Midlands Fell Apart and Soldier Salute Stinks

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Nope - you're wrong, Willie.

Midlands is a good show, given the expectation level of the participating teams, and super high quality B1G+ broadcast.

Highest caliber guys weren't there, but it's a rebuilding year for the tournament after hiatus. No reason to believe it doesn't make a big jump next year. It's good.

OK - you're only half wrong.

Soldier Salute sucks rocks. Truly terrible. Cool that proceeds go to a deserving fund. But doubt the proceeds will amount to much given how lame it is.

 

 

[Husker_Du]

"given the expectation level of the participating teams"

that's a heck of a qualifier

look at how utterly underwhelming some of the high seeds are. 

25 of the 40 Top 4 seeds never AA'd. that's a far cry for the Midlands we know and love. 

i admit, i don't know what the solution is (and that i'll watch it regardless b/c i love wrestling), but man, i miss the great fields and head-to-heads

[H82Lose]

I agree picking and choosing tourneys to wrestle if healthy, is hurting the sport. IMO too many coaches put themselves first, because they need that national placer, or even national champ. So, they think, rest, dodge, rest and wrestle. EVERYONE is doing it. RBY was taking off, and I believe he had some comment about, wrestles when he wants? I am sure that is out of context, but something around those lines.  Brands ALWAYS "rests" his guys, Glory is laying out and the list goes on and on. I realize college is much more of a grind, and tougher on the body.  There has to be a better way of continuing to grow the sport.  I got challenged by an ex OSU Poke about a comment I made that there are little kids that go to a dual to see Spencer Lee wrestle only to find out he is "sitting out". Now, that could be a bad example, because Lee just had two major knee surgeries, but there are examples out there. My view is different.  I want my kids to get a look, or even a couple of looks with a kid that might be better. There are wrestlers out there, that are going to wrestle every weekend if healthy. I wish everyone would have that mindset. Easy for me to say this, as a fan now, but damn we need this sport to GROW vs true fans losing interest. 

[headshuck]

RBY (as an example) would probably say he has better competition in the room with all the RTC guys around. Not having to travel across the country is a huge advantage.

National Duals at it’s peak was a nice incentive for schools to showcase their team strength in middle of the season.

[MPhillips]

25 minutes ago, H82Lose said:

IMO too many coaches put themselves first

Or is it their wrestlers?

[H82Lose]

35 minutes ago, MPhillips said:

Or is it their wrestlers?

No, I agree there are wrestlers that feel that way too. BUT, you hope there are coaches out there do not allow it to happen.  

[Wrestleknownothing]

1 hour ago, H82Lose said:

I agree picking and choosing tourneys to wrestle if healthy, is hurting the sport. IMO too many coaches put themselves first, because they need that national placer, or even national champ. So, they think, rest, dodge, rest and wrestle. EVERYONE is doing it. RBY was taking off, and I believe he had some comment about, wrestles when he wants? I am sure that is out of context, but something around those lines.  Brands ALWAYS "rests" his guys, Glory is laying out and the list goes on and on. I realize college is much more of a grind, and tougher on the body.  There has to be a better way of continuing to grow the sport.  I got challenged by an ex OSU Poke about a comment I made that there are little kids that go to a dual to see Spencer Lee wrestle only to find out he is "sitting out". Now, that could be a bad example, because Lee just had two major knee surgeries, but there are examples out there. My view is different.  I want my kids to get a look, or even a couple of looks with a kid that might be better. There are wrestlers out there, that are going to wrestle every weekend if healthy. I wish everyone would have that mindset. Easy for me to say this, as a fan now, but damn we need this sport to GROW vs true fans losing interest. 

I wonder how much the extra year(s) factors into some of these individual situations. RBY expected to be done by now, Diakomihalis and Lee figured to be done two years ago, but they are all still in college, and Starocci has said he won't wrestle the fifth year even though he would have a chance to do something unprecedented. I think the mental fatigue is real when you are still doing something you thought you would be done with long ago.

I know of one wrestler who planned on only wrestling four years and was going to take a pass last year, but was talked into returning for year five. It looks like the opposite is true for Grant Willits. He has a year of eligibility left, and would have been the highest returning placer to what is considered a weak weight, but he took a pass.

[H82Lose]

48 minutes ago, MPhillips said:

Or is it their wrestlers?

I just watched the Dresser interview. Sounds a lot like a coaching decision on Coleman and Carr. "resting because they are old".  

[H82Lose]

2 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

I wonder how much the extra year(s) factors into some of these individual situations. RBY expected to be done by now, Diakomihalis and Lee figured to be done two years ago, but they are all still in college, and Starocci has said he won't wrestle the fifth year even though he would have a chance to do something unprecedented. I think the mental fatigue is real when you are still doing something you thought you would be done with long ago.

I know of one wrestler who planned on only wrestling four years and was going to take a pass last year, but was talked into returning for year five. It looks like the opposite is true for Grant Willits. He has a year of eligibility left, and would have been the highest returning placer to what is considered a weak weight, but he took a pass.

all good points. My son is a freshman in college and he said the mental part is the biggest challenge. It is a full time job, practice and then school, then lifting, then "extra" when you are not where you want to be.  

[Caveira]

Vito and nicks is amazing.   Well worth the drive.   Obbies pizza by midway is worth it too.  South side is defo better for food than the north side.  Get some tacos in the Pilsen area.   None super close to midlands though.   
 

there is no beef better than johnnies .  

[jammen]

18 hours ago, ionel said:

National Duals?  I thought Tommie & Carl killed that.  

 

But sure prob makes sense with that journey man event, just that Flo seemed to be expecting them.  Maybe Flo doesn't know whats going on. 

Perhaps everyone should just stay home and do an intersquad like Iowa, would save the fans a bunch of money they could use to say go to Spring baseball camp games. 

 

https://www.caelsanderson.com/blog/no-to-national-duals/

[Fadzaev2]

On 12/29/2022 at 10:45 AM, Idaho said:

Not Vegas.... It produced again... maybe the West just knows how to do it better. 

Maybe Mark Churella knows how to do it better.....it's his tournament....started it when he was the head coach a LasVegas.  I believe it's in it's 40th year this year.

[GreatWhiteNorth]

15 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

"given the expectation level of the participating teams"

that's a heck of a qualifier

look at how utterly underwhelming some of the high seeds are. 

25 of the 40 Top 4 seeds never AA'd. that's a far cry for the Midlands we know and love. 

i admit, i don't know what the solution is (and that i'll watch it regardless b/c i love wrestling), but man, i miss the great fields and head-to-heads

Wrestling has been a far cry from what we know and love for a few years now - all around. Cancellations, extra years, it's all been crazy, but we're getting back on track.

I'm optimistic, I see more and better things coming. We shall see.

[MadMardigain]

Is the philosophy for several coaches becoming we are either going to give fans a good mid-season national dual or a tough mid-season tournament, but we aren’t doing both. Seems like that’s were things have went with a decent nationals duals (could be better) and now several very watered down tournament that look like or maybe weaker than most week one events.  

[ionel]

12 minutes ago, MadMardigain said:

Is the philosophy for several coaches becoming we are either going to give fans a good mid-season national dual or a tough mid-season tournament, but we aren’t doing both. Seems like that’s were things have went with a decent nationals duals (could be better) and now several very watered down tournament that look like or maybe weaker than most week one events.  

where did you see a national dual(s)?

[MadMardigain]

11 minutes ago, ionel said:

where did you see a national dual(s)?

Come on, the development we have seen and hopefully will continue to see from the New Orleans Collegiate Duals was the closest we have had to this in years. Almost all didn’t do both (and seems like a limited squad if they did), so is that the trade off most solid programs want us to decide between?  

Edited December 31, 2022 by MadMardigain

[ionel]

7 minutes ago, MadMardigain said:

Come on, the development we have seen and hopefully will continue to see from the New Orleans Collegiate Duals was the closest we have had to this in years. Almost all didn’t do both (and seems like a limited squad if they did), so is that the trade off most solid programs want us to decide between?  

How many top 5 or top 10 teams were there?

How many top 5 teams wrestled each other?

Who won the event?

[MadMardigain]

8 minutes ago, ionel said:

How many top 5 or top 10 teams were there?

How many top 5 teams wrestled each other?

Who won the event?

Well you could probably bail on the potential of this event too.  But the point is it’s still one more possibly solid event stringing more teams out in multiple winter break locations.  So it’s still seems like almost all coaches are saying we are choosing this one or one of the multiple others. 

Edited December 31, 2022 by MadMardigain

[Husker_Du]

4 hours ago, ionel said:

How many top 5 or top 10 teams were there?

How many top 5 teams wrestled each other?

Who won the event?

4 of the Top 10 ranked dual teams + #14 and #15

I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at. Would you rather not have the event (which is undoubtedly the best dual competition of the year) exist?

[Husker_Du]

16 hours ago, jammen said:

https://www.caelsanderson.com/blog/no-to-national-duals/

national duals, in that iteration, was asinine. but keep crying about cael. 

[scourge165]

On 12/29/2022 at 10:11 AM, Idaho said:

but I guess I am not one to look out for the B10 vs Everyone Else.... Looks like a very good tourney to me. But of course, it would never happen... 

Isn't this just called the D1s? Takes place in March?

[scourge165]

21 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

I wonder how much the extra year(s) factors into some of these individual situations. RBY expected to be done by now, Diakomihalis and Lee figured to be done two years ago, but they are all still in college, and Starocci has said he won't wrestle the fifth year even though he would have a chance to do something unprecedented. I think the mental fatigue is real when you are still doing something you thought you would be done with long ago.

Starocci kinda said that right after he'd just intimated that he was looking forward to doing something nobody else had ever done, be a 5X Champ(he was asked about it and he said absolutely a chance to put myself kinda in my own group...I'm paraphrasing) and then beating JB the "Greatest American or whatever," using air quotes. 

Confidence is great. Disrespect is...obnoxious. 

ALSO, he spoke about how he'd be cutting down to 163.5 during the NCAA's preparing for the Qualifier just a couple weeks after the D1s as that's really not a priority.

Kid came off a little annoying in that interview and all over the place...but I suspect he'll end up going for that 5th(if he gets 3 and 4...which are NOT guaranteed...hell, Gomez just dominated Yianni, Mekhi could certainly beat Starocci).

[ILLINIWrestlingBlog]

As a fan of one team, and as a hater of all other teams and their wrestlers, I have to say that I loved the Midlands, the MSU Open, and the Tiger Style Invite.

Here's why: Action.

In those tournaments, there always seems to be one your favorite team's wrestlers on the mat. On day two of Midlands, there were back-to-back-to-back-to-back ILLINI matches. Once, there were three ILLINI starting at about the same time.

Izzy and you saved Christmas last year, no doubt, but you did it with a medium-sized tournament that provided an excellent fan experience. 

I think (and hope) that is the future.

[MPhillips]

6 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at.

He just likes to post as much as possible...

[ionel]

6 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

4 of the Top 10 ranked dual teams + #14 and #15

I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at. Would you rather not have the event (which is undoubtedly the best dual competition of the year) exist?

Its a nice event but nothing like the National Duals of 15/20 years ago, winning used to be a thing.