WVYWA Regions

[Campion]

I plan on volunteering time to the WVYWA and one of the first things I want to discuss is the current number of regions. We will see how many wrestlers attend tomorrow but it was pretty scarce in just about every weight class, today. Round Robins and Two out Threes was the bracket norm at region 5. Reducing the regions down to four could improve the bracket sheets and enable a region to actually send 4 wrestlers. The coaches did a good job getting exhibition matches for those with nobody to wrestle and it was still a good day.

[Wrestlewv]

I plan on volunteering time to the WVYWA and one of the first things I want to discuss is the current number of regions. We will see how many wrestlers attend tomorrow but it was pretty scarce in just about every weight class, today. Round Robins and Two out Threes was the bracket norm at region 5. Reducing the regions down to four could improve the bracket sheets and enable a region to actually send 4 wrestlers. The coaches did a good job getting exhibition matches for those with nobody to wrestle and it was still a good day.

The only problem I can foresee in reducing to 4 regions would be that at states you would now have only 16 kids in a full bracket and thus eliminating kids from the fuller age/weight classes and therefore less kids have an opportunity to compete. I'm in region v and we did have quite a few round robins and 2 of 3 matches today however I think instead of combining regions we need to promote our sport more to encourage more kids to participate. It seems right now the sport is in a low but as the cycle goes it will climb back up.

[J.W.]

4 regions and top 6 qualify. This makes 24. Still works better than the current 6 region concept with very small brackets. I like it.

[Jchap8750]

4 regions and top 6 qualify. This makes 24. Still works better than the current 6 region concept with very small brackets. I like it.

I like that idea! I heard between all regions this weekend there will be 960 kids participating in the regional qualifiers, so that's pretty good numbers

[Wrestlewv]

4 regions and top 6 qualify. This makes 24. Still works better than the current 6 region concept with very small brackets. I like it.

All this will do is make the regional tournaments be bigger but you still have the same amount of kids at states. For example If 6 regions have a weight class with 3 kids each you have 18 kids go to states. Then 4 regions those same 18 kids are spread across and top 6 go then we still have 18 kids in the bracket at the states.

The issue isn't how many regions we have it's the lack of kids wrestling. If you want bigger regionals then combine regions but it's not going to give us anymore kids competing at states.

[Campion]

Region change is more within the Associations control and could be implemented quickly. It can also be "right sized" again in the future. I'm sorry but nobody should pay $20 to negotiate exhibition matches because their kid was the only entry in that class.

The long term goal should always be to get more kids into wrestling. But "we are we are" concerning numbers. And it takes organic growth which does not happen overnight. So, WVYWVA should develop a strategy for this, as well.

[J.W.]

Region change is more within the Associations control and could be implemented quickly. It can also be "right sized" again in the future. I'm sorry but nobody should pay $20 to negotiate exhibition matches because their kid was the only entry in that class.

The long term goal should always be to get more kids into wrestling. But "we are we are" concerning numbers. And it takes organic growth which does not happen overnight. So, WVYWVA should develop a strategy for this, as well.

Fully agree with that comment, and I was a tournament director that is on the blame line for doing that to some unfortunate wrestlers, but after 30 scratches right after weigh-ins, as a tournament director you are unfortunately left with what is left in the tournament. Where you can develop exhibition matches that won't effect the outcome of those in designated weight classes, you do, when you do coordinate the matches and the other kids refuse to wrestle, nothing you can do there either. Unfortunate, but a very small number of cases where this happened.

[J rollins]

The state is split over which state tournament to support. Several wood county kids and surrounding areas are done after jr states. I agree with another topic on the forum about the wvywa tournament being too late in the year. A youth wrestling season should not be longer than the high school level. These are very young kids we're asking to participate from october through march. Thats why i think some are done after jr states. The regional numbers are awful. In region 6 we had several brackets with no entrys. I also think the youth participation isnt big enough to try and limit who can wrestle at states. The state is split and we are being forced to go to two different state tournaments to track down the best the state has to offer. Its all for the kids until money gets in the way!

[Goldenponyboy]

At some weights I'm sure jr states had the studs, but those same studs will be at wvywa as well. Pa has states after ours. Ohio has their states the same time. As numbers yes we don't have as many kids, but to say it's to late. I disagree. Also this year with jr states not being on a regional date it was 90 percent wood county. It still says jr states but it's wood county championship.

[J rollins]

I agree jr states was more like wood county championship. To me the wvywa is trying too hard to model itself after the high school level. I personally think its a much more fair and less complicated format being ran at the jr state tournament. You get 3 tenths allowance at the weigh in before the tournament. The ywa 2 lb allowance after you base at a qualifier and then get a pound for regionals/ but if you cant make a base weight qualifier before regionals you can setup a "private weigh in" with the regional chairman. Im sorry, but that just leaves too much of an opportunity for foul play. Nobody fully understands all the rules and there are so many gray areas within the rules. Then on top of that we have typos within those written rules. Like i mentioned earlier. Wv does not have enough youth participation to limit who can come to our state tournament. As proof is on the empty brackets at regionals. Wood county has benefited financially over the last 40 years and o know that doesnt set well with the rest of the state. I dont think the wheel needs to be reinvented as a result though

[Campion]

I think what we are experiencing has multiple causes and not a single root cause. Agree with almost everything being said. It will take some brainstorming and reasonable analysis for us to improve youth and middle school wrestling in West Virginia. It is only year 2 of this venture, but this may need some significant overhaul. Even so, I choose to be optimistic, forever.