MFerguson

Awesome stuff Coach Kramer. Kids need as much good competition as they can get in the offseason. Wrestlers reading this...pick out things you need to improve upon this offseason and emphasize these things in this setting. The open room at Wilson Central is the perfect place to work on those things in live match situations in a practice room.

Hey everyone...add the Adidas Stock Grappling Shorts to the sale. Here is the link: http://wrestlersupply.com/collections/shorts/products/adidas-stock-grappling-shorts

Email sent. Let me know if you don't receive it. My email address is mferguson@wrestlersupply.com

Awesome. Great opportunity for state champs and placers to show themselves at multi-state events.

Thank you for the support. It is really appreciated. Our growth in one quarter was more than we expected. So far, solid support in Tennessee but room for growth. We are going to do all we can to help Tennessee wrestling grow in strength and numbers. The foundation in TN is strong and we are noticing the youth level is really picking up as far as dedication from wrestlers, parents, and coaches. it is a good time to be involved and giving back to the State, Southeast region, and wrestling in general! See you next week!

On the subject of wrestlers not having a place to change other than the public bathrooms at the AG Center...I didn't even realize this was an issue until I went to use the restroom and noticed a wrestler that had just finished wrestling for the night was in there stripping down to change into street clothes. As we all know, wrestling tournament bathrooms begin to smell like death about 1 hour into the event. Why should a competing wrestler have to change in a public bathroom with no room to move as well as breathe in the wrestling tournament bathroom smell of death? To me, that is not right. I know there are probably bigger issues at hand, but that is one detail that is not "state tournament" atmosphere.

We have a huge sale going on at Wrestler Supply to clear out some styles to make room for the new Asics and Adidas styles coming out in July. Also, Cliff Keen work out gear is on sale too. My apologies if it is inappropriate to post this on the board. www.wrestlersupply.com

I would be very happy to work with everyone on putting a plan together that includes business proposals, wrestlers experience, fans experience, etc... My family is part of Wrestler Supply, which is a new business. If it continues to grow then we have future plans of giving back to Tennessee wrestling the best way we can at ALL levels. Anyway, count me in with working on a plan with everyone!

Russianbear, great point about the program book. The program book has to be available. The program book needs the group photo of the state champs. One step further, TSSAA could add an individual head shot of the previous year state champ on the bracket page for each weight class. Illinois used to do that but I don't think they do anymore. I thought that was so awesome as a kid. I used to stare at the mugshots of broken noses, black eyes, and looks of pure joy. Last but not least....TSSAA MUST HONOR ALL PAST STATE CHAMPIONS IN THE PROGRAM BOOK. They used to do that but I missed it in the program book I had to print online. Yes, i said print online. Last, program books are collectors items for fans, wrestlers, and families of qualifiers. We collected all of mine, my brothers', and nephew's program books. Well, we printed my nephew's program book this year...haha!

Good to see people speaking out to make wrestling more attractive in Tennessee. I have attended the last two state tournaments at the Ag Expo and agree with the majority that the venue needs to change. I strongly feel it needs to change to an arena setting that is similar to what it was when the tournament was at the McKenzie Arena. The arena atmosphere is a big deal to kids whether some feel it is or not. The arena is another factor in attracting kids to a sport that will allow them to work hard and be rewarded with wrestling on a big stage...and yes, the Round of 32 in AAA, Round of 16 in AA and D2 is a big stage. Believe it or not, the youth wrestlers will be attracted to coming to watch the state tournament because of the "cool" factor. Personal experience...when I was in 8th grade wrestling in Illinois my father decided to take me to watch the IHSA state tournament in Champaign, IL. I can't explain how awesome it was to be in that type of environment watching the best wresters in Illinois. I was instantly driven to succeed in Wrestling. I was instantly daydreaming of winning a state championship on the arena flow, etc, etc. Sorry to ramble....the "cool" factor will work. Here are some of my opinions of improvements to the State Tourney: 1. Arena setting in location that is centrally located but also has plenty to do between rounds/sessions. Hotels, restaurants, bars within walking distance of the arena. The tourney could become an annual trip for casual fans like NCAA's because their is plenty to do outside of just wrestling. 2. Ticket sales - Sell tickets per session or sell all-sessions passes with Adult, student, and AAU/USA card holder pricing. If the all-sessions pass is attractive enough, people will be more inclined to stay through finals rather than leave early. The goal has to be to keep everyone around the final day. 3. Finals Parade: TSSAA is on the right track. Video, spotlight is a step in the right direction but fans need a jumbotron and wrestlers need more of an elaborate introduction. Go back to the bio that used to be done. I always felt Tennessee did that right in the past. 4. Start the consolation semi's and medal rounds earlier on Saturday and move the State finals back to mid-afternoon anytime in between 3-4 pm. This might not be a huge deal but could help with people sticking around. Those are just opinionated suggestions.