weak regional

[Kyle]

If we co-oped with our nearest program we would be three wrestlers closer to a full program and four kids that are currently wrestling would be eliminated.

If wrestling people want to improve this sport they need to make winning as a team through the dual meet season a high priority. Many of the small programs are forced to put to much emphasis on the State Tournament because they don't have the numbers to be competitive in duals. Once this happens the wrestlers that are there to play a role such as not get pinned, or win half their matches and so on don't have a reason to be there. Once they realize that they are not the kid that is going to place at State they have nothing to look forward to and quit.
Kyle

[imnofish]

Numbers go up numbers go down. Kids look for teams that they perceive have more fun. In our area Boyceville  numbers down Durand numbers up. Amery down SCC down. What is the reason. Did Ellsworth have a weak regional they put 14 though? Numbers are down in lots of sports. Durand girls have no c-team. Few Football programs have c-teams anymore. I have a theory but most people do not care for it. Here it is; We treat HS as small college athletics, year round. If you are a coach and you don't do year round stuff you are perceived as not caring. So if all coaches in all sports expect their athletes to work year round on their sport in small schools the marginal athlete will not participate as often. and in small schools we need all the marginal athletes we can get.

This is 100% right.

Wrestling is a hard sell for fun. Kids look at our wrestlers after they walk out of the room drenched in sweat and think we are nuts. Kids will also follow a winner. We had more numbers when we were winning because kids wanted to jump on the bandwagon.

Our culture has evolved into "every kid needs to do one sport to be good at it". We say we want multi-sport athletes and then ask them to sign up for all kinds of off-season stuff. Every sport does it. And parents see other parents doing it and think they have to keep up with the Jones'.

200% right!

Kids in many sports are required to do out-of-season things and often it limits the other extracurriculars they can do. Gotta keep up with the Joneses.

Our numbers in Barron have been growing and most of our athletes compete in 2 or 3 sports.  The improved numbers coincide with changes in elementary, middle school, and high school programs.  We are talking coaching, structures, focus, attitudes, etc.  I don't know all the specifics, but I got a glimpse from the outside as a spectator and by occasionally contributing my assistance.  It has really evolved over the past few years, especially.