Tournament Operations - General

[Bearhugger]

Duals often start at a different weight class other than 106.

For at least the past two seasons, the WV state tournament finals has started at a weight class other than 106.

With today's software, systems, etc, could a regular bracketed tournament start with a weight class other than 106?

For example, could a tournament begin at 132 and work from there?

Seeking an honest, legitimate answer.

Thanks

[Monarch1996]

I'm sure that it can...frankly, the OVAC will often save marquee matchups to last during the finals. Probably as long as you run all the weights together--so they can have the 1 hour rest normalized--you could start any weight you wanted. That's probably the only concern; when I get our bout sheets after the first round at OVAC there is always a "can wrestle" note that states the time they are allowed to wrestle again per SSAC rules. (There have been years where they will move all matches to the center mats for a time because of how quick a round is going--if there are a ton of quick falls, they will stop sending matches to mats 1,2,7, and 8 to create a longer wait time to hit that hour requirement.) I'm willing to bet that might be the only hold up, or perhaps ease, but since it's all done through computers there isn't any technical reason they can't start at, say, 145.

[J.W.]

Yes, I operate track all the time and can start it where ever I want and whatever order I want.

[forthekids]

Per the rule book, the random draw was designed for dual meets, tri and quads. The later you move up each round. The park duals start at 106 every round and have since its conception. Can't teach old Shaggy new tricks. LOL The coaches committee approved it for finals at states which is really a dual meet. Hence, the OVAC does it also. With that said, I don't see the harm in tournaments doing it also. However, I don't see the benefit of doing so. Just simply saying there is no language on it in NFHS rules book.

[mscoach25]

Duals often start at a different weight class other than 106.

For at least the past two seasons, the WV state tournament finals has started at a weight class other than 106.

With today's software, systems, etc, could a regular bracketed tournament start with a weight class other than 106?

For example, could a tournament begin at 132 and work from there?

Seeking an honest, legitimate answer.

Thanks

I don't see why you couldn't. I have ran numerous tournaments and once we enter all the wrestlers in and start the tournament, I can flip through all the bracket or print whatever bouts sheets I want. In fact, it just came to me, I have ran a tournament before and started on a different weight class. All weight classes were 8 man brackets expect for 2, they contained 10-11 wrestlers. We started the tournament on those two weight classes. Round 1 was obviously very short, but starting Round 2 all weight classes were now in a 8 man bracket.

[KDunbar]

Duals often start at a different weight class other than 106.

For at least the past two seasons, the WV state tournament finals has started at a weight class other than 106.

With today's software, systems, etc, could a regular bracketed tournament start with a weight class other than 106?

For example, could a tournament begin at 132 and work from there?

Seeking an honest, legitimate answer.

Thanks

I don't see why you couldn't. I have ran numerous tournaments and once we enter all the wrestlers in and start the tournament, I can flip through all the bracket or print whatever bouts sheets I want. In fact, it just came to me, I have ran a tournament before and started on a different weight class. All weight classes were 8 man brackets expect for 2, they contained 10-11 wrestlers. We started the tournament on those two weight classes. Round 1 was obviously very short, but starting Round 2 all weight classes were now in a 8 man bracket.

I guess the question is that when you started the 2nd round did you begin with those 2 weight classes first throughout the rest of the rounds, or did you revert back to the usual order?
It certainly would change things, especially for wrestlers having more time or considerably less time between weigh ins and the onset of their matches for that day. And the number of people in the stands would be larger for the 3 heaviest weight classes than they usually have at the end of the day at tournaments. I believe the answer to the original question is that there is nothing in the rules against it, and indeed in the larger tournaments with multiple mats (e.g. Super 32, Ironman, Powerade) there is usually more of a "shotgun" start with several groupings of consecutive weight classes running on various mats. I'm guessing it's what makes the event run the easiest, smoothest, and the least complicated for all involved.

[timamos]

Love the random draw for duals. Never understood why some officials don’t always do it. It’s a rule. If we can selectively ignore the ones we don’t like then I hope an official will meet with the coaches sometime and tell them that takedowns are worth 3 today or locking hands is ok this evening.

Bearhugger’s question is interesting. I trust diserio when he says the book is silent on (and therefore does nothing to prohibit) a tournament director from starting a bracketed tournament and running every round from 285 down to 106. Big guys would get the rare experience of wrestling in front of a packed house and smaller guys get to feel the pressure of their win/loss (or failure to get bonus) as being the “reason” the team won/lost.

[tmsbrown]

I have ran a great deal of tournaments throughout this state and love the idea of mixing up the order of the championship/finals matches. I can no specifically recall, but one tournament that I ran a couple years back decided to do this - we had a marquee match up for the finals, so we started at the weight class above the marquee match and ended with the one everyone was waiting on. We received a great deal of positive feedback from fans and coaches. I am not sure why I have not done it since, but I do recall it happening. I personally like the idea. I get frustrated for the bigger classes when coaches are turning in outstanding wrestler ballots before the heavyweights step on the mat. It really gives them no chance for such a good award.

[forthekids]

Tim, I chuckled at fact someone in this state trust me! I thought that disappeared when Scheny left.
Tim, When you get to finals it is ultimately a dual meet so you absolutely can draw for finals.
The NHFS rule simply states (art 2 sec 1) Competition in dual meets shall be conducted by random draw of weights classes. In Multi -dual day events, the sequence determined by the draw followed for that days subsequent meet competition. The subsequent dual meet shall begin one weight class beyond the starting weight class of previous round. The following shall be used for all random draws.
a. shall take place immediately preceding weigh-ins.
b. Referee or other authorized person shall supervise the random draw.
C. subsequent matches will follow sequential order.

That is the rule. As I said before under tournaments their is no language for random draw. However, there also is nothing that says you can't. Once you get to finals it is essentially a dual meet and I think it should be used every time.
If the tournament director decides to start a tournament at any weight class I see no problem with that as long as subsequent weight classes are followed in order.

[KDunbar]

If I'm not mistaken, at the Ironman for the finals they not only start at whatever weight class they want but proceed in whatever order they wish.

[forthekids]

[quote="KDunbar"]If I'm not mistaken, at the Ironman for the finals they not only start at whatever weight class they want but proceed in whatever order they wish.[/qu.

That is true. Simply stating what rule book says. Tournament directors can run it anyway they want. Most officials don’t care as long as it doesn’t pertain to what is happening on mat. Promote the sport any way we need to.

[coach_stump]

I recall one year my team wrestled at the Nitro Invite and it was a random drawing for all weight classes. Last year, at the Region 4 AA-A, we selected a feature match to end the finals. It kept the crowd there for the most part.

[Chris_Way]

The NCAA allowed a dual meet earlier in the year to proceed with the coaches picking the order in which they wrestled. The coach with the first pick was determined and he chose at which weight would be wrestled first then the opposing coach determined which match would be wrestled second, and they kept alternating picks and choosing whatever match they wanted to wrestle next.
Looked interesting, especially if it would be a close match.