OHS Wrestling

I apologize in advance for any confusion this post may cause, but I have decided to try and get as many of the junior high wrestlers as possible that were planning to participate in one of the two tournaments this weekend to go to the Salt Lake Slam tournament in Heber instead of the South Valley Classic in Payson.

My original thoughts were that the beginners would like to participate in the Payson tournament as the Salt Lake Slam has traditionally been a tournament for more advanced wrestlers. However, this year they have decided to have a beginners only tournament in addition to the traditional one to entice more of the first and second year wrestlers to come support this national event in order to get more national tournaments to come to Utah. Please see below for a more detailed explanation.

We have been fortunate to attract a handful of national level events to Utah, but Utah will not continue attract these events if we can't grow the numbers. I'll address a few concerns that coaches have expressed:

1- Offering an opportunity for beginners. This is the first year that we have offered an opportunity for true beginners at the request of coaches that want to travel as a team. The true beginners need a league card. They do not need a national card.
2- Cost: The cost is $15 for true beginners and $35 for the experienced divisions. This event is different from most local events. We spend significant money on a quality venue, pay high school referees and provide top of the line awards. It is an attempt to create a national level feel. Recognize that if you travel to Denver or Reno you will spend significant money to provide that opportunity. We are trying to provide that opportunity to Utah kids in their own back yard and yes a $37 card and $35 entry fee is expensive in a tough economy, but consider the costs you are saving by have the event within short driving distance.
3- "It is good for my top kids, but I'm sending the rest somewhere else." Utah does not have the numbers of an Oklahoma or Iowa. We need our top kids and our 2nd and 3rd tier kids to support the event. It is a great chance for those kids to see that a kid from Idaho, Montana or Nevada is no better than a kid from Utah and can be a great building block for those kids. We don't have the mass of kids in Utah to have the luxury of allowing only the top 10% to compete and then attract the rest in from the rest of the country. We need Utah kids to step up to the challenge and experience this level of wrestling.
4- Remote weigh-in sites: We have arrange for remote weigh-ins for beginners at Mapleton, Mt. View, AF, and Riverton at this point. If you want to arrange a remote weigh-in for beginners at your school please let me know. It is not reasonable to ask a kid to fly in for weigh-ins from PA and then tell a Utah kid that he does not need to drive to Heber to weigh-in on Friday night. It experience portion of the Salt Lake Slam is considered a national level event and it is unreasonable to ask that we set up weigh-in locations for kids from all over the country. I have been a fan and advocate of remote weigh-ins for local tournaments.
5- Floor Pass for Coaches: Personally I believe that the pandamonia on the side of mats at local tournaments is one of the main turn offs for new parents to our sport. We want coaches on the floor and none other. We need some way to police people on the floor. I'm willing to work with someone that I know is a coach. If you have concerns about getting down on the floor I can deal with you one on one, but we are not going to give floor passes to every mom and dad that wants to be on the floor.

Details can be found at www.usafolkstyle.com Let me know if you have questions.

Cole Kelley
Rocky Mountain Wrestling
www.rockymountainwrestling.com