Team sectional Merrill vs Menomonie

[littleguy301]

I remember Hudson being the sight of a football game in I believe Level 3 but the team from the other side of the state invoked a rule about travel time and they had the game moved to Chi High. I thought that was bogus because it was Hudson right to have the game but the powers to be had it moved.

But that following winter Hudson had to make a long trip over 3 hours on a school night to wrestle team sectionals but a football team wouldnt travel over 3 hours on a saturday.

I find problems in that but I would love to know if Hudson and Menomonie have put in for next years team sectional and then we could have an argument!

Hudson will not be able to hold it as we are the farthest team to the west. However the wiaa thinks the pool in the middle school is do great that they have no problems having sectionals there. Someone with more detail than I provided can clarify.

Well it is a nice pool

[aarons23]

I think distance should be a factor....traveling three hours on a school night wrestling for 2-3 hrs and traveling back three hours is ridiculous!  Sites should not be assigned until teams are determined.  There could be several sites approved and once teams are determined then sites chosen.

[harley]

I think distance should be a factor....traveling three hours on a school night wrestling for 2-3 hrs and traveling back three hours is ridiculous!  Sites should not be assigned until teams are determined.  There could be several sites approved and once teams are determined then sites chosen.

I agree and this is not wrestling specific or anything new, this is something the WIAA needs to look into.
I remember way back when having to travel to Spooner to play in the big barn for a Sectional BB game.
A few years ago Tomahawk had to travel to Somerset to Play Somerset for Level 3 Football game on Somerset's home field.

IMO it is a big advantage to participating at your home gym/field while another team travels 3+ hours in a bus.

[littleguy301]

I think distance should be a factor....traveling three hours on a school night wrestling for 2-3 hrs and traveling back three hours is ridiculous!  Sites should not be assigned until teams are determined.  There could be several sites approved and once teams are determined then sites chosen.

I agree and this is not wrestling specific or anything new, this is something the WIAA needs to look into.
I remember way back when having to travel to Spooner to play in the big barn for a Sectional BB game.
A few years ago Tomahawk had to travel to Somerset to Play Somerset for Level 3 Football game on Somerset's home field.

IMO it is a big advantage to participating at your home gym/field while another team travels 3+ hours in a bus.

I agree with that and I wold like to see it all the way around in ALL sports. I believe you can ask someone from Hudson how the travel works for them.

[Houndhead]

I think distance should be a factor....traveling three hours on a school night wrestling for 2-3 hrs and traveling back three hours is ridiculous!  Sites should not be assigned until teams are determined.  There could be several sites approved and once teams are determined then sites chosen.

I agree and this is not wrestling specific or anything new, this is something the WIAA needs to look into.
I remember way back when having to travel to Spooner to play in the big barn for a Sectional BB game.
A few years ago Tomahawk had to travel to Somerset to Play Somerset for Level 3 Football game on Somerset's home field.

IMO it is a big advantage to participating at your home gym/field while another team travels 3+ hours in a bus.

+1
There is a lot of unnescarry extra travel time, ecspecially in the basketball playoffs. Figure out what two teams are competing and find a place close to the middle.

[Grant Peissig]

Congrats to Arnie, his staff and the Merrill wrestlers.  They are a very good team and they out wrestled us last night.  Their studs scored the bonus points that they needed to and the other kids didn't give them up.  Good luck to the Blue Jays at team state, they will be hard for anyone to handle.

As far as the discussion on location is concerned, I know it will sound like sour grapes, but I'm disappointed in the WIAA's decision.  We applied to host the team sectional this year after having to travel to Wausau West last year and the WIAA chose Merrill anyway.  We have traveled a total of 504 miles to wrestle in team sectionals the past two seasons and our opponents have traveled a grand total of 0.  Joe, Head and the others that have been ripping Pheasant for being upset about the location of the team sectional should look at it from our perspective for a second. Think about what your reaction would be if the same circumstances occurred with the school you support.

[justaclone22]

Its not only a team sectional issue. In D1 Sectional A, the "West" regional has traveled "East" in 8 of the last 10 years. River Falls and New Richmond (and Hudson also) have nice facilities that would be quite capable of hosting a Sectional tournament, but I doubt they will ever see one. In fact, the senior class of 2011 never had the opportunity to even wrestle a Sectional tournament West of Marshfield. If it is okay for Hudson year after year to travel 150+ miles and 2.5 hours East, why isn't it okay for Wausau/Merrill/DCE to be asked to travel the similar 150+ miles West every couple years?

Congrats to Merrill on advancing, and to Menomonie for a great season.

[head57]

Congrats to Arnie, his staff and the Merrill wrestlers.  They are a very good team and they out wrestled us last night.  Their studs scored the bonus points that they needed to and the other kids didn't give them up.  Good luck to the Blue Jays at team state, they will be hard for anyone to handle.

As far as the discussion on location is concerned, I know it will sound like sour grapes, but I'm disappointed in the WIAA's decision.  We applied to host the team sectional this year after having to travel to Wausau West last year and the WIAA chose Merrill anyway.  We have traveled a total of 504 miles to wrestle in team sectionals the past two seasons and our opponents have traveled a grand total of 0.  Joe, Head and the others that have been ripping Pheasant for being upset about the location of the team sectional should look at it from our perspective for a second. Think about what your reaction would be if the same circumstances occurred with the school you support.

Coach Peissig, I would ask you to go back and look at what I typed throughout this thread. No ripping on anyone at any point. I agree with those who say that a neutral site should be selected after the teams are determined, especially when distance can become so extreme in this sectional.

Congrats on a successful season.

[Coach Lu]

Grant I hear what you are saying.  Holmen has been applying to host a team sectional since I have been the coach.  The WIAA continues to make the west side of the state travel for both the sectional and the team sectional.

2010 - 445.8 miles traveled on Tuesday and Saturday

Team Sectionals -Reedsburg
Holmen 88.7 miles (round trip of 177.4 miles)
vs.
Deforest 51.2 miles (round trip of 102.4 miles)

Sectionals - Deforest
134.2 miles for Holmen (round trip of 268.4 miles)
_______________________________________________________

2011 362.4 miles traveled on Tuesday and Saturday

Team Sectionals -Deforest -
Holmen 134.2 miles (round trip of 268.4 miles)
vs.
Sauk Prairie 26.8 miles (53.6 miles)

Sectionals - Tomah
47 miles for Holmen (round trip of 94 miles)
_____________________________________________________

2012 515.6 miles traveled on Tuesday and Saturday

Team Sectional - Sauk Prairie
Holmen 118.8 miles (round trip of 237.6 miles)
vs.
Deforest 26.8 miles (53.6 miles)

Sectionals - Waunakee
139 miles for Holmen (round trip 278 miles)
_____________________________________________________

2013 513.6 miles traveled on Tuesday and Saturday

Team Sectional - Sauk Prairie
Holmen 118.8 miles (round trip of 237.6 miles)
vs.
Sauk Prairie 0 miles (round trip of 0 miles)

Sectionals - Middleton
138 miles for Holmen (round trip of 276 miles)
___________________________________________________

2014 487 miles traveled on Tuesday and Saturday

Team Sectional - Baraboo
Holmen 104.5 miles (round trip of 209 miles)
vs.
Sauk Prairie 16.8 miles (round trip of 33.6 miles)

Sectionals - Waunakee
139 miles for Holmen (round trip 278 miles)

[whatever]

I'm glad Grant and Jason have spoken up and dispelled the myth that some schools do not apply to host WIAA regionals/sectionals/etc. because I was under that very same assumption.  I was wrong - very wrong.

Sadly, I think the WIAA is probably going with the mentality that if a school has proven they know how to host these tournaments, why take a chance with someone new?  I do not agree with that mentality at all - just saying that I don't think there is a conspiracy with the WIAA or school administrators.

In some ways, the good old boys' club still pertains to high school athletics.  This seems to be one of those unfortunate examples.

Congrats to both Coach Peissig and Coach Luloff for successful seasons and hopefully, you guys will be hosting Team Sectionals soon - like by next year!

[thequad]

I believe the WIAA doesn't care about location or the teams they put together. Putting LC, TR, SD and Wrightstown together is just crazy.

[Harris]

Congrats to Arnie, his staff and the Merrill wrestlers.  They are a very good team and they out wrestled us last night.  Their studs scored the bonus points that they needed to and the other kids didn't give them up.  Good luck to the Blue Jays at team state, they will be hard for anyone to handle.

You are a class act and a great coach Grant!

[herewego]

If my team had to travel every year I'm assuming I would feel the same way.  If two teams are competing against each other, a neutral site somewhere in between seems logical.....as long as a gym can be reserved at last minutes notice (which I'm sure could happen).  If we're talking about regionals or sectionals though, couldn't the WIAA look into how many teams have to travel the furthest?  It's not right Hudson has to travel 200 miles every year, but it's tough to make the argument 4 to 7 other teams should do it so one team doesn't have to.

[Grant Peissig]

I'm busy getting ready for Saturday so I don't have time to go in depth with what I think should be done, but here is the basic idea.

I totally the support the idea of getting rid of the pointless tournament that is regionals and replacing it with a team sectional. The individual sectional would be held the following weekend.  All 16 teams are invited to both team and individual, team is hosted by one region and individual is hosted by the other region.  It would eliminate the problems that are created by having team sectionals on a Tuesday night (finding a gym that isn't booked, messing up a week of practice for teams involved, travel, late nights, etc...).  A team sectional would give us a true dual meet champion and would in most of cases prevent the same kids from wrestling over and over again, see Hettinga vs. Reinhardt 2014.   

Sorry about the misplaced anger Head you didn't do anything wrong. 

[Firstinline]

Coach Pessig: From what I understand, the only people that the WIAA will listen to about changing the format for Team Sectional qualifying is the "Coaches Association". I think there are a lot of people in the state of Wisconsin that would love to see the format changed. I suggest that you take the lead with the coaches association and get a proposal to the WIAA that fixes this mess.