stovepipe

You guys are funny. Read it, laugh at it, forget it. I will be there but I am not paying your filthy admission. -Stovepipe, but my friends call me The Holder

But the real question should not be which team will win, but which team's fans are the most obnoxious!!!! When is the match so I can judge for myself. -The holder dba Stovepipe

Dont ride on your knees and finish your shots. Dont wrestle on carpet. Dont play with matches (so you wont burn yourself). -The holder

Man! I didnt get to read the support for my grass roots movement. "We didnt land on Coacht's site, CoachT's site landed on us!" - The holder aka Stovepipe

The Irish stands usually smell like a brewery. Im convinced they are sponsored by Johnnie Walker. Seriously, who drinks before a 6pm match? Ive even seen them tip it back during a dual. However, I have never been able to see a match clearly when sitting near the MBA fans. The bling bling constantly creates a glare and trophy wives distract my attention. But all this is for nothing because Baylor fans take the cake. With hair as shaggy as their sons and dopey looks abound, its no wonder they have nothing to cheer for other than to disrepect the opponent. Like the Comic the dog said, "I kid, I kid" But did you ever wonder why the Baylor coaches carry (or at least used to) around that Oxygen tank during the state tournament? Is that saying something about their conditioning or what? I thought you were supposed to peak and be in prime conditioning during the State Tourney. But that is why they ride the line........Oh im losing my train of I hate Baylor thoughts...... -The "Wish I went to East Ridge High School" Holder.....dba Stovepipe

Dang it. Good try. Good debate. Next time.

Reftn, Just so there is no mistake...My desired result is not a one division again. Although I would like it, I simply dont think it will ever happen. The purpose, I assume, of the Kenwood tourney is to see Division champs wrestle each other. My post was to only say that there are allready avenues and arenas where state champs from different divisions can wrestle each other. Freestyle and summer wrestling. All of that is legit and we dont have to worry about schools and ineligbility. The only worry will be who has the coolest American Flag singlet this year with the mathcing shoes and kneepads. (You know you have all seen it!) I think combining the two tourneys at the roundhouse was one of the best decisions the TSSAA has made for wrestling since the split. Most big wrestling states do it the same way. Having the DII tourney at Father Ryan never seemed "right". I dont like Ronnie Carter, I dont like President Bush. They run the show, they get the blame up front. -Stovepipe (really the Holder, but Im into that whole Garth Brooks characterizing himself thing)

If its good for the sport of wrestling, you can bet the self proclaimed advocate for wrestling Ronnie Carter will shoot it down quicker than a mad cow. The beef is tainted ladies and gents, and we have to deal with it. Kudos to the Kenwood Coach for trying. You guys want to know how they settle the score between seperate divisions elsewhere in the US? They ALL, EVERYONE, at least those claiming to be the best, wrestle in the offseason. This makes for freestyle tournaments that make the TSSAA state tourney look like a tiddly-wink competition. Good wrestlers, those who have bragging rights come late Feb., wrestle in the offseason. They end up wrestling each other in summer tournaments. Unlike TN where only a few of the best compete, though I admit it is getting MUCH better, these boys elsewhere end up wrestling each other not just in the winter, not just in the summer, but in college too where they are at DI universities with full rides, because they competed all year through high school and consistently wrestled the best around. My point is this...you want to see Divisional Champs wrestle each other? Then encourage them to compete in the offseason as hard as they do in the winter. Encourage coaches to take their kids wherever they can to compete. Donate to your local freestyle clubs and volunteer at the freestyle tournaments. Tell your teammates that everyone is getting better, the STATE is getting better, but they wont if the dont compete. But to rely on the good will of Ronnie Carter to support our sport is a foolhardy approach to reaching the ultimate goal, that is, the best competition around. Sorry to rant... The holder...dba....Stovepipe KKW - I do applaud what you are doing and wish you the best of luck.

Maybe these polls are run by the BCS people. Computerized formulas??? Where is the, as I said earlier, "prissy white boy" factor???? MBA, in what was said to be a down year, is having a good year. Who knew studying Latin would make such tough grapplers!?!?!?! The only thing MBA is missing is the removal of the G man. -The holder....dba Stovepipe

I havent heard much about Overton is SEVERAL years..... Other than they wear some goofy robes.

Indeed, Tim was who I was thinking of. I can now sleep at night. The holder...dba Stovepipe

Who was the guy, and I think he wrestled in Chattanooga, that had no team, but represented his school and worked out with another team? His school didnt offer wrestling. He would enter tourneys as a "team", do quite well, and score points for his "team" and beat other fully stocked teams b/c he made it to the finals and what have you. He wrestled when it was all one division and I think was a state placer. It was at least 5-6years ago if not more. He was the toughest SMALL team. What was his name/school? I cant remember. -The Holder...DBA Stovepipe

Pokey poked it. It was only a matter of time until someone dredged up the old "they steal all our good wrestlers! They recruit!" BS. This argument is as flawed as the Ford Pinto. If your school (not necessarily you Pokey but everyone)does not have good wrestlers, its because your school does not have good athletes, good coaches, good listeners (you might have to think about that one), good believers, good hard workers. The only people I have ever seen complain about recruiting and how it made their team weak did so to make up for their own shortcomings. Guys, I have problems with schools like Baylor, McCallie, MBA, Ryan more than you will know. But tell me how schools, like Baylor and MBA especially, show up with prissy white boys without with neither McTorry-esque bodies or skills, and pummel everyone around? They listen, their parents care, they are well coached, they are all around smart and work hard in everything they do. I got off on a rant but this box is one I stepped upon to show my frustration that the "you guys recruit" or "we wont wrestle them because its not fair" speeches still exists in TN wrestling. How are we to move fowards if people keep pointing fingers to the past, and this tired argument. -Stovepipe dba The Holder...

How can anyone put Matt "I spit on the refs and blew my state championship" Sweeton on this list?? That kid from centenial HS was SOOOOOOOOOOO overrated.

I do remember Johhny Rich (the JP2 coach). I saw him wrestle in high school, i even remember his senior year state tourney, I had a front row seat for the finals. He wrestled the kid from BA, the football star, Leddy I believe, of Letty or something. Rich had a low level that could buckle and break your knee, wonder if that will show up at the Pope. I know this about Rich, he aint skeerd! The kid will not run from competition, on the other hand Im sure public schools will run from him. Did you hear he recruited all those 9th and 10th graders? All in less than a few months! But they get spiritual guidance. THOSE CHEATERS! Why cant the public schools get spiritual assistance? (read - sarcasm as thick as communion wine) I know Coach Rich wrestled at Chapel Thrill mmmm I mean Hill for a while. Dont know his record, do know that he had injuries that plagued him. I used to run into him over the holiday breaks around Nashville. Glad to see former TN wrestlers giving back. Oh and the Coach at BA , I hear he brings in his college kids for a camp at Brentwood every year, in the spring I think. And his favorite nut is the Buckeye. Good source of protein. You know what, I bet they recruited him!!!! Oh wait, thats not illegal. But it sounds illegal. (note to self: send letter to Ronnie Carter with trumped up allegations about BA, throw in MBA and Ryan to sweeten the pot) The Stove(My kid got a full ride to McCallie and a place to stay and a car and a wife and a house after graduation)Pipe some people call me the Holder, but thats neiter here nor there [Edited by stovepipe on 11-21-02 11:28P]

or is it "enchilada"? hey, is Alabama still the worst of the 50 states in Freestyle rankings, participation, Fargo results, etc.??? So do they even have a state organization yet? If they are as I remember them, being a state champ there is like a Baylor Coach winning a fashion contest. = It wouldnt happen anywhere else. -The stove(sometimes blowing smoke)pipe aka The holder [Edited by stovepipe on 11-20-02 11:03P]

I hate Grissom. Do they still have those dopey haircuts, faces and stupid Hogan doll they all pray to? Gimme a break, leave your daughter alone Coach, she was hot, not anymore. Come to think of it, all those Grissom girlfriends (read sisters) were hot, but man I hated that team, and no, we didnt lose to them, we beat them. Urrrrrrr. Right there with Baylor. The Stove(did you know I have something against Grissom)pipe aka The Holder

Dont leave it up to the ref to blow your match. Beat the kid by 15, then it wont matter if he blows a call or two. You say that there will always be close matches???? Nope, train harder, you will see. Ive seen guys wrestle in TN there whole carreer, never a tough match, with an exception for state finals, but there they had good refs. It works out, tell your kid to get better. The Stove(sick of the whining)pipe. aka The Holder

it wouldnt be fair unless I reminded you all of how overton created the "Duck under" from the private schools after the split. Though they are correcting this problem, not wrestling in any tournaments where a private school is competing too, um, where did that program quickly go, umm, where did that once best tourney in Nashville go, ummm, that program reeks as bad as the weightroom behind the Overton wrestling room used to, you know what Im talking about. Lets be serious, they need you, you need them, and who suffers? the kids trying to go to college and wrestle. Its hard enough as it is to get on a team, title 9 and such, why add to the problem "he wrestled in a split division state". If you dontthink the college coaches are saying that about TN you are flat wrong. There are only a few Phillip Simpsons and Matt McCarty's out there, we have to end this split!

or did you accidently leave off the JP2 team. I mean not even mentioned with MUS and BGA! They could wrestle with 7th and 8th graders and win those matches. Sure, the experience will be suspect, but with a young coach who has seen many different styles (not the same ole TN stuff or the Baylor hook and Hold) he can motivate the kids to win, i say top 5 and in two years , top 2 or 3 after that, MBA and Ryan permiting. Arent Catholic kids tougher by religiob or birth or something???? By the way, does JP2 wrestle Baylor and the out of Nashville (read Chattanooga) D2 schools? Johhny Rich v. Abelson of Baylor.... theres a match. Abelson, where is he now, the next VH1 special. Darn i love this sport. -Stove(looking foward to puttin the shoes back on and handing that butt to ya)pipe a.k.a. The Holder