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wosbodog

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    Franktown, Tennekee
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    Getting a job as a wrestling referee, jiu-jitsu, mixed martial arts, theatre, anime, The Sopranos

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  1. I've been out of the loop a while. Can anyone tell me if the Middle Tennessee Grandchampionship tournament is going to be held at the Williamson County Agro Center again this year? Last year i think was the first it was brought back in years, as a fundraiser type event that included separate high school, middle school, and youth wrestling divisions all at the same venue under the same roof. It was a really cool event that ran about this time last year and the finals were basically owned by Father Ryan, and considering it took place the same weekend as the McCallie Invitational having teams at that kind of caliber opt to attend i think was really significant - so i was wondering if it's going to be held again this year, or was it not able to be put together this time around?
  2. If you're coming north from the Agro Center you'll first see the exit 65 for the main highway running through Franklin, highway 96/Murfreesboro Road, where you'll find a lot of venues on both sides of the street going west from the interstate (Chop House, O'Charley's, Garcia's, Jersey Mike's, Bar-B-Cutie, Backyard Burger, Bleachers, Papa John's, Subway, etc); east of the interstate there's Cracker Barrel on the south side and a few spots near the hospital (Dolan's, Steak N Shake); if you continue north on I-65 you can get to the Cool Springs area just a couple of miles northward and that's probably the commercial heart of Williamson County where you can take your pick, the intersection of Mallory Lane and Cool Springs Boulevard is the hotbed; in fact I've seen a lot of wrestlers/fans/schoolbuses parked there already and we're glad to play host.
  3. It seems like the regions get changed up every year or two, and the latest results of the duals will undoubtedly continue the debate about how to fairly divide them up; with evidence such as Bradley Central failing to make the state tourney for the first time in 15 years (or so I've heard), I think an equilibrium regarding the balance of giving the most deserving wrestlers/teams their shots and keeping the regions geographically suitable may yet be a long way off. I just wanted to throw in my two cents for how I envision the most fair region-to-state qualification format for the individual tournament that I can think of: I want to begin with the premise that Division I and Division II are combined as a singular championship ... just go with it for the hypothesis's sake... 8 regions I agree seems to be the ideal number for our state. Ideally they should be evenly dispersed, but obviously demographics prevent that from being so, so you have to go with the best estimate, centering each region around the primary cities or areas. In my view, it's something like.. 1. Northeast Tennessee, Johnson City area (includes Science Hill as the traditionally strongest team) 2. Knoxville area (Karns, Farragut, etc; Webb and Catholic to be added from D-II) 3. Chattanooga area (all of the "423" zone; Soddy, Ooltewah, Bradley and Cleveland, Baylor and McCallie, etc) 4. Intermediate TN (the far-stretching but less-populated "931" area including Cookeville and Tullahoma) 5. Middle TN East (Murfreesboro, and northward stretch to Wilson/Mt. Juliet, plus Hendersonville) 6. Nashville area (Father Ryan/MBA/BA and others in addition to Williamson and Davidson County schools) 7. Middle TN West (Clarksville, Dickson County, intermediate west TN) 8. West TN (All of Memphis including Christian Brothers; Jackson TN, and surrounding areas) Now, the tricky part, formatting the qualification for State in a way that gives the most justified wrestlers entry while balancing the lopsided imbalance of power among the regions. Fear not, for behold my solution! All regions send their top 3 finishers to State. That makes 24 total entries. Now tally up the total points scored in the previous individual state tournament; grant the regions with the two highest scores entry for top 6 finishers, so most likely the Chattanooga and Nashville regions get 6 qualifiers instead of 3, making the total number of State qualifiers 30. Then take the next two highest-scoring regions or just take turns each year and give them top-4 entry, making the final number of State qualifiers 32. Yeah it's probably the last thing everyone wants on their mind right now, but that's an idea of the model that could be used in time to come.
  4. Just an idea I wanted to throw out - maybe the tiebreaker criteria for dual matches could be simplified, significantly. As it stands now, and I'm quoting directly from this year's rulebook, "in the dual-meet competition, if teams identical scores, the following team tie-breaking system shall be used to determine the winner. a. The team whose opposing wrestlers or team personnel has been penalized the greater number of team points for flagrant or unsportsmanlike conduct shall be declared the winner. b. The team whose opposing wrestlers or team personnel has been penalized the greater number of team point deductions shall be declared the winner. c. The team whose opposing wrestlers were penalized the greater number of match points for unsportsmanlike conduct during a match shall be declared the winner. d. The team having won the greater number of matches (including forfeits) shall be declared the winner. e. The team having accumulated the greater total number of falls, defaults, forfeits and disqualifications shall be declared the winner. f. The team having the greater number of technical falls shall be declared the winner.[..etc...]" Continues all the way down to "p. If none of the above resolves the tie, a flip of a disk will determine the winner." My idea is what if instead of using a possible sixteen articles to determine the winner in case of a tie, there could simply be one decisive method. Which is: the last match of a dual meet shall serve as a tiebreaker during the event that the two teams have reached identical scores at the conclusion of the meet. So you start at a random weight, when you get to match number 14 and it results in the two team scores being tied, then whoever has won that last match gets an extra team point and the win for the dual. In the situation that two opposing coaches have decided to start the dual at a mutually agreed upon weight (for allowing time for exhibitions, etc.), then a random draw would decide which weight is the tiebreaker. Don't know if this has been proposed or rejected before, but it seems to be a more reasonable and effective method, in my opinion, to resolve a tie. If you've got Baylor and McCallie going head to head and they end up tied, which looks better? Reviewing the score records and declaring a winner, or letting them settle it in one final dramatic match?
  5. Have to throw this out there too: Bradley Central step on the same mat as a Division II team. For such a strong team, it's frustrating to know that they will NEVER face Baylor, Ryan, Callie, or any other private school. A little unfair to the Bear wrestlers as well. Cleveland and Soddy have been your only rivals for like fifteen years, why not raise the stakes? Change State tournament to double elimination Combine Division I and II in the individual tourney for a TRUE State Championship
  6. Yeah I gotta say the evidence doesn't look good for Little. Thanks for posting the photos. However, the positioning may or may not have changed in the moments following. In any case, all of this is going to seem pretty trivial in about two days when the real battle begins. There's plenty of revenge to be taken and it's ultimately between the wrestlers, not us fans/coaches/parents. With regard to the water bottle incident, yes I was right there and it missed me by a few inches but I've got no bad blood. The way I see it the offending wrestler paid his dues and the issue is a dead horse now. Not gonna lie, I enjoy the drama that goes on on this website and sometimes I play into it, but when things get hostile I say leave it on the mat for our wrestlers to handle. Time for State, baby!
  7. All in all, the only real problem I noticed about the reffing in Region 6 was the number of caution calls. Not actually a reffing problem I guess as they just enforce the rules, but the here's the way I think it should be in the rulebook: When a wrestler starts up not in the proper position, ref warns him and allows a moment for him to adjust, then starts the period, no signaling a caution to the scoreboard or anything like that. Too many matches interrupted by the caution calls really breaking the continuity and doesn't really help anyone, only adds stress to every party involved. And penalizing a wrestler one point for three incorrect starting positions doesn't seem fair as they haven't made any violations during the match but rather between the periods. Wouldn't wrestling be better off without another Bond Davis-Luke Sanders situation? Especially when you get to the important matches, consider that everyone's going to be more jumpy and too much is on the line to be decided by something like forgetting for the referee to say "bottom man set?" before covering him. That and the fact that it's hard to hear the whistle blow while wearing headgear especially when whistles are blowing all over the place. I say this can be enforced without breaking up the match and penalizing the wrestler. If it becomes a problem then its the ref's discretion to decide if it's detracting from the match enough to warrant a point.
  8. Was anyone else confused by the pin call in the 125 final? Indy's Caleb Little had Franklin's Brad Compton locked upside-down in a split-legged vertical cradle, but looked like he had his own back against the mat at the same time. The ref called pin; I thought Compton had won by defensive pin, but apparently it was Little who got the pin from stacking Compton's shoulders during the cradle. Compton was livid after the call and stormed off the mat and out of the gym. I couldn't tell if Compton's shoulders were pinned; I was preoccupied trying to see if Little was pinning himself. The wrestlers I talked to who were watching from the opposite side of the mat said Little's shoulders were flat on the mat. There were two referees watching closely, the lead ref crouched right behind Little, fans coaches and wrestlers yelling from both sides for a pin, it was an intriguing scenario. What I'd like to know is: if Little indeed had his own back and shoulders against the mat while in offensive position scoring back points against Compton, does this invalidate the possibility of Little being pinned? I'd also love to see video footage of the match if possible. Nevertheless, congratulations to Caleb Little. Regardless of the controversy, his cradle was brilliant and he is the Region 6 champion at 125.
  9. Not to bash on the TSSAA, they do a fantastic job, but with the world so computer-oriented not everything is better
  10. I can think of one reason for our reffing problems: To get signed on as a ref you have to navigate the TSSAA website which provides no human contact or direction for those of us who are less savvy with computers. I suppose the website generally works wonderfully for booking matches but there's no one there to guide you through it other than by email. Hold some referee seminars or something, any kind of face to face interaction to train referees, then things may improve.
  11. I tend to agree with WrestlingGod, there is no definite answer, and in some ways making the comparisons is unfair to the state champs who aren't mentioned that never get the chance to wrestle the other guys. However, it's a super fun topic to discuss, so I don't think I can resist. I believe Mike Kennedy was ranked highest nationally this year, at 3rd in the country, but that was for juniors only. Cameron Croy was ranked 6th for seniors, and I would guess he's probably the most accomplished wrestler in the state overall, winning national championships on multiple occassions over the years, and last I heard he placed 5th at Fargo in 2008, for the Cadet division. Mike Hooker and Zach Watson were both in the top 20 for sophomores, and I can't remember if there were any others ranked (on that particular website), but I would imagine there are several more Tennessee All-Americans from various tournaments. Daniel Baucke placed 8th at Fargo at 98 lbs. in 2006, don't know if any other current TN high schoolers have placed at Fargo. One thing I have noticed about Tennessee wrestling is we've been getting lots of middle-school superstars that have won just about everything there is to win, but by the time they reach their senior year the guys from other states have caught up and end up beating up on our guys at nationals. So this indicates that we have some really elite middle school programs, but other states probably have the upperhand in high school. In other words, if I'm right on this, we get a lot more national champs in the younger divisions than in seniors, with Jordan Leen I believe being the last TN wrestler to win nationals as a senior. Case in point, look at Courtney Coffey. The kid was unstoppable as a middle schooler, won state in DII as a sophomore and junior, then transfers schools to DI and gets humiliated by Matt Lettner of Soddy Daisy. No disrespect to Coffey, but think about it. At 215 pounds attending a school with a wrestling team composed almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores, going against Lettner whose entire school practically breathes wrestling, with superior tournaments like McCallie they attend, and UTC within driving distance. Anyway that's the problem our athletes outside the oasis of Chattanooga run into, not enough depth in the wrestling programs at the high school level (especially off-season) to keep pushing them and contend with the top states like New York and Ohio. But we're improving, and college is always there. I will say that the most impressive State performance I've ever seen was Zach Watson last season at 112. Granted, I haven't been watching wrestling for that long of a time, but I've never seen a human being move like that, and the kid was only a freshman, already winning his second state title and being named most outstanding wrestler the previous year as an 8th grader! He and TJ Duncan both have good shots at becoming 5-time state champs, and I don't think that's happened in Tennessee before, ever. I've never seen Turbo wrestle, but every time his name is mentioned people go nuts, so he must have some game. The match I'm most looking forward to seeing is Cameron Croy and Mike Kennedy, assuming they'll be in the same weight class. I think Kennedy has a shot, because there is a disadvantage that Croy has. Like the case with Coffey, now that the stud is a senior, who around him is going to be able to push him in practice? There's no one of Croy's caliber to challenge him, let alone his size, and it's not like he can just drive to UTC and train with the college guys as opposed to someone from say, Baylor or McCallie could do. And I know Croy's also been active in several other sports, so that limits training time during the off-season. Kennedy on the other hand, has his dad and the whole Sharpshooters clan, tons of national experience, and Blackman keeps getting better and better, plus he lost to Croy last season in a fairly close contest, so you know he's got to be gunning for Croy like mad. It's going to be close. But either way, Croy's a hoss all around, I bet he'll win plenty of athletic awards, he is the "real mcCroy" after all, and I like to see him and all of coach Joe Blair's guys succeed. You know, one way to "FindtheTruth" would be combining the state tournaments into a single unified Actual State tourney, but that's a topic for another time, a battle I may never see won; there's always hope though.
  12. Any thoughts on who to watch for this year? Teams, individuals, info on weight changes? Notable matches to anticipate? We're on the eve once more of another showcase of awesomeness! Exciting rivalries, match-ups going all the way back to middle school. Will Stuart Doster and Mike Hooker go at it again? The real mccoy Cameron Croy reaches his senior year, will he maintain his dominance, or will young Kennedy take him down? We got wrestlers going for multiple championships, TJ Duncan going for number 4, and still not a senior. Will Zach Watson again lay the smackdown on his elders? Perhaps another encounter between Daniel Baucke and Alex Manley? Baylor, Ryan, Bradley, Cleveland, Soddy, who will reign supreme this year? Independence comes ever-closer to tasting gold, and their relative Brentwood is still in the fight. After two years of covering the divison 2 mats purple and red with split decisions, will either Baylor or Ryan be able to truly defeat the other? Christain Brothers and McCallie in the mix as well. Bradley goes for a third clean sweep at State, but Soddy might be ready for them this year. And there's a certain individual I've heard some things about, going by the name of Turbo...another freshman prodigy out of the Chattanooga realm? Can anyone stand up to the 423? Thoughts? Comments anyone?
  13. This is a new wrestling-like form of self-defense that I'm trying to get off the ground and hoping to one day get sanctioned by an official athletic body. Check it out if you're interested. Pan-Form Sparring Founded by Stephen Paul Cau Purpose: 1) To provide an adequate method of self-defense encompassing the various aspects of unarmed physical combat, without subjecting competitors to unnecessary violence and injury 2) The creation of a versatile concrete training method for mixed martial artists, which can function as a sport itself The Rules: Two competitors attempt to achieve victory over the other by submission, knockout, outscoring, or trapping the opponent in a simulated lethal position. The match is broken into three 10-minute rounds, functioning as a best two out of three setup. The third round functions differently than the first two. The match takes place on any large firm mat (a wrestling mat, judo mat, etc.) with a clear boundary line. Contestants enter wearing full gi uniforms (the Japanese-style martial arts jacket and pants) with a reversible belt, blue on one side and red on the other. Two differentiate between the two contestants, one wears the belt with the blue side out, and the other with the red side out. Gloves are optional, but must be MMA-style. A referee, doctor and scorekeeper must be present. The competitors step onto the mat and face each other. A coin flip decides who chooses the attire: whether to compete with the gi jacket on or off. If they compete without the jackets, each contestant must wear a colored arm band to differentiate between the two. Each round begins in one of three positions: Greco-Roman wrestling over-and-under clench, guard (a second coin flip determines who is on top), or free stand-up (long range striking distance). The loser of the coin toss chooses the order of the starting position, whether to begin in clench, guard, or free stand-up; however, each starting position may only occur once so if they've started in the clench for the first round then they have to start in guard or stand-up for the second round, and so on. Once this has been decided, the contestants shake hands and the match begins. The Match: The objective is to either submit the opponent, knock him unconscious, or force him into a position where he cannot defend himself. Any of these three methods will win the match. If neither contestant can achieve this, then whoever has scored more points wins. For the first two rounds, the scoring proceeds as follows: Takedown (from standing position) - 2 points Knockdown - 3 points (three consecutive knockdowns in a single round may win the match) Escape from ground to free standing position - 1 point to whomever was taken down from stand-up Overhead slam - 2 points added to takedown Opponent's knee touches the ground during a standing grapple position - 1 point Forcing opponent out of bounce - 1 point Ending the round in a significantly dominant position (such as a submission hold) - 1 point Striking is allowed in the stand-up, but no points are given unless one scores a knockdown. No head-kicks or knees to the head are allowed. No striking at all on the ground; however, the use of ground striking ("ground and pound") should be treated as a relevant threat, so during a ground scenario the bottom contestant must keep the opponent's upper body in secure contact, and not allow him into striking range. In a reality situation, ground striking can be potentially dangerous or fatal, so this setup works as a simulation for defending against it. If the top opponent is allowed into striking range for ten seconds or more, the referee may call a stop to the match and award the victory to the top opponent. It is the referee's discretion, based on whether the bottom opponent is making significant effort and progress to subdue the top opponent's range and striking ability. A win in this manner is called "lethal position win." The doctor and coaches may also stop the contest at any time. In the event of a tie at the end of a round, the referee must decide who gets the win, based on who is the more dominant striker, who spends more time in advantageous positions, who gives more effort, etc. If the two contestants both have won a round, they go to a third round, which functions differently. There is a two-minute break between the first and second rounds, and a three-minute break between the second and third. In the third round, there are no points. The goal is to defeat the opponent by any means necessary, within the integrity of sportsmanship. Head-kicks, knees, and ground striking are all allowed. There is no "technical knockout" but the referee may stop the contest if a contestant's safety appears to be in danger. If the final round ends without a clear victor, the referee again must make the decision. The purpose of the different rules in the third round is to expose contestants to a more realistic "no holds barred" situation, but only if they are fairly matched. An individual should not be allowed into this situation with a much stronger opponent, which could cause injury, so the first two rounds are made to be safer and more restricted than the third. At the conclusion of the first two rounds, the stronger opponent has been determined, and the weaker opponent, who loses the match, does not have to suffer a brutal domination in the third round. But for contestants who are evenly matched, a less restricted third round may be necessary to determine who is the better competitor. In this way, all competitors have the incentive to train for a three-round contest and therefore attain knowledge and skill to defend oneself in a real fight. Championship matches also function differently. The scoring is the same; however, round one always begins in a Greco clench, with the following round starting in the guard, and the final round starting in the free stand-up position. I believe this sequence would be the most potentially engaging for both competitors. Also, head-kicks and knees are allowed in the stand-up throughout the match, as well as ground striking, so the contestants must wear kickboxers' helmets for protection. Because ground striking is allowed, this negates the 10-second rule about keeping the opponent from getting into striking range; the bottom contestant must instead defend himself from actual strikes, and a TKO possibility is allowed for the first two rounds. They automatically begin the match wearing the gi jackets, but if it goes to a third round, the jackets as well as the helmets come off, and the final round commences in the same fight-like manner. Championship matches feature all three rounds unless a contestant achieves a submission or knockout victory, so the best two out of three scenario is not applied. If a contestant is down by two rounds at the start of the third, his only way to win the match is by knockout or submission. Local tournaments may have slight variations on the rules, such as adding weight classes for safety, etc., and women and children's matches may vary slightly as well, but the objectives and format are always the same. Restrictions, for all three rounds: Doctor, coach, parent/guardian (if contestant is under 18), and referee all have authority to terminate the match if either contestant's safety appears to be in danger. Match is ruled a loss or no-contest. No biting, hair-pulling, headbutting, striking to the neck, striking to the back of the head, striking to the ear during ground sequence, eye-poking, gauging, deliberately ripping skin, striking to the crotch, no hyper extension of the leg unless applying a straight kneebar, no scratching, slamming onto head, to a grounded opponent no head-kicks, stomps, or knees, no offensive language or behavior during contest, no weapons, no performance enhancing drugs not allowed by state or federal athletic committee (all contestants subject to random drug screening), no intentionally inflicting harm on opponent beyond object parameters of the contest. All competitors 18 and up must sign a document stating the agreement, as well as a waiver not holding any affiliation, sanctioning body or individual responsible for injury. For competitors under 18, written consent from a parent or guardian is required, as well as the approval of a commissioned or officially recognized coach or instructor. Summary: The sport plays out as a general combination of boxing, wrestling, judo, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Competitors must learn techniques in striking, takedowns, and ground game to be well-rounded practitioners of the sport, as well as learning the ability to spar with or without the gi jackets for grip maneuvers. Pan-Form Sparring is made for individuals at least 9 years old. There is a children's division for contestants 9-15 years old, and an adult division for 16 and older. The sport should not be sanctioned in secondary school, but rather as a martial arts club sport. For the children's division, weight classes are used. They are grouped into 50 lbs. and under, 75 lbs, 100, 125, 150, 185, and a maximum weight of 240 lbs. This is to prevent injury, but ultimately the sport's aim is to teach defense against opponents of any size. In the adult division, there are no official weight classes. There is a separate division for girls and women, with similar rules and weight classes. It is the hope that practitioners of Pan-Form Sparring will learn adequate self-defense as well as enjoy a fulfilling worthy sport if he or she chooses to compete. Pan-Form Sparring should include a range of skills necessary for defense in the real world, while remaining suitably safe for competitors and instilling courage, technique, discipline, and fulfillment to all who commit themselves. Sanctioning: It is my hope that Pan-Form Sparring will one day become an internationally recognized sport. For regular competition including national and world championships, the sport should remain an open-weight contest. However, should it become an Olympics sport, weight classes may become necessary to keep balanced competition and greater opportunity for the undersized. The weight classes should be grouped into: 140 lbs. and under, 160 lbs, 190, and over 190 with an unlimited heavy weight. For qualification to the Olympics event, contestants must win in the national tournament at the same weight category. The two national finalists of each weight get a spot on the Olympic team, and the 3rd place winner may serve as an alternate and compete in the event that a teammate is injured. The national Olympic qualification tournament is broken down into several regional tournaments, with the top medalists advancing. However, some regulations must be applied for an athlete to participate in the Olympics at a particular weight class. Severe weight-cutting is discouraged, and no one should be allowed to compete at an Olympics event in a weight class without first attaining experience in the open-weight competition. Each regional tournament should hold an open-weight preliminary series which guarantees every contestant one match. To qualify for the main regional tournament, every contestant must win one match. Other methods of qualification would include: winning a match or achieving medalist status at any tournament event recognized by athletic sanctioning body (such as FILA), or having at least 10 open-weight matches on record, recognized by the sanctioning body, or be sponsored by recognized coach or affiliate. Pan-Form Sparring is not, by definition, a form of wrestling; however, to prevent the two disciplines from conflicting with each other, anyone competing in an Olympic wrestling event (which I believe currently includes folkstyle, freestyle, Greco-Roman, and SAMBO), should be allowed to also compete in Pan-Form Sparring, with a national championship in wrestling counting as their ticket to the Olympics; but each competitor must still meet the above criteria regarding the open-weight experience. In conclusion: I believe Pan-Form Sparring to be a potentially worthwhile endeavor, and I encourage anyone interested to spread the word about it and try to draw in competition. My goal is to get the sport recognized officially by an athletic body, and begin a practice that could be the elite form of self-defense. If anyone knows whom I may need to contact to try to spread this sport around, please let me know if you have interest. I'm also trying to get a commentary position in MMA, so any help with that would be very much appreciated. I use facebook, if anyone's interested in talking further. My network I'm not sure is the right one, it's either Chattanooga TN, Houston TX, or Nashville or Franklin TN. I've moved so I'm not sure which one it's set on. Anyway hit me up if you're interested. Thanks, Stephen Cau aka wosbodog
  14. I have a couple of other questions about reffing. I know in Chattanooga I need to attend the meetings in the fall to get certified. Once I do that, am I good to ref anywhere in Tennessee or just in Chattanooga? And is the certification permanent? I'm wondering because I don't know where I'm going to be living in the fall. Do you know who I need to contact if I were to ref in the Nashville or Williamson County area? That's where I'm likely to be living if I'm not in Chattanooga, or I may be in Alabama. So will I need to get certified in Alabama or will it still count if I do it in Chattanooga? The other thing I was wondering was about the scheduling. I guess I get assigned to certain meets but is any of it negotiable? Is it pre-assigned at the beginning of the season or is it like a week-by-week thing? If I do stay in Chattanooga I'll be on a very tight schedule with college and my other jobs so my availability is going to be pretty shaky. Is there a way I could give like a week's or two week's notice what my availability will be and work the ref schedule around that, or vice versa? If you could get back to me that would be great, thanks very much.
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