Elementary Regional/State

[paris 0]

How many coaches/parents knew that all wrestlers at elementary regionals/state  has to have a USA card to wrestle at those events? 

[dragon 5]

i did

[Buckeye 20]

When are the elementary district/regional tournaments?

[Has Been 11]

How many coaches/parents knew that all wrestlers at elementary regionals/state  has to have a USA card to wrestle at those events?

Our coaches and booster club have been tell us all since the beginning of the season.  One of the best parts of USA is the kids don't have to deal with the 5 match rule and they can wrestle to determine the winner and not a coin flip. :wink:

[grapplearms 0]

Our coaches and booster club have been tell us all since the beginning of the season.  One of the best parts of USA is the kids don't have to deal with the 5 match rule and they can wrestle to determine the winner and not a coin flip. :wink:

But the Ky Youth Bylaws may not allow that.  I haven't checked, but I wouldn't assume anything, either way, until you check the bylaws.

[grapplearms 0]

But the Ky Youth Bylaws may not allow that.  I haven't checked, but I wouldn't assume anything, either way, until you check the bylaws.

Actually, now that I think about it, this is a moot point.  The bylaws specify brackets of 8 or less, so no bracket would ever be at risk to have kids wrestle 5 times.

[paris 0]

Is it $10.00 like middle school?

[ukmike22000 0]

Is it $10.00 like middle school?

I heard it is the full $30-----that the $10 card won't work (for whatever reason).

Too much money for one tournament.  Goodbye state.

[heavy83 15]

I'm not sure but I think you pay as a team based on # of kids and coaches because coaches have to covered also.

[Conrad 0]

We paid $10 a kid for a league card after setting up a charter club[$55}.  That is all that required according to Keith Smith who is KY USA Director and only one coach has to have a card{another $50]. I read that all coaches need a card, but I was told only one.  We are part of cyw so its a big expense for just 2 tournaments that we are required to have it for.

[Savage 5]

Just a sidenote, if you do get the full card, that covers you for all the summer USA tourneys as well. If you have the $10 league card for the regular season, you can pay the additional $15 to upgrade the card to cover the wrestler through the rest of the summer. I have done this the last 2 years with my son. He's been able to get in an almost additional seasons worth of wrestling experience by wrestling in the Bluegrass State Games and the other summer tourneys. Just something to keep in mind if the cost is an issue. 

[dogwood 2]

I don't mind the USA card for the wrestlers--we need the insurance anyway for the club.  My concern is the early date for region and state this year.  Why are we in such a rush to hold it this year?  We don't have many knowledgeable people in our area to coach the kids so it falls to the high school coaches to work with the young ones as well.  This is just too much at the same time and will destroy our youth effort.

[Savage 5]

Our youth team has been practicing for a couple of months now and has also competed a few times. The kids practice twice a week right after the middle/high school teams finish up. Last year Madison, Montgomery, Bourbon, Woodford,Franklin, and Lexington started their own conference to give the kids more wrestling opportunities and it's worked out great. Some of the middle school kids stick around after practice to help work with the younger ones. The mats are already down and the coaches are already at the gym, so it makes it conveniet for everyone. Just some food for thought. I think it's things like this that will eventually help Kentucky wrestling close the gap between it and it's neighbors.

[JCB 2]

Dogwood

Louisville and Northern Kentucky teams voted this early date in at the 09 spring meeting to move the date 2 weeks earlier.  The 2-21-10 date was voted in with the knowledge of the affect it would have on rural teams.  Thy have tried to move the date up a few weeks for the past 4 years.  As you reported Dogwood many of the rural area have to use high school and middle school coaches and we lack the resources such as mates and gyms to use.  These concerns listed above have been discussed at most of the elementary meeting over the past 4 to 5 years.  However, it seems these concerns fell on deaf ears.  My understanding of the primary reason given to for moving up the date is the date better fits for the Louisville and Northern KY teams

[Ranger123 43]

We will see.  I've been part of these discussions over the years and there is no right answer.  If we don't start the season early (as in shortly after the HS and MS start) we lose tons of kids to basketball.  They won't sit around and wait.  And with the early start date kids start to fade out well before March for us.  It is a tough dilemna.  No right answer that works for everyone.  We have seen great participation the past couple year at the youth state.  If the numbers are down significantly, then maybe you will see it change back.

[Ranger123 43]

I will also add that this idea of piggybacking on the HS state tournament has been discussed for a while as well.  So it is not completely an issue of Nky/Lou against the rest of the state.  There is some thought that getting more of those youth to the HS tournament (especially finals on Saturday) will help to hook them and motivate them.

[Kylegoldy 0]

couple things:

$10 usa kentucky league card is all that is needed to participate-must be purchased through keith smith at keithsmith27@msn.com (not through usa wrestling website)

only 1 coach per team is required to have a usa wrestling coach's card

these are the same requirements as middle school

no further paperwork needed, all you have to do is submit your roster to your regional host the week before your regional, weigh your kids in at the regional, and wrestle in the regional. if you do that you are eligible for the state tournament

anyone who did not turn 13 before january 1, 2010 is eligible

, no grade restrictions, only age

as far as the moving of the date goes, it was done at the spring meeting last year. there were representatives(coaches) from not only the louisville and northern ky region but also the central ky and east regions as well. by the way, it was a UNANIMOUS vote to move the state, there were no opposing votes from any coach from any region

[ukmike22000 0]

couple things:

$10 usa kentucky league card is all that is needed to participate-must be purchased through keith smith at keithsmith27@msn.com (not through usa wrestling website)

only 1 coach per team is required to have a usa wrestling coach's card

these are the same requirements as middle school

no further paperwork needed, all you have to do is submit your roster to your regional host the week before your regional, weigh your kids in at the regional, and wrestle in the regional. if you do that you are eligible for the state tournament

anyone who did not turn 13 before january 1, 2010 is eligible

, no grade restrictions, only age

as far as the moving of the date goes, it was done at the spring meeting last year. there were representatives(coaches) from not only the louisville and northern ky region but also the central ky and east regions as well. by the way, it was a UNANIMOUS vote to move the state, there were no opposing votes from any coach from any region

Unanimous idiots.......just what we need.  Apparently nobody noticed the fact that participation has increased every year the last few years, whether the state was being held at Conner, Johnson Central, or Fern Creek.  If your numbers are going up, up, up you don't mess with a successful recipe.

[Ranger123 43]

Unanimous idiots.......just what we need.  Apparently nobody noticed the fact that participation has increased every year the last few years, whether the state was being held at Conner, Johnson Central, or Fern Creek.  If your numbers are going up, up, up you don't mess with a successful recipe.

idiots?  I guess we are to assume you have all of the correct answers.  If we see that participation is dramatically down then, yes, we can say this was possibly the wrong choice.  But what do you say if numbers are similar or even greater?  Then what?  Still unanimous idiots? 

[JCB 2]

Since the first elementary state tournament at Laure County, which in I believe was in March of 05, the Northern KY and Louisville Teams have been trying to move the date of the elementary state up.  The original reason given by Northern KY and Louisville teams was the late date interfered with baseball.    Since then the reason has become that the Northern and Louisville Teams start wrestling in November.  Due to the extra 2 weeks was causing many of their kids to burn out.  The truth is that earlier date fits nicely into their wrestling schedule.  This issue has been discussed many times at many meetings and the rural teams have expressed their concerns about the impact of moving the date up.    In my opinion the post by Kylogldy shows how the powers that be in the elementary organization continue to push their personal agenda instead of what is best for all.    We will see if my opinion is correct on the 21st of February based on the number of elementary wrestlers.      As posted before I hope the numbers continue to group but feel they will not due to the early date. 

[paris 0]

I am from Nky and was very disappointed that they scheduled youth regional on the same day as highschool and as they found all highschool coaches were busy and could not get a gym and now our regional was moved to Sunday. I have a child in all three divisions...youth,middle and highschool and to plan an event for this sport on the same day would be like doing highschool and middle on the same day. It only creates exclusion,whether with wrestlers or coaches you really can't do one without the other.  I am not opposed to moving the date  but I do not agree on doing it the same time as the other two divisions.

[Ranger123 43]

jcb I completely understand both sides of the argument.  Unfortunately, there is no real solution that works for both sides.  The results have been good under the later schedule.  This year the decision was made to try an earlier schedule.  I may work, it may not.  Either way this is all still a work in process at the youth level.  I would hope if this event is not successful the right decision will be made to correct it for the future.  I appreciate your rational approach to this.  What I don't like is when others resort to name calling rather than focusing on the issues.

[stanmms 4]

Paris--Scheduling the NKY Youth Regional had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL COACHES SCHEDULE.  The last time I looked there was not one single High School Coach, coaching Youth wrestling, in NKY. 

Dogwood- I have been to every single meeting since the start of elementary wrestling in KY.  I have NEVER heard opposition voiced to holding the State Tournament a whole two weeks earlier.  I have spoken, on the phone asking him to attend our upcoming meeting,  to one WKY High School Coach who thought Elementary wrestling season should start after the High School season was over.  His reason..."nobody can coach wrestling in my county but me." 

This thought process of NKY and Louisville against you is not helpful.  At the Spring meeting there were coaches from every area except WKY.  Voicing your outrage one month before the tournament is consistent with previous years.  Look what this organization has accomplished in a few short years.  The competition is so dramatically better than Larue, Conner, McCreary,  or JC it is unbelievable.  I hope the "unanimous idiots" made the right call.  You may not see it this year or next but I guarantee you that once the KY kids, see the High School Finals, there will be no turning back.

[paris 0]

Stan your right not that "yelling" or calling out teams is the way to handle it....I do not know any highschool coaches who also coach youth in Nky....I did not say they coached I said they were busy...

And to the rest of your comments..WOW

[wrestlewatcher 3]

Having been a part of these meetings in the past (not the Fall meeting, however) I appreciate the fact that these issues typically have many more than one approach and somehow we have to narrow it down to one date and a single location.  If you really think that the discussions do not involve debate about the pros and cons, you are wrong.  There is no possible way to choose one date and one venue that pleases everyone. 

Hopefully those that can make it will make it.  I have driven to all of the other youth State tournaments and only one was convenient.  I may have had to juggle other priorities.  But it was important to my child, so we went.  Hopefully for those who are throwing around the excuses about the USA card, the date, the location etc will reassess and be able to make the tournament if it is important to their child. 

We live in a diverse state, fairly large in geography, and I bet it is fair to say that some families have experienced job losses and other hardships this year.  My family has.  So not every family will be able to attend.  Some will have real issues, other will allow their egos to be the overriding factor. 

For those that go-Good Luck to your kids!  For those that can't make the trip due to hardships-I hope your losses and hardships are overcome in 2010, and good luck to you too.