Anyone think the powers that be in Lexington will ever give us this? One can dream. 

In order: Washington, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Illinois, and Texas

Those venues look amazing!

Instead, Kentucky is having their state tournament at a high school gym while on Friday, school will be in session.  I can't even imagine what parking and traffic is going to be like with all the students showing up for school at the same time as all of the buses and competitors.

Looks like another year of streaming the finals for my old grumpy butt.  

Good luck to all!

3 minutes ago, bestmistake33 said:

Those venues look amazing!

Instead, Kentucky is having their state tournament at a high school gym while on Friday, school will be in session.  I can't even imagine what parking and traffic is going to be like with all the students showing up for school at the same time as all of the buses and competitors.

Looks like another year of streaming the finals for my old grumpy butt.  

Good luck to all!

I completely forgot about it being on a school day! You’re completely right, especially it being at a 6A school. I can’t imagine how packed it’s gonna be

Boys High School State Wrestling venue: high school gym

Girls High School State Wrestling venue: middle school gym

Imagine these venues for any other sport. Pretty wild. 
 

Rhode Island doesn’t even do that.

Julian Tackett does not care. 

Feel pretty bad for this last few years of wrestlers that have to deal with this crap.  

2023 needs to be a mission to get back to the best of KY wrestling. one state tournament in a nice venue with pageantry and celebration of the hard work it took to get there.

Didn’t they already announce semi state hosts for next year?  I thought I saw Ryle and Central.  Guess that means same plan for next year.  Maybe 2024?

According to khsaa calender semi state is scheduled through 2026

12 hours ago, CradleKY said:

Feel pretty bad for this last few years of wrestlers that have to deal with this crap.  

 

2023 needs to be a mission to get back to the best of KY wrestling. one state tournament in a nice venue with pageantry and celebration of the hard work it took to get there.

 

 

Can not agree more.  So..,what are the practical steps to make that happen?

KHSAA should allow others to run the state tournament and, in turn, let KHSAA take credit for a well run, exciting, fanfare filled tournament. Freedom Hall is a good resource. I know there’s a wrestling coach with connections there. Cost would be a non issue. Fans would have to eat the food they provide - which is common at most venues anyway. 

8 hours ago, GentleBeard said:

KHSAA should allow others to run the state tournament and, in turn, let KHSAA take credit for a well run, exciting, fanfare filled tournament. Freedom Hall is a good resource. I know there’s a wrestling coach with connections there. Cost would be a non issue. Fans would have to eat the food they provide - which is common at most venues anyway. 

I think the problem with Freedom is twofold. One, they host the National Farm Machinery Show every year which seems to always be the same weekend as state. 2nd, Bellarmine, since moving to D1 uses Freedom as it’s home basketball arena. Freedom would be a great place to hold the event, but it would likely mean having state either earlier or later, or possibly changing the weekend it’s held every year, which is doable, even if inconvenient in terms of what floating tHe date would do to scheduling year after year.

We have been floating the location,  float the date for the better venue.

Just now, VisionQuest said:

We have been floating the location,  float the date for the better venue.

We need to get back to 32 man brackets and a good venue soon.

5 hours ago, wrestling78 said:

We need to get back to 32 man brackets and a good venue soon.

sounds like that can maybe happen in 4 years

4 regions. Based on the numbers from track, that'd average out to around 20 wrestlers to a weight class. For this year anyway.

Top 4 would get a 16 wrestler bracket for state.

Where would you like to host it at?  What venue?    

I haven't been able to say this in the past, but I am hopeful we can make some positive change going forward for wrestling in Ky.  It is true we are locked in somewhat to the current format for the next couple years.  But if we have the right leadership involved from the coaches and administrators, I think some good things can happen for boys and girls in the years to come.

18 hours ago, plantmanky1 said:

Where would you like to host it at?  What venue?    

WKU, EKU, Freedom Hall, KFC Yum Center, Rupp I don't care that Adolph would roll over in his grave), etc.

If Colorado can host in the Home of the Denver Nuggets- the Ball Center, then why can't Kentucky host in a facility that is in line with the pomp and circumstance that should go with hosting a State Championship. js

I would love for state to be at freedom hall. Parking and seats would not be an issue. 
 

if we have to stick with semi state, we should have 4 semi states . Top 4 from the 4 semi states go to state . This way less travel, less Covid spread, etc

36 minutes ago, WhiteTiger95 said:

I would love for state to be at freedom hall. Parking and seats would not be an issue. 
 

if we have to stick with semi state, we should have 4 semi states . Top 4 from the 4 semi states go to state . This way less travel, less Covid spread, etc

The problem with that is too many of the kids that should be at the state tournament are left at home with much weaker competition at the state tournament.

Look at results from who made it through.  

Under your theory, regions 1 and 2 combined, 3 and 4 combined, etc, etc.

Now look at results where 1 and 2 got 5 or 6 of the 8 through at true semi and vice versa.  There are kids at the state tournament this year that deserve to be there that would not have been under your 4 region alignment.    

Trying to do right by the competitors!

A long day for some fans is worth it for the competitors, is it not?

2 hours ago, naplesme said:

WKU, EKU, Freedom Hall, KFC Yum Center, Rupp I don't care that Adolph would roll over in his grave), etc.

If Colorado can host in the Home of the Denver Nuggets- the Ball Center, then why can't Kentucky host in a facility that is in line with the pomp and circumstance that should go with hosting a State Championship. js

 

Adolph Rupp’s first coaching job was actually coaching wrestling. 

30 minutes ago, tcats said:

Adolph Rupp’s first coaching job was actually coaching wrestling. 

And winning a state title in Iowa that year. (Marshalltown 1926)

4 hours ago, tcats said:

Adolph Rupp’s first coaching job was actually coaching wrestling. 

3 hours ago, grappler-of-old said:

And winning a state title in Iowa that year. (Marshalltown 1926)

I should have remembered that. So I'll change it to the basketball purists would be Apoplectic if we laid down mats on Rupps floor.

12 hours ago, naplesme said:

WKU, EKU, Freedom Hall, KFC Yum Center, Rupp I don't care that Adolph would roll over in his grave), etc.

If Colorado can host in the Home of the Denver Nuggets- the Ball Center, then why can't Kentucky host in a facility that is in line with the pomp and circumstance that should go with hosting a State Championship. js

 

This is the attitude we need for change. There is absolutely NO reason for us to accept our state tournament to be held in a high school gym.  We need to be flexible on dates, locations, and do whatever it takes to make the state tournament a bigger event than it is now.
 

Money shouldn’t be an excuse either. If that’s the problem, I know many people that would be willing to help out financially. 
 

I love the sport of wrestling.  I have a 5 year old son who I am torn on introducing to the sport. Part of me thinks he’d benefit from what everyone who has ever wrestled learned from the sport. Then part of me thinks his time might be better invested in other sports that are more supported by our state. 
 

The support wrestling gets in this state is pathetic. A middle school basketball team gets more support than most top high school wrestling teams. And we wonder why kids don’t want to wrestle. 
 

We should never accept hosting our state tournament in a high school gym. That’s a complete insult to the kids and demonstrates a failure by the adults making decisions. I watched videos from last year’s state finals and felt really bad for those kids. 

The fact our state tournament is held in a high school gym just highlights our pathetic leadership at the state level. I don’t know any of the people in charge, but anyone who is involved with planning our state tournament at a high school gym should be ashamed of themselves.  
 

I guarantee I could get 5 buddies and a few weeks of planning and we could plan a better tournament than what we have now. 

I’m still flabbergasted that day 1 of this tournament will be happening at the same time and place as kids who are studying and in class.  How in the heck are they going to fit double the amount of wrestlers, fans, and coaches at GRCHS?
 

will the KHSAA ask fans to keep cheering to a minimum to not disturb students?  I’m kidding… I think…?

gates for fans at 9. Weigh ins at 9:45.  If you’re early plan on fighting other normal school traffic. 
 

Anyone miss the horse park yet!?!

39 minutes ago, bestmistake33 said:

I’m still flabbergasted that day 1 of this tournament will be happening at the same time and place as kids who are studying and in class.  How in the heck are they going to fit double the amount of wrestlers, fans, and coaches at GRCHS?
 

will the KHSAA ask fans to keep cheering to a minimum to not disturb students?  I’m kidding… I think…?

gates for fans at 9. Weigh ins at 9:45.  If you’re early plan on fighting other normal school traffic. 
 

Anyone miss the horse park yet!?!

I think gates open at 10 for fans, don’t want someone standing for an hour waiting. 

1 hour ago, bestmistake33 said:

Anyone miss the horse park yet!?!

Our family and friends, and most of the family's of team mates, when my son was wrestling through HS, LOVED, LOVED the Horse Park location and Tourney.  Now I know that a small number of folks here, did not, but as a venue, we still feel it was terrific.  8 to 10 mats as best as i recall, and the pictures i have look quite a bit like the ones the OP has on their first post.  (minus the number of fans that some of those venues had, as the Horse Park had plenty of extra seats in my personal videos / photos)   Our son, also spoke highly of the facility and has fond very fond memories of participating at State there.

I seem to recall, at least with 1 year, that they did to the finals better than the other years, with the mats in the middle, and the lights set up to spot light them.  It was pretty cool !!

And for GentleBeard, an FYI 

" Boys High School State Wrestling venue: high school gym

Girls High School State Wrestling venue: middle school gym

Imagine these venues for any other sport. Pretty wild. "

Now in regards to other sports, Volleyball, at least in the 20 or 30 years i've been around it, has had it's state tourney's hosted in a High School Facility.  Currently, due to Covid they similarly to wrestling, have Semi-State's the week before, but in 8 !!  different high schools (Each of the 16 Regions has a champ that advances and they random draw the entire bracket EVERY year.  The following weekend, at least during the Covid years, they moved the Championship also to Winchester's New HS Gym.  Pre-Covid it was at the Valley High School EVERY year in Louisville, as a 2 or 3 day Tourney, for as far back as I can remember.  Each match in the covid years, has required it's own ticket !!.  So, each match completes, they clear out the facility of fans, and then next the next matches fans come in.  So, to view the entire tourney in the 2nd week, those match tickets add up to the expense VERY quickly !!!  

In reality, Volleyball, is MUCH more suited to have a Tourney hosted at HS sites, 1 court in a large Gym like Valley High School was always pretty nice imho, but my reply here is just an FYI about Championship High School Sports being hosted at High Schools   For size and numbers comparisons, Volleyball is the largest Girls sport, participation wise, in Kentucky at the High School Level. In Terms of total number of Teams, Volleyball has 266 different participating teams which is #2 overall for number of Teams .. right behind Basketball's at 275. 

-------

So, again, it's down to facility's, sizeable enough, fiscally reasonable enough, and having the ability and openings to host a Wrestling Tournament, .... 'well' .  Which, as many others have pointed out (each and every year it seems ) ,  Kentucky, does not have in abundance or frankly at ALL.  Those arenas that could do it, 'Bigger' are just to expensive for the crowds that we get, or not available for use even if they weren't to big/expensive.  I personally think centrally located would be really nice, but that really just means Louisville, and there's nothing there that i know of that is available that meets the above criteria sadly.

There's a school called Ignite. Got started after I acquired some property about 5 minutes down the road. I recommend this venue.

https://www.nkytribune.com/2017/03/toyotas-gift-what-is-the-ignite-institute-at-roebling-innovation-center-the-answers-to-your-questions/

If it’s not within 35 minutes of KHSAA HQ it ain’t happening. 
 

Frankfort civic center = 31 minutes

KY Horse park = 13 minutes 

George Rogers Clark = 22 minutes

Help me out  

KHSAA State tournament venues:

football: UK

basketball: UK 

girks bball: UK

baseball: UK 

softball: UK 

Swimming: UK

track and field?

soccer? 

Wrestling GRC high school 

volleyball: ? 

1 hour ago, Lowsingle said:

Help me out  

KHSAA State tournament venues:

football: UK

basketball: UK 

girks bball: UK

baseball: UK 

softball: UK 

Swimming: UK

track and field?

soccer? 

Wrestling GRC high school 

volleyball: ? 

Track is at UK.

soccer is PLD I believe.

vb unknown.

why not host it at western Ky uni. Plenty big facility, wrestling in Bowling green. Semi centrally located.

2 hours ago, halfhalfhalf said:

Track is at UK.

 

soccer is PLD I believe.

 

vb unknown.

 

why not host it at western Ky uni. Plenty big facility, wrestling in Bowling green. Semi centrally located.

 

 

Volleyball is at now at GRC after being held at Valley High School for many years.

Baseball is at Legends field, not uk. But still at a nice none school facility 

4 hours ago, coachteater said:

Baseball is at Legends field, not uk. But still at a nice none school facility 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year it is being held at KY Proud park at UK.