Vermont Wrestling

Distance, come on we don't travel that far.  Regional practices, what is that?  It starts with our youth and middle school kids.  We need to stop treating this sport with all this Vermont b/s, and do what the other states do...Wrestle!  This sport is one of the toughest, if not the toughest sport and the kids need to realize that.  Practice hard during the on and off season.  FREESTYLE, its time we start having some tournaments during the offseason.  TEAM VERMONT at FARGO, come on who doesn't want to go?  There are no obstacles except the ones we create.  I said it once and I will say it again it is time for some changes.  k-8 make it a club non school affilated.  Wrestle by age not grade.  Wrestle during the regular wrestling season.  Have more dual meets and keep team score at tournaments.  This will open the door to our out of state competitors, the ones how are kicking our butt.  Do you see the picture?  It will prepare us for the High School level.   Wrestle out of the state, go to camps, mix up your practices, etc... 

What I mean by the Vermont b/s is that know one wants to make changes, everyone is a winner mentality, and the idea that Vermont wrestling can compete with other states.  Obviously we can't and you and I agree that changes need to happen.  All we have to do is get some others on board.  As you can see many are reading these posts, but are scared or are in denial of what needs to be done. 
I ,also , did not grow up or wrestle in VT.  I have been involved with wrestling for 24 years and wrestled for 14 of those years.  So, I know what practices and good/great competition is all about. 
Please do not get me wrong there are great athletes and coaches in VT, we just need to improve/fix a broken system. 

The only thing that bothers me about youth program is they cant throw standing head locks. what kind of bull crap is that? how are these kids supose to compete with other states if they cant learn a head lock  more important, how to defend a head lock. it makes me sick. i am not saying i am a head lock guy because i shoot with the best of them, but there is no higher crime then not leting kids throw head locks. its like kids not being allowed to hit home runs in little league, what out of state teams want to come to a vermont youth tourny really?  there compittion is obvisouly alot better. other states laugh at us, Robert hamlin is not entering that gym, james bean is not entering that gym, neither is rob labrake corey green tj maroney are not coming thru those doors . what am i saying? Vermont greats are gone, am i saying that there will be one in the near future?  maybe but prolly not (i am just being real). so what do we need to do? suck it up  ( i am not saying every one needs to) but there are some of that do.  and we know who they are.  what is the soultion? go to more out of state tourneys go to new jersey go to mass. there no rule in the hand book that you have to attend 3 or 4 vermont tourneys. mount anthony only goes to 1. ( and dont give me the bull crap about money if school dont want to fund have fund rasiers in the off season have the parents help out) no exuses why we cant go compete some where else if you really want to you will. and regional pratices screw that, if a kid wants to come pratice with my team he can wear my team singlet and he can score my team points. (and dont give me the bull crap that he cant change schools for this reason and that if he wants to and teams want him and his parents are invested for the greater good ) they will get him on a team where he can improve.  thats like having a combined foot ball pratice. why dont Rutland and Middlebury conjoin there foot ball pratices.   and it will be good pratice!  and i agree join one of the clubs vergens has a club barre has a club. but here in lies the problem with that. these kids are lazy (not all). they make exuses  "iv got to much home work " they dont  hit the weight room i bet out of the 42 kids we send to new englands i bet half hit the weight room and about out of that number i bet half of those kids hit the weight room like your supose to.   did you see how strong all the kids were at new englands. they all hit the weights.
so you can do 2 things about what i wrote a. take my advice for what it is.B. get all offended and try to dissagree with me.  i am open if you have more things you would like to talk about,  but there is really no reason to disagree with me, because in this fact i know i am not wrong.

BTW, I noticed that VT had 8 place winners at JH New Englands, and 3 champions, Which is on par with (if not better than) where we should be given the number of JH teams and wrestlers in VT. Also, NH is going through some of the same types of discussions right now on their forum, "why is MA kicking our butts". I think much of it has to do with shear numbers.

http://www.nhwrestling.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5055

Coach Omeara
Being a coach, I was wondering what your thoughts were to adding one more tournament that the kids could go to during the season . I believe it is 7 right now. It would give schools another opportunity to hit another out of state tournament as the one person mentioned would be good.  And if your thought was positive, how would we be able to do that.  Who makes that decision.
To all   thanks for the ideas and feedback  It has already given me an idea or two to mention to our school coach for his thoughts and possible implementation Anyone else out there, please if you have ideas or thoughts, share them.

Most teams are already wrestling out of state tournaments, and staying within the seven tournament rule. Here are the list of in-state tournaments, St. J, Otter Valley, Middlebury, Essex, Mt. Anthony, Colchester, and Mt. Mansfield. Many of these tournaments feature out of state competition as well. I am sure that no team is competing in all of these tournaments as of now, so I doubt changing the number of allowable tournaments would effect most schedules. Also, many programs are going to large duals to get out of state competition.

Regardless of how you feel, the headlock rule is not responsible for our poor high school new england showing. Many of those athletes never had the rule when they were in youth anyway. The JH athletes have been effected by the rule more than any other group probably, and their showing at JH  new englands was very good. No out of state teams go to our youth tournaments, because we have never invited them, with the exception of Mt. Anthony. Mt. Anthony has a very competitive youth tournament with out of state teams, as could anyone hosting a youth tournament if they chose to advertise and attract those teams. Also, many out of state youth programs have ended by the time the Vermont youth tournaments start. The headlock rule is not discouraging out of state teams from coming to VT, as far as I know. I am sure most out of state coaches are unaware of our headlock rule anyway. Has an out of state coach communicated to you that they were not attending our tournaments due to this rule?

First thing first, most NH tournaments that we travel to as well as MA go by age.  Second, yes the state does limit us for example a wrestler is only allowed to wrestle 5 matches a day.  If we were usa that would not be the case.  Third, I have mixed feelings about the headlock rule.  For the reason it forces kids to WRESTLE, however, I like the idea of having it at states.  Fourth, I don't like how the youth states are held.  What happen to one bracket per a weight and age.  As a state we can't even send 5 novice kids to New England's, b/c of when our season starts.  This again is the b/s that I have mentioned.  Look at NY, PA, NJ, VA, NH, MA, RI, CT...and so on.  They all have the same problems with kids and their video games and lazy parents, but somehow they are able to build great wrestling programs and wrestlers.  We loose kids at the JR level b/c lack of coaches, mat time, and think about it, it is only two grades.  If we were to merge the programs from k-8 that might have a bigger impact, and in return give more depth in the H.S.   

Teams from out of state don't come to our tournaments b/c their season is over.  Those that go to Mt. Anthony's tournament go b/c they love to wrestle, and oh it is a qualifier for Gen Mills.  All I am reading and hearing from everyone in the VT wrestling community is excuses to why we can't make changes.  Yes, one person / team can implement these changes but whose to say the rest of VT will follow.  We need to unit and do this together and not be scared of whose feelings will be hurt.  TAKE A LOOK AT ALL 49 OTHER STATES, THERE IS A REASON WHY THEY DO THINGS THE WAY THEY DO.