The KYWCA has been working with khsaa and they have agreed to let the association provide supplemental medals for wrestling place winners. 

The association has worked with a medal company and had a cast made for medals, and this year we will be providing them in addition to the khsaa medals. 

Coaches, I hope that you can see that this is a great thing the kywca is providing our wrestlers, and I encourage you to join the association if you aren't already. These are the things we can do with a strong membership.

In addition we will also be getting with coaches and giving ever team awards for kywca academic all state. 

Awesome!!

With this news and the time table change, this will be the most positive we have been going into a state tournament in years

Wait until the parking issues and entrance prices come up. It'll change quick. 

I will also add that I have been working with the coaches association to provide bracket boards to the state champion. They indeed are working hard to move the state tournament in a positive direction. 

One last thing. Dutch and I will be giving the state finalists tshirts as well. 

All these are improvements. Good job to Coaches Association. 

If we can move even halfway close to the way the middle schhol tournament is ran for the kids which it seems we are headed in that direction its a huge step forward.

I think getting new medals or plaques are great for these kids. They deserve that!

But I will add, those medals are the former YOUTH STATE MEDALS!

Former youth medals or not, this is better than it's been in previous years, especially with the brackets and t-shirts.

So am I correct?  Will they be receiving two medals then?

I agree that the brackets should be given.  Back in the stoneage when I wrestled the champion received a bracket in all the post season events District, Region, and State. 

As for the medals, I'm one that looks at the meaning of the medal not the medal itself.  The stoneage medals were small but were a kind of 3D.   Not big or outrageous medals but the meaning is what really counts. 

Now we just need the state to seed the 8 region champs.  I don't want to see Sheffer and Johnson wrestling anytime before the finals.  

31 minutes ago, dutch said:

Now we just need the state to seed the 8 region champs.  I don't want to see Sheffer and Johnson wrestling anytime before the finals.  

I've been saying this for years.  This normally would not be the top 8 wrestlers in a given weight class, making it a LOT easier.  For example, I was beat in the state finals by the same wrestler who beat me in the region finals, meaning I would not have been seeded.  It wouldn't be a perfect system, but better than the complete random draw we have now.

However, I do think the 2nd place finishers in each region should be placed on the opposite side than the region champs.  Not saying this necessarily applies to me, but sometimes the 2nd best wrestler in the state is just unlucky by being in the wrong region.  I imagine there are various examples of this throughout the years.

Is it possible to seed the state tournament? or is it out of our control?

Very encouraging.  Thanks to everyone for moving KY wrestling in the right direction.  

Seeding would actually be very simple.  We would have a conference call with the coaches of all regional champs.  Those coaches would hopefully be prepared to make a case for the seeding of their wrestlers.  Head to head, common opponent, previous state placement, record, etc.  I'm sure we could come up with the criteria.  We currently use the same system for the middle school.  I would think that most people would be for this.

Seeding can be done. The issue is getting the KHSAA to buy in on this and allowing the Coaches Association to take control of this part of the process.

Ranger and I started doing this at the MS level when we were on the Board, and it seems to be working just fine. This way you don't get a Johnson and Sheffer meeting each other in the quarters or semis.

Or the meeting could happen the night before the tournament, when most coaches pick up their passes.  Those who have to travel I imagine would arrive the night before anyway.

4 hours ago, Bearcats Coach said:

I think getting new medals or plaques are great for these kids. They deserve that!

But I will add, those medals are the former YOUTH STATE MEDALS!

Hey, at least they are better than the medals the kids get already. Those things are more like bus tokens than medals.

Does any other tourney on earth not do some kind of seeding? Its pretty well a given anywhere else. 

5 hours ago, ukpridewrestler11 said:

Wait until the parking issues and entrance prices come up. It'll change quick. 

Those issues are going to come up at whatever arena is used to host the tourney.  The food will be pricey and lackluster, you will pay to park, and tickets won't be cheap.  Basketball, Football, baseball, and every other high school sport have those same exact complaints.

13 minutes ago, DrBaker said:

Does any other tourney on earth not do some kind of seeding? Its pretty well a given anywhere else. 

It's my understanding that international events don't seed. I'm no expert in this so don't hold me to it, but that's what I was told

GOO or maybe someone else can correct me if I am wrong but I believe in the early 90's both finalists received a framed picture of their faceoff. I thought this was great. They stopped by the time I was in high school. As the competition in our state improves so should the recognition and honor for our state placers. I am glad to see the KYWCA is moving in a positive direction.

23 minutes ago, coachteater said:

It's my understanding that international events don't seed. I'm no expert in this so don't hold me to it, but that's what I was told

This is true.  In the 2012 Olympics, Franklin Gomez from Puerto Rico (NCAA champ from Mich St) faced the Russian who had beaten him in the World Championship finals the year before.

2 hours ago, HawkeyeX125 said:

Hey, at least they are better than the medals the kids get already. Those things are more like bus tokens than medals.

HEY, I agree I'm a big fan of improving the awards for our sport. Trust me, I personally had a big role in changing the way the the Current Youth and MS medals look/designed.

I'm just saying that the medals that are going to be giving out, are in fact the old youth medals before we made a change to that particular medal with a new design. Its almost like they wanted to get a newer medal made for the HS kids and the current vendor gave them that option. Plus it also could be due to timing of getting new medals made. Something that needs to be done in August, so you have them by State time. They are doing good things moving forward. Trying to improve the awards, the schedule of the tournament, getting a State tournament mat. Its all good stuff!

I've got to admit, those medals were great for the youth back in the day, but I wish the vendor had something a little more classy for our guys this year. Not a fan of the muscle man in the middle. Doesn't really represent our type of wrestling. Looks more like professional wrestling propaganda. 

Things are definitely moving in the right direction. Thanks to all those who are helping make the awards and the experience better for all of our hard working kids. They deserve the best. Coach Upchurch is doing a nice job. He and the rest of the board deserves credit for these improvements. 

17 hours ago, Dan97 said:

GOO or maybe someone else can correct me if I am wrong but I believe in the early 90's both finalists received a framed picture of their faceoff. I thought this was great. They stopped by the time I was in high school. As the competition in our state improves so should the recognition and honor for our state placers. I am glad to see the KYWCA is moving in a positive direction.

There has been so many changes that I can't remember who got what when.   I do believe one year they received a t-shirt or jacket or something.  

Heck in my stoneage time only top 4 got medals. 5th and 6th stood there and got nothing.  I only got 2 state medals didn't get anything for 5th.  Then the state tried to remedy this by giving 5th and 6th ribbons, while the others got medals.  

I do however believe that the coach of the state champion should be the one giving the medals to the placers at that wt. class or at least to their own state champion. 

GOO you're showing your age lol.

What I remember, I know in 1988 and I think through 1989/1990 the State Champs all received a jacket, it was like a windbreaker type. The whole  jacket thing didn't last very long.

Medals were top 4, I believe they started giving out medals for top 6 in 1988, 1989 or it may have been 1990. They always gave out decent size bracket boards and brought in someone to fill them out. They were pretty nice. The finalist received a photo.

I think the jacket thing got shut down, because it could keep those receiving them from wrestling in college.  I started wrestling with the High school in 1988/89 season.  If I remember correctly it was considered getting paid as an amateur.  Not completely sure on that.  Not long after that Coach's threw in money, so if a wrestler won a T shirt or anything from tournaments they were actually bought.

I'm not so sure about that.  Kids win Beats, backpacks, singlets and many other prizes all the time at national tournaments.  I wouldnt see a jacket given out as an award any different than those awards.  Things may have been different though way back when you all were young. You know, back in the black and white days days of TV. Hehe 

29 minutes ago, REscalera said:

I'm not so sure about that.  Kids win Beats, backpacks, singlets and many other prizes all the time at national tournaments.  I wouldnt see a jacket given out as an award any different than those awards.  Things may have been different though way back when you all were young. You know, back in the black and white days days of TV. Hehe 

You mean when they had to walk to practice uphill both ways?

32 minutes ago, Confused Spectator said:

You mean when they had to walk to practice uphill both ways?

That was true.  Back in the day the earth tilted one way in the morning and the other way at night. 

The ice age straightened it all out. 

2 hours ago, Bearcats Coach said:

GOO you're showing your age lol.

 They always gave out decent size bracket boards and brought in someone to fill them out.

I believe Coach Sellers was the one filling out the brackets. I could be wrong though.