Support for JH inclusion?

[imnofish]

Yes, that's one thing that I also appreciated about that level.  Sounds like your dance card is going to be pretty full for awhile.  Have fun!

[Quack]

boo, LG,  if there are MS programs with only 10 kids, why not just blend them in with the HS? In my school there is no MS program. Ditto almost all of the A and AA schools (Div 2 and 3 to you) and quite a few AAA (big) schools. No MS program is needed, the guys who would be coaching MS are with the JV/V as are the kids.  This simply streamlines everything. Everyone rides the same bus to the same dual that creates a bond. Anyone not on Var wrestles JV. All coaches are careful matching them up so beginners don't get completely discouraged by a loss, I have the older JV kids help out a beginner after a match. That creates a bond.
Parents can all come to one location and watch everyone on the team wrestle, not just 9-12 or 6-7. I think this is important. The older parents see and comment on the younger kids to their parents and vice versa. That helps create a bond.
If anything, from a coaching standpoint, that's what I see with JHI. We have more kids, parents, and coaches all having the opportunity to be together and get to know each other for a longer period of time without some sort of artificial barrier (MS Program) blocking all of that unity.
Are MN teams and wrestlers better? Debatable, I think the elite kids are pretty darn even. I think some programs are pretty darn even. But I would say if you take the top 10 teams from each division and wrestled them, MN would come out on top in the number of wins in each division. I also belive you could extend that down to the next 30 teams in each division and there would be similar results. Some of those wins would be MN 7th and 8th graders beating WI 9-12th graders, while the best WI 7th-8th graders, who could make a difference, only got to sit and watch.

If I was a coach in Wi right now and it was logistically possible in my school district, I would have as many if not all, the MS kids practicing with us at least 3x per week. If you aren't, and especially if you are a struggling program, you are missing the boat on a great opportunity for you and your kids.

Took me a bit to get caught up on this, but where do the parents of the 8th graders go to watch their kids wrestle? Why are you leaving them out, or do the kids go from 7th grade to 9th grade? Is this more JHI?

[MNbadger]

You can do this a couple of ways but generally you have either 6-7-8 or 7-8 in your middle school program.  The kids that belong in the high school room would go to the high school.
Some schools would practice with everyone 7-12 at the high school.

Here we also have the 9th Grade and Under League where 7-9 can compete.

[Handles II]

Yes, either they will wrestle with their middle school, or with their high school, that depends on the district and how they use JHI. MNBadger obviously has more experience with AAA (big) schools, where some kids move up to the high school to wrestle V/JV and others in their grade stay in the middle school. I have more experience with AA and A, where virtually all 7th and 8th practice with the high schools and wrestle JV/V there is no "middle school" wrestling, but middle schoolers get matched up as part of the JV matches. Don't worry, 8th graders and their parents aren't left out.

[bulldog]

Maybe this has already been mentioned in this string but...if the WIAA were to allow JHI then (I believe) all junior high schools would have to be WIAA affiliated. I think currently only about 60 junior high schools in Wisconsin are WIAA affiliated. So...imagine the instant revenue the WIAA would suddenly produce if all MS had to pay the fee for JHI. I can't beleive the WIAA has not already jumped on this...

[MNbadger]

Actually, in MN the MSHSL chooses to have little to do with JH sports. 
The only thing is that if a JH wrestler goes to the varsity, all his ms and /or jh matches count toward his total.
So for a ms or jh kid there is no match count limit or anything if they are not participating on varsity.