Below is the email copied from the original. I have sent him another response to which I have heard nothing back. He is the only person from the SCHSL that responded with any type of disdain. I researched him after the response because I could not understand why he was so curt and dismissive. He is a baseball guy, who also oversees football, wrestling, baseball & softball. His interaction has been the most disappointing aspect of all this communication following the weekend. I feel quite certain that if his sport of baseball were being shown the amount of indifference that he has shown wrestling, he would not stand for it. Please let me know if I was out of bounds with any of my communication with him.
Good Afternoon.
I wanted to take a minute and address something that has been on my mind since this weekend. I hope that this does not fall on deaf ears. While I certainly do not expect a reply from everyone on this email, I would hope to hear something back.
This weekend I attended the SCHSL Wrestling State Championships in Anderson at the Civic Center. This was a very poor showing for our state, in a sport that is growing nationally. While I recognize that Georgia has a much larger population, our neighboring state is a shining example of how to do this properly. I know that I am not alone in this feeling. Please understand that what is done by the people who put this on is appreciated, but we will never get better without acknowledging where there is room for improvement, and our kids deserve that.
The Anderson Civic Center is not the best venue to host this wrestling tournament. There is not adequate room nor facilities for the wrestlers to warm up or be on deck for their next match. There is not enough restroom facilities for the amount of participants, and spectators. Over two days, it was apparent, that was the case. The facility workers could not keep the supplies stocked in the restrooms, and there was always a line at any of the three available options. The facility was uncomfortably hot due to the air conditioning not being run. This is not acceptable. There are other facilities that can host an event this large, and prestigious. Again, we owe that to these kids. There are several ways to achieve that.
We can get sponsors for the event, who for a fee can sell there merchandise at the event. There are more than a few wrestling merchandise companies that would jump at the chance. Someone should be looking in to this. There are competitive companies could live stream the event as well. While Floarena was used to track the bracket, other states use this or Trackwrestling to stream the events. Another source of revenue, and an opportunity for families, recruiters, and coaches to watch the event. Our neighboring states take advantage of these services, and benefit from them. I am unsure of what conflict may arise from using NFHS Network, but this should be figured out and available.
Our state does a great job with basketball and football when it comes to these events. I have attended the last 6 state championship games, and feel as if they are put on very well. The facilities are flawless and the right venue for the magnitude, and attendance level. Conversely I have watched several basketball events streaming on NFHS, and attended some lower state events live. All were done very well. The same level of attention to detail is not being applied to our states wrestling events, and it shows. The coaches in our state know that they are not receiving the same level of support from SCHSL that other sports are.
All of you are quite aware of the incoming population in to our state. A considerable amount of the people that are incoming, are coming from states that have strong and established wrestling tradition and leadership. Several of the winners of state championships this weekend were won by transplants from other states. It is recognized by those families that our state is lacking in support for wrestling. We have the resources, they just need to be applied better. Our Lower and Upper state basketball championships from this weekend were better put on events, and that should not be the case.
Please do not dismiss my communication, and actually consider making changes. The sport is growing and can be at least a break even venture. The kids deserve it as they are working very diligently to grow the sport in our state. Thank you for taking the time to read this.