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Post by wrestlingmom on Feb 25, 2003 13:41:57 GMT -5
With the state tournament moving from long-time host Minot to Fargo, which hasn't a hosted a state tourney for more than ten (or closer to 20) years, I'd like to read comments about the "good" and "bad" things about the state tourney. What do wrestlers, coaches, and fans appreciate about a well-run tourney and what suggestions can be offered to improve the tourney experience? As a fan I appreciate that no one was concerned about fans bringing in backpacks and coolers with water, snacks, etc (as they are at the Rotary at the Civic Center).
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Post by Train_2_Win on Feb 25, 2003 14:01:19 GMT -5
Does: 1- Thur 7:00pm Dual Finals (Televised state wide) 2- Fri 7:00pm Semi Finals 3- Sat 5:00pm Finals (Televised) 4- Sat 7:00pm Finals B vs A (Televised)
5- Use same ref for the entire dual so the calls remain constant. 6- Have MORE warmup space! And give enough time to get warmed up before each round.
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Post by Train_2_Win on Feb 25, 2003 14:03:17 GMT -5
Also it gets hard to watch matches when there are friends and family down on the floor. Only wrestlers and coaches on floor!!
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Post by alscat1 on Feb 25, 2003 14:45:42 GMT -5
1st... minot runs a very good state tournament. 2nd I also think it was a good thing for backpacks and coolers to come in .... at least for the wrestlers ! 3rd... i don't inderstand getting booted out and then have to pay to get back in .I question the cleaning bleachers and sanitizing the mats as an excuse. Charge me a few bucks more and i will stay all day long!! 4th ... parking....the north parking lot was nasty... ice and snow pack.What would it have taken to run a sanding truck over this once, funny no lawsuit comes out of someone falling? 5 th , it was also rather chilly sitting in the bleachers.
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Post by alscat1 on Feb 25, 2003 14:49:44 GMT -5
Also... i thing fargo will do a good job, if they pull bleachers down to the mats as they do for basketball . Then have better parking, hopefully better standards as to staying in the tournament , better and more hotels,eatery,etc.
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Post by WrestlingDad on Feb 25, 2003 15:33:03 GMT -5
I agree that Minot hosted one heck of a state tournament. We appreciated being able to bring coolers in also (Bismarck Rotary take note). I also wish they would have sanded the parking lot as I took a spill and lived with a sore neck the whole weekend. Didn't stop us from having a GREAT weekend. Thank you Minot for your wonderful hospitality!
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Post by luv2pin on Feb 25, 2003 15:45:33 GMT -5
IMPROVEMENTS: *the parking was a joke. *sanding the steps and lot would be a great idea. *security was not very good. There were people sitting in our section that only had general admission tickets. Why did we pay reserved? *there were a couple of incidents of wrestlers swearing on the mat that were overlooked by the officials??? POSITIVES: *seating was great if you had reserved seating, no matter where you sat. *ref's did a great job. They seem to have alot of matches but overall very good. *if feel that the wrestling overall has improved over the past 3-4 years. Kids today are far more talented and stronger.
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Post by leglever on Feb 25, 2003 15:48:39 GMT -5
I agree what most have said, A vs B is not a good Idea, let there be two champions by their own right, Bismarck wouldn't duel carrington during the year so the rotary tournament and others allow enough cross over for those that want that sort of thing, perhaps Tioga, and Ohters would like their day in the sun. Let it be, I can live with two champions just like in all other sports. Let the small towns have their day. They deserve it because they bring in the fans. why try to beat them up to look good. Thats not saying they will but the obvious disadvantage would always be with the small budgeted class B communities that don't have 5 coaches
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YTS
New Member
Posts: 19
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Post by YTS on Feb 25, 2003 16:11:12 GMT -5
LStockert, Go to www.ndhsaa.com and click on the office link in the upper right hand corner. You may find a wealth of info. to please your senses. LOL Hope you can find your answers. Kevin W.
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Post by Lstockert on Feb 25, 2003 16:48:24 GMT -5
Kevin W:
Thank You
LStockert
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Post by 6waitingfor7 on Feb 25, 2003 17:01:14 GMT -5
Suggested Improvements for Minot Dome:
1. Clear out the Dome before the finals. Have the chearleaders take down all their posters and balloons from above the reserved seats. Pull out the risers on the sides all the way down. I have no idea how long this would take, but if they could do it in a reasonable amount of time, it would easily add 500 good view seats. They also would be the best seats in the Dome.
2. Replace the risers they currently have with some that have a much steeper angle. The sight lines make it difficult to see when people below are moving around. People with seats in rows 1-5 are way too low. Their view of the mats is constantly being blocked by people walking by, warming up, etc... I would think this would be better for all events being held here.
3. Use all 6 mats for the placing rounds. The tournament gets long enough the way it is. Semifinals on four and finals on two, no problem with that. I just don't think by eliminating one mat that it really showcases the placing round more. It just adds an extra 20 minutes to a half hour. Hey, more time to pull out the other bleachers!!!!!
4. Suspend the Scoreboards from the rafters. Luckily no one fell on them and got hurt. Fifteen to twenty feet above the mat would make them easier to see for everyone and they wouldn't be obstructing the view to other mats.
5. Find announcers who follow the sport and know how to pronounce the names of the kids. This has annoyed me for over a decade now. Some of the most well- known wrestlers in the state have their names butchered at the state tournament. When Mellmer was announced as Mellum, my jaw dropped. There were and have been countless other mispronunciations over the years.
6. Improve the sound system. Last year, it sounded the Class 'B' guy had crap in his mouth and the Class 'A' guy sounded clear. This year, it was exactly the opposite. Did they switch equipment or what?
Suggestion for all state wrestling tournaments:
Reserved Seating only for the individual semi- finals and finals. When the duals are going on, clear out sections according to which teams are participating and let their fans sit closer to that mat. Just sell the blocks of tickets with section, row, and seat number for those two premier sessions of the tournament. Teams with large followings will have their fans flock together like they do during the regular season. Every year I hear certain towns complaining about their section. Carrington had the best possible section this year, but next time around, they may be stuck where Hettinger was this year. Hettinger has great supporters, I think it's a shame that they got stuck where they did!!
Train_2-Win,
I like your ideas, especially #1, #3 and #5.
EJHewitt
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Tuffy
New Member
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Post by Tuffy on Feb 25, 2003 18:25:37 GMT -5
The state tournament was great but like the rest of you, I too have an opinion. The duals were great in the Class B ranks. Carrington vs. Minot Ryan and Center/New Salem vs. Napoleon in the semi-finals were some of the best duals any of us in Class B had seen all year. The dual tournament format requires each coach to show the ablilities of every wrestler. I would challenge any other coach in any other sport to put 14 good athletes on the mat, field, court. In the dual format, a team is only as good as its' weakest member. Then -- why did they (Minot) have $2.00 team score cards (the kind you flip to keep score) on the mat? And then -- the seating was for the individual tournament. Go to Minnesota and see the bleachers set-up around the dual tournament like the gym back home. You can tell who scores by the sea of color rising in one side of the bleachers. The dual tournament should be set-up for duals and the configuration of the individual tournament should be set-up for individuals. Don't mix the two. We are losing more schools and students in North Dakota every year. I think the dual state tournament could revitalize fan support. Die hard wrestling fans must remember the band wagon fans who really don't want to sit in a gym for 14hrs. They come for that two hours of craziest that occurs with the dual.
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Post by BigStud on Feb 25, 2003 19:24:40 GMT -5
Many people think the FargoDome will host an excellent state tourney...it has proven how well it can handle a big wrestling tourney the last few years with nationals, and the fact that it's close to many restaurants and other places of interest adds to the attractiveness. I think with the bleachers moved up, like they probably will be, the dome will feel more comfortable and not so overwhelmingly big...and in that space they(we fargo area wrestlers) can set up a few mats for more warm up space. I also think A vs. B would be a great dual.
PS: does anyone else get really annoying pop ups on this site???
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Post by BigStud on Feb 25, 2003 19:58:52 GMT -5
I dont know much..this is what i've been told. I'm not sure about the bleacher situation, but the dome would be the only place big enough for this tourney. The bison sports arena isn't big enough(in my opinion) to handle the tourney. I'm not sure about the Civic Center, but i just dont like that place. It's alrigth for basketball games, but im not sure about State Wrestling. They're possibilities though. And the way i picture the dome, it shouldnt be too big, and parking is way better, and the security isnt too terrible.
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GTG
New Member
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Post by GTG on Feb 25, 2003 23:25:15 GMT -5
I just wanted to say that I think fargo is a great place for the state tournament and I am also excited to hear that Kasey Gilliss and Chad Renner will be inducted into the hall of fame next year.
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