Well said Mike, in reading the minutes myself today I was also concerned with the same discussion. There should be some guidelines for the discussion boards including but not limited to the suppression of defamatory statements and the like that I have seen posted on these boards that weren't policed properly. The idea of making the discussion board such that you limit it in the way discussed as shown in the minutes and I quote "...using your wrestling membership card as a password to gain access similar to what USA Wrestling has..." could possibly be seen as an isolationistic view for Kansas Wrestling. In other words, to not be able to view, read, or participate unless you have a membership card would discourage some very possible good discussions from other people from around the country. I personally browse other states' discussion boards at various times to see what other states are doing and if I feel the need to post on their boards I make a post.
Also, there are people that are outside of the wrestling community (maybe past wrestlers/coaches that are not in the sport anymore) that still have input to give on different subjects.
Not to detract from the discussion, but the format that is on these boards is one that most states like and I have read discussion on other states discussion boards that talk about how much better Kansas' discussion boards are than theirs and what not. Maybe the IP logging of posters is a way to discourage defamatory or "bad" posts on the boards, and I do believe that the Other forum is one step in the right direction to keep the board as a whole in a wrestling concentrated discussion. This is where the Moderators of their forums need some guidelines that are laid out for them as to what type and kinds of discussions should be allowed in their respective forums.
I have seen some of the forums having "non-wrestling" discussions on them especially in the "high school" forum. Not to bash the high schoolers that post in that forum, but maybe there needs to be a sub-forum for the highschoolers such that there would be :
High School
High School Wrestling
High School Other
This is just an example and in no means is meant to be a bash on the high schoolers that post in the high school forum.