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KingGreene you make my original point well. We need a separate girls high school division in Tennessee to create interest in girls wrestling. A young college and High School program need girls who just want to wrestle. Where are they? We are talking about competing internationally when the 8 person brackets at the TN Girls State will go unfilled and ETSU and MTSU just need wrestlers.

Let us try this from a different angle. There are NO NCAA or NAIA sanctioned Girl Wrestling teams!!! All of the WCWA (freestyle) and the NCWA (folkstyle) are by definition CLUB teams!!!!!! To join the WCWA the team pays a $200.00 membership, to join the NCWA the team pays a $500.00 membership; CLUBS can join both. The WCWA is winding up now, the NCWA nationals are not till March. If you will go to the following web sites you will see CLUBS who are doing so. http://www.nwcaonlin...omensfacts.aspx http://www.ncwwa.net/teams You may notice that ETSU is on both lists!!! Thus, I ask again, help the local Women's Wrestling Club. And as far as the freestyle thing goes; what is free style but take downs. Mat time is mat time. There has never been a male Olympic wrestler who was 100% freestyle.

KingGreene , PUMMELKING where do I start? You talk about improving wrestling in Tennessee and girls having an opportunity to wrestle after high school, yet you trash the mechanisms set in place to do so. You throughout "Club" as it if were a bad word. Let me ask you this, how would you start a college wrestling program in this era of Title IX and tight budgets? You might find 160 or so Colleges who are trying to do the same thing and join them (NCWA). At first, you would not be part of the University's Athletic program so you are not an official team, but wait most Universities sponsor "Clubs" by helping to pay for travel, etc., some schools treat clubs as if it were an official team. Next you would start trying to recruit wrestlers, you will need to find kids who love the sport because you do not have a lot to offer at the beginning. Once the team is in place you would find sponsors, fund rare, and of course accept donations. You start giving the wrestlers money for books. You get better wrestlers, then more money, etc. Until you finely have a team that can compete at a higher level. After years of work you can now go to the University with a competitive Men's and Women's wrestling team with a hope of having them instated as a program. The (freestyle) Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association is the top Women's College Wrestling division, not doubt. These 16 teams have the best high school wrestlers on their rosters. Yet, let's not forget about the 29 NCWA (folkstyle) teams who are trying to join their ranks. (not all of the Tennessee guys who had good college careers were DI athletes) IF YOU WANT TO SEE WRESTLING GROW, NOT ONLY IN TENNESSEE, BUT IN THE US, PLEASE STOP PUTTING DOWN THE "CLUBS" AND HELP THEM. The NCWA lists over 160 men's teams and 29 women's teams, several of those are here in Tennessee.

ETSU and MTSU both wrestle folkstyle in college. Also, keep in mind Freestyle is what men do Internationally and in the Olympics. They seem to make the transition.

There are exceptions to every rule, like the young lady being discussed. However, the vast majority of girls wrestling now in Tennessee would risk injury if they were to wrestle an experienced male of equal weight. Today in Tennessee, girls, in general, do not have an interest in wrestling. What is the average number of participants on a Tennessee High Schools girls team two maybe three? Both ETSU and MTSU are trying to develop college girls programs and there is very little interest. To build and create interest in Tennessee girl wrestling a separate division is required!!! Perhaps if some of the friends of the girls who are wrestling see them having success, they may want to give it a try. Over time the skill level and interest will improve, but it is not there yet. Let’s face it, most girls do not want to wrestle guys and vice versa.

ETSU - National Collegiate Wrestling Championships Qualifiers - Ian McKinley @ 125 (Knox Bearden) - Nic Shiels @ 157 (Maryville) - Logan Ridenour @ 184 (Maryville) - Ben Harrison @ 197 - Craig Carter @ 235 (Dobyns Bennett) - Daniel Grasty @ 235 (Union County) - Morgan Pittsford - Womens Division - Adia Hagan - Womens Division

What about Carter #61 I heard he tore his MCL. How long will he be out?

61, Carter got hurt in the 3rd qt of the OR game and had his arm in a sling. Will he be ready for the JC game, we can??™t afford to lose linemen.