High school wrestling.. dead or alive

[TROJANFAN]

I am curios as to some of your opinons on this topic. This weekend I went up to the Super 32 on Saturday and while there had a very interesting conversation with another gentleman. We were talking about wrestling when during the conversation he says "enjoy it now probably wont be around in a few more years". Surpirised I asked him what he meant.

He went on to explain himself and brought up a few interesting points.

There are no D3 college wrestling programs, only about 30 D2 programs and D1 programs are being dropped yearly in order to conform to NCAA rules. So if you are looking for a scholorship wrestling is becoming less and less attractive

There is a lack of fan support for HS wrestling compared to other sports. Matches have become to long with too many teams and people just do not want to sit in gyms that long to watch. Most spectators are mothers and fathers, few girlfriends. Very few students thier just to watch wrestling.

HS A.D.'s havnt figured out yet that you need to schedule different sports on different nights. A wrestling match at home will usually draw less people than a basketball game away. Why have them fight for fans?

There is no JV wrestling, schools have B teams and these kids get very little mat time, some get frustrated and quit others go on to varsity with minimium experience and not much comes of it. Less chance of competing usually means less interest from new potential wrestlers. Every other sport has a JV team, why not wrestling?

As budgets get tighter, less money for athletics some smaller schools will end up dropping wrestling, if you cant even field a full squad, dont have enough fans show up to pay the electric bill then why bother.

I dont agree with all he had to say but he did make a few interesting points and I can tell you from what I have seen this year at wrestling matches much of what he said is very true. So my question is do you agree or dis agree with his prognosis for HS wrestling.

[kicker]

I don't want to admit it, but the gentleman was pretty much "dead on".

Not very many mothers want their children wrestling. Not many mothers want their
children fighting anymore. Even in a game with rules. Throw in the definite possibility of getting herpes, ringworm or worse. Things just don't look too good.

Scholarships? I believe you are looking to get real disapointed if you are wrestling through high school for a scholarship. You better be doing it for fun and if a college makes you an offer you are the big exception, 1 in more than 1000.

Kids wrestle from 6 years old to their junior year and then get a car and a girl and what would you rather do. Some of them would rather not put in the time to finish off a career of wrestling. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen.

We are a society of quitters, complainers and give me something for nothing. Wrestling is a struggle, always has been. All we can do is keep on keepin on, and ignore the people that don't appreciate WRESTLING.

[cruz21]

I don't want to admit it, but the gentleman was pretty much "dead on".

Not very many mothers want their children wrestling. Not many mothers want their
children fighting anymore. Even in a game with rules. Throw in the definite possibility of getting herpes, ringworm or worse. Things just don't look too good.

Kids wrestle from 6 years old to their junior year and then get a car and a girl and what would you rather do. Some of them would rather not put in the time to finish off a career of wrestling. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen.

We are a society of quitters, complainers and give me something for nothing. Wrestling is a struggle, always has been. All we can do is keep on keepin on, and ignore the people that don't appreciate WRESTLING.

As a Wrestler, I'd like to say this forum is true. The gentleman truly did hit this subject "dead on". I know my mom is always nagging me to give up on this sport but I have a love-hate relationship with it. But I just can't give up on it. Also as a wrestler I know the sport is not very appealing to students and is losing more interest by each match. Also I encourage more students to show support and go out for their school's team.

[newkentdad]

I guess I tend to agree as well. Although I think that some of the issues could be considered self inflicted.

The matches do tend to drag on with the multiple team format that is used today. You get 4 to 6 teams at a match and you are going to be there a while. Combine that with the fact that wrestling is already a non friendly spectator sport and I think its hard to build up new fans. If you dont know a little about wrestling its pretty hard to know whats going on till someone gets pinned. Now combine that with 2 or 3 mats going at once it makes it even harder to enjoy.

The other thing I agree with is the lack of a true jv system. How many freshman do you think are going to go through the rigors of wrestling only to get a couple of matches a year for two or three years.. Not many. True jv squads would help the sport.

Back in the 70's I wrestled at Cox. We never had multiple team tournaments till you got to District and Regionals. Everything was heads up and I think we wrestled about 18 matches a season. We had a full jv that wrestled before every varsity match and every meet was well attended. You still had true rivalries with certain schools and I can remember a match with Kellam in 1974 that over 2500 people were packed into Cox's gym. You couldn't get 2500 people to match today if you gave out free tickets.

I agree that unless there are some changes the sport will slowley die. Perhaps if the teams wrestled district matches heads up with jv matches before and used the open dates for the multi team matches and tournaments it would help. Jv would get 10 or 11 matches a year, should encourage retention amoung younger wrestlers while fueling the existing school rivalries, it might help build a larger fan base and keep the younger wrestlers interested in the sport. Sorry got a little long winded.

[nkfballplayer2009]

As a wrestler also, I do have to agree with the man. The sport is on a steady decline. The fan support just isn't there anymore. My parent refuse to go to the matches because they say it is to long to sit in the bleachers.

New Kent's program is the biggest ever with 40 plus but like you said we have a "b team". They go to a different school ever week and get at least two matches that night and they went to a tournment over the weekend. So they do get some mat time but nothing like varsity does.

I would like to see more support of the sport but I doubt that it would happen. It would be wonderful to see the fan support that like basketball does.

[TROJANFAN]

Interesting, do the wrestlers feel that the lack of support is do to a lack of knowledge concerning the sport or as several have said it just takes to long to get through a match and nobody wants to sit that long?

2500 fans, cmon NKD, I doubt if any gym back then could hold that many people. Besides I thought back then it was Cox/First Colonial as the big rivalry. Sure your not trumping it up a little.

[newkentdad]

No I am not "trumping it up". Not going to bore you with 30 year old history but I can still remeber the final score 35/30 Cox and it ended with the Kellam hwy Danny Hill being DQ'd do to an illegal wrist lock on Cox hwy Bobby Stubbs. LOL the wrestling team was "detained" in the locker room for a good hour after the match waiting for the " festivities " outside to subside. The Kellam fans were none to happy.

[cruz21]

Interesting, do the wrestlers feel that the lack of support is do to a lack of knowledge concerning the sport or as several have said it just takes to long to get through a match and nobody wants to sit that long?


It would have to be both because first the people wouldn't want to sit in the set that long so they don't come. It's pretty hard to gain knowledge of this sport unless you participate in it or you attend matches regularly.

[StatechampPHS]

"Alive" We you have a winning program. Take Poquoson at the Va Duals The crowd was crazy and loud. You go to a match that Poquoson High school is at and you see a big following. You go to any GreatBridge,Tabb,Newkent and you see a lot of wrestling fans that follow the teams. So I say Poquoson youth has 70 kids strong. The wrestling parents will always stay true to there sport.

[TROJANFAN]

"Alive" We you have a winning program. Take Poquoson at the Va Duals The crowd was crazy and loud. You go to a match that Poquoson High school is at and you see a big following. You go to any GreatBridge,Tabb,Newkent and you see a lot of wrestling fans that follow the teams. So I say Poquoson youth has 70 kids strong. The wrestling parents will always stay true to there sport.

Think you might have missed the idea. No question that there are some very good programs, Poquoson and New Kent are a couple. But it is not about a few schools its about the sport in general. Your right, Poquoson does have a lot of fans that travel well. I would even bet that at least a couple of times they might have out numbered the home school. Point is that's seems to be what everyone is saying is the problem, lack of support. One or two schools cant save all the other programs from drifting into obscurity because of lack of interest. The more I have thought about it NKD had a good point. Stop and think about it a minute. Poquoson and NK wrestled for the district tittle two weeks ago. Yeah the season wasn't over but did any body really believe that match was not for the title. NO, everyone knew but you might have had 150 to 175 NK/Poqouson fans combined.
Now what if that match had been head to head in one or the others gym. I guarantee you would have had a lot more fans there. Even if they didnt know a thing about wrestling.

[john6186]

HS Wrestling is on the decline...I grew up in Oregon and we had a Freshmen, JV, and Varsity Team. Our school was about the size of a football Division 5 / AAA school in VA, but we had 60 kids and a packed gym every meet.

I just finished the Peninsula District Tournament today. Last year the place was pretty full and was rocking hard for the finals. This year it was dead and dull and I'd say there were just relatives watching. Menchville was in it until the end, but nobody other than the HS Coach was there...no Principal, AD, other sports Coaches, etc. Hampton seemed to have a better crowd, but I suspect they too had little in the way of non-family support.

A kid can learn a lot about himself wrestling. It will be a shame if this sport dies.

Here's for hoping we get big turnouts for Regionals.