Dear NCHSAA Board of Directors,
I hope you are well and enjoying the successful administration of our HS Sports in NC so far this school year. First I want you to know that I feel like the NCHSAA has done a good job and that overall I support how our sports are being administered during this challenging year. With most of the decisions, although I may disagree with some, there seems to be a reasonable rationale related to health and safety that I can understand.
In my sport, wrestling, I do have two things I would like to share my opinion on though. First, I feel like we could have had the Dual Team Playoffs, and still could if it were immediately made a priority.
My second point is in regards to the Regional and State wrestling tournaments, specifically, not having the consolation rounds. I think we could successfully run the regional tournaments as we did last year but if it has to be a one day format then let's make the most of it and give our kids the greatest opportunity. In the Wrestling Rules Clinic Tra states that the "Board of Directors wanted to eliminate the amount of individuals in one gym for an extended period of time." Eliminating the consolation rounds of a wrestling tournament does very little to achieve this. When the tournament starts all the competitors are in the same general location, and once a wrestler competes, contact has been made, and not allowing them to continue if they lose does very little to decrease any potential spread of the virus I feel like this decision is just unnecessarily taking away an opportunity from too many student athletes in a season where opportunities are already limited.
This decision can and should be revisited to do what is best for the kids. The solution is simple as the consolation bracket can be changed from just the semi-final losers competing and increased in a number of different ways but the easiest way is to include quarter-final losers competing. At the Regional Tournaments, this would give quite a few more kids an opportunity to make the state tournament and yes there are a few more bouts but all these wrestlers are already in the gym and already wrestling. You can also have conolations from quarterfinals instead of semi-finals at the state tournaments. We would then have our placement to 6th place as we have had for years in wrestling. This change is easy to make and does not affect holding the tournament in one day, does not increase more people in the gym, and the increase in time in the gym will be minimal.
Our Governor is ready to sign a bill that would require schools to bring kids back to in person instruction and allow schools to bring them back full time. Our parents, communities and athletic supporters do not want to see unnecessary restrictions on HS sports participation and attendance. Other states are having wrestling state tournaments now without experiencing significant issues. More and more people are getting vaccinated. We are just overall at a different point than when the current restrictions were put in place and these plans were made.
Board of Directors, most of you are probably not wrestling experts but I want you to understand that this small change in the plan of increasing the amount of consolation matches at the Regional and State wrestling tournaments can and should be made. I ask that you be an advocate for these wrestlers and student athletes to have as close to normal as possible Regional and State tournaments this year.
Thank you for your consideration and support.