Need Some help starting a program...all help appreciated

[brocksterdanza]

My middle school is looking into starting a middle school wrestling program and in hopes filtering over to the high school ranks. Where do i start? I know the mat is very expensive and the biggest cost to start up. The rest can be maintained for a few years, ie singlets, etc. I know that wrestling is just starting to take off in my area (east tennessee, knoxville area), but didnt know if the season was carried on during basketball season or if it was at another time. Also, what local area school have teams? Thanks for all your help. If you want to contact me directly, my email is starhoopcoach@charter.net. Thanks for all the help.

[PUMMELKING]

My middle school is looking into starting a middle school wrestling program and in hopes filtering over to the high school ranks. Where do i start? I know the mat is very expensive and the biggest cost to start up. The rest can be maintained for a few years, ie singlets, etc. I know that wrestling is just starting to take off in my area (east tennessee, knoxville area), but didnt know if the season was carried on during basketball season or if it was at another time. Also, what local area school have teams? Thanks for all your help. If you want to contact me directly, my email is starhoopcoach@charter.net. Thanks for all the help.

It really depends on where your location is exactly at. What city, can impact the direction of the program and if their is a conference to join.

[brocksterdanza]

I know that we are in Area 4 of the TMSAA.... that is for basketball and track... This is going to be started for next season and i need to know how much money we need to raise in order to get a mat and all other items needed. we are in a conference with the roane county schools and monroe co as well as loudon county. Thanks for everything.

[PUMMELKING]

I know that we are in Area 4 of the TMSAA.... that is for basketball and track... This is going to be started for next season and i need to know how much money we need to raise in order to get a mat and all other items needed. we are in a conference with the roane county schools and monroe co as well as loudon county. Thanks for everything.

Some mats can be purchased as lower costs when national tournaments are held, because they want to sell them there. If the conference does not have wrestling, then best bet would be independent, have no ties to TMSAA. That would allow you have what ever season you wanted, travel and wrestle Cleveland area schools down to Georgia up to Nashville and back to East TN. You could participate in USA events and AAU as well.

[thepelican]

To my knowledge TMSAA, does not have a middle school wrestling league. Your best bet, to get the best competition, would be to travel to Chattanooga, North Georgia, or Nashville Areas for tournaments and do USA Wrestling Membership instead of an AAU membership. The USA tournaments are much more competitive and to build the best wrestlers you have to wrestle the best.

[PUMMELKING]

To my knowledge TMSAA, does not have a middle school wrestling league. Your best bet, to get the best competition, would be to travel to Chattanooga, North Georgia, or Nashville Areas for tournaments and do USA Wrestling Membership instead of an AAU membership. The USA tournaments are much more competitive and to build the best wrestlers you have to wrestle the best.

There is no TMSAA league but yes they do set guidelines for wrestling programs if they belong to the TMSAA. Each different part/area of the state have their own leagues and seasons they have wrestling.

[411]

There is a Tmssa organization but I would not join that. It is really holding up the rest of the state from having a big statewide league . Your kids will not be able to participate outside your league. Pelican didn't give you very accurate info , USA wrestling is mon existent in Tennesse for middle school. The Aau has a middle school league and statewide open tournaments. My nephew wrestles in it and I can't believe how it's grown since my kids wrestled. Someone told me they had 5000 say kids in Tennessee now.

[PUMMELKING]

There is a Tmssa organization but I would not join that. It is really holding up the rest of the state from having a big statewide league . Your kids will not be able to participate outside your league. Pelican didn't give you very accurate info , USA wrestling is mon existent in Tennesse for middle school. The Aau has a middle school league and statewide open tournaments. My nephew wrestles in it and I can't believe how it's grown since my kids wrestled. Someone told me they had 5000 say kids in Tennessee now.

OK there is more you need to know. Yes TMSAA is a organization that is beneficial for Insurance purposes only. It would suit a program better to not have to follow all their rules and regulations. They do not allow you to enter a contest that is not sanctioned by them but you can have other organizations enter your event you host like AAU and USA teams and you are not allowed to enter events once your certifications have been sent in.

Yes TN does have a USA middle school program, that is what West TN does with their clubs/schools. AAU is large numbers, the quality maybe not so, just depends on your location of the state.

[411]

Sorry, I didn't realize you guys wrestled USA in middle school out west. I think this poster was asking about the Knoxville area Which is 100% Aau along with Chattanooga and most of Nashville. I would say all but a handful of the best middle schoolers wrestle Aau and not USA for folkstyle I'm Tennessee.

[PUMMELKING]

Sorry, I didn't realize you guys wrestled USA in middle school out west. I think this poster was asking about the Knoxville area Which is 100% Aau along with Chattanooga and most of Nashville. I would say all but a handful of the best middle schoolers wrestle Aau and not USA for folkstyle I'm Tennessee.

The best middle schools have a league to participate in such as Cleveland, Ocoee, Lake Forrest all in Bradley CO, Baylor and McCallie in Chatt, then the whole Hamilton County league in Chattanooge.

Then you have like to different leagues in the Nashville area.

Then there is a conference that goes from Jefferson CO up to Greeneville.

All these teams run their season thru a league/conference not AAU or USA. They may also participate in those organizations when possible, if allowed due to TMSAA conflicts.

[411]

The best middle schools have a league to participate in such as Cleveland, Ocoee, Lake Forrest all in Bradley CO, Baylor and McCallie in Chatt, then the whole Hamilton County league in Chattanooge.

Then you have like to different leagues in the Nashville area.

Then there is a conference that goes from Jefferson CO up to Greeneville.

All these teams run their season thru a league/conference not AAU or USA. They may also participate in those organizations when possible, if allowed due to TMSAA conflicts.

You are behind the times my friend. Cleveland, Baylor, Bradley ect dropped their leagues a couple of years ago. Cleveland and Bradley, Lake Forest and Ocoee joined up with a couple of N Georgia schools and formed a new league. They can now wrestle outside teams but still can't attend individual tournaments and have in fact been penalized for doing so. I'm pretty sure they wish they were able to do whatever they wanted. Chattanooga has a public school league but it is horrible. They only wrestle 6 weeks, can't wrestle anyone outside their league, can't wrestle individual tournaments. Soddy is very good and a couple of others are decent at best and the rest could care less about wrestling. The serious coaches in that league all wish they weren't in it.

[rcpatriot]

My middle school is looking into starting a middle school wrestling program and in hopes filtering over to the high school ranks. Where do i start? I know the mat is very expensive and the biggest cost to start up. The rest can be maintained for a few years, ie singlets, etc. I know that wrestling is just starting to take off in my area (east tennessee, knoxville area), but didnt know if the season was carried on during basketball season or if it was at another time. Also, what local area school have teams? Thanks for all your help. If you want to contact me directly, my email is starhoopcoach@charter.net. Thanks for all the help.

 

Coach, for the most part you have 2 different season for MS. Most "MS" teams wrestle during the HS season and are teamed up with the HS duals during the season. Most in the surrounding Knox area are not TMSSA sanctioned, but do fall under the AAU and/or USA insurance umbrella. Doing so allows for much more freedom than what TMSSA will allow.

The other season would actually be an individual season of AAU and/or USA tournaments. Not sure about USA, but AAU tournaments begin around February and end sometime in April I believe. Darrell Lauderdale and/or Don Barnett can supply more information on AAU benefits and tournaments. Not sure who your USA contact would be but Pummel can provide that to you.

I applaud your desire but would encourage you to contact the principals at LC and Loudon to let them know what your plans are. From their, for your programs continued success, those local high schools would need to start a HS program. The closest current HS program to your MS is either Kingston or Farragut, but none of your kids are zoned for those schools. Will be difficult to have a MS program if these kids don't have a HS program to continue wrestling at, once they reach HS.