Aaron:
I would also like to see some more D-II programs at Emporia State, Pitt State, Washburn and any other traditional Kansas D-II that I forgot to mention. It would be great to get some more NAIA programs besides Newman. It would also be good to see some more junior college programs. I know my area could certainly use one if not two at Kansas City Kansas Community College and Johnson County Community College. All of these would be great and I hope it happens someday.
But I still think it is very important that we also add NCAA Division I programs at WSU, KSU and KU. Division I programs get more media attention. Not that there was a lot of coverage in the Kansas City area but there was some coverage on the University of Missouri's Max Askren run to his NCAA championship. Unfortunately I bet there was very little on our Kansas NAIA champion from Newman and our Kansas NCAA D-II champion from UNO. It is the same thing with basketball and football. The media focus is on the area D-I teams for these sports too. Kids notice this coverage. It can be a motivating factor for them.
I think that young wrestlers aspire to become NCAA Division I wrestlers like young baseball players aspire to become major league baseball players. If there are Kansas NCAA Division I wrestling programs that is going to provide a lot of motivation and opportunity for the young wrestlers of Kansas. It would be a positive motivating and growth force for Kansas wrestling. I would envision these local NCAA Division I college wrestlers putting on camps and clinics during the year for our young Kansas wrestlers. The media coverage would make these NCAA D-I wrestlers very popular with our young wrestlers.
So yes, I want to see these smaller division schools add programs too. Ideally there would be a wrestling program at every college and university in Kansas that has basketball and football teams. But I still think it is extremely important to add D-I teams at WSU, KSU and KU. I would not want us to accept the idea that NCAA Division I wrestling is just not going to happen at those three universities.
Randy, if we could do all that you could report to us a better ratio than that 150 to 1 ratio.
