I was there at the NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virgina Beach and did not see any of the problems Mel alleged. Not to say that he didn't, but if you sent 10 people to a tounament that massive you would get ten different evaluations. The meet, by-in-large, is well ran, organized like clock work, and goes an extra mile to be an elete presentation. Kansas, because of relationships that Cherie and Chuck have developed, is treated like royalty.
The meet is very selective about who gets to wrestle in it. Kansas, like most states, can bring only the wrestlers who have been in the finals of the state sometime in their career. Some of the larger states like California and New York, who have only one state champion, may bring their top eight. Believe me, after they have sifted through the thousands of kids who wrestle in California, that eighth kid in each weight class is nasty. Also, the wrestlers can petition in, but the criteria for acceptance is high.
Earlier in the same week there are similar tournaments for Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen hosted by the NHSCA at the same location. The criteria for entry is not as high as the seniors, but the competion is excellent anyway. Earlier in this thread Will Cokeley suggested that we offer from Kansas a similar experience for these younger high school wrestlers that we offer for our seniors. I think that is a great idea. The more experience Kansas kids have at that level the better they will become.
Last edited by Gary Ulmer; 03/30/10 08:39 AM.
