oldwrestlingcoach

Excellent post !!!

I do not understand this controversy. I think the split was good for wrestling in general and will make it better in Tennessee in the upcoming years. If a wrestler really wants to see how good he is, convince the coach to go to the big tournaments where the top teams wrestle each year. See where you stand among the big boys and see if you are good enough to place there. The Bradley Invitational, GP West, etc... are all good measuring sticks for how good a wrestler is. Just because there is not a unified state championship does not mean that most of us cannot figure out the best wrestlers in the state by these tournament results. When you are asking yourself why we split, keep in mind that several years ago, a very well known private school had a Tennessee state champion and a Georgia state champion in the same school year.

I do agree that it all starts with the youth program and from the days of Future Champions to the AAU programs of today, most of the elite wrestlers in Tennessee started in those programs. I get tired of hearing how superior Chattanooga is to the rest of the state. That is true for now and may be true for the future, but give it time and things will change. Rutherford County had a top notch youth program several years ago until politics ruined it and Williamson County has been very successful with their youth program as well. (For the record, I am not associated with either program). Chattanooga has a better feeder system than the Middle Tennessee schools and we are seeing that in wrestling. As far as the zoning issues, I was told last year by a Chattanooga area coach%2

I dont even consider the private schools when I look at the quality of wrestling in Tennessee because they can all recruit and do actively recruit across the state and within other states (especially the ones that offer dormitories and housing arrangements). As far as public schools, consider the size of the county and if the county requires zoning. Several of the powerhouses in Tennesse are in counties that allow for open enrollment so the better wrestlers in the county can go to a school where other better wrestlers go and that builds the strong team. If a county only has one or two high schools, a stronger team can be assembled as well. When a county has many highschools and kids are required to go only to their zoned school, that keeps that from happening. That is what you see in Middle Tennessee. Many of the counties have experienced tremendous growth and do not allow students to go to any school they want due to overcrowding issues. Call it an excuse, whining, or whatever you will, but that is the truth.

If he uses the camps as a learning opportunity and not a time to play for 20 days, he should come out of there with better skills. I always looked at camp as getting a season of experience in a short period of time. That is what I would expect out of it. You mentioned he was a heavyweight. The best improvement he can make is to increase his strength and stamina as well as getting faster. That goes back to natural ability, but there is a difference between what you can do and what you are able to do. Many a good athlete could do better, but did not becuase he didn't put the time into practice and self improvement. In the heavyweight division, you will win more matches with better stamina and movement than your opponent.