Kansas Wrestling Forums General Discussion Kids Folkstyle Does Basketball have it Right?

I was talking with a High School Coach last night and we think that Basketball may finally have one up on the wrestlers. In the NCAA Basketball tournament there is no 3rd place, no challenge for 2nd, and no double elimination. The only thing that matters is "The Championship".

All of those players are not winners. All of those players don't get a trophy. They don't care if you were on the tough side of the bracket. Win or GO HOME. A True life lesson.

That would eliminate subs and district. One weekend, one great big building, and one GREAT BIG HAPPY BRACKET!!!!!

Although I strongly agree with the fact that we don’t need the “everyone gets a participation medal” I wouldn’t like to see this solution. I would think that it would drive many kids away from the sport. We have several kids in our club that we know full well would never make it the finals match no matter what side of the bracket they are on but the drive to make state and battle for a lesser place is very important to them. You could argue that this would just require them to change their goals but the finals is just not a realistic option for many young wrestlers that are still good enough to place. I just really think the short answer is that it wouldn’t be a good idea for our sport especially at our level.

I would agree at the kids level this is probably too much. I think we may have it right with the kids level placing 6. My reasoning is it is just one class. There are only 6 placers in the whole state. High School has 24 placers, way too many. As we get older it should become more difficult to place not easier.

Well to understand it you have to have experienced it or coached them I think. I just am not getting what you think it is harming? It has no bearing at all on the top four placers and there are hundreds of people in the stands cheering for those kids. They fight their butts off for those medals. I just see no downside to that. They aren't getting participation ribbons. They had to show up that second day and lay it out there and win matches just like everyone else. I just don't get the problem that you see. No state champ is diminished in any way because some other kid placed sixth and had the gall to stand on the podium at the same time he did.

There are several kids that I have coached that were "good kids" and "deserved" to place. The problem is, it didn't happen. They still have good memories of wrestling. They still enjoy watching wrestling. They just didn't quite make it, and that's ok. It's OK to try hard and fall short, it may make you tougher and more determined later in life. Just because they are a "good kid" doesn't mean they should place.

No but it does show kids that if they stumble, they can get back up. To many kids don't wrestle well on the backside. I like to see them learn to comeback and wrestle even after a heartbreaking loss.

Then we need to get rid of Team Titles in High School because I've heard alot of coaches say "titles are won on the backside". How about first team with a state champ wins the title. 106lber's the pressure is on.

How about we just score the top 4? That still makes the backside matter to 2 of the kids. Hell that is still the top 25%.

Scoring top 6(63%)is a joke, that is rewarding the equivalent of a "D-". All it will lead to is scoring the top 8(50%) the equivalent of an "F" and should not count, try again.

That would be true if we didn't have two qualifing tournaments before state. So it is a much higher % than 63. We have placed 6 for as long as i can remember so why change it. Its for the kids and gives some who don't win it all something to be proud of. I vote for things to stay the way they have been for years.

Its rediculous to compare basketball to wrestling in that since. It is much easier to be on top in basketball. A basket ball game cant be won in the last two seconds by a team that is down 10 points. Besides we rarely get wrestling televised as it is and now you want to push for less matches on the championship weekend. Think about it Beeson