This is what you get

[texas23]

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/apr/03/tssaa-to-consider-wrestling-proposal/?sportspreps

 

It's possible that a split in Division I wrestling, recognizing AAA and A/AA state champions, could become a Tennessee high school reality by the 2013-14 school year.

 

Mark Reeves, an assistant executive director with the TSSAA, confirmed Monday that a proposal would be presented to the organization's Board of Control at its June meeting and that the state governing body was exploring options to accommodate the change.

 

"I don't know if it's going to happen, but the vote will take place at the June meeting when the board meets to consider [all] sports classification changes," Reeves said.

 

The board is expected also to consider whether to keep six public school divisions for the football playoffs or return to five.

 

If the board accepts the wrestling proposal, which is to be submitted by Martiin Luther King coach Paul Bass, it is likely that the Division I traditional tournament would drop from 32 to 24 qualifiers for Class AAA and that the A/AA tournament would have 12-man brackets. Reeves said the possible changes would not affect Division II, which currently has a nonqualifying 16-man tournament, or the girls' tournament, which still has invitational status.

 

Numerous Division I coaches were hopeful of keeping the 32-man AAA bracket and adding a 16-man A/AA bracket.

 

Hixson coach Garrick Hall, whose team would be in the new A/AA tournament, said he did not like the 24/12 option.

 

"Ultimately you'd like to grow the sport, but this is almost like cutting off a hand," Hall said. "If you to go with 32- and 16-man brackets, it might ultimately grown the sport. I like the way it is to a certain point, but I'd also like to take more kids and have more medals in the state."

 

If it is a matter of time constraints, Hall said, maybe the state could look at making consolation matches three or four minutes rather than five, going with three one-minute periods or a two-minute period and two one-minute periods.

 

Hall also is concerned about the current Region 4 tournament, especially if teams are allowed only two qualifiers. The current Region 4 field, excluding AAA schools Soddy-Daisy and Ooltewah, has 12 teams with Central, Hixson and Notre Dame having won seven of the eight A/AA state duals championships.

 

One major worry in this area is Soddy-Daisy, Cleveland and Bradley Central winding up in the same region. Those teams have won the last 13 traditional championships.

 

"One of the concerns and certainly one we'd want to listen to if is you have some of the best teams all in the same area. It's a legitimate concern," Reeves said.

 

One idea the TSSAA is considering is eliminating the eight region tournaments and going with four "super regionals" much like the current track and field format with six medalists advancing from each to the state tournament.

 

"If the board approves an A/Double-A tournament, we have to figure out which route Triple-A would go," Reeves said. "We're working at looking at hypothetical regions. We have also looked at eight regions and we have even looked at six regions.

 

"What we don't want to do is add another [qualifying] tournament. We would like to keep the calendar the same whether it's region or sectional tournaments. We might even look at less qualifers from Memphis, which has 12 [AAA wrestling] teams total."

 

As for the classification debate on football, Reeves said the TSSAA sent out a survey to the 300-plus football-playing schools asking for responses signed by principals. He said only slightly more than half the schools had bothered to respond and that those responses were close to a 50-50 split.

 

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765.

[LovinIt]

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/apr/03/tssaa-to-consider-wrestling-proposal/?sportspreps

 

It's possible that a split in Division I wrestling, recognizing AAA and A/AA state champions, could become a Tennessee high school reality by the 2013-14 school year.

 

Mark Reeves, an assistant executive director with the TSSAA, confirmed Monday that a proposal would be presented to the organization's Board of Control at its June meeting and that the state governing body was exploring options to accommodate the change.

 

"I don't know if it's going to happen, but the vote will take place at the June meeting when the board meets to consider [all] sports classification changes," Reeves said.

 

The board is expected also to consider whether to keep six public school divisions for the football playoffs or return to five.

 

If the board accepts the wrestling proposal, which is to be submitted by Martiin Luther King coach Paul Bass, it is likely that the Division I traditional tournament would drop from 32 to 24 qualifiers for Class AAA and that the A/AA tournament would have 12-man brackets. Reeves said the possible changes would not affect Division II, which currently has a nonqualifying 16-man tournament, or the girls' tournament, which still has invitational status.

 

Numerous Division I coaches were hopeful of keeping the 32-man AAA bracket and adding a 16-man A/AA bracket.

 

Hixson coach Garrick Hall, whose team would be in the new A/AA tournament, said he did not like the 24/12 option.

 

"Ultimately you'd like to grow the sport, but this is almost like cutting off a hand," Hall said. "If you to go with 32- and 16-man brackets, it might ultimately grown the sport. I like the way it is to a certain point, but I'd also like to take more kids and have more medals in the state."

 

If it is a matter of time constraints, Hall said, maybe the state could look at making consolation matches three or four minutes rather than five, going with three one-minute periods or a two-minute period and two one-minute periods.

 

Hall also is concerned about the current Region 4 tournament, especially if teams are allowed only two qualifiers. The current Region 4 field, excluding AAA schools Soddy-Daisy and Ooltewah, has 12 teams with Central, Hixson and Notre Dame having won seven of the eight A/AA state duals championships.

 

 

 

 

ng al

One major worry in this area is Soddy-Daisy, Cleveland and Bradley Central winding up in the same region. Those teams have won the last 13 traditional championships.

 

"One of the concerns and certainly one we'd want to listen to if is you have some of the best teams all in the same area. It's a legitimate concern," Reeves said.

 

One idea the TSSAA is considering is eliminating the eight region tournaments and going with four "super regionals" much like the current track and field format with six medalists advancing from each to the state tournament.

 

"If the board approves an A/Double-A tournament, we have to figure out which route Triple-A would go," Reeves said. "We're working at looking at hypothetical regions. We have also looked at eight regions and we have even looked at six regions.

 

"What we don't want to do is add another [qualifying] tournament. We would like to keep the calendar the same whether it's region or sectional tournaments. We might even look at less qualifers from Memphis, which has 12 [AAA wrestling] teams total."

 

As for the classification debate on football, Reeves said the TSSAA sent out a survey to the 300-plus football-playing schools asking for responses signed by principals. He said only slightly more than half the schools had bothered to respond and that those responses were close to a 50-50 split.

 

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765.

 

 

 

Just refuse to allow Cleveland, Soddy and Bradley to attend the state then all these other kids will get to be state champions!

But what will you do when another area start to win, just do away with wrestling?

[bradley08]

The grass in my yard will not grow. I think im going to divide my yard into two seperate yards. Yard east and yard west then surely it will grow. Isnt that what we are suggestiong? Divide wrestling up and it will miraculously make our numbers grow? Shouldnt we cultivate it? Create kids programs thus increasing the number of kids interested in our sport. Go to the middle schools and high schools without wrestling and propose they start the sport. Get some of our coaching staffs open to the idea that we need more programs and talk them into taking over at schools wihout coaches/ teams or in need of more qualified coaches. Im all for growing the sport but it wont happen just by adding more divisions. Its all about supply and demand. If we have numbers of kids and parents reqesting their school take up the sport then thats more likely to have a direct affect than simply creating a new division.

[cbg]

Tennessee does not have the numbers to have two divisions like we now have and people want three divisions? The wrestling family in Tennessee is getting soft/squish. Maybe we should just just mail every wrestler a state championship medal and every coach a state championship trophy. Folks the state title is "watered down" enough with two divisions. You grow a sport through the grass roots method not by handing out bogus championship titles.

[HSDAD]

Tennessee does not have the numbers to have two divisions like we now have and people want three divisions? The wrestling family in Tennessee is getting soft/squish. Maybe we should just just mail every wrestler a state championship medal and every coach a state championship trophy. Folks the state title is "watered down" enough with two divisions. You grow a sport through the grass roots method not by handing out bogus championship titles.

 

AMEN ! I'm for ONE state champ. (combine D1 and D2)

[Sommers]

Just give out a little more hardware, like 8 placers and a MOW in upper and lower weights.

 

Oh novel idea, lets keep team scores separate between small, medium and large schools + D-2 (FOUR TROPHIES), but allow all individual wrestlers compete for the Top Eight!!!!

 

NOW THAT'S AMERICA!!!

 

Watch TN wrestling interest Sky Rocket and Attendance at District, Region & State! Like the good ol days!!!

 

Hello!?!?!?

[bradley08]

Just give out a little more hardware, like 8 placers and a MOW in upper and lower weights.

 

Oh novel idea, lets keep team scores separate between small, medium and large schools + D-2 (FOUR TROPHIES), but allow all individual wrestlers compete for the Top Eight!!!!

 

NOW THAT'S AMERICA!!!

 

Watch TN wrestling interest Sky Rocket and Attendance at District, Region & State! Like the good ol days!!!

 

Hello!?!?!?

 

Good point Soms! Ive seen it mentioned before but every seems to ignore the most common solution. Put the tournament back together. Keep seperate team points for DI lare, DII small and DII. The kids get to wrestle each other, and the teams can compete for team trophys against the others in their division. When our state grows and gets above a certain number of REAL wrestling teams then start thinking about separating it but not until then.

[LovinIt]

I don't understand why someone feels the need to keep changing things. I still don't get the last change, putting Soddy, Cleveland and Bradley in the same region. Let's drive past 6 schools that aren't in our region to wrestle this one that is?

I guess we need to teach our kids that hard work is not the way to win. Let's just change things around so you can win.

[csemary]

I don't understand why someone feels the need to keep changing things. I still don't get the last change, putting Soddy, Cleveland and Bradley in the same region. Let's drive past 6 schools that aren't in our region to wrestle this one that is?

I guess we need to teach our kids that hard work is not the way to win. Let's just change things around so you can win.

 

I think you may be thinking of Soddy, Bradley and Ooltewah in the same district for the duals. Bradley is in the same individual region as Cleveland. Soddy is in the same individual region as Ooltewah.

[LovinIt]

I think you may be thinking of Soddy, Bradley and Ooltewah in the same district for the duals. Bradley is in the same individual region as Cleveland. Soddy is in the same individual region as Ooltewah.

 

Yes, I am. I didn't understand that change anymore than the one being considered now! It just seem like the goal is to keep certain wrestlers home. Everyone wins everyone get a trophy, work for it or not!

[2blLeg]

Yes, I am. I didn't understand that change anymore than the one being considered now! It just seem like the goal is to keep certain wrestlers home. Everyone wins everyone get a trophy, work for it or not!

 

yeah, I say get rid of all the weight classes as well, and just have 1 champ. That way, only the very best gets the trophy, and the rest get nothing because they didn't earn it.

[TDArtist]

I am not sure what the final answer is to the A/AA/AAA/Private debate.

 

There are some real issues there that people tend to ignore so they can spout a great one-liner on CoachT. I am pretty sure that the Private/Public boat has left the dock and is not coming back anytime soon. So, we can set that aside for the time being.

 

What I find funny is htat everyone wants to grow the sport within our existing framework by adding kids clubs. That's a great idea and I'm blessed to have a couple of middle school and kids club coaches that do great work. What I don't get is how this helps all of the many, many A/AA (heck, even some AAA)schools out there that do not even offer wrestling. How is starting a kids club going to get new programs going? Again, I am not sure that a split is the answer but what we have now is certainly not attracting very many new schools to the sport.