Region 9 proposal goes against what sport is about
No one involved in the sport of wrestling ever looks for a shortcut.
Always.
This is the sport that gave us the Blood Round, unparalleled discipline and sacrifice.
So I don’t understand the idea of creating a non-public “Region 9” to be passed around by public school ring trainers.
I get it. The better wrestlers go to private schools. Period.
You think they’re going to be lured under the table with ZERO deals or whatever and it’s ruining the sport. It ruins what makes the sport interesting to the general public, destroys its roots.
It’s not just happening in North Jersey. Yes, we have our superpowers here – I don’t need to tell you who they are – and imagine, they just keep getting better.
Now the wrestling coaches want to change that. They want to steer the non-public schools into their own region in order to dilute their ranks at the individual state tournaments. It won’t change the fact that the best kids will win, but it will open the door for more public school wrestlers to get ahead.
And isn’t that what wrestling is all about? abbreviations? dodge opponents? Make sure your way is easier than other’s when you are sure the other is cheating?
Public school coaches want the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to step in and do the calculations again. The NJSIAA may try, but they know it’s unlikely anything official will happen to the Commissioner of Education because New Jersey won’t allow a split.
Also, the NJSIAA has already leveled the playing field. weren’t you paying attention The NJSIAA just scrapped the rules for recruiting middle school athletes. If the law passes this summer, every eighth grader in New Jersey will be recruitable. It’s only a matter of time before someone makes a list of the top 40 fourth grade wrestling recruits in NJ. (Please, no one ever does.)
You may not want to hear this, but public school coaches should recruit wrestlers, too. The same goes for soccer coaches, basketball coaches, and baseball coaches in public schools. It is in order. I know it wasn’t part of your job description, but it is now. You can do it.
In fact, I’m going to tell you how to make your program more attractive to the best kids. Here’s your selling point:
I am free
Here we go. Reason #1 for trying to dissuade a talented prospect from going to private school and wrestling: Your school is free. I’ve been in private wrestling rooms. Except maybe for Bergen Catholic and Delbarton’s, they’re all the same—stinky, small, and dripping with sweat.
You can offer children something that no other non-public school can. The ability to stay at home and go to school with their friends. Tell them if they win a state title, they get a street parade and a police escort home from Atlantic City. I fucking respect private schools, but Morristown doesn’t usually throw saves for a Delbarton state champion. That’s not knocking, that’s just reality.
And it’s free.
Plan
Why do you think Clifton, Northern Highlands, Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley have traveled abroad for football games in recent years? Because they recognize that the trips and the chance to take on a high-profile out-of-state competition are an incentive for talented kids.
Can public schools do this every year? Yes. raise the money Show that you care. Tell your best wrestling prospects that in two years you’re going to the Beast of the East in Delaware. (Paramus did this.) What have you got to lose? Heck, create your own New Jersey all-star event at the American Dream mall and invite only public schools. You want separation, do it yourself.
Buy new singlets. Kids love that stuff, they want cool colors, cool designs. Go on social media and highlight everything your kids are doing. They will come.
stop complaining
Any time a public school coach whines about the advantage of a non-public school, he is meddling directly with the issue.
When you win, especially in wrestling, you deserve it. The right attitude is everything. Sport doesn’t give you what you don’t deserve. If you already acknowledge that you’re going to lose, then you’ve already done it.
You are all the same
No school is really better than the other. It’s the truth. My oldest son is in high school now and does he ever talk about how awesome the robotics department is? Or the excursions? nope Do you know what he’s talking about? The teachers he likes and who challenge him. This year it’s world history.
To say that one school has better offers than another is ridiculous. If a school has a great drama program, that’s great, but if the kids don’t like the teacher, it really doesn’t help.
Follow the map
Public school buses, the roadmap is there. You don’t need region 9 to cut out non-public children. All tools are in front of you. I know you’re already working hard. I know. They’re overlooked and overworked, all only to see an all-star team walk in and steal the glory and the headlines.
But the sport has evolved. You have to change what you’re doing to deal with it. compete. Make your program great.
You don’t offer shortcuts to your wrestlers, so why are you looking for one?