AAA and A/AA divisions in D-1 - A different perspective

[briandrinkwine]

Hey guys,

 

I recently moved back to TN after 5 years in Arizona where I was helping with a few local high schools and when I got here a few months ago, I didn't even know that the change to a new large school/small school divisions. It wasn't until I got on CoachT a few weeks ago that I even realized what had taken place.

 

Anyway, I know that sweeping changes like this one incur a lot of opposition and sometimes can really upset the apple cart. Any major change is bound to cause a lot of questions, if not objections, and a change like this one is no exception.

 

I remember when I was in high school at Overton in the late 90s, TSSAA was just then implementing the change to a split between financial aid giving schools and those who don't give financial aid to athletes, what we know today as D-I and D-II. At that time, it was a heated debate, and I really can't recall anyone "winning" in that debate. In certain conversations, I remember people getting so heated over the idea that they would start name calling and insults. Now, more than 15 years later, the TSSAA has decided to split the Division I into two divisions, a large school and small school division, for the individual state tournaments. It's no surprise, given our history, why there has been some heated discussions that I've personally witnessed.

 

That said, I'd like to offer an alternative perspective, particularly that this change is not all good, but it's not all bad either. Here's my reasoning, and you can let me know what you think...

 

It's not all good.

One of the first things I've heard at the last couple wrestling events I've gone to is that any split "waters down" the sport. I think I agree, at least to a point. At the end of the season, wrestlers are left wondering if they are truly "the best," measuring up each other and challenging the legitimacy of each other's titles or medals. I think this is the obvious negative effect that nobody wants, but everyone agrees is there.

 

It's not all bad, either.

The flip side of all of this is what splitting the division does for the small schools. I know that some people will say that it "evens the playing field." Well, I'm not sure if it does that, at least for the wrestlers. However, something I noticed when I was living in Arizona, a state with several divisions, is that when they split wrestling into smaller chunks, it made the smaller schools more desirable to coach. You see, prior to their split into enrollment-based classifications, the best coaches didn't pursue jobs at the smaller schools. In fact, they would outright avoid them.

 

Obviously, if you're a skilled and experienced coach with an ambitious mentality, you will find the school that offers you the greatest opportunity for fielding a team that maximizes possibilities on multiple fronts: (1) talent and athleticism, (2) experience, (3) quality students, and (4) bodies in the room. That last part, bodies in the room, is what prevents great coaches to going to small schools, because at the end of the season, they will feel like they are at a disadvantage.

 

Now, one can certainly say that the coach lacks guts or doesn't "believe in the kids," but the truth is that the experienced coach is probably just thinking practically. After all, who wants to face an uphill battle that isn't necessary, when there's a giant school right down the road? But with a separate division, the experienced coach now feels like they aren't competing with the same numbers difference.

 

Why is this a good thing? Simple. In Arizona, my experience, and what I was told by other coaches, was that the smaller school divisions attracted excellent coaches AFTER the divisions were implemented, making those schools suddenly more competitive. I believe this is one "upside" to the divided classifications and my hope is that the smaller schools will see an uptick in quality wrestling.

 

Then again, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

Glad to be back in Tennessee. Hope to see many of you soon!

 

Brian Drinkwine

[BoroRef]

Well put Brian....

[Sommers]

Yes... At first I was totally against divisions watering down wrestling, but I can foresee significant growth over the next several seasons after some trophies show up in the halls with other sports and admin getting behind it. Heck, even Blackman had grown inspite of little to no support besides that of coaches (with their rotating doors) and parents, even after the county shut down the feeder program, their future. Both Smyrna and Blackman had no real wrestling rooms. Not sure about Stewart's Creek, but again coaches and parents make a world of difference and will continue to around the state as they see success. Who knows, maybe we'll begin to see new programs start up in areas like Jackson, Union City, Savannah, Columbia, and Gallatin one day?

 

Final note: If coaches want to reduce speculation on who is really #1, they will attend the bigger tournaments with All divisions represented "busting brackets" with top tier talent.