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Fargo
Jul 20, 2021 15:52:07 GMT -5
Post by Luis_Mandito_Valdez on Jul 20, 2021 15:52:07 GMT -5
Looks like we are still feeling the 2020 COVID effects in VA. Like many of the 2020 tournaments - not a great showing in the off-season for Virginia at Fargo. Hoping 2021-2022 is going to be a better year. With Bill Swink gone to PA and Ross Gitomer (my pick to replace his leadership) wooed to Blair Academy, we need some new leadership to help drive VA to be the best.
Steve Martin? Dalton Henderson? Blake Roulo? Matt Keel? Rob Prebish? Mark Strickland? Who do you think is going to help provide the leadership to get Virginia on the right path? Not just in regards to developing talent at a local HS or club, but bringing clubs, programs, and wrestlers together to make VA better as a wrestling state?
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Post by hector on Jul 20, 2021 17:33:11 GMT -5
Earl Smith
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Fargo
Jul 20, 2021 20:28:52 GMT -5
Post by Luis_Mandito_Valdez on Jul 20, 2021 20:28:52 GMT -5
All great recommendations. I do wonder who they will choose and curious how they will select. I'll put my vote for Mark Strickland, but all these names are capable. Believe Blake is a bit busy building a national powerhouse team right now. Roulo is doing a good job ands seems fervent about wrestling and winning. You are right though - his hands are full. It will be interesting to see what shakes out moving forward, but definitely need someone that can bring the state talent together and shape a plan for the future to both grow and develop. VA took a step backwards this year IMO, but with COVID it is hard to get a good feel for where we are at.
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Fargo
Jul 21, 2021 16:55:45 GMT -5
Post by TrojanMan on Jul 21, 2021 16:55:45 GMT -5
A down year in participation only. During the Spring Freestyle and Greco season VA kids had great results at all of the major duals and individual events. Those events take a toll on your body so some of our studs are taking time to heal for big things this Fall and Winter.
New leadership will be a good thing. In VA we pay twice as much for a trip to Fargo than do the states that surround us. VAWA needs to find a way to ease the cost of this trip if they want the best kids to go every year. They also need to find a way to bring the best coaches in to lead the team.
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Fargo
Jul 21, 2021 18:33:58 GMT -5
Post by Luis_Mandito_Valdez on Jul 21, 2021 18:33:58 GMT -5
Yes - down year in participation, but that is nationally, so as I have suggested before - the pools are not as large or IMO as deep as they have been in previous years. I think VA took a step back this year. Yes, Nick did well as did Baker, Dupill and a couple others - but overall I think VA underperformed.
The time for a break is not during one of the most significant tournaments in the country. It is arguably the biggest HS FS/GR event in the nation not associated with Worlds/Olympics. That is where you prove your mettle and put it on the line.
As far as costs - I can agree with that. It needs to be affordable and make financial sense; I hope the powers that be pay attention to your comment, I have seen you make it before. I am guessing there are a lot of ways they can at least work to subsidize it more than they are.
And "best coaches" is tough. I named some - who you got?
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Post by TrojanMan on Jul 21, 2021 19:42:30 GMT -5
I understand your point concerning Fargo. But, sometimes what comes out the back end of the Fargo grind is not good. It takes several months to recover from Fargo and get back into Folkstyle. It leaves you drained and out of time to properly prepare for goals like Super 32, Ironman, and Beast of the East.
Fargo is Fargo and once you have done it several times the shine gets worn off.
This year VAWA came up with some cockamamie scheme to reduce the costs but it still ended up being over $2K for the trip and the onus was still on the families to pay for airfare, food, hotels with no running water (exaggeration) and VAWA officials trips and vacation packages. The entire VAWA staff travels to Fargo for free because we are paying for their trip. Other than laying out cold cuts and white bread for lunch and dinner what good are they doing out there?
There is a reason the best coaches in the state stayed at home this year. VAWA.
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Fargo
Jul 21, 2021 23:43:33 GMT -5
Post by TrojanMan on Jul 21, 2021 23:43:33 GMT -5
"There is a reason the best coaches in the state stayed at home this year. VAWA."
A redaction in thought is needed here as I know there are several incredible coaches guiding our young men and women in Fargo this week. They have helped 9 wrestlers gain All-American status. The pools are huge and loaded with talent. Team Virginia is doing and amazing job. My jab was not intended for the coaches or wrestlers. If it was taken that way I deeply apologize.
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Post by getthrowed on Jul 23, 2021 19:39:28 GMT -5
Took a step backwards? In 2019 VAWA took 30 Cadets and only 2 of them AA, Vafiadis (2nd place] & Travis Ragland (8th place). This year VAWA took 32 Cadets and 3 of them AA, Cadell Lee (2nd place), Parker Ferrell (3rd place) & Duncan Christensen (6th place) That's just one division and one style but I'm sure if you compare Greco & the Junior division you'd find similar results. Furthermore, this was the largest Fargo (1300+ wrestlers from 47 states and Puerto Rico) in the 50 year history of the event. Brackets were stacked with talent, did you see how many Ranked kids were entered and how many D1 commits that were enter... Flo actually has an article highlighting that. VAWA took a team to the Cadet duals as well and took 11th overall out of 33 teams and had 4 kids named to the 16U All-Tournament team. I respect others opinions but when they're based in zero facts it just looks silly.
Although, i agree the cost of Fargo for Virginia wrestlers is flat out criminal. I'm still trying to figure out how and why it's $450 when airfare, lodging & food is all covered by the parents. The wrestlers only got an ugly ill-fitting singlet for $450 and a bunch of coaches they've never met. Make it make sense.
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Post by Luis_Mandito_Valdez on Jul 23, 2021 21:47:56 GMT -5
Yes, a step backwards...it showed in national results and rankings - in-season and out. I find it hilarious and silly when you come off with the whole - "largest Fargo ever". There was a reason why it was the largest ever, you probably do not know it, but it was watered down and there were only two #1 ranked wrestlers at the event and they both lost. Better yet, since you like Flo, you know how many P4P guys were there in 2019-20? Well let's start with guys like Braxton Amos (#1), Keegan O’Toole (#4), Patrick Kennedy (#3), Gerrit Nijenhuis (#8), Lachlan Mcneil (#9), Rocky Elam (#10), and the list goes on. Much better, deeper year with better talent. You mentioned Flo, you know how many 2019-20 VA wrestlers were in their rankings? You know how many were in the rankings in 2020-2021?
Virginia has indeed taken a step back, maybe because of COVID, maybe it is something else. But at the end of the day, sticking your head in the sand and pretending everything is fine is not the answer.
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Fargo
Jul 26, 2021 14:59:17 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by bendover on Jul 26, 2021 14:59:17 GMT -5
Gotta admit... that seems to be pretty accurate. COVID probably hurt Fargo and VA, but we need to figure out how to get kids involved in Va wrestling around 5th grade, so that the number of participants grow, which will give us more opportunity to fill teams and get kids on the podium. Its will take a few years to see the benefits, but it would be awesome if we could place more kids at Fargo.
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