There is already talk of this on another thread so I thought that I would get its own thread started. Let's hear who is planning on going this year and as soon as we have more information as an organized Nebraska team we will post it here.

The following two guys from Bennington are going:
Jake Smith
Andy Pokorny (Juniors)

Wheres it at? and when?

Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Nationals are in PA this year after being in Ohio since the tourneys conception. Folkstyle tourney. Seniors have to have placed in the top 2 at state at some point during your career. That is for Sr. Nationals. Sophomore and Junior Nationals the first 800 entrants are given a spot. Folkstyle tourney. Can not wrestle lower than what you wrestled at state this year. March 23-26th for Seniors. Juniors and Soph. just a day or two earlier.

For the Seniors...
http://www.nhsca.com/events/w20060323_nats12grade/info.php?event_id=20063

For the Juniors...
http://www.nhsca.com/events/w20060321_nats11grade/info.php?event_id=20062

For the Sophomores...
http://www.nhsca.com/events/w20060321_nats10grade/info.php?event_id=20061

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Alexander_Delarge_655321,

Sr Nationals were held in Deleware and then moved to Pittsburgh and on to Cleveland in I think 2001 or 2002 and now moving back to Pittsburgh.

Each state has wild-cards that can wrestle even if you did not place in the top two during your career.

Senior Nationals are March 23-26, 2006 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the Petersen Events Center. Eligibility criteria requires participants to be Seniors in either a Public or Prep High School, and that they were a finalist in their respective state tournament sometime during their HS career.

Weight classes are HS weights (+3 pounds); for instance 103 max weight is 106. Wrestlers cannot enter a weight class below the lowest weight they competed in their senior year in either their state dual championships or their individual state championships. Wrestlers may enter the same weight or any weight class higher then the one they competed at their senior year in their respective state dual championship or state individual championships.

Championship matches are 2-2-2 and all consolation matches are 1.5-1.5-1.5. Awards will be given out to 8th place.

Entry fee is $45 and must be received by March 17, 2006. In order to gain floor access, coaches must be paid members of the National High School Coaches Association. ($100 annual membership-No exceptions!) This membership not only grants the coach admission and floor access, but also participation in all hospitality rooms, banquets, and socials.

Jay has expressed interested in participating in this event. I am not a current NHSCA member and don't plan on attending at this time. I'm looking for any coaches that may be attending and any other wrestlers that may be competing so we can discuss transportation and lodging to reduce cost.

If anyone has any information or would like to correspond with me, my email is c_sherer@hotmail.com

Thanks

C. Sherer

PS-All information, including Sophomore & Junior Nationals can be found at www.nhsca.com

This is Robert Eklund and I was wondering if anyone or team is going to Junior Nationals that I could go with and I will help pay for gas and all that stuff. If anyone is going plz let me know.

Hi Robert, Travis indicated he was interested in going. He too would need a ride but is willing to pay for anything he needs. Can you e-mail me your home address plus your parents names. My e-mail address is mr.k@clarks.net Thanks Kurt.

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Thanks for all the details Chuck. Add Devon Kastler to this growing list.

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please post up here if you are considering attending Senior/Junior Nationals. If you prefer, my email is in my profile.

Rob McMickell and Brett Hodgen from St. Cecilia are planning on going. Coach Pokorny I will e-mail you later with some questions about the trip.

Coach Brand
Hastings St. Cecilia

Sounds like I am being nominate to be in charge of the Nebraska delegation. This will not be the most organized team because of the very late start we are getting, but we will try our best. We are in the process of trying to get Nebraska singlets for all those that attend this event. However, with time constraints we need to know as soon as possible who will be attending. Please email me as soon as possible the following information:

Name
School
Weight class (for singlet)
Transportation (need a ride, parents/guardians will drive and can take others, I will get there on my own, or any other needs)
Need a hotel room or not
Phone number
Any other information that you would like to provide

Any coaches interested in attending please let me know so we can work together.

For the wrestlers, I need this information within the next day or two in order to guarantee singlets. After that you can still attend, but I cannot guarantee a Nebraska singlet. However, I will order a couple extra just in case. Sorry about the short notice.

My email address is: pokorny1@cox.net

Alan Pokorny
Bennington High School

I thought this would be an interesting discussion item with regards to this thread.

As TK mentioned earlier in this thread, Nebraska's participation in this event is thrown together haphazardly, no real coordination or concerted team effort in this event.

It's too late for this year, but I would suggest that the Nebraska High School Westling Coaches Association (NHSWCA) which I'm a member of, should sponsor the coach(s)and coordinate a unified team effort for this event. Huskerland & USA wrestling have and will continue to sponsor youth teams on the National level. Anyone can see that the bar in Nebraska wrestling is rising and these teams contribut to that success. Look at this year's senior class, they are a product of those youth national teams. The success is residual as the talent level of our incoming freshman continues to improve.

This is a great opportunity for the folks that should be championing wrestling in our state to move wrestling into the spotlight. To take our kids and this sport to the National stage! Wrestling doesn't end Saturday afternoon on the 3rd week in February, it's just getting started!

High School coaches to showcase our best kids on the National Stage.

As I experienced the college recruiting trail last fall, the coaches didn't put a lot of emphasis on the Nebraska State Tournament, citing lack of population & multiple classes,...let's face it, Nebraska isn't known for wrestling. They were interested in kids from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, California. Densely populated states with fewer classes. For Nebraska to be considered, they wanted to know how our kids competed at the National level against kids from these high profile states. This is an opportunity for our kids to showcase this talent at a level these coaches are looking for.

Since college coaches put so much emphasis on this tournament among others......and potential scholarships are on the line for kids that perform well, it would seem logical that we should seize this opportunity and make the best of it.

Another tournament of emphasis is Fargo and the weight college coaches put on Freestyle & Greco. That warrants a whole separate discussioni, however, USA wrestling is does exactly what I'm suggesting; they provide coaches, uniforms and train the wrestlers subsidizing much of the cost associated with that event.

There is no concentrated effort behind this tourney. A concentrated effort with great coaches and a sense of team unity and uniformity would instill pride and encourage our kids to perform to a higher standard and be ambassadors of our sport and this state on a National stage.

I think this is a no-brainer. If we really want to get our kids to have opportunities at the next level, then why not encourage our High school coaches to coordinate an effort to gather, train, and equip a team to represent the state proudly, rather than have these kids straggle out there, hoping to run into a each other and maybe lucky enough to find a coach that might have time to sit in there corner.

I know NHSWCA is sitting on a nice nest egg. The events they are involved with such as the Hall of Fame banquet and the East/West Duals are great, but they could do more.

If we are truly interested preparing our athletes to compete at the next level, then it would appear that this is a great opportunity for our organization to showcase our best althetes against the best the nation has to offer. The pay off for many of these kids lies in the door this opportunity for opens to compete at the collegiate level.

I can't think of a greater investment in our sport or our kids. I would like to hear others comments on this and perhaps with a concerted voice, we might convince the HS coaches Association to step up to the plate.

Just my $.02 worth.

C. Sherer

Badger:

Thank you for your efforts in this regard. You replied you must have posted while I was typing. God Bless you for all your selfless service to this sport and our kids. I'll email you with Jay's info. If you're driving, when are you leaving? How much time will they miss from school? I know Juniors start before Seniors. Does that mean you'd leave earlier as well?

Great post Chuck. I concur. And thanks to Alan for stepping forward, I've emailed you Dev's details.

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Seniors and juniors interested in this event should contact Coach Pokorny asap!!

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so far..
Miles Negley, Kyle Svendsen, and Nick Schaefer are the only Nebraska kids in current entries

Robert Eklund and Travis Kuhn are also attending. They just need to register yet.