Niche Sport or Mainstream?

[davenowa]

Unsure if being a niche sport is a bad thing, but it does seem like there are many factors trending HS wrestling in that direction.  Granted, all sports are impacted by a growing battle for participants, especially with fewer multi-sport athletes, but more needs to be done to keep wrestling in the the conversation.  All of these issues have been discussed in various posts, but not sure which factors can be addressed most easily.  In some states with relatively small population centers and many small districts, there are now numerous co-ops in sports such as hockey, swimming, gymnastics and even football.  I see wrestling tending in that direction.  With very few states willing to consider fewer weight classes (hoping that experiment works in PA), the number of forfeits will keep growing.  The notion that fewer opportunities will be available is countered by the combining of 2-3 small teams who can't fill rosters, so suddenly instead of 2 or 3 teams with 11-12 weights, you have 1 team with 14.  The negative impact of forfeits on fans is terribly underestimated, especially in a sport where scoring is not only limited and not properly incentivized but also quite complex.  Too many matches are attended by few beyond family members and close friends, with many not sure if the kid they want to see wrestle that night will get a forfeit or a match. The reliance on 14-hour tournaments as opposed to quality duals only best serves the elite kids, and discourages many families from that type of commitment every Saturday.  Finding coaches who are teachers within the school seems more difficult than ever (making the recruitment of new wrestlers harder, compounded by so many holding the belief that they need to have prior youth experience) and the continued reliance on coach's input when seeking ways to improve the overall health of the sport remains an obstacle, as most are only willing to support initiatives that will benefit their team at this moment in time.  While NFHS has provided some good guidance, I think the concept of offering 3 options for weight classes only further weakens the health of the wrestling.  Hoping some younger minds will come up with ways to grow the sport, as I don't feel like much progress has been made over the last 20 years (I can't even convince enough coaches in our small state to conduct a dual meet state championship).  Maybe someone will convince their state to pilot something excitingly new and different, whether Margin of Victory Scoring to increase action or 12 weights to reduce forfeits or Matside Weigh-Ins with Locked Line-ups (to reduce ducks) or anything else that might help convince fellow students and casual fans that spending 90 minutes watching a dual match can be time well spent.  Sorry for the long rant (and especially to NHS67 for keeping it to one paragraph), but also hoping to keep the HS component of this forum a place that ideas can continue to be exchanged and debated, perhaps to the ultimate benefit of the sport.  At least I know I can count on the late senator from Kansas to chime in. Good luck this season!

[Formally140]

Could you break it into paragraphs?

[billyhoyle]

On 11/29/2022 at 8:34 AM, Formally140 said:

Could you break it into paragraphs?

I didn't read the post, but I fed it into chatGPT, and asked it to rewrite it for clarity and split into multiple paragraphs.  The result is below. I have no idea how well it did (because I didn't read the original post), but at least it's something to start the discussion. 
 

There are many factors that are trending high school wrestling towards becoming a niche sport. These issues have been discussed in various posts, but it is unclear which factors can be addressed most easily. One factor is the growing battle for participants, especially with fewer multi-sport athletes. Another factor is the trend towards co-ops in small districts for sports such as hockey, swimming, gymnastics, and even football. This could lead to a similar trend in wrestling.

Another issue is the increasing number of forfeits due to a lack of willingness to consider fewer weight classes. This not only reduces opportunities for wrestlers, but also negatively impacts fans who may not know if the wrestler they want to watch will have a match or a forfeit. The reliance on long tournaments also discourages many families from committing to them.

Finding coaches who are also teachers within the school is becoming more difficult, making it harder to recruit new wrestlers and exacerbating the belief that youth experience is necessary. The continued reliance on coaches for input on improving the overall health of the sport is also an obstacle, as most are only willing to support initiatives that benefit their team in the short term.

While the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has provided some guidance, the concept of offering three options for weight classes further weakens the health of the sport. It is hoped that younger minds will come up with ways to grow the sport, as little progress has been made in the last 20 years. It is also hoped that someone will convince their state to pilot something new and different, such as margin of victory scoring or matside weigh-ins with locked line-ups. This could help convince fellow students and casual fans that watching a dual match can be time well spent.

 

Edited December 5, 2022 by billyhoyle

[Formally140]

The reducing weights is just covering the problem not actually addressing it. I’d rather have more chances for kids to compete.

An actual rule that would help make dual meets better is go with 10-11 weights for duals and 14 for tournaments. You could even let coaches decide what weights will go and have a rule forbidding picking weights that deliberately pick up a forfeit for cheap points. 
 

Also, more coaches need to be willing to bump kids up as needed to make sure the duals are settled as much as possible by actual wrestling instead of taking forfeits then doing “exhibitions.

Thankfully the trend in HS at least has been towards shorter tournaments. 
 

Who will you put in charge of it then? Because while most coaches are short sighted, people who know aren’t don’t know wrestling and make weird decisions 

ill comment on last paragraph later