Eliminating Middle School Wrestlers from High School teams

[tiltfor3 20]

Consider a situation where a MS wrestler fills a spot at 113 on a HS team as an 8th grader. He would really like to attend a private, magnet or soon to be charter HS school for reasons more important than sports. He will have to sit out at least one year or go the HS he wrestled for as a 12 year old. Does anyone else see something wrong this? Middle schoolers should wrestle middle school.

[naplesme 58]

Tilt: no they don't Tra Blackwell, wrestled varsity for UHA as an 8th grader & Union County as a 9th grader. Transfer rules do not apply to middle school wrestlers that are leaving MS & going to HS.

Damon: not as many this year as in previous years. as far as I know. That's the point wrestling is growing in WKY, so the need to fill out your roster with MS is in decline. However, in 2006, my team had 4 wrestlers qualify for state that were in Middle School. We've had at least one MS in the Varsity line-up every year since they were allow to return to HS competition.

[eville dad 17]

If a middle school wrestler can beat one of my high school wrestlers and that makes the high school wrestler want to quit the team...I don't want him on my team anyway. If it makes everyone work harder I am all for it.

Isn't this the most obvious reason not to allow MS in HS. I think the win at all cost has distorted some views about high school athletics. It shouldnt depend on who's better, it is a HS team to benefit the students of the HS. If there is a HS wrestler that is willing to participate there should be no question. This is not college nor professional its high school athletics to support the kids not the best at any cost.

[Wky 25]

How is allowing a middle school kid to wrestle varsity winning at all cost ? To me you get past the if you participate you play motto back in elementary school .

[grappler-of-old 44]

eville: What happens to the programs that can't split their teams? Either because of cost or participation or both.

I've had personal experience with this. When you have 6 high school kids and 4 middle school kids the school would not allow me transportation and money to field two teams each week at different events.

The middle schoolers usually didn't take a high school spot because whoever lost went up a weight class and filled a spot.

I would have lost all of the middle schoolers and had even less high schoolers each year.

[eville dad 17]

I will concede that for some schools, allowing both programs to be as one is the only way to have a program, but IMO the 1st option to fill the HS spot is any HS wrestler willing to fill it.

[grappler-of-old 44]

Eville: Coaches have to walk a tight rope on this. Yes it's important to have HS kids participation, but as a coach you have to also try to be successful. Without success you loose interest. If your option is two fairly equal kids, one is a MS and one a HS then choose the HS, but if you have a MS who has wrestled 4-6 years and is hands and feet better than the 1st year HS kid then you have to choose the MS kid. As I said it's a balancing act coaches must face.

As an old famous coach said if it doesn't matter if you win or lose then why keep score?

[Travis Baney 17]

Let the best wrestler wrestle. One of my teammates, who was a Frosh first year wrestler, got beat by a 7th grader (2 yrs exp) for the starting spot. I believe he eventually one the spot back, I'm not for sure. He worked his butt of everyday of practice and eventually cracked the starting line up and was very successful for our team. If this scenario had not played out he may not have worked as hard and not achieved as much. You need people to push you no matter the age of the wrestler. Plus think what type of leader the MS can become by the time he is a Frosh or Soph with as much varsity experience or more than some of the upper classman. It is hard for me to visualize a situation where having MS wrestle up doesn't improve your wrestling room.

[eville dad 17]

Grappler, I hear what your saying and I applaud you for coaching and doing all you do.

But I still have a hard time being complacent about the HS numbers being insufficient. If theres no one to fill a spot I can see a MS wrestler filling a spot but I still feel if theres a HS kids willing, he should get the nod after all it is a HS team. I also think the same rules, all rules should apply to a MS wrestler as the HS wrestler, grades, boudaries, transfer rules, etc.....

[grappler-of-old 44]

Thanks but I haven't coached in a while. The old team has a fairly decent MS program but still has trouble with the high school team. School now supprts both teams and has coaches for both.

I agree that the same rules should apply to HS and MS wrestlers especially when it comes to grades and boundries. As for the transfer rules, I still think they should not be locked in until they are in high school.

Like you said we all have an opinion on it. I respect yours even if its wrong. (ha ha just kidding)

The answer is usually somewhere in the middle of everyones argument and its good to get all the theories and ideas out so everyone can see them and make their own decisions.

[Wky 25]

I agree with the grades standards too. I do believe if you play a high school varsity sport as a middle school kid the transfer rule does come into play , making them ineligible for the new high school

[DamonMBarnes 13]

Tilt: no they don't Tra Blackwell, wrestled varsity for UHA as an 8th grader & Union County as a 9th grader. Transfer rules do not apply to middle school wrestlers that are leaving MS & going to HS.

Damon: not as many this year as in previous years. as far as I know. That's the point wrestling is growing in WKY, so the need to fill out your roster with MS is in decline. However, in 2006, my team had 4 wrestlers qualify for state that were in Middle School. We've had at least one MS in the Varsity line-up every year since they were allow to return to HS competition.

Thanks for the info. That seems to be the norm at the smaller schools.

[pinthis 0]

I agree in theory with MS kids wrestling at the HS level. If they beat a HS kid then so be it. Jefferson County has fallen to the whining rule..."my kid was put on the bench because they wanted to "develop" a middle school kid". That's BS!!! Most of the time the MS kid was better. What coach is looking 4 years down the road? If they are, they're nuts. Win today or lose your job! Unfortunately, that rule has crossed over to sports that don't need it, like wrestling and XC. It's a shame because it really hampers the public schools in Jefferson County where their talent pools are smaller than the Catholic schools or county schools. And I know that Manual doesn't allow MS kids in any spot, primarily because they're not sure if they'll get in to Manual. That's their call, and it's valid.

[tiltfor3 20]

I agree with the grades standards too. I do believe if you play a high school varsity sport as a middle school kid the transfer rule does come into play , making them ineligible for the new high school

Wky, I stand corrected. I was told today that the transfer rule/penalty will not apply to a middle school wrestler.

[wrestlewatcher 3]

Wky, I stand corrected. I was told today that the transfer rule/penalty will not apply to a middle school wrestler.

With the recent precedent that has been set, apparently most transfer rule/penalties don't apply to high school athletes either.

[halfhalfhalf 121]

If it almost killed wrestling in WKY I have to ask, how many middle schoolers on average started for the WKY teams this year?

I had a 106, 120 and heavyweight that wrestled

Varsity as middle schoolers this season.

My heavyweight was a 7th grader who finished 11-10 on the season. Barring PCSing and retirements I should see my middle school program come to my high school in two seasons.

Oh and my 120 had to beat out a senior, junior, sophomore and freshman in wrestle offs to wrestle in regions.