Would you move the tourney dates?

[supercyzd]

Question: Do you think moving the Championship Tourney to a time that doesn't compete with March Madness BBall would help our media exposure? If so when do you think would be the best time?

Second question? Do you think the Dual Team tourney would be more popular if it was at the end of the season? Maybe even immediately following the Individual Tourney.

Example Individual Tourney: Thurs-Sat,
Dual Team Tourney (Top 8 Ranked Teams): Sunday

[stovepipe]

^^^I don't have strong opinions on this. Having said that, I, however, would like to see the NCAA Tournament continue to be the season's concluding (and showcase) event. I'd like to see the NWCA Duals continue to be wrestled before the NCAA Tournament and would like to see that event carry the NCAA blessing as the NCAA's official dual-meet championship.

I don't think the NCAA will pick up much media coverage moving the NCAA Tournament away from basketball. If you move the NCAA Tournament to April, come April the Charlotte Observer, for example, will still be covering baseball and stock car racing and major TV networks probably will not increase their coverage.

If we move the NCAA Tournament into the spring, we still will have MAJOR sports ahead of us in coverage. For example, I just don't see the "Washington Post" or the TV mega-media corps giving a rat's rump when the NCAA wrestling tournament is held.

The best reason I can think of for moving the college wrestling season to January thru April is that the weather is better for traveling to events in the northeast and northern midwest. -Stove Pipe

[supercyzd]

Stovepipe said "I don't think the NCAA will pick up much media coverage moving the NCAA Tournament away from basketball. If you move the NCAA Tournament to April, come April the Charlotte Observer, for example, will still be covering baseball and stock car racing and major TV networks probably will not increase their coverage."

Stove- It always seams to me that after the BB tourney ESPN and other sports networks (not necessarily the majors) are looking for stories. I just wondered if this would open the door for full coverage of the whole tourney.

Also- I tend to agree with you on how the individual tourney needs to be the main focus but was just thinking of ideas on how we could make the dual team competition a little more important and attract more fans.

Thanks for your thoughts - supercyzd

[Earl]

I agree that the individual tournament should be the last event, its what everyone wants to peak for.

I'd like to see CSTV/ESPNU someone televise the semi-finals of the team championship.

[gg121and2]

Re-scheduling the wrestling season is suggested every year. The first fact is that the tournament has been a sellout for a number of years. Changing the dates will not effect this in any way. Second - the dates are not the reason that wrestling gets such lousy media coverage. Frankly, we are the reason. First - only about 20 DI schools put at least 1,000 butts in seats per dual meet last year. If we fans don't even show up better than that, how can you expect any network to want to broadcast wrestling. There's just no audience to sell to the advertisers that pay for the broadcast schedule. Third - who wants to watch all of the blocking off and parallel riding that's so prevalent today?

I'm sick to death of wrestling fans blaming the media, blaming Title IX, blaming the schedule. You want to blame someone? Look in the mirror.

Have you bought season tickets to attend meets at your favorite school?

Do you attend National Duals?

Have you bought tickets to the NWCA All-Star Classic?

Do you attend JC, DII and DIII meets?

Do you take kids and friend to meets?

Put up or shut up!

[stovepipe]

^^^For the past ten years Bruce Closson of WrestlingReport has been saying that we should be netcasting and video-casting our home wrestling events. All colleges are capable of that. It is low cost to set up a tripod with camera, do a play-by-play, and put it on the net, making it available for fans all over the nation (and even outside the U.S.) to watch. Even high schools could be net-videoing their matches.

We have the best sport on the planet and we can show it to everyone. We do not need big media. Let's do it ourselves. -Stove Pipe

[gg121and2]

Stove - I'm with you 110% on that. The more matches we can get on the internet the better (that's what's so great about Martin Floreani and flowrestling.com).

Here's one from me.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sndY3caXU2E

[mninia]

I do not think the NCAA should change the dates, in all cases. However, it does stink that the Big Ten & Big Twelve (5) tourneys are the same weekend of DIII Nationals (there is a lot of good WR at this tourney). It would be nice if that could be worked out somehow.

Webcasting is a good option, but it would be nice if CSTV and ESPNU would show the semi-finals and finals of the National Duals. Who knows, maybe even the Big Ten Network could jump. I think there are a lot of people who would watch college WR. I think one reason WR has a strong base in IA is the fact IPTV shows many of the matches, this includes DI and the IIAC Conference meet. (This is a great resource if you can't make it to a meet.)

We just need to keep promoting the sport.

[supercyzd]

gg - you make some good points but I don't see anyone on this board "blaming" the media (including myself). I just wanted to start some open conversation as to how we can increase our sports popularity.

As for your checklist here's my honest report card:

Have you bought season tickets to attend meets at your favorite school? - yes I buy 4 season tickets and try to take anyone whom is interested

Do you attend National Duals? - Yes attended last year (took my neighbor whom had never attended a college meet before - we both are planning on going this year)

Have you bought tickets to the NWCA All-Star Classic? - No

Do you attend JC, DII and DIII meets? - I have in the past (when my bro wrestled for SDSU) - sidenote - I have never attended one of these events for Basketball or FB and think most people haven't either.

Do you take kids and friend to meets? Yes - see above

I also am all for the webcasts. It's an idea I hadn't considered.

Another idea I've had is to make wrestling tourneys more exciting is to show it like a golf tourney. In a golf tourney they show you the exciting shots from everyone (hole-in-ones, chip-ins, etc). They could show exciting moves and Caldwell-Lang type matches (not necessarilly the top seeds). For non-fans a Gallick v Ware match is pretty boring.

[Earl]

Good list GG. I'd like to add a few more points...

Supporting your local teams financially.
I don't mean donating large sums of money (but that would help). If I'm at a match and the team is selling tee-shirts I will always buy one/two. This also includes going to Coaches Clinics or Weekend Camps that a bunch of the schools are holding this time of year.

Let the administration know wrestling fans exist.
If your school hires a new head coach or even assistant, let someone know that you think they've made a great hire. Clueless AD's like Oregon's think that wrestling is "unfashionable". Make sure your AD's know that you care about the team.