Wrestlersdad

PBD, I regret reading of you and your sons disappointment. A torn ACL my Sr. yr cost me half a season of footbal and my entire soccer season. My son was head threw 2 days before district at 8th grade were he broke his collar bone where he was expected to do well. "Life's not fair" is a tough lesson to learn when you've worked so hard to accomplish a goal. It's harder watching your child have to learn the lesson I think. Especially when you're still in the middle of the dust settling. One thing I do know is that God is teaching a "life" lesson for your son's "greater" good that could not have been taught in any other way. My best wishes for your son are a full and speedy recovery. Seek God's life lesson. Wrestlersdad

This is my first try, but here goes anyway!! Round 1 Bradley Halls Indy SD Clarksville Cleveland Brentwood SH Round 2 Bradley Indy Clarksville SH Round 3 Bradley SH Champion Bradley 2nd-SH 3rd-Indy 4th-Clarksville

Excellent post. Let's keep with wrestling and character building.

Very well spoken gvn522. It's comments like that which keep racism alive when the rest of the world is trying to leave it behind. Why play the race card coach when that wasn't even a topic of discussion. HL coach should take some lessons from Glencliffe coach who's team is mostly black. His kids have always responded yes sir....yes mam.....thankyou....etc. HE has TAUGHT his kids character. Let wrestling and character be the issue, not race!!

jgannonnvp you are most welcome. My kids really learned a lot at your camp and when we left were already asking to go back again next year. You and your staff did a great job. Another camp I would recommend is the intensive camp at UTC to whomever is reading. It let's you know the kids that really desire to grow in the sport verse those that just enjoy it as a sport. This camp is physically hard, not so much technical as they assume you know how to wrestle. The kids come out knowing what they need to do in the OFF season to become more successful during the regular season. UTC has a great camp too!! Again, you are most welcome and you run a great camp!!

Well spoken ghouse. I was confused as well. You guys do a great job and a great service.

Wonderful camp. I would have to say my kid's successes this year are related to things they learned and relationships they developed at this camp. For me as a dad, the thing I admired most about the staff is how they correlated the wrestling lessons with "LIFE" lessons for the kids once wrestling is over and they go out into the world. Really good life lessons are taught at this camp in addition to the wonderful wrestling skills taught. One of the best camps my kids have attended and we'll be back again.

GHouse......Very well stated. If anything I would add a class between 215 and 285. We come from a small wrestling school and forfeit several classes including the 103 that seems to be the topic here. I'm just a parent, so the important to me is on the KIDS, not the SCHOOL record. Even when the kids wrestle well and get beat I'm still a proud daddy. Of course I'm happy with the "school" wins, but I'm more interested in EACH individual kid on the team. We lose a lot of team matches that I'm very proud of the individual kid's performance. We have former wrestlers and coaches come in on their own time to work with kids that have the "desire" to work extra, and they do so on their own time and no pay just because they love the sport and more importantly, they see something in kids that they want to pass their knowledge on to. The kid has to have the desire, and the coach has to have the love for the kids and their development. It's wonderful for me as a dad to watch the relationship with kids that really want to succeed and the coaches and former wrestlers that give up their "spare time" to help them grow in the sport of wrestling. I guess bottom line for me is don't cut the number of classes...........if anything add a few. It's all about the KIDS!!!

I don't know of anyone, but.....I think Vanderbilt should invest $$ in wrestling as a "sport" other than a "club and offer a coach compensation. Vanderbilt has always been thought of as a school of intelligence, integrity, and character. Wrestling offers that more than any other sport that I've been associated with (and I've been associated with a lot of them). I wish you God's blessings in your search for a coach for your program and hope Vanderbilt turns the light switch on to what they are losing out on with respect to wrestling.

I understand the coaches thinking and even the kids if they choose to sit out. I just disagree......I may be wrong, but I just disagree with the thinking. Let the kids be kids and wrestle every opportunity they get...if the kid wants to. Eventually they will graduate and the opportunity to wrestle will not be there anymore for them. I don't know.........I guess what I'm trying to say is let the kids play while they still can. It won't be long before they have to become adults and have to deal with the "responsibility" part of life. Let them play while they still can at every opportunity they have. Adulthood will come soon enough. I may be wrong, but then that's just me. Let the kids play....wrestle every opportunity they are afforded and WANT to. There are no "do overs in life"!! Make the most of it. Again, I may be wrong..............but that's just me. Let the kids make the most of it while they have the OPPORTUNITY!!

Very well stated WrestlingLover. I've never understood why coaches or kids "choose" to sit out for seeding purposes. They work SOOOO very hard for so long for the opportunity to wrestle, and then choose to sit out for seeding purposes. Wrestle and have fun.........the wrestling career only last's a few years. Make the most of it and wrestle every chance you get. Have fun......winning or losing is minor..........have fun in the sport you have worked so hard at being the best in.

The 160 match was not a 7-4 decision. Hunter Badon pinned Adam Keylon in the 160lb match What an awesome match and in my opinion was the best match of the tournament. Keylon was winning something like 14 -5 with about 20 seconds left. Badon head threw him and pinned him with about 5-10 seconds left. Felt bad for Keylon as he was very much controlling the match, but was excited for the Badon kid whom never gave up. Good lesson for ALL YOU WRESTLERS. NEVER GIVE UP AND NEVER STOP WORKING!!! IF YOU ARE WINNING, NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. What a fun match to watch.

Would have liked to come but have wrestling events already scheduled that prevent attendance. Please keep upcoming events posted for an opportunity.

Chattcity, I'm so sorry and did not mean any disrespect to Sassylongandlean (whom I'm assuming is his mother). I'm sure she's had wonderful input into Tee's life, character, and future. Again, I apologize if I came across the wrong way.

You may be right. I've never met either of them, nor have I seen Tee wrestle. All I know is from what I've read on this sight. I've only read positive compliments, so I've formed an opinion based on that. I've been a single dad for many years trying to raise my boys to be as successful as Tee appears to be (and I'm not talking just wrestling....that's minor to me). Hopefully when all is said and done and the dust has settled, I'll be as successful as Thomas appears to be. Being a dad is not a genetic thing......it's being there for you children and giving them your TIME and giving them an OPPORTUNITY. I'm sure some will disagree, but at least that's how I see it.

I've never met you but I'm assuming you're Thomas' dad. I enjoy reading your input on various articles here. Congratulations to you son and congratulations to yourself and your accomplishments in raising your child into a successful young man.

Would love to be involved but not willing to choose wrestling over church. Are there any other options??

Thanks!! He tried his best but came up a little short. Back to the gym, working a little harder and getter a little smarter practice by practice, match by match.

First of all, the only kid you mentioned I know of is Marchetti as I'm from DIV I, and he is a class act for sure. I was very proud of his attitude and response. I know nothing of these others as I'm just a DIV 1 parent. You are correct, we as parents are supposed to be positive role models. The only positive role model I saw from FR was Machetti (I didn't see his dad after the match, but from what I've read he sounds like a class act too). You are correct in that I have become anti FR by choice.....the choice was influenced by FR parents reaction to a kid holding a finger over his mouth......in addition.....the rest of the gym cheering the kid when he did it. Now why in the world do you think 23 other schools people would do that???? Kind of made me wonder??? I neither cheered nor did I boo, i just sat in awe and amazement at what was happening. I have never seen that at a wrestling match before. Maybe it's common in Div II, but I've never seen it before. The kid was just being a kid in response to adults when he won. Oh and by the way......I didn't form my opinion until reading this blog and all the excuses from parents from FR. But mommy....he did it first......oh well honey...... if he did it first...........I guess it's okay for us to do it......duh!!!!!!!!!! Oh and yes, I ALWAYS VOTE.....not a REP or a DEM.....I vote for conservative values whoever best represents them!!!

Great post. That should settle about half the arguments on this blog. FR parents have made me anti FR and I for one will root against their wrestlers in the future just and only because of the FR parents actions. BE POSITIVE ROLE MODELS for kids (even if they're not from FR), instead of NEGATIVE. Remember, we as adults are supposed to be teaching our next generation of leaders. It's a crying shame when our kids like Marchetti are having to teach and train us!!

I really enjoyed reading your honest and fair response. I'm from Div. 1 and when the kids on our team noticed all the FR prelims were always in front of their fans, I started to pay attention. In the future if FR truly wants a good and fare tournament, they will not rope off an area in front of a specific mat, and then have all their kids matches scheduled on that mat. That in itself is not expressing sportsmanship, but arrogance. I have never been to another tournament where that was the case. As for the Marchetti and Cash incident, the FR fans started it. They dished it out, and got the response any kid of that age who is coming off the mat after a hard match still full of adrenaline would most likely give. Not by a chance am I condoning it, and I would teach my CHILD (which is what he is) to be a BIGGER man that a bunch of adult idiots who the only thing they did was disgrace their school. Fortunately for them, Machetti was the BIGGER man than most of the adults. Kind of to raise kids with proper respect when the child....in this case Marchetti is having to teach the parents from his own school. It was a sad incident to watch.....especially for DIV 1 wrestling kids. I found myself having to have a long talk at the expense of FR parents. What I remember hearing was every other person in the gym cheering for Chase at his action and booing the FR parents for theirs. I hope the FR officials will correct the root of the problem in the future by FAIRLY assigning mats for matches randomly!! Tournament was run extremely well with this exception.

Who cares as you say, "how a kid is looked upon by others". As far as wrestling goes it doesn't matter. What matters is how a kid performs on the mat. My kid has just recently made the rankings, yet he's never seen them and doesn't spend his time worrying about them, nor the kids above him. He takes each match as a single test to improve his abilities. I've told him he's ranked, but he still has no interest in it. He know it's all settled at state. Some on here have talked about kid's being intimidated when they wrestle someone who's ranked. Life beyond wrestling is about dealing with pressure.....all of us have felt it in our careers and such. The sooner a child can learn to deal with pressure and find a way to overcome it, they better it will be for him. Most of us have played the game "King of the Hill" when we were kids. There's pressure to try to get to the top, and then if you finally make it there's pressure trying to stay at the top. I think these Rankings are great and I appreciate Mr. Hamm's work and efforts. Are mistakes made........duh.....yeah!!we all make mistakes and it's mistakes that teach us, not successes. Again, if a kid is only concerned about how he's looked upon by others, I think he's in the wrong sport. Wrestling is an individual sport and that's how it is. If a kid is worried about how he's looked upon by others, he needs to stick with TEAM sport where he can blend in with the crowd. KEEP THE RANKINGS

What you have listed as Matman's rankings are not accurate from his website and you should go back and recheck. In some weight classes you are not EVEN close!!! It doesn't appear to me you are looking at week 5...maybe week 1.

Why would a coach not want one of his wrestlers on the "Ranking Radar". Is it because he doesn't want the pressure on the kid? Is it because he doesn't want a "bullseye" on the kids back for other kids to work for? Just curious with your thought process!!

I would have to agree from a ranking perspective that Beazley would be ranked higher than Jordan. Jordan's a freshman new on the scene. Winning a match doesn't boost you to the top. What I'm not understanding is why Beazley jumps from I think 5th or 6th on Brays ranking from Nov. to 2nd in Dec. when from what I've seen and read doesn't suggest that. As for stronger and accomplished part, I'm probably wrong on the accomplished part just based on age and years of wrestling, but the stronger part, I'm going to disagree. Those two kids are equally matched and will provide some wonderful wrestling entertainment for quite some time. They are a great match up!!!