to say that you are a GREAT group to work with! Thanks for the support!

We really need to look at this for elementary--have we thought about the fact that the primary program in the state of Kentucky does not recognize grade levels until 4th grade--children are placed where it is academically appropriate for each subject area--they may be in a 3rd grade reading class and a 2nd grade math class (known as P4 and P3 instead of grade levels). I agree that if we go with an age classification participation should be left up to the parents unless safety is a concern. I do however think we should put an age cap on elementary participation.

I don't think we can work with the dates listed. I know our team cannot start practice until January so we will not be ready for a state tournament in January. I think we are going to have to stick with the March/April time line and let teams decide whether they want to grow with Kentucky wrestling or stay with Ohio wrestling (or both if they choose), but it is not possible for many teams to compete until the Middle School and High School seasons are over because we rely on the same coaches. With these dates who would coach?

I personally think we need to go with the 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 divisions--there is a big maturity level between an 8 year old and a 10 year old--I would like to see us follow the USA age/weight divisions because I think it allows our children to be more competitive with smaller divisions.

These are the same dates as the Middle School Association meetings--unless we hold them in the same location this is an impossible date as many of the same folks need to attend both meetings--unless we want to hold meetings in the same location we need to change our dates since they were established first.

When considering age\weight divisions I strongly recommend that we go with the USA divisions. I know that is a lot of divisions, but as an elementary teacher I know that 1 year can make a tremendous difference in the maturity of a child at this level. If we hope to keep our wrestlers interested and excited we have to offer age and weight divisions that are competitive to all children--having more than a year division is not a good idea until they get a little older--I really hope we will consider what is best for the children not what is the fastest way to hold a tournament.

I just read over the newest edition of the by-laws. Everything looks good except the dates for events. There is no way we can compete in January--we don't even start practice until then. We don't have the luxury of several coaches at the moment. I really appreciate your work, but I don't agree with the suggested times--they will leave us unable to compete unless I can get an elementary coach that is not responsible for middle school or high school teams--I don't see it happening for us. Have you gotten any feedback on the times yet--does everyone else think they can meet the suggested time? I would like to hear from other programs before we settle on a particular date--we will have to go with the majority, but I would like to know what that is.