On 4/25/2025 at 6:49 PM, KidGloves said:

Im Happy to answer.

First, I’m not the least bit concerned with other sports. I’m concerned about the one I know and love. Theres not one ounce of me that cares, even the slightest, about what they do in golf, track, or any of the other individual sports. WE have to make sure THEY are doing right by OUR sport.

Now then, a minority of people love the idea of going back to the true state championship? Why? And if you’re good with that, maybe we should go back to carry-format for consolations, eh? Most of the states that do a single state champion do so out of necessity of population. Only California, New Jersey, and Indiana are true wrestling states that could have multiple divisions but don’t.

Here’s the list of states with only one state champion that I could find;

California, New Jersey, Indiana, Delaware, Hawaii, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Vermont

Aside from California, Jersey, and Indiana, point out which states would need multiple divisions.

So we are really only talking about three states who consistently rank much higher than we do as a state.

Here’s why one state champion would hurt wrestling in Tennessee - We. Are. Not. Those. States.

I know, I know. Everyone here wants us to be. I remember the Cow Palace debate ad nauseam - “Iowa doesn’t have their state state championship in a cow palace, neither should we”. The answer is the same here. We aren’t those guys.

Weve gotten much better. No one can say otherwise, but simply put, we NEED as many young men and women as possible to have exposure to and participate in the sport if we are to continue to grow and if you’re telling me that having Sam Everett School of Innovation in the same division as Baylor wouldn’t hurt participation in that sport, you’re wrong. Moreover, if you think it has anything to do with lil Johnny or lil Kelly not having the talent or haven’t worked enough, then you're as small minded as you sound and I pray that’s not the case. It’s opportunity. It’s big picture. Get your eyes off the trees and look at the forrest. 

Small schools don’t have the talent pool to draw from that the larger schools have. That’s a fact. They also generally don’t have the exposure to the sport as the larger school, which means it’s harder to get kids out to participate. Period.

So if having multiple divisions allows smaller schools the ability to hang something in their gym about having a state qualifier, medalist, or champion inspires another kid or two to come out and give it a try, then explain to me what the harm is. I’ll wait.

You want to be in a position to one day be like California, Jersey, or Indiana, then we have to have the multiple divisions now to keep growing at the clip we’ve grown as a state.

The more kids that wrestle, the better off we are.

If that A kid that squeaks out a medal once or twice flips that into a college experience on any level, then returns home and gives back, Thats growing. That’s good for the sport. That same kid in a division with the wreckers from the top tier A, AA, and D2 schools wouldn’t have that opportunity  

Save your “participation trophy” comments. That’s not what’s at play here  

People aren’t dumb. While there are ABSOLUTELY single A kids that can compete with and have tremendous success in the AA level, I’d wager most understand the difference. Just the same as AA with D2, lather, rinse, repeat. 

100% all this. 

Old thread.  LOL

The administration in Warren County should be ashamed.  With virtually no youth feeder programs in Warren County and littlw to bo help from the school system, what do they expect?  Whwn you have such a long history of losing, and not much help changing things, the only thing you can offer is character and team building.  No one better at character than Matt Turner.  

What a terrible decision. Hopefully the folks who made this decision are help to account.

bump.  Reminder - Mass hydration event AND tournament fee is capped this year.

Blackman Preseason Tournament on Nov 16th.  Mass hydration beginning at 6:30AM.  Changes to wrestler entry fees will hopefully help some of you with larger teams.  Flyer is on track.

Quick update on Jacob - 

Jacob celebrated his 16th birthday at Vanderbilt on Tuesday and has been in decent spirits.  His sense of humor has begun to show as he was visited by many friends.  He is swallowing a lot better now and has eaten some of his favorites (Chik-Fil-A and Five Guys).  

He is getting prepared to head to Atlanta to the Shepherd Center first thing tomorrow morning.  His family has been waiting on insurance approval. In case you dont know the Shepherd Center it a world class facility and supposedly one of the best in the country for spinal injury rehab.  Praying for perfect results there.

Considering the circumstances, Jacob is in decent spirits.  He has some reflexive movement in his legs which I think is probably a very positive sign.  Don't read too much into that just yet as there is no telling what the real prognosis is... just hopeful that is good thing.  I am really just happy that it seems like he has a punchers chance of getting something back.  He is a strong young man and very determined so I think he will fight as hard as he can in physical therapy while down in Atlanta.

More than one of you has asked me about an address to send donations.  I know GoFundMe isn't for everyone.  If you want to go that route, you can make a check to "Blackman Wrestling Club" and we will pass anything received directly to the Kinderdines.  

Jacob Kinderdine c/o Blackman Wrestling

4836 Trevino Court

Murfreesboro, TN  37128

Also, want to thank everyone who has donated so far.  Jacobs dad will take a month off work and stay in Atlanta with him.  They need to learn how to take care of him and do home therapy work..... and surely Jacob will be glad his dad can be there.  All that could not happen without you all.  Depending on what happens, they will probably end up doing some home remodeling in order to accommodate Jacob at their home. 

Thanks again.

Here's a pic I lifted from Facebook of Jacob on Oxy talking to his Uncle.  LOL

QUICK UPDATE - 

First, I see a lot of wrestling names that I recognize on that GoFundMe.  THANK YOU so much for helping this family.  

After the long surgery on Sunday morning to repair his neck, Jacob suffered a collapsed lung.  Sometimes this happens after long surgeries.  They had to put him on a ventilator to get his breathing back on track.  He came off the vent on Monday morning and they put a BIPAP on him to help control his breathing.  As of today, Thursday, the BIPAP came off and he is breathing well on his own.  He is working towards drinking a glass of water and hopefully eating some solid food at some point in the near future.

Jacob can "feel" when someone touches his legs, but there is still no movement.  His parents are beginning to prepare for him to be moved to the Shepherd Center in the next few days.  He will be there in Atlanta for 30-45 days.  Im sure he will receive excellent treatment.

Please continue to pray for healing for him and if you are so moved, please contribute to the gofundme link above to help in any way you can.  The go fund me is doing well, but this is going to be a very long road for these guys Im afraid..

Thanks again!

Sells

As a parent, this was always my worst nightmare.  I take it for granted every time I get in the car and took it for granted most of the time when one of my sons was on the wrestling mat.  Sometimes things are not "going to be fine".

Jacob was wrestling in a Greco match at Iron Man when he was thrown.  He landed on his head and neck and shattered his C6 and C7.  His spinal cord was offset which is not good. He is currently at Vanderbilt Childrens in Nashville and has undergone a big surgery to brace his neck with pins and screws and realign his spinal cord, but damage has been done.  He is currently not able to move his legs or control his fingers.  I visited him yesterday and this young man has a long row to hoe.

I'm asking the wrestling community here in TN to lift his family up in prayer and come together to help.  He will likely have to go to Shephard Center in Atlanta which is going to require his mom and dad to take off work, travel, eat out, etc.

Jacob does have some feeling in his lower extremities, so we are praying he will be able to recover.  Time will tell and God is in control.

If you are unable to donate $5-10, please offer up prayers for Jacob to heal completely and for patience and strength for his parents as they are no doubt dealing with a worst nightmare.

GO FUND ME for JACOB   gofund.me/22e00da8

Thanks,

Matt Sells - Blackman Wrestling

Glad to see this back.  We used to do this back in 2012 and before.

The end of the match baffles me.

I'm not expecting Blackman to just walk into the state duals.  We still have to show up and wrestle.  For several years, Bradley has been known for having some tough well known kids, but what sometimes goes unnoticed is their ability to take kids who most people don't know and turn them into hammers.    

What's Walker Valley like this year?

THANKS!!

Sincere thanks to all the coaches, parents and wrestlers who came to the Blackman Preseason tournament! I think we had a great event, and everyone was so well-behaved!  I cant think of any issues really at all with parents, coaches, or fans!

Whether you were new to wrestling, or a state champ, we had some great competition for you!  Dale Bradford did a great job running the tournament and keeping things moving.  I know a lot of you were happy to be out of there early!

A quick reminder to those who dont know.  This tournament is always round robin format using ABILITY GROUPING.  Kids are ranked by their coaches from 1 to 4.  (beginner to expert).  The beginners wrestle other beginners, and the experts wrestle other experts.  It's a great dry run for coaches and their teams to finish getting things in order for the season!  

Special Thanks to Heritage, Cleveland, Clarksville, Rossview, Northeast, and others who travelled to get here.  Good luck to everyone this season!

7 hours ago, ImYourHuckleberry said:

We look forward to this event every year. 

Thanks!  It will be a good one once again!!!

EVENT DATE:           Saturday, November 18, 2023

LAST YEAR PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS: 

Beech Senior, Blackman, Brentwood, Brentwood Academy, Cane Ridge, Cleveland, Coffee County, Cornersville, Dickson Co., Eagleville, Forrest, Franklin, Franklin Co., Glencliff, Goodpasture, Green Hill, Heritage, Kenwood, Lavergne, Lawrence Co., Liberty Creek, Marshall Co., Martin Luther King, Nashville Christian School, Northeast, Oakland, Riverdale, Rossview, Smyrna, St. Andrew`s-Sewanee, Stewarts Creek, Summit, Trousdale County, Tullahoma, Wayne County, Wilson Central, Blackman (Girls), Cane Ridge (Girls), Cleveland (Girls), Coffee County High School (Girls), Dickson Co. (Girls), Forrest (Girls), Franklin (Girls), Franklin Co. (Girls), Green Hill (Girls), Heritage (Girls), Kenwood (Girls), Lavergne (Girls), Marshall Co. (Girls), Northeast (Girls), Oakland (Girls), Ravenwood (Girls), Riverdale (Girls), Rossview (Girls), Smyrna (Girls), St. Andrew`s-Sewanee (Girls), Stewarts Creek (Girls), Summit (Girls), Tullahoma (Girls)

MATS:            7:  5 mats will be used in the Main gym and 2 in the Aux Gym 

WEIGH-IN:    Weigh-Ins will be conducted at YOUR site Wednesday, Nov 15.  Scratch weights should be taken right after your practice. Whatever the wrestler’s weight is at the end of practice is the scratch weight.

 ***Because this is an early season scrimmage, we don’t want to focus on making weight.  Hence, the reason for scratch weigh-ins.  This also allows for teams to arrive later, for us to start earlier, and to speed up the event.  We expect weigh-ins to be conducted properly and wrestlers to try maintaining their scratch weight rather than trying to gain advantage by putting on weight.

Line-ups must be entered on Track Wrestling.  You will receive an email link.

Please indicate skill level 1-4 (Elite-1, Good-2, Fair-3, Beginner-4)
Email Dale Bradford at [email protected] if you don’t have a link.

BRACKETS:  Round Robins will be used for bracketing. Wrestlers will be grouped as best as possible according to skill level.  Please be as close/honest as possible when rating and weighing your wrestlers.   All matches will be three 1 minute periods.

COACHES  MEETING:     We will hold a coaches meeting Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.    Hospitality room for Coaches and Referees ONLY!

WRESTLING SESSIONS: 9:00 a.m.- 1^st Round. Wrestling will continue throughout the day.

ADMISSION: Tickets may be purchased at the door.    Adults: $10.00               Students: $5.00

ENTRY FEE:  There will be an $15 entry fee per wrestler, payable upon arrival.  Coaches are responsible for ALL names that are sent in.  3 coaches per team, each additional coach is $10.            Make checks payable to:           Blackman Wrestling

WEIGHT CERTIFICATION/HYDRATION TESTING SITE

Blackman HS will serve as a mass testing site for Hydration and Weight Certification.  Start time will be 7:00am.  Contact Wade Bartlett at 931-334-9944 or [email protected] for more information.

Here's what I get.  Requested two days ago.  

1 hour ago, MidTennFootball said:

Congrats to Coach Kriesky on his 1st win at Blackman last night. Their record might not show it this yr, but he has the Blaze on the right path

They are definitely on the right path.  I am very pleased to see a standard of discipline and accountability higher than has been in recent years.

On 8/25/2023 at 10:40 AM, RocketDadx2 said:

............. Tygard's ego stole Brown's Mr Football award.  Daddy Risner had him by the "Mini Tygards"...so much so that he was forced to push Risner for Mr Football...splitting the vote and robbing Brown of a sure Mr Football title..........

I always felt like he wasn't feeding Brown the ball like he should have.  So worried about spreading it out to kids who just didn't have the spark.  Blackman will be fine.  We need to get back to forcing our kids to be tough and gritty anyway.  

Blackman's problem the last few years has been a lack of discipline, grit and tenacity.  Until that changes, we are stuck here in 2-4th place.

2 hours ago, desselle said:

At least it wasn’t to Cleveland. Lol

What he said ^^

2 minutes ago, wssm said:

I honestly didn’t mean to start this nonsense up again. Was just looking for some info. Everyone can just go cut and paste there arguments from a couple of months ago. Sorry.

LOL

Show up at 5:30 to stretch and warm up.  Live 5 minute goes begin promptly at 6pm.

bump

Yes sir.  Assistant Coach John Heathcott was promoted to Head Coach.  A move that we are very happy with!  With what our kids club is sending up and the returners we have, we are set to have an amazing run!

Blackman Wrestling is seeking faculty coaches for the wrestling program.  Teaching positions are always changing so availability depends on timing and a little luck.  Also looking for one non-faculty coach.  Please send an email to [email protected] to inquire or get more information.  Both positions will qualify for a stipend.  

In California, boys wrestling participation numbers are at their lowest point in about 20 years.  

*source - High School Participation Survey Archive