Would this idea help promote the sport?

[SilentJohn]

I was talking to somone who isn't that familiar with wrestling about the problems that some schools have fielding full rosters due to lack of tradition and interest.

This guy is from out West, and he asked me "Why don't they have a division with fewer weights for those smaller schools so they can compete with each other"

 

Where he is from , they have 8 man football, and that allows the schools with only 100-200 kids a chance to field a team and compete in spite of only being able to get 12-15, maybee 20, kids to participate.

 

So I put it to the experts on the board, would an 8 or 10 weight division help small schools get kids interested in wrestling?

 

I tend to think it would. For instance, some of the programs in the Chatt area I could see benifitting would be Brainerd, Howard, Lookout valley, etc.

 

I can see why this might be a good idea, now tell me why not. I'm sure there are complications and roadblocks I'm not thinking of. Help me out here.

[tophat]

Why not take it a step farther and have a novice or beginners division for schools with 1st to 4th year programs, if it catches on then they can move up to regular competion and after four years they could automatically move up or have their programs evaluated to see where they stand.

[morelanmn]

The biggest issue I have heard from kids not in the sport is wearing

the singlet. Most said if they could have the option to wear shorts

over the singlet, they would be more likely to wrestle.

 

 

Michael Morelan

Edited February 18, 2004 by morelanmn

[crcomj]

I have had 6 potential wrestlers tell me they would not wrestle because of the singlet. Not a very good reason, but the most popular nonetheless. That, and football is easier.

[morelanmn]

Question.. why cant the kids ware the shorts? Is that a TSSAA rule?

 

 

Michael Morelan

[sundancer]

Look at teams back in the late 60s and early 70s, all the guys wore shorts over the singlets! Of course we had a higher level of modesty back then too!

Edited February 18, 2004 by sundancer

[delaWarr]

Sundancer, In Tennessee they didn't.

[texas23]

Sundancer, In Tennessee they didn't.

Not to be contrary,,,I remember seeing the uniforms that Bradley wrestled in way back in the day, god awful ugly, 3 piece deals, but shorts were a part of the entire ensemble.

 

So I think they actually did have it in Tennessee.

[sundancer]

I was looking at some old wrestling pictures that dated back to the 60s & early 70s of teams here in the mid state, those guys had on shorts over the singlets. They were wearing shorts, and it wasn't spandex. It was kinda cool to see some of our old favorite coaches when they were dashing young men!

[Wrestle90]

sundancer.. where did you find these pictures? Were they ones you had, or did you find these elsewhere such as online? I'd love to have a look at some of our coahces today! Thanks!

[delaWarr]

I stand corrected. Indeed, there were three-piece uniforms at one time: the body piece, tights, and shorts. The influence of international wrestling eventually displaced these with the singlet and tights or just the singlet without tights.

[reftn]

ok..I wore a three piece at one time...and wrestled on a mat cover....

 

kids today can were tights under the singlet if they choose to. If I were a coach that would be my answer to the singlet issue, and its a non issue. A singlet for the reason for not wrestling is the first in a line of excuses to follow. The excuse is "I am under a spotlight for my efforts, if they fall short, I have no excuse."

 

No one said wrestling was easy.

 

If a small school cannot field a full team, dont they have the option to compete in the weight classes they can fill? Many coaches in this situation consider the matches they wrestle and if they compete in 7 and win 4 weight classes, that is pretty close to a victory, albeit a moral one. Lets face it, our sport is first and foremost an individual effort.

 

If you take your "team" to the state individuals and come away with 3 state champs, you would likely be in the top ten. Is there no honor in that?

 

Again, in our capitalistic society, someone design a singlet that gives the appearance of shorts tied into a tank top. From this thread, you might clean up!

 

reftn