TAF

Here's a fun post-state thought - found this gem in my phone from Youth Regions, 2017. Count them - three (3), 2023 State Champs! (Powell, Herron and Ferree). That was heck of a bracket! Great job and congrats to 3 great wrestlers and even better kids! Well done gentlemen. Thank you for your contributions to KY Wrestling and best of luck on your next adventures!

I know it couldn't be the case in this region (b/c they were one of the first to post their brackets), but I can’t help but wonder how many coaches/kids could make similar decisions based on the staggered, inconsistent release of the regional brackets. I won't profess to know how the post season is assembled and coordinated b/t coaches or Track but is this possible? Is it a blind-spot we could button up? It seems the opportunity could be there should someone want to consider it. If you look across the 8 Regions on Track, some were available for view on Mon., more yesterday, etc. Conversely, it seems some regions still haven’t had their seed/coaches meeting, etc. (or at least as indicated by Track). It's almost like a “virtual” dual meet where one can sit back and see who Region 1 puts out at a particular weight before finalizing their lineup. In the end, I think most kids/coaches are going to land where they feel have the best shot regardless of other team moves but if there are team title implications, we might level the playing field and remove that temptation by releasing them all at the same time. Again, I'm not an authority on the matter and don't even know if it's a concern - just an observation. Good luck to everyone this weekend and through their march to State!

Are there any plans for a KY state freestyle/greco championship (or any local, off-season, freestyle tournaments)? I know there was even a folkstyle state championship a couple of years ago (which completed the KY/USA Wrestling "triple crown"). I noticed several states have already posted their "Iron Man" tourneys. The Owensboro tournament tells me they are permissible in KY and would bring kids out! Any info would be appreciated.

Just to clarify, when you refer to doing something different next year, do you mean reverting back to the "the next available mat" preference or the posting of mat assignments on the jumbo-tron? Personally, I'd vote for the Track mat assignments (this year's format) w/ the addition of their projection on the jumbo-tron. The reason why is some of us liked to move from one side of the arena to the next in order to get a better view of the match. "Assigning" the mats allowed folks plenty of time to move over to that area. Additionally, I noticed that the front rows were generally open for the fans of whichever teams might be up on that near mat. Everyone seems pretty respectful of that courtesy too.