xwrist

I don't get on here that much, but I would like to shed some light on this subject. I worked with UTC and was very involved with the State Tournament when it was held in Chattanooga. I also sit on the TACA committee for Wrestling and so I have a little knowledge about why and how this came to be in Franklin. #1 The reason the tournament is no longer at UTC is due to their "Attitude" and their "Rude" behavior toward everyone involved and participating in the State Tournament. It was way to hard to deal with the University, the people in charge of the Round House and last but not least the Campus Police. #2 UTC never acted grateful to have brought students from all over the state onto their campus and as a matter of fact they could have cared less. #3 Coaches and Fans were not treated with the respect they deserved and that is the bottom line. #4 Chattanooga itself should have taken more pride in the fact that this wonderful event brought money into the city and should have taken a more active role in the success of and satisfaction of all involved. #5 Local people worked themselves very hard to put this event on with no compensation, like Joe Blair and company do now. #6 Basically what it all boils down to is Chattanooga is a wonderful place to enjoy wrestling, but they "Shot" themselves in the foot........so be it! I personally like it in Franklin and I do enjoy not being right on top of each other and having room to breathe. It doesn't matter where it is held, people will always find fault and yet they are the very ones that have never even helped in putting something like that together and making it a success. This event only happens ONCE a year and all who are true loyal fans of the sport should come to this event regardless of where it is held.

Soddy Daisy Showdown Teams 2012 1. Beech 2. Bolton/ Memphis 3. Bradley Central 4. Brentwood 5. Collins Hill, GA 6. Cookeville 7. Cordova, Memphis 8. Dobyns Bennett 9. Gibbs, Knoxville 10. Grissom, AL 11. Heritage 12. Hewitt-Trussville, AL 13. Independence, Franklin 14. Jefferson County 15. Knox Central 16. McCallie 17. Morristown West 18. Notre Dame 19. Oakland, Murfreesboro 20. Ooltewah 21. Pigeon Forge 22. Rhea County 23. Science Hill, Johnson City 24. Soddy Daisy 25. Tullahoma 26. Walker Valley This is going to be one of it not the most competitive tournament in the state. It starts at 9:00 EST on Saturday January 7th. It will be run on 6 mats and we should be out of there by 7:00 pm.

Beech Bradley Central Brentwood Cookeville Cordova Dobyns Bennett Gibbs Hewitt-Trussville, AL Independence Knox Central McCallie Notre Dame Oakland Ooltewah Pigeon Forge Rhea County Science Hill Soddy Daisy Tullahoma Walker Valley

Not that it matters, but just for informations sake......Soddy Daisy will also be there this year.

I just found out about Chief, after reading this post. It Breaks My Heart to lose such a wonderful friend. He was the one man that always had something nice to say and always made you feel at home anywhere you were. I have had the honor to have known this man and the priviledge to call him friend. I feel a deep emptiness for the coaching community and a loss that will never be forgotten, but only learned to live with. So long Chief, I already miss you and thanks for all the memories. Steve Henry

Coaches, I would like to extend an invitation to the 15th annual Soddy Daisy Showdown. This is located in Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 15 minutes north of Chattanooga. In the past we have had a very strong field and are looking for an even stronger group this year. We pride ourselves on getting the best competition and getting everyone out in a timely manner. This allows us to be Wrestler and Fan friendly. I am attempting to get the tournament set up early, to better meet the needs of those attending. If you are interested you may elect to participate in our Trojan Duals that take place on the Friday night before our tournament. There will be no charge for this and each team electing to participate may get up to two duals. We will be starting those at 5:00 in order to get everyone out as early as possible. We also offer a Junior Varsity tournament that is held in conjunction with our Varsity Tournament on Saturday. This allows you to bring more Wrestlers and give them an opportunity for more experience. General Information Friday January 6, 2012 - Trojan Duals Saturday January 7, 2012 - Soddy Daisy Showdown (Varsity & JV) 6 Mats Entry Fee $150.00 If you are interested or need more information contact: Steve Henry Soddy Daisy High School Soddy Daisy, Tennessee henry_steven@hcde.org/ xwrist@aol.com (423) 332-8828 ext. 3014

Soddy Daisy Showdown Invitational January 8th 2011 Entry Fee: $200.00 Varsity Tournament, Junior Varsity and Girls $10.00 for each wrestler. Make Check to: SDTC Trophies Presented to the Top Two Teams Awards Given: 1st – 4th Varsity, JV & Girls There will be a 1 lb allowance for the Duals on Friday the 7th and a 2 lb allowance for Saturday the 8th. Participating Schools Bartlett Bolton Bradley Cookeville Cordova Gibbs Hewitt Trussville (Alabama) Independence Kingston Notre Dame Ooltewah Pigeon Forge Science Hill Soddy Daisy Tullahoma Walker Valley Teams in the Duals on January 7th Bolton, Soddy Daisy Bradley, Pigeon Forge Gibbs, Science Hill Contact: Steve Henry @ henry_steven@hcde.org for more information

To the Honorable Mr. BCB, I must admit that I LOVE to read your posts. You truely missed your calling, because Ward Gossett might have been out of a job had you pursued the newspaper business. Gary called to let me know that I had been called out on Coach T and so here I am to answer the charges. Let me start by saying that we are attempting to get "Girls Wrestling" sanctioned and this is why girls must wrestle girls in order for this to be done. It is also viewed as an unfair advantage that girls could wrestle guys and then compete against those that do not. The answer to that of course is then let them also wrestle boys and thats where the problem starts. 1. Not all girls want to wrestle boys 2. not all fathers are comfortable with their daughters wrestling boys 3. The Gessler girl is in the 1% of Girls that can compete against guys and there are other reasons, but I will stop it there. Remember this is about girls from all over the state and not just the Gessler girl. With all the information that has been gathered by the "Girls Wrestling Committee" the majority of girls and their coaches only want to compete against girls. Emily chose to go with the guys and she has the opportunity to be a State Champion in that group. She won a State Championship last year when allowed to compete in the Girls State, so that will always be hers. Hope this helps................Steve

The Red Bank Lady Lions travel to Soddy Daisy to wrestle the Lady Trojans. The match is scheduled for Thursday November 19th and will begin at 7:30. The charge is $5.00 for everyone and all proceeds are split by both programs. This event is the longest running competion of its type in the South. Steve Henry and Richard Brown began this in 1996. Officiating will be Don Elsea and Eddie Davis. The match will be held at the Soddy Daisy Wrestling Arena.

Here we are again Nitetime6. Obviously you don't know Jason or Tyler. They are both highly competitive and every person has a right to go what ever weight they choose. You are not only insulting Jason, but also Tyler. Once again, I will say you know nothing of Soddy Daisy and how that program operates, as well as UTC. They are MOCS now and they are MEN not little boy's. I think they can handle it and don't think it is easy for them, these two have spent countless hours in a gym together. My question to you would be.........when did you cut weight last?......where does your vast compilation of knowledge come from? I usually try to stay off this thing, but when it comes to slandering these guys who put it on the line for this sport then I have a huge problem with it. I know both of these guys VERY well and it wears me out when someone insults BOTH of them in this way!

Nitetime6 I don't have any idea who you are or what your interest is in all this Soddy Daisy stuff, but I can tell you first hand that perhaps you need to focus your attention else where. Billy, doesn't even deserve to be mentioned here at this time. There are much more deserving individuals and if you have any knowledge of the sport then maybe you can put your focus there. Billy spent the whole season trying to get to weight last year and then was two and OUT of the Region. That means that he didn't even qualify for state! Lets wait and see how the season goes before we start mentioning his name. If he deserves attention, he will get it in the right way and that would be by results on the mat and not on this board.

The Soddy Daisy Girls Qualifier will be run just like last year. This Girls tournament is held in conjunction with the Soddy Daisy Showdown. It is all run in one day. Medals will be given to the Top 4 placers. If you need more information email Coach Henry @ xwrist@aol.com

THE SODDY DAISY SHOWDOWN Saturday, January 9th Varsity & Junior Varsity tournaments in the same gym at the same time. Duals on Friday, January 8th for those interested Teams: Walker Valley Science Hill Independence Siegel McMinn Warren County Ooltewah Blackman Notre Dame Bartlett Brentwood Hewitt-Trussville, Alabama Cordova For those intersted in a ONE DAY tough tournament contact Coach Henry @ xwrist@aol.com

Alright, let me see if I can address a few of the issues I have read and heard time and time again. I have been coaching in this state since 1980 and have to say in all this time I have come to know and respect Ronnie Carter and I have the utmost admiration for him. I have dealt with him closely on many of these issues that are being brought up on this topic. Understand, Ronnie is not the judge and jury here, and does not make the final calls on any of these topics. There are so many more elements involved in the process of running ALL SPORTS in the state of Tennessee. He is the Laison between the "Board of Control" and Schools. He is only there to lead and execute the decisions made by this group. There are many elements that figure into the dividing of regions, double elimination, enforcing rules on being in the room when weigh-ins start, etc. In regards to the weigh-ins, there is no gray area, it's cut and dry! It's a NATIONAL FEDERATION RULE and of course at the State Tournament it will be enforced. I'm sure it made his weekend to have to enforce it, but that goes with the territory. In regards to the Regions, hey I'm one of them stuck in a very tough Region. Due to enrollment and Chattanooga having so many smaller schools now, it really is the only way to do it. Dead Periods, I don't like them any more than you, but they were put in due to complaints by Principals and Parents and the Board of Control acted on it. I can go on and on, but in all my dealings with Ronnie Carter he has alway been just and fair and I am proud to have had the honor of working with him and calling him friend. Steve Henry Soddy Daisy H.S.