Killer Cowboy

Big Ed - Manual ran 4 mats and had guys sending wrestlers to mats when one was open. I'm not sure they could have fit more mats on that floor and still had bleachers. The place was absolutely packed (cheap ticket prices). There was a staging area where wrestlers went when they were called. When a wrestler won, he would take his card to a room where it was entered into the computer. The first time I saw them do it I thought it was crazy, but it worked great. That's not a big program but they had a ton of volunteers to help from other programs in the school. Few breaks, in fact, I can only remember one on Saturday. They ran 3 mats for the finals with an open area for medals after each weight class. The wrestlers and coaches seemed to like it, and we liked it. Their coach is from Indiana, and from my experience, that seems to be the norm in that state. My point in all of this is to say that there are things that can be done to improve on tournaments held in Kentucky and still make money. I see so much on here about growing the sport, so we can't forget about the user experience.

This was meant as tips for tournaments in general, not just the JCTC. But, since it came up... I'm pretty sure the JCTC was done at 5:00-5:30 last year, and we (teams) were walking out by 5:45-6:00. The 2-day pass was $7, $8 at the most. I know I paid UNDER $10. It was at Manual High School. Also, there was no cooler fee, or at least our coach didn't tell the boosters he had to pay one. And he would have, trust me. And I'm pretty sure Manual made pretty good money after talking with those guys. The gym wasn't cleared at 3:00 either. They ran 1st, 3rd, and 5th place matches at the same time and gave out awards directly after each class was finished. Nice tournament. That's an example of how it can be done, so please don't say it's impossible. JCTC was at Iroquois in 2009, Eastern in 2010, Manual in 2011, and Western this year. Iroquois went very late, and started late the first day, Eastern had to deal with really bad weather in 2010 and run part of it on Sunday. Just because something has been done one way for a long time doesn't mean there isn't a better way to do it. Every excuse that has been given as to why cooler fees should be charged and re-entry is necessary is pretty easy to overcome.

You may not agree with all or any of these, but I've compiled this list from the last 10 years I've spent in this sport from what I've heard from coaches, wrestlers, refs, fans, and boosters, and the time I've spent in other states with wrestling and other sports: 1. Don't gouge the fans at the gate - JCTC was $13 for both days this year for one adult. Last year it was $7 for a 2 day pass. I heard several people calling their significant other this year and telling them not to come because it was so expensive. High ticket prices only supports the sport at one school, not the sport as a whole! Keep it reasonable for a one or two day event. $10 or less for a 2 day pass is reasonable for most tournaments. Make it up in concessions and t-shirt sales. 2. No cooler fees for teams - If a team chooses to pack drinks in a cooler, why charge them? So you can compensate for what you lost at the concession stand? I saw a team this year start packing drinks in their gym bags when they heard there was a cooler fee. If you're concerned about what you lose, add $10 to the team entry fee. At least the school is paying for it then, as opposed to a coach at the gate. 3. Make sure your concession stand is stocked - I can't tell you how many times I've been to tournaments where they run out of drinks, food, etc. Bad experience for fans and wrestlers. 4. Allow re-entry without buying another ticket - I don't see this much, but when I do it pisses me off. Wrestling tournaments don't last 2 hours, they're AT LEAST a 5-6 hour affair. If someone buys a ticket, they're paid. This is a pitiful way to make money. 5. Keep down-time to a minimum and stay on schedule - I won't get into the seeding in advance, that only makes sense. But, keep the tournament running, mats full, and eliminate the long process of deciding the champs. Tell me why JCTC ended at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday in 2011 and 9:00 p.m. this year. 6. Recruit workers - don't hold a tournament if you don't have the people to help. Usually this is seen at the scorers tables.