GentleBeard

LOL k...

Southwestern in Somerset might also be on the horizon....

Big prayers! Having faith in the Miracle Worker for healing.

Tornado Duals What: 8-Way Dual Meet; 4 Mats When: December 4, 2021 (8:30am Weigh-ins, 9:45am Coaches Meeting, 10:00am Wrestling begins) Where: Paducah Middle School (342 Lone Oak Rd, Paducah, KY 42001) Cost: $175/team Fast. Efficient. Competitive. 5 Duals Guaranteed. Please contact Ben Ellard if you are interested. Contact: ben.ellard@paducah.kyschools.us ; Text or Call: 405-990-7463

What teams have been confirmed?

What about the new weight classes?

Having been away from middle school wrestling for the last 5-6 years, I have a few questions. 1) What/who is the organizational structure (President, VP, etc)? 2) When are coaches meetings? 3) Post season dates (state duals, regionals, state)? Thanks.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for some to stomach is the notion that wrestlers that would otherwise be on the podium will be replaced by lesser wrestlers - skill wise. As a purist, I’d like to see the best vs the best and figure out who comes out on top at that particular moment in time. I’m good with semi-state (I think…), but to help mitigate the issue of lesser skilled wrestlers from replacing higher skilled on the podium, I’d like to see the top 4 from semi state go to state - making it a 16 man bracket. I’m not in favor of having a cheap state tournament or participation trophies once you get there. Finishing a season 0-4, in ANY sport, should never get you a state placement.

It’s my understanding that the middle school post season are the 2 weeks following the high school post season. What a cluster.

Tornado Wrestling is looking to fill some dates for the upcoming season: 12/11/21 12/18/21 1/15/22 Please let me know if you have any events on these dates. Ben Ellard Tornado Wrestling Coach gentleben1590@yahoo.com 405-990-7463

Would you say the primary issue is not having common sense/knowledgeable seeding meeting or not properly imputing data in track? We traveled in the off-season quite a bit last year, and I had a strong inclination who would be bracket busters based on what I saw at some national tournaments (too bad I’m not a betting man haha). I feel like the primary issue is common sense in the seeding meetings - not diminishing the value criteria in track can provide. But, when a Bryce Sheffer vs Trent Johnson match happens on a Friday afternoon in the quarters, I think adjustments need to be made. At the very least, we need to figure out how to prevent that from happening in the future, IMO.

What would be the issue using information that exists in track? If a kid doesn’t get the seed they should, and end up with a tough draw at state, would that encourage coaches to log information in a timely manner? Or, is there a way they could fudge the system?

Doesn’t track have all the criteria? Head to head, common opponents, win margins, etc? I feel like that could help mitigate some of the human error regarding seeding. All the region champs could be seeded 1-8 then fill in the rest? Or maybe just seed 1-8 (or all 32) based on the criteria in track, regardless of region placement? How does the NCAA determine seeding?

This camp was great for the wrestlers. No doubt. But it was much needed for me as a coach as well. I’ve not always been outspoken about my faith, but the environment that was established allowed me to be free to talk about my Savior without regard. It was like I was living in an environment where the worst of me could be known and find I would be loved MORE not LESS in the revealing of it. If for just a weekend, I know it’s possible. I’m deeply grateful.

Unfortunately, I will not be coaching at Taylor County next year. Please send your scheduling requests, if you have any, to Raleigh.abbott@outlook.com Thanks, Ben Ellard

He wrestled AMAZING! Congrats to him and his support system. Couldn’t happen to a better human.

Taylor County Wrestling is hosting a 22 mile challenge on 5/29/2021. This challenge is to pay tribute to the 22 vets that unfortunately commit suicide each day. This is something close to my heart and would love to see the wrestling community come together for this cause. This obviously goes beyond the wrestling mat and the sport of wrestling itself. If anyone has questions, please don't hesitate.

Here is an updated flyer...

Instead of naysaying every single option people come up with, what are your suggestions? Every positive response has been met with a negative one. It gets old. There are solutions for everything.

I think it depends on what the goals are. Those need to be clearly communicated, first. Personally, I think a 16 man bracket is optimal. Regionals one week as normal. Semi state (Region 1-4 and 5-8) the next week. The top 8 from each semi state qualify for the state tournament. It provides some kids an opportunity to upset some higher seeds while maintaining the integrity of high level wrestling. Are we wanting a 2 day tournament or single day? If it’s a single day, then use Indiana as a template. If it’s a 2 day tournament, I think true second should be strongly encouraged. I didn’t think the product yesterday was necessarily bad, but it felt more like a strong midsession tournament, not a culminating event.

I think it depends on the motivation to come back. I have one that is considering it, but that's also because he would start college at 17 and repeating his grade would allow for an extra year of maturity and growth. I told my team if they're going to repeat the year, they need to do it for academic and personal issues, not for extracurriculars. We have others in the school who just decided this year was optional from the beginning and will just continue to fail school this year since this year doesn't count (the amount of F's this year has gone up exponentially). Also, does this have any affect on recruiting for the future? If senior classes are bigger and scholarships are finite, will it create a "logjam" of sorts for the next few years? I don't know the answers or the unintended consequences. Those who were unable to compete last year and were negatively affected by COVID are about to finish their first year of college, so I'm not sure why this year is allowing for sports to be repeated.

It’s a shame the podium won’t be available for those who wrestled each other to get a pic with everyone standing next to those they wrestled. I like the flexibility, but there’s no reason why the restrictions can’t be loosened enough to accommodate one of the best traditions wrestling has.

I think a lot of the issues stem from a lack of open mindedness from the BOC/KHSAA and a lack of communication. I don’t think collaboration is a bad thing. In fact, this was the perfect year for the BOC/KHSAA to collaborate with those of us who have been involved in the sport for 20+ years and travel in the offseason. They're spread so thin with all the other sports, it’s impossible to be an expert at all of them. It would have been a great opportunity to mend fences and come up with solutions together to strengthen a working relationship with KHSAA and coaches. Instead, out of the 5+ proposals that were suggested by those of us heavily invested in the sport, they went their own way without any regard to parents, coaches and athletes. Julian Tackett, himself, said “we don’t need to get input from coaches. We can just tell them what we are going to do.” (I believe that quote was in the February BOC meeting.) I don’t discount the difficulty they must have during a crazy year, but self awareness is an honorable quality. There’s no crime in being ignorant of the sport of wrestling as it is a complex sport to understand. However, it is a great disservice to those of us involved when those who admittedly know little about the sport try to regulate it while remaining in that state of ignorance.

.

And the winners can pick up their trophy on the way out the door in a cardboard box