Its very obvious only a foolish man wades into the 6U at State topic. But, after reading some of the comments I cannot resist.
First. its not about being fair. If you have been to the state tournament, you know there is not enough room. There is as much as 4 hours between matches, which makes it hard for a kid to keep their focus. Many older kids are limited to half mats - which does decide outcomes. Thats not fair - so where is the complaint. The first focus of the state body should be finding a way to get the kids in at least 12 and 14 and U on full mats. You want all the kids from 6U up to 16U in one building, I think we need a bigger building built. And, lets not forget districts, last year we got out sometime after 7pm. It was crowded. Adding 6u's will only make it worse.
Second, what is the complaint about fees. In our kids football league there is a weight limit on which players can carry the ball. In 3rd and 4th grade if you are over 85 lbs you cannot carry the ball, fair or not, you pay the same price to pay. Same here, you pay a price to participate.
A stand alone state tournament for 6U is fine. You have it. In fact, you have 2. The free market system at its best. Pick which one you like. If you want one sanctioned by the state bring it up, but putting them at state just won't work with the space available. If that happened you would see weight classes in the other classes eliminated or combined. Is that what you want.
And, finally, do not tell me 6U kids work as hard as the older kids. My son is now 12 and he works harder each year. I have been in the practice rooms for the last 5 years with him and most 6 year olds want to have fun. Which is what this is all about. It should be fun for the young kids. This is a time to learn the basics and get comfortable with the sport.
If you want 6 year olds at state and you can figure out how to do it without eliminating other weights, keep the time frame reasonable and not reduce mat size for the other kids AND not make it harder to get coaching passes, good. But it cannot be done at the EXPO Center.
I understand the excitement created when our kids compete, especially when they show some promise. I have a new grandson and my son claims he has already taught him how to bridge (he is less than 6 months old, I doubt it). I know I will want to take him to the wrestling room at 4 if his mom allows. But, I hope I don't go completely crazy.
