IHSAA meets with Wrestling Advisory Committee

Members of the Iowa High School Athletic Association met with the wrestling advisory committee, consisting of wrestling coaching and officiating representatives last Thursday at Boone. IHSAA Assistant Executive Director Alan Beste, who oversees wrestling, said the group discussed items ranging from increasing local interest for the sport to state tournaments.

"We had a meeting last week, shared some ideas and thoughts," Beste said in a phone interview Thursday. "All of that will go to our board on the 27th of this month and really until the board does something I can't go much further than that at this point."

One of the proposals, according to various area wrestling coaches and confirmed by Beste, is returning the state tournament to a three-day tournament and holding the State Duals tournament Wednesday before the traditional state meet at Wells Fargo Arena. The traditional meet is held from Wednesday through Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena and State Duals is the following Saturday. 

"That was one of the ideas the advisory committee talked about," said Beste. "No decisions have been made because that can't take place until the board meets at the end of this month."

Independence Coach Michael Doyle, who served as the vice president for the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association last season and will take over for North-Linn Coach Brad Bridgewater as IWCOA President for the upcoming season, also said the plan was discussed. Doyle, a longtime advocate of moving the State Duals to the last weekend of January, said talks about moving the date of the season-ending competition aren't new.

"The State Duals can't be at the U.S. Cellular Center next year, because they are renovating it so we have to do something with State Duals," Doyle said. "We've been talking about State Duals now for awhile. We need to change it and make it better."

The traditional state tournament was switched from three to four days in 2003 and the State Duals has been held at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the tournament in February. A possibility exists the change could be made as early as the 2011-12 postseason. The IHSAA has to find an alternative site for the State Duals because of renovations to the U.S. Cellular Center. Beste has said the IHSAA is considering options, including the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena, Young Arena in Waterloo and Council Bluffs as possible sites for the state duals.

"I don't know with certainty," Beste said about when possible changes could take effect. "Whatever decision regarding State Duals, that has to be in place next year because we won't be back at the Cellular Center. Whether the board decides to change the whole package or just make a temporary decision on the State duals, I honestly don't know what their decision will be."

Doyle said the suggested change would allow the State Duals to be a complete double-elimination format, wrestling to the top eight places. Currently, quarterfinal losers are eliminated with the top four places awarded. That is a change coaches have tried to have implemented for some time. Even though Doyle said it isn't ideal - he still would like to see the State Duals moved to the end of january in the future - it is a step closer to providing a better showcase for that event.

Doyle said switching the traditional state tournament back to three days was an "awesome" idea.

"From an educational point of view, three days is way better," Doyle said. "From a financial point of view, three days is way better."

Other topics covered during the meeting were the weight management system and the process of reporting dual meet scores during the regular season. Beste said online access to dual results was well received. They are hoping it can be a catalyst to revive local interest in some areas of the state where it has decreased.

"No answers to that," Beste said. "Just a lot of conversation about what can be done to get wrestling more mainstream."

Weight class changes has been discussed for high school wrestling on a national level. Beste did not have any updates on the subject.

"The National Federation had its meeting last week also to discuss weight classes," Beste said, "we have no new information on that."