When is a team too small?

[padre]

I think it hurts the sport of wrestling every time we have the forfeit-filled duals.  If you don't have a certain number you should only go to tournaments in my opinion.

[DocWrestling]

I think it hurts the sport of wrestling every time we have the forfeit-filled duals.  If you don't have a certain number you should only go to tournaments in my opinion.

Forfeits also hurt tournaments.  More and more tournaments need to invite 10+ teams to try and get 8-man brackets close to full.  Look what some regionals will have with only 7 or 8 teams coming.  Many kids will get one match

More and more are not going to even want those teams at tournaments as they make for more uneven brackets.

[blacknblue]

Would be challenging to schedule anything for those teams plagued with forfeits.  Lineups change weekly when you are scraping the barrel to fill weights. 

[Ghetto]

I promise to bring up the weight class argument after regionals. 

[billymurphy]

Too many weight groups if a huge problem.  How do you expect to find 15 different sized kids all in a small town high school.  Frankly, not possible.  To have a 195, 220, and HWT is crazy.  High school kids are 15-18 years old.  How many fat kids even go
out for wrestling?   We had a tough time finding 10 tough kids to fill the weights on my college team. 

[Quack]

How many fat kids even go out for wrestling?  

My son wrestles for our team, skin folded for 117, weighed in at the skin fold at 200. Daughter can drop to 132 with parent consent and has been wrestling all year at 170. That is two kids on one team there are many more out there. So lets not ask a question like that again! Not every kid in wrestling is in awesome lean physical shape

[Hand Control]

Too many weight groups if a huge problem.  How do you expect to find 15 different sized kids all in a small town high school.  Frankly, not possible.  To have a 195, 220, and HWT is crazy.  High school kids are 15-18 years old.  How many fat kids even go
out for wrestling?   We had a tough time finding 10 tough kids to fill the weights on my college team. 

I guess I must be missing something, I am fairly sure that there is only( 14 ) weight classes for high school weight classes. It may not be possible for some small, or in some cases even some bigger schools, but to lessen the amount of weight classes has less advantages, and would be too big of weight difference. As for your comment of what you phrase as (fat kids),I would love to be there in person, if you were to call the beast of a kid from Tomah's/195 pounder(FAT)! I am going to go out on a limb here and say that might not work out so well for YOU. You said it yourself they are KIDS that are 15-18 years old. Please try to focus your comments in a more focused way towards these young athletes. As far as high school teams not having full rosters it happens, especially this time of year. Maybe we are looking at co-oping for an option but less weight classes only lessens opportunities for kids, in my opinion. As for your college team comment I think that there are some that are 3 or 4 deep at most weight classes.

[MNbadger]

There are more ffts at 220 and 285 than 106 and 113 in most of the tournaments I have looked at this year and in years past.

[aarons23]

There are more ffts at 220 and 285 than 106 and 113 in most of the tournaments I have looked at this year and in years past.

There is no real pattern....one year 145 had the most forfeits.  Eliminating weight classes just eliminates opportunities for wrestlers.....while it would punish the bigger teams for doing the right things, it would also make the stronger teams even stronger.

[MantyShip160]

I am not going to name the school because I don't want to drag anyone through the mud, but I use to hear all of the reasons that our HS program had low numbers year after year.  No tradition, kids have changed, succesfull basketball program, football players want to lift in the offseason, ect.  A few years ago we hired a young dedicated coach who didn't want to hear any excuses.  He combed the hallways recruiting any kid who would listen.  He dedicated himself not only to the HS program, but the youth club & middle school program as well.  He encouraged the youth coaches to teach fundamentals & make it fun so the kids would learn to love the sport.  Here we sit a few years later & not only do we field a full varsity roster, but we have one of the larger JV teams in the area.  We also have experienced success on the Mat.  My point is that you need someone who is truly driven to build his program. 

Bingo!

[briggs]

7th and 8th graders just like MN.

[thequad]

I agree with the question why can we get so many at the youth tournaments and not keep them in high school? Why are we loosing all these kids? What do we have to do to keep them around?

[ramjet]

Ghetto...it's a good question.....yes building the sport and program the key....but why should some schools be punished because other schools can not field a team?  Your not building the sport by able bodied wrestlers taking forfeit.  Bay Port is not across the street from Manitowoc....so there is more into than $4.  Not sure there can or should be a requirement for a team to forfeit, but conferences and teams should take more into consideration when scheduling these dual....maybe combine duals of these teams that can not field more than ten or eleven wrestlers.  Triple dual would also be better.

I could not agree more with the idea of a triple dual.

But disagree with the premises someone is being punished. The kids working to wrestle deserve the opportunity to wrestle the issues is the spectators too bad then don't drive most of them know the situation before traveling. 

That said coaches and AD's need to communicate and do exactly what you are suggesting combine some duals.

[NWIS1]

Flambeau and Shell Lake had a dual. Two matches were wrestled. But we don't have too many weight classes.

[crossface21]

I hate the argument that having less weight classes lessens the opportunities for wrestlers. That's why there is JV. Not everyone can be on varsity. Football doesn't create a 13th position to get more kids involved. Baseball doesn't add a 10th fielder. So what if a kid can't make it onto varsity. If they truly want to wrestle, they are going to work their butt off till they can make varsity or they may be content being on JV(and there's nothing wrong with that). Otherwise, why not have 20-25 varsity weight classes? That way everyone can wrestle varsity and feel good about themselves.