7 p.m. CST tonight on YouTube: Matt Hart, Dylan Villers, and Madison Newbern on Power Hour Podcast!

[KidGloves]

1 hour ago, cbg said:

What is the correct age for true 8th graders?  In the past I have known two different heads of private schools that would not admit 90% of 5 year old boys to kindergarten. She said that the vast majority of young boys were not ready to sit at a desk and take academic instruction from a teacher at five years of age.  BTW, these ladies were at K-6 schools so it absolutely had nothing to do with athletics.  As someone that began college at 17, I can say unequivocally that I was much too young and immature to be a college student/athlete.  I was 17 and we had a 20 year old freshman on the team.  There is a big difference between 17 and 20.

Fair question. I too was a 17yo college student, so I understand and agree. 
 

If a kid doesn’t go to school at 4 or 5 because of maturity, that’s fine, but if your waiting until 8th grade, then come on, pretty clear what’s going on. Again, my 2 cents. It’s happening and there aren’t any rules against it, but again, don’t expect folks to play along when it’s “My 8th grader” this or “my 8th grader” that, when the kid is older then most Freshmen and as old as most sophomore. That is perhaps my single biggest issue with the reclassifying. I don’t care what grade the kid is in, tell everyone how old he is. Much less impressive when you do that most times. 

“My 8th grader is undefeated this Middle School season” sounds much less impressive when it’s “my 15yo is undefeated this Middle School season”, doesn’t it?

[FR615]

6 hours ago, matpitts81 said:

Call him what you want, but he's currently in 8th grade and 14 years old.  Held back in 1st grade for reasons not associated with wrestling.  

Also won the tournament with two decisions. Won by forfeit in the semis and finals. Age wise should be a freshman. 

[cobrakid8]

10 hours ago, FR615 said:

Also won the tournament with two decisions. Won by forfeit in the semis and finals. Age wise should be a freshman. 

The finals forfeit was due to the fact that Georgia high school kids are prohibited from wrestling 8th grade wrestlers. Kind of weird but that’s how it went. Of course I’m pretty sure they still wrestled the match and the kid from Georgia was a senior and I think 2 time state champ and Dylan still won it. Just kind of weird that Georgia has that rule for their high school students.

[FargoStrut]

Congratulations Dylan on winning the McCallie tournament. 

Matt, placing at Ironman is an exceptional achievement. Every year there are many very talented wrestlers who dont make it to the podium here. Great job and Congratulations!

Madison, I'm happy to hear you defied the odds and are able to still compete and do something you enjoy. Congratulations on placing at the state tournament last season!

 

Everyone here hating on kids achievements, Congratulations on receiving your high school diploma!

[littlejohnny]

2 minutes ago, FargoStrut said:

Congratulations Dylan on winning the McCallie tournament. 

Matt, placing at Ironman is an exceptional achievement. Every year there are many very talented wrestlers who dont make it to the podium here. Great job and Congratulations!

Madison, I'm happy to hear you defied the odds and are able to still compete and do something you enjoy. Congratulations on placing at the state tournament last season!

 

Everyone here hating on kids achievements, Congratulations on receiving your high school diploma!

Well said Fargo! 

[KidGloves]

6 hours ago, cobrakid8 said:

The finals forfeit was due to the fact that Georgia high school kids are prohibited from wrestling 8th grade wrestlers. Kind of weird but that’s how it went. Of course I’m pretty sure they still wrestled the match and the kid from Georgia was a senior and I think 2 time state champ and Dylan still won it. Just kind of weird that Georgia has that rule for their high school students.

That is an odd rule change all of a sudden. I wonder what caused it. 

[KidGloves]

3 hours ago, FargoStrut said:

Congratulations on receiving your high school diploma!

Thanks. I appreciate it. 

[oceansize42]

Really good wrestlers are really good wrestlers but the "true" freshman thing is particularly funny at the collegiate level.   In High School it doesn't matter one bit about being held back.  Kids that are elite stomp everyone else's pie hole in and do so at every age level with few exceptions (the exceptions certainly exist).

There is a really good wrestler from TN at a certain big name college.  Phenomenal wrestler, seems like a nice young man, hope he beats the tar out of everyone everywhere. I really enjoy watching him wrestle, truly, root for him. He is a twenty one year old true freshman   The term "true" freshman is correct but I think it would be better clarified by stating their age rather than undergraduate title.  I mean, that's quite a spread. David Taylor started his freshman year at 17 years old.

It isn't the kids fault that the press, or whomever, doesn't know the details of what they are witnessing and simply report what they know.  I know of two instances where kids won wrestling titles as eighth graders, but were very very far removed from anything resembling an eighth grader with respect to age.  If everyone knew their true age the shine gets a little hazy. The old cliché applies, it is what it is.

Does any of this matter in the end? No.  As I said, really good wrestlers typically start that way and end that way (99% of the time).

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by oceansize42

[KidGloves]

7 minutes ago, oceansize42 said:

Really good wrestlers are really good wrestlers but the "true" freshman thing is particularly funny at the collegiate level.   In High School it doesn't matter one bit about being held back.  Kids that are elite stomp everyone else's pie hole in and do so at every age level with few exceptions (the exceptions certainly exist).

There is a really good wrestler from TN at a certain big name college.  Phenomenal wrestler, seems like a nice young man, hope he beats the tar out of everyone everywhere. I really enjoy watching him wrestle, truly, root for him. He is a twenty one year old true freshman   The term "true" freshman is correct but I think it would be better clarified by stating their age rather than undergraduate title.  I mean, that's quite a spread. David Taylor started his freshman year at 17 years old.

It isn't the kids fault that the press, or whomever, doesn't know the details of what they are witnessing and simply report what they know.  I know of two instances where kids won wrestling titles as eighth graders, but were very very far removed from anything resembling an eighth grader with respect to age.  If everyone knew their true age the shine gets a little hazy. The old cliché applies, it is what it is.

Does any of this matter in the end? No.  As I said, really good wrestlers typically start that way and end that way (99% of the time).

 

All fair points. Thanks. 

[matpitts81]

On 12/14/2023 at 6:41 AM, cobrakid8 said:

The finals forfeit was due to the fact that Georgia high school kids are prohibited from wrestling 8th grade wrestlers. Kind of weird but that’s how it went. Of course I’m pretty sure they still wrestled the match and the kid from Georgia was a senior and I think 2 time state champ and Dylan still won it. Just kind of weird that Georgia has that rule for their high school students.

Super weird GA decided to start enforcing this rule on Saturday.  I haven't seen it in over 30 years involved in the sport in GA.  After the forfeit in the finals they wrestled an exhibition.  Dylan was winning 10-2 when he pinned him.  Regardless of grade, that's pretty impressive for any 14 year old! 

[KidGloves]

15 minutes ago, matpitts81 said:

Super weird GA decided to start enforcing this rule on Saturday.  I haven't seen it in over 30 years involved in the sport in GA.  After the forfeit in the finals they wrestled an exhibition.  Dylan was winning 10-2 when he pinned him.  Regardless of grade, that's pretty impressive for any 14 year old! 

It is. Very. Never says otherwise and I think everyone agrees with it being impressive. 
 

Villers is a hammer. There’s no one that can say otherwise. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by KidGloves

[cobrakid8]

2 hours ago, matpitts81 said:

Super weird GA decided to start enforcing this rule on Saturday.  I haven't seen it in over 30 years involved in the sport in GA.  After the forfeit in the finals they wrestled an exhibition.  Dylan was winning 10-2 when he pinned him.  Regardless of grade, that's pretty impressive for any 14 year old! 

Yeah, was super weird and if I’m not mistaken that kid he pinned was a 2 time state champ from Georgia who is a senior, or maybe my info is wrong