MLee

Congratulations Kyle!! You keep making KY proud.

It's not too early to think about next year.... Any ideas on how to get better participation for this event next year?

I second that. Really cool event and well organized! Would have liked to seen more participants, but other than that it was a good start to what hopefully becomes a major event for KY youth wrestling. Thanks to Sara Frazier, Jory Whorton, Jason Moore and everyone else that had a hand in hosting this event. As mentioned, a little out of the way for us NKY folks, but we enjoyed the scenic country drive down!

As mentioned, grade has nothing to do w/ physical development...nothing.

Apparently, I was oblivious to this problem. I didn't think the floor was overcrowded at all, but a few people I spoke with agrees it was. Next time, feel free to let the head table know. I would have certainly addressed it if someone brought it to our attention. I can assure you it wasn't from a lack of caring.

I'm still receiving scratches and roster corrections. I'll post a master spreadsheet that you can sort by bracket tonight.

Jim, it really depends on the kid. We've had 4 year olds that have done really well and 6 year olds that have struggled. Most youth tournaments start at age 5. I suggest you get him out early. If he's enjoying it and not being disruptive, then keep him going. If he's not having fun, don't force it. He'll have a bad first impression of the sport and end up a basketball player!

I was still receiving rosters up until this morning. I'm hopeful to have the brackets completed and sent back to all the coaches by this evening. I'll give them a day to make any necessary corrections and post the brackets tomorrow evening.

2014 Kentucky Youth State Wrestling Championships Sunday February 23rd Alltech Arena Kentucky Horse Park 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington Ky. 40511 Entry Fee: $13 per wrestler – non refundable – Make check payable to KSWA Each team must pay with 1 check for all kids that were submitted. Eligibility: Must be at least 5 years old before 1/1/2014 and no older than 12 years old by 12/31/2013 Must wrestle in one of the 2014 Kentucky Youth Region Tournaments and be a permanent Kentucky resident. Must be a member of a current USA Kentucky Wrestling Club. Must have a current USA Kentucky wrestling Folkstyle $15 league card or a current full USA wrestling membership card. To be eligible clubs must have all paper work in place and fees paid with Kentucky USA wrestling. Registration: Each team must submit their own roster. Rosters are due on or before noon Monday February 17th. Rosters must be submitted to Matt Lee: matthewlee@live.com in the spread sheet provided. We will not accept a roster in any other form or format. Do not add extra information into the body of the spread sheet. You must put a 0 in the experience cell. It will not be used for tournament purposes. Only required as part of the tournament software. No late entries will be allowed. Weigh-ins: Weigh-ins must take place from Saturday February 1st - Sunday February 16th . Weigh-ins must have a certified wrestling official present. Official weigh-in sheets must be signed by the both parties present at weigh-ins. A copy of weigh-in sheets must be turned in at registration. You must use the provided weigh-in sheet. All wrestlers are subject to a weight check at the tournament. Admission: Adults: $6, Students: $3. Five (5) coaches for up to thirty (30) wrestlers: Each additional ten (10) wrestlers allows one (1) additional coach. Coaching bands can be picked up at the time of team registration and payment. Only wrestlers and coaches with bands allowed on the arena floor. No coolers allowed Schedule: Session 1 Birth years 2007/2008 and 2001/2002 Wrestler and Coach check-in from 7:30 am – 8:30 am Wrestling 9:00 am – 12 noon Session 2 Birth years 2005/2006 and 2003/2004 Wrestler and Coach check-In from 7:30 am – 12 noon Wrestling 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm Format: 8 man brackets Double elimination grouped by birth years and the 10% weight difference rule. Three (3) sixty (60) second periods Awards for 1st – 4th individuals.

The Honeymooner

I'm 100% in favor of body fat testing. Adopting a weight allowance from High School for MS doesn't make sense for a couple reasons. One, as mentioned, HS kids had the body fat test/hydration test. Two, the ratio is way off for the lighter weight classes. When you're dealing w/ 5 lb weight increments, we're pretty much tempting the kids/coaches/parents to drop.

How does an allowance give them "less distance to go?" I'd argue it promotes weight cutting. The proof is there. Most kids wrestle their natural weight UNTIL the allowance is given...then they drop.

It seems odd to use the KHSAA growth allowances but not use their certification program. I know Ranger tried to get the state to agree to this a couple years ago, but didn't get enough votes. No to certification but yes to "growth" allowances seems somewhat contradictory to me. Can someone shed light on the thought process here? I wasn't at the meetings, so I have no idea what the coaches had to say. If a kid needs a few #'s to naturally grow, maybe coaches should recommend a higher weight class at the beginning of the season and/or accept jumping into a higher class. From what I've seen, the weight allowances are being used to drop a class more than what they're designed to do, which is to allow cushion for growth. W/out a certification program, I don't think we should have any allowances. Scratch weight all year.

A couple youth programs... Curt Messerly (Grant County) Jeremy Butler (Scott County)

We now call them the "underneath the bleacher creatures"

When you've spent time underneath some dirty bleachers after a tough loss trying to convince your son to come out because he still has more matches.

Thanks C.C. for getting the ball rolling on State Duals. I wish we had more notice...if so, we would have been there. It's not too early to think about next year. Ranger and I had a looooong conversation today regarding possible ideas. I recommended different weight classes. Although we absolutely do not want to discourage anyone from participating, I think it is odd to punish teams for not having 160, 190, and 230 lbers at the Youth level. I know the weight classes deterred some teams from attending. Also, I'm hearing some concerns w/ "elite" kids participating. I have no issues w/ MS kids participating, as long as they fit the age requirement. We could offer a Novice division for 1st/2nd year programs and/or B teams. As mentioned, we don't want to scare kids/parents off and I can't think of a better way to do that than pair a MS stud up w/ an inexperienced kid who's not ready. It's one thing if it's happening in the practice room....it's another when the spotlight is on them w/ their whole team watching. I understand that doesn't appeal to my "two men enter, one man leaves" wrestling buddies out there, but please try to remember...not every parent/kid is as psycho as you are! Most of these kids are still in the trial phase of wrestling. We also need to do a better job distributing the information. We didn't hear about this until 2 weeks ago. Hopefully next year this becomes one of the premier youth tournaments in the state.

I know you're not attacking me. No biggie. My point is though, if you agree with the previous format (1 vs 4, 2 vs 3/ blind draw), then you agree to some level of "seeding." All the coaches and association did by seeding the Regional champs is take it one step further from where we were. They are trying to prevent the 2 best kids from facing each other before the finals. My guess is most states don't attempt this because of the workload. The wrestlers still have to show up and wrestle! I guarantee there will still be numerous upsets! It is not exactly the same, but its very similar to numerous events: NCAA's basketball and wrestling, NBA, NHL, Tennis, etc., NFL. At the end of the day, I believe most (if not all) participants, parents, and coaches would rather see a Fausz and Ervin match in the finals, not the semis...and certainly not the quarter finals. The seeding process ensures that would at least be a possibility.

Let me ask you, would you be ok with throwing all the qualifiers in and hat and "randomly" draw matches...regardless of what they placed in the regionals?

A true "randon draw" could potentially put a Regional Champ vs Regional Champ first round! A random draw is nothing more than the lazy way to do a seed meeting. Kudos to the MS association and coaches around the state for stepping up and getting it done the right way.

There is a major difference between HS and MS. As it stands today, there is absolutely no regulation with our MS kids and there is w/ HS. A "growth allowance" SHOULD be in place for MS kids to allow for natural growth kids these ages have throughout the course of a 4 month season. Unfortunately, it has become a way for kids to drop to lower classes w/out any supervision whatsoever. Some of the weight cutting that is going on in youth wrestling today is borderline child abuse. If someone filmed it and put it on TV, it would be as bizarre to watch as an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras.

2014 NKY YOUTH REGIONAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT DATE: Sunday, February 9th, 2014 LOCATION: Dixie Heights High School Gymnasium 3010 Dixie Highway Fort Mitchell, KY ENTRY FEE: $12.00 per wrestler and is due at the time of check-in. ADMISSION: Adults: $5 Children: $2 ELGIBILITY: All entries must have a current, valid USA Wrestling card. Must be 12 years old or under as of 1/1/14. All entries must have a copy of birth certificate at weigh-ins. ROSTERS: Please email rosters to: matthewlee@live.com by 8 PM on Tuesday, February 4th, 2014 TIME: Wrestling starts @ 9 AM. Please arrive by 8:30. WEIGHT Birth Year (01 & 02, 03 & 04, 05 & 06, 07 & 08) CLASSES: Smallest to biggest, 8 man brackets, 10% rule FORMAT: Double elimination. There will be Three-1 minute periods AWARDS: Medals for the top 4 placers in each weight class WEIGH IN INFO: Wednesday, February 5th, 2014 New Haven Elementary Gymnasium 10854 US HWY 42 Union, KY 41091 Youth wrestlers cannot attend the Youth State Tournament w/out weighing in. TIME: 6:30-7:45 ONLY COACHES AND WRESTLERS WILL BE PERMITTED ON THE FLOOR!

We still have room and are accepting rosters until 10 PM tonight.

RAIDER RUMBLE TOURNAMENT FOR BEGINNERS AND EXPERIENCED WRESTLERS DATE: Saturday January 11th, 2014 LOCATION: Gray Middle School Gymnasium 10400 Hwy 42-Union, KY 41091 ENTRY FEE: $12.00 per wrestler and is due at the time of check-in. ADMISSION: Free admission for all spectators. ROSTERS: Team rosters must be received by Wednesday- January 8th in Excel format (Last Name/First Name/Birth Year/Weight/Experience)...please notate beginners w/ 0 years experience Please e-mail rosters to: matthewlee@live.com , Phone: 859-391-7600 TIMES: Wrestling Starts: Birth Year (01 & 02, 03 & 04) 9am (Please arrive @ 8:30) Birth Year (05 & 06, 07 & 08) 1:30pm (Please arrive @ 1:00) WEIGHT CLASSES: TBD after rosters have been received. An effort will be made to create separate brackets for 1st year wrestlers. FORMAT: Double elimination. There will be Three-1 minute periods. AWARDS: Customer medals will be given to the top 4 placers in each weight class ONLY COACHES AND WRESTLERS WILL BE PERMITTED ON THE FLOOR-WRISTBANDS MUST BE WORE AND CAN BE REQUESTED WITH YOUR TEAM’S REGISTRATION.

Attached is the flier for the Simon Kenton Invitational Tournament. It should be a great tournament. Please email Bridget Carpenter if you have any additional questions: BCarpenter@necco.org Simon Kenton Jan 5, 2014.pdf