I have resisted the urge to chime in on these threads about 1 "True" State Champion, reducing the number of divisions, etc...but feel compelled to add my two cents and perhaps a bit of perspective.
First of all - 182pounder - kudos to you for doing some thinking and taking the effort to propose something. I respect that and am certain that your heart is in the right place. I think that can be said for 99% of others that post here. I also understand the desire to reduce the divisions and make state more competitive.
Having acknowledged that, I want you to consider what the sport is really all about: teaching young people the value of hard work and dedication. And it is struggling for participants: In the state of Arizona, there were 4806 male participants in 2002/03 and 4910 in 2017/18 (and quite a bit of variation in the years between)...while the state's population exploded from 5.4 million to 7.1 million in that same time period. As a sport, we are losing ground, except in the area of women's wrestling.
My argument is that reducing the number of divisions will do nothing to encourage participation. I personally do not think it will optimize the thing we want optimized: more kids benefiting from our awesome sport. Some out there have posted that they want competition optimized by a “True State Champion” or a reduced number of divisions but I ask you: whose interest does that serve? Certainly not kids, especially from smaller or more rural schools who have their church activities, 4-H, family, community, and a host of other activities just as important as wrestling. There is more to life than rolling around on a wrestling mat for 90% of the kids who participate in the sport. And please don’t respond with “That helps kids from Arizona get recruited” because we all know that comes from competition at national events. The truth is, optimizing for competition only serves adult interests.
So I ask you: in whose interest are you advocating, that of the roughly 5,000 kids across the state and the sport in general…or your interest in crowning fewer state champions in the interest of “better competition”? I don’t blame anyone for advocating for the latter, but I do ask you to think seriously about the impact that may have on the sport. I am advocating for a balance between the two and as much as I admonish the AIA, I think they have struck it about right with four divisions.
If someone can articulate how reducing the number of divisions or a “1 True State Champion” will lead to greater participation in the sport, I will respectfully consider the argument. Until then, I am of the opinion that 64 kids competing for 4 state championships is about right for the size of our state and in the best interest of everyone combined.
