May you all have a very Merry Christmas I hope Santa is as good to you as he has been to me.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Problem solved
A good source tells me the problem between Dade Schools and Google has been solved. You may get back to enjoying the Blog.
Spartans Repel the Patriots
Southridge 43 - American 24
It was only a two match swing, and there were two matches where American looked to have the match only to fall to the famous coaches line...
"We got caught"
Never fear, I will have my Patriots Ready when it counts, I mean Ososrio will.
Trouble Logging In
Monday, December 17, 2007
New Poll
Which Wrestler will taste defeat for the first time this year at the Homestead Duals?
This poll is brought to you by one of our faithful readers.
I decided to start this poll before the other one ends because it can give us an exciting preview of what may happen at the big event in Homestead on Friday and Saturday.
Some of the top individuals in the state are going to be competing there this weekend, and a premier event such as this one deserves some hype, and this poll might just do the trick.
It is a shorter poll than usuall, as the ending time of the poll is set for Friday at 11:00 AM.
So let us know what you think...
The Power Ring Rankings
1 South Dade, too much fire power for everyone in Dade County. Who else can loose 2 starters (returning State Qualifiers) and not notice a let down from the team.
2 American, I think their average kids are a notch above the other teams in consideration.
3 Columbus, looked real impressive in the win over Braddock. Every weight class is a name most of the coaches know. Seemed in better shape this weekend, then when I saw them against Miami High last week.
4 Southridge, for the first time in years Johnson hasn't been hit by the "moving" bug. If he can get the younger guys to believe he could jump up this poll.
5 Braddock, the past 10 days or so have been rough on the Bulldogs. After the great win over Southridge, this have not gone so well. This team has not had the same line up in back to back events all season. Injuries are pilling up. If they were to wrestle American and Columbus at the end of the season, I think the scores would be a lot different. Tejada needs to take get some of these kids to believe and learn how to finish.
At the end of the season and 4 of these teams could finish #2, they each have a couple of STUDS, it just depends on who gets more other kids to show up on that day.
Southwest: waiting for the injuries to clear up.
Coral Gables: things are looking up, but those kids need to wrestle with some confidence.
Palmetto: they impressed me in the South Dade dual meet, I just don't know if they have enough fire power to break the top 5.
HML: the wrestlers seem to be kind of erratic. Sometimes they look like world beaters and other times they look kind of average.
Sunset: had a good core group of JV kids today. Haven't had a chance to watch their Varsity too much. Chinchilla looked real impressive last weekend.
Weekend Update
By: KW
By: KW
Results of the District 15 Duals. Friday December 14
Braddock 66 South Miami 17: Julio Fernandez 112 pin in :21, Riaz Ahmed 135 pin in :31, Javier Hernandez 160 pin in 1:30
Braddock 69 Ferguson 9: Alvaro Donado 171 pin in :27, Danny Villalobos 140 pin in :57, Richard Gonzalez 285, pin in 3:52Braddock is 3 – 2
Columbus 63 Coral Gables 14: Jorge Rabaza 215 pin in :24, Andrew Davis 171 pin in :28, Alfredo Armas 112 pin in 3:18Columbus 64
Southwest 12: Jake Rio 125 pin in :10, Nick Martin-Hildalgo 140 pin in :14, Daniel Koenig 171 pin in :51
Columbus 49 Braddock 16: Mark Gulesian 103 pin in :47, Alex Wethy 285 pin in 1:45, Kevin Gurevich 112 pin in 2:18 Columbus is 10 – 0.
Southwest 54 Ferguson 30: Eddy Torres 171 pin :36, Joe Vazquez 285 pin :43, Joel Blanco 112 pin :45
Southwest 54 South Miami 30: Uxsunn Ramirez 135 pin :24, Alex Porras 152 pin in :58, Eddy Rodriguez 160 pin in 1:10
Southwest is 2 - 3Coral Gables 43 South Miami 29: Kris Bikic 119 pin in :49, Carlos Montero 135 pin in :17, Chris Mederos 160 pin in :19
Coral Gables 54 Ferguson 27: Chris Amore 112 pin in 1:20, Carlos Montero 135 pin in 1:21, Chris Mederos 171 pin in 1:20. Coral Gables is 4 – 3.
Results of the District 15 Duals. Saturday December 15, 2007
Braddock 40 Southwest 32: Gabe Chandler 119 pin in :29, Steven Caballero 189 pin in 1:37, Mario Montoto 125 pin in 1:50
Braddock 63 Coral Gables 17: Julio Fernandez 112 pin in :46, Jhonathan Medina 145 pin in 3:35, Nate Jean 215 pin in 3:37. Braddock is 5 – 2.
Columbus 74 Ferguson 4: Jake Rio 125 pin in :17, George Gulesian 130 pin in :26, Kevin Gurevich 112 pin in :27, Andrew Davis 171 pin in :32
Columbus 79 South Miami 6: Alex Wethy 285 pin in :36, Joey Cruz 152 pin in :55, Louis Nodar 119 pin in 1:56, Mike Abadin 215 pin in 2:40.
Columbus is 12 – 0.Coral Gables 47 Southwest 24: Maikil Garth 189 pin in :17, Jorge Somariba 103 pin in 1:00, Favian Villamaza 215 pin in 1:10. Coral Gables is 5 – 4.
Ferguson 39 South Miami 30
125 Mario Montoto vs Jake Rio Mario scores off of a shuck by with a minute gone by in the first. Jake escapes with 10 seconds left. 2 – 1. Jake chooses down and escapes in less than 15 seconds. 2 – 2. Jakes gets his takedown off of a single leg. Mario gets an escape after about 30 seconds. 4 – 3. Off a scramble Mario gets a takedown, Jake escapes to end the period 5 – 5. Mario takes down. Jake scores a set of back points, Mario gets the escape with 1 minute left, score is 7 – 6. Lots of action several shots not finished, match ends Jake 7 Mario 6.
130 Fitz Rodriguez vs George Gulesian. George scores a quick takedown. George is working hard on top, Fitz scores his escape close to the end of the period 2 – 1. Fitz takes down and in a scramble gives up 2 back points. Fitz stands up for an escape, but George quickly takes him down with a solid double and takes Fitz to his back for 2 back points. George scores 3 more back points to end the second up 11 – 2. George takes down, Fitz locks hands, 12 – 2. With one minute left George scores an escape. George gets back points, Fitz ends with a reversal, final score George 16 – 4. Columbus 7 – 0.
135 Fernando Baltodano vs Jonathan Otero. Fernando get 2 quick takedowns, but Jonathan gets a takedown and ride out to end the first period tied 4 – 4. Jonathan chooses down gets an escape. After a couple of scrambles Fernando gets a takedown and release 6 – 6. With 10 seconds left Fernando secures another takedown for an 8 – 6 lead. Fernando takes bottom, after a cradle attempt, Fernando escapes. 9 – 6. Fernando gets another takedown for an 11 – 6 lead. Jonathan escapes followed by a takedown to bring the score to 11 – 9. Fernando escapes 12 – 9. Jonathan gets another takedown to cut the lead to 12 – 11. Fernando ends the match with an escape and a takedown to end the match. 7 – 3
140 Danny Villalobos vs Nick Matin Hildaga. Danny gets a quick takedown and at the with 10 seconds left Danny secures the win with a pin. Braddock 8 – 7 (-1 team point for misconduct Braddock)
145 Jhonathan Medina vs Allen Pena. Jhonathan scores a takedown with a nice single leg. Jhonathan rides him out 2 – 0. Allen chooses neutral. Jhonathan scores off of Allen’s shot. Allen gets a reversal and scores off of a cheap tilt to end the period 4 – 4. Jhonathan takes bottom, Allen throws in legs and turns him for 2. Allen gets 2 more at the end 8 – 4. Columbus 9 – 8 (-1 team point for misconduct Columbus)
152 Emil Arrieta vs Joey Cruz. Joey gets the takedown and 2 back off the trap arm tilt. 2 more back to end 6 – 0. Pretty one sided match. Match ends 13 – 3. Columbus 14 – 8.
160 Javier Hernandez vs Daniel Moreno-Koenig. Daniel gets a takedown and back to take an early 4 – 0 lead. Scores 3 more off of a bulldog. Restart and 3 more off another bulldog. 10 – 0. Daniel takes top. Pin in less than 30 seconds of the second period. 19 – 8.
171 Steve Castro vs Andrew Davis. Andrew scores off of Steve’s shot in a modified cowboy (from freestyle). Andrew gets the pin with 20 seconds left. 25 – 8 Columbus.
189 Steven Caballero vs Anthony Lozano. Steve scores quick off of a double. Anthony scores off of a stand up. Steven gets behind for 2 more, 4 – 1. Neutral to start the second. Anthony ties up, Steven drops to single, changes to a double and checks Anthony on his butt. Anthony gets another escape. Anthony attempts a head and arm, but Steven spins behind for the takedown. Steven cuts him 8 – 3. Steven ends the period with a 5 point move, 13 – 3. Neutral, Steven scores on the edge and choose neutral on the restart. Steven gets another takedown and chooses neutral, 17 - 5. On the restart Steven whips for 5 and gets the tech with 1 minute left in the 3rd period. Steven 22 – 5, but Columbus still leads 25 – 13.
215 Jorge Rabaza gets a forfeit. 31 – 13.
285 Richard Gonzalez vs Alex Wethy. Heavyweight pummeling. Richard tries for a head and arm, but Alex stops it for his own takedown. Alex gets the pin with 16 seconds left. 37 – 13
103 Julian Gonzalez vs Marc Gulesian. Marc scores a quick takedown and starts working the half right away. Pin in about 1 minute. 43 – 13
112 Julio Fernandez vs Kevin Gurevich. Julio score first from a front headlock, but Kevin reverses it to even the score 2 – 2, with less than 15 seconds gone by. Full Nelson by Kevin, Julio takes the lead. Another penalty makes it 4 – 2. Julio gets an escape, but Kevin snaps him down for 5 and takes the lead 7 – 5. Kevin takes down and Julio locks hands right away 8 – 5. Julios tries for a cradle, gets caught and pinned with 1:40 left. 49 – 13
119 Gabriel Chandler vs Louis Nodar. Louis shoots, Gabe defends. Gabe shoots, Louis defends. Louis in on a nice single, but Gabe defends. Gabe scores off of his dump and goes up by 4. Louis takes down. With 50 seconds left, Louis scores off of an illegal hold. 2 restarts and Louis gives the point right back on his 3 false start. Gabe rides him for the entire 2nd period. 5 – 1. Gabe takes top. Another false start point for Gabe. Louis gets an escape at the end. Gabe wins 6 – 2. Columbus 49 – 16.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Near Fall Criteria
An official’s judgment is typically sounder than that of the observers. You can only sympathize with their situation if you are an official yourself. Officiating is like doing complex mathematics in your head with a time delay in which the answer must be established within a mere second or two, all while on your feet moving around trying to protect the wrestlers from each other, the floor, the scorers table, and the chairs.
These are some of the calculation the official has to make in the blink of an eye in a situation where a wrestler gets thrown directly to his back. Does the offensive wrestler have control, when is reaction time over, make sure the take down is secured, was there a slam, the possibility of an illegal head lock, is the defenders pinning area in bounds, is his back at a 45 degree angle with the mat even though he is fighting for his life and flopping around. There are many more factors, but you must get my meaning by now, and this all happens seconds.
I can easily foresee a situation where the official would believe that a wrestler is in near fall criteria, while the crowd (watching with selective vision by the way) disagrees.
You must understand that he back of a wrestler is very flexible between the shoulders; the back can bend and bow quite a bit, and while you are seeing one shoulder up completely off the mat, that does not mean the wrestler in not in near fall criteria.
The pinning area is defined (and I will paraphrase here) as the area running along the top of the shoulders from end to end, horizontally.
Vertically, you draw a line down each side of the back all the way down to the bottom of the scapula.
Then the back is divided into two sides with a line down the center of the spinal column.
I don’t think the Parents, families, fans, or even coaches are able to critically and impartially judge when a wrestler has gone into near fall criteria. It is completely possible, for the wrestlers shoulder to appear to be at a ninety degree angle in relation to the mat, when in fact in the referee’s judgment; the wrestler is in near fall criteria. I will explain to you how this happens.
A wrestlers gets thrown in a head and arm (for example) one shoulder is obviously in contact with the mat, the wrestler fight to turn into his opponent and is side ways making his shoulder appear to be above the 45 degree mark that would put him in criteria. However, what the referee sees is that the wrestlers back in relation to the mid line (the imaginary line that runs down the center of the spine) has crossed into near fall criteria, but because the back is bowed, the shoulder may in fact appear to be well higher than the required 45 degrees.
These are some of the calculation the official has to make in the blink of an eye in a situation where a wrestler gets thrown directly to his back. Does the offensive wrestler have control, when is reaction time over, make sure the take down is secured, was there a slam, the possibility of an illegal head lock, is the defenders pinning area in bounds, is his back at a 45 degree angle with the mat even though he is fighting for his life and flopping around. There are many more factors, but you must get my meaning by now, and this all happens seconds.
I can easily foresee a situation where the official would believe that a wrestler is in near fall criteria, while the crowd (watching with selective vision by the way) disagrees.
You must understand that he back of a wrestler is very flexible between the shoulders; the back can bend and bow quite a bit, and while you are seeing one shoulder up completely off the mat, that does not mean the wrestler in not in near fall criteria.
The pinning area is defined (and I will paraphrase here) as the area running along the top of the shoulders from end to end, horizontally.
Vertically, you draw a line down each side of the back all the way down to the bottom of the scapula.
Then the back is divided into two sides with a line down the center of the spinal column.
I don’t think the Parents, families, fans, or even coaches are able to critically and impartially judge when a wrestler has gone into near fall criteria. It is completely possible, for the wrestlers shoulder to appear to be at a ninety degree angle in relation to the mat, when in fact in the referee’s judgment; the wrestler is in near fall criteria. I will explain to you how this happens.
A wrestlers gets thrown in a head and arm (for example) one shoulder is obviously in contact with the mat, the wrestler fight to turn into his opponent and is side ways making his shoulder appear to be above the 45 degree mark that would put him in criteria. However, what the referee sees is that the wrestlers back in relation to the mid line (the imaginary line that runs down the center of the spine) has crossed into near fall criteria, but because the back is bowed, the shoulder may in fact appear to be well higher than the required 45 degrees.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Which of these Wrestling Personalities would you most like to have a Beer with to get some Insight, some History and some Pointers
This poll is brought to you by one of our readers, I think it has great potential so let us know what you think.
Let the Voting begin
Monday, December 10, 2007
Matches this Week
Tuesday
American 60 - Braddock 16
Coral Park and Jackson at Carol City 4:00
Miami High 49 - Coral Gables 14
Ferguson at Coral Reef 6:00 (Not sure if there is a jv)
Wednesday
Miami High 57 - Southwest 21
Krop at Columbus 6:00/7:00
Central and Edison at Northwestern 4:00HML,
Miami Beach and Killian at Palmetto 4:00 (on 2 mats)
Thursday
Edison and Jackson at Homestead 4:00
North Miami at Hialeah 6:00
Friday
District 15 Duals at Braddock 3:30 first round.
Saturday
District 15 Duals at Braddock 10:00 first round.
Also this weekendSouthridge is in the Douglas Tournament.
Coral Reef, Coral Park, Miami Springs and I'm sure a few more are in the Santaluces Tournament.
Weekend Update
By: KW
Western Wildcat Tournament
Team Scores
1 South Dade 233
2 Columbus 157
3 American 135.5
4 Douglas 123
5 Sarasota 112.5
6 Jupiter Christian 87
7 Hialeah Miami Lakes 75.5
8 Braddock 73.5
9 Sunset 68
10 Miramar 66.5
11 Cypress Bay 64
12 Deltona 63
13 American Heritage 58
14 Miami Senior 54
15 Western 53
16 Taravella 45.5
16 Jensen Beach 45.5
18 Coconut Creek 42.5
19 South Broward 40
20 Coral Glades 38
21 Cooper City 35
22 Stranahan 30
23 Plantation 29
24 Goleman 25
25 Dwyer 22
25 Deerfield Beach 22
27 Ely 22
27 Krop 22
29 Dillard 12
30 Miami Springs 6
31 Everglades 5
Championship Finals
103 Ryan Monteforte Sar dec Mike Hess JC 4 – 2
112 Alex Chiracosta Doug dec Cory Montefore Sar 6 – 3
119 Louis Nodar Col dec Quintavian McPherson SD 3 – 2
125 Jake Rio Col maj dec Alex Abramat CB 20 – 8
130 James Williams SD dec George Guelsian Col 10 – 5
135 Wilson Metellus SD dec Rey Parrado Gol 7 – 2
140 Tico Baez SD dec Stephen Arcelay Mir 4 - 3
145 Danny Villalobos Brad dec Travis Schaffer CCreek 8 0 6
152 Kendrick Sanders SD dec Ivan Lopushansky SB 4 – 2 2OT
160 Matt Gilespe Del dec Antonio Starr HML 5 – 0
171 Tommy Perez Am dec Steven Julian AmHer 9 – 3
189 Carlos Cruz Stran dec Jay Taylor Doug 10 – 5
215 David Castillo Am dec Willie Wiggins SD 5 – 2
285 Michael Chinchilla Sun dec Joseph McNamara CB 11 – 4
Lightweight OW Alex Chiracosta Doug
1 South Dade 233
2 Columbus 157
3 American 135.5
4 Douglas 123
5 Sarasota 112.5
6 Jupiter Christian 87
7 Hialeah Miami Lakes 75.5
8 Braddock 73.5
9 Sunset 68
10 Miramar 66.5
11 Cypress Bay 64
12 Deltona 63
13 American Heritage 58
14 Miami Senior 54
15 Western 53
16 Taravella 45.5
16 Jensen Beach 45.5
18 Coconut Creek 42.5
19 South Broward 40
20 Coral Glades 38
21 Cooper City 35
22 Stranahan 30
23 Plantation 29
24 Goleman 25
25 Dwyer 22
25 Deerfield Beach 22
27 Ely 22
27 Krop 22
29 Dillard 12
30 Miami Springs 6
31 Everglades 5
Championship Finals
103 Ryan Monteforte Sar dec Mike Hess JC 4 – 2
112 Alex Chiracosta Doug dec Cory Montefore Sar 6 – 3
119 Louis Nodar Col dec Quintavian McPherson SD 3 – 2
125 Jake Rio Col maj dec Alex Abramat CB 20 – 8
130 James Williams SD dec George Guelsian Col 10 – 5
135 Wilson Metellus SD dec Rey Parrado Gol 7 – 2
140 Tico Baez SD dec Stephen Arcelay Mir 4 - 3
145 Danny Villalobos Brad dec Travis Schaffer CCreek 8 0 6
152 Kendrick Sanders SD dec Ivan Lopushansky SB 4 – 2 2OT
160 Matt Gilespe Del dec Antonio Starr HML 5 – 0
171 Tommy Perez Am dec Steven Julian AmHer 9 – 3
189 Carlos Cruz Stran dec Jay Taylor Doug 10 – 5
215 David Castillo Am dec Willie Wiggins SD 5 – 2
285 Michael Chinchilla Sun dec Joseph McNamara CB 11 – 4
Lightweight OW Alex Chiracosta Doug
Heavyweight OW Kendrick Sanders
Team results from Western this past weekend.
Disclaimer: This tournament did not allow a true wrestle back. If you lost in the round of 16 the best you could do was 7th. If you lost in the quarters you could get 5th and if you lost in the semis you were going for 3rd automatically. Several early upsets, hell the 7th place match at 103 was between the #1 and #2 seed. Some bad draws 1st round Rey Parrado Gol defeated Robert Ruiz HML, Ruiz would normally wrestle back to place in a normal tournament.
South Dade took 14 wrestlers placed 12. 4 Champs, 2 Runners Up, 1 3rd 2 4ths, 2 6ths and 1 7th.
103 Jacob Grant 2 – 2 took 5th, lost to Monteforte Sar (Champ) and Bentancourt Mia in the 5th place match.
112 Mauricio Villanueva 2 – 2 took 4th, lost to Monteforte Sar (Runner Up) and Guzman Mia in the 3rd place match. Pinned a Plantation wrestler and defeated Olarte of Krop.
119 Quintavian McPherson 3 – 1 took 2nd, 2 pins and a dec. Lost to Nodar Col in the Finals 3 – 2.
125 Joshua Williams 4 – 1 3rd, 1 pin and 2 decs before he lost to Abramat CBay in the semis.
130 James Williams 5 – 0 Champion, 3 pins, 1 tech and a 10 – 5 dec in the finals. Pinned Paramore HML and Rodriguez Brad, defeated Gulesian Col in the finals.
135 Wilson Metellus 4 – 0 Champion, 1 pin, 1 tech and 2 decs. Defeated Santibanez Am 10 – 5 in the semis and Parrado Gol 7 – 2 in the Finals
140 Tico Baez 4 – 0 Champion, 3 pins and a 4 – 3 win over Steven Arcelay Miramar in the finals. Pinned C Howard Col in quarters and Alec Diaz HML in the semis.
145 Elysse Fontaine 2 – 2 took 4th, pinned Taravella and majored Ely. Lost to Schaffer Creek in semis and Piasecki JC for 3rd.
152 Kendrick Sanders 4 – 0 Champion, pinned Gomez Mia and Rodriguez Krop, defeated Raich JC 14 – 7 and Lopushansky SB 4 – 2 3OT in the finals.
160 Luis Montalvo 2 – 2 took 6th, pinned Everglades , lost to Starr HML 11 – 10, pinned Koeing Col 3:42 and defaulted to Perez Brad for 5th.
171 Stephon Moore 1 – 2 DNP, not a strong weight class for Dade.
189 Travus Webster 3 – 1 took 7th, lost to Cooper City , pinned Jensen Beach and Sarasota , and majored American Heritage for 7th.
215 Willie Wiggins 4 – 1 took 2nd, 3 pins, won by default and lost in the finals.
285 Wain Elliton 1 – 2 DNP, pinned Lobos Mia, lost to Chinchilla and Creek.
Disclaimer: This tournament did not allow a true wrestle back. If you lost in the round of 16 the best you could do was 7th. If you lost in the quarters you could get 5th and if you lost in the semis you were going for 3rd automatically. Several early upsets, hell the 7th place match at 103 was between the #1 and #2 seed. Some bad draws 1st round Rey Parrado Gol defeated Robert Ruiz HML, Ruiz would normally wrestle back to place in a normal tournament.
South Dade took 14 wrestlers placed 12. 4 Champs, 2 Runners Up, 1 3rd 2 4ths, 2 6ths and 1 7th.
103 Jacob Grant 2 – 2 took 5th, lost to Monteforte Sar (Champ) and Bentancourt Mia in the 5th place match.
112 Mauricio Villanueva 2 – 2 took 4th, lost to Monteforte Sar (Runner Up) and Guzman Mia in the 3rd place match. Pinned a Plantation wrestler and defeated Olarte of Krop.
119 Quintavian McPherson 3 – 1 took 2nd, 2 pins and a dec. Lost to Nodar Col in the Finals 3 – 2.
125 Joshua Williams 4 – 1 3rd, 1 pin and 2 decs before he lost to Abramat CBay in the semis.
130 James Williams 5 – 0 Champion, 3 pins, 1 tech and a 10 – 5 dec in the finals. Pinned Paramore HML and Rodriguez Brad, defeated Gulesian Col in the finals.
135 Wilson Metellus 4 – 0 Champion, 1 pin, 1 tech and 2 decs. Defeated Santibanez Am 10 – 5 in the semis and Parrado Gol 7 – 2 in the Finals
140 Tico Baez 4 – 0 Champion, 3 pins and a 4 – 3 win over Steven Arcelay Miramar in the finals. Pinned C Howard Col in quarters and Alec Diaz HML in the semis.
145 Elysse Fontaine 2 – 2 took 4th, pinned Taravella and majored Ely. Lost to Schaffer Creek in semis and Piasecki JC for 3rd.
152 Kendrick Sanders 4 – 0 Champion, pinned Gomez Mia and Rodriguez Krop, defeated Raich JC 14 – 7 and Lopushansky SB 4 – 2 3OT in the finals.
160 Luis Montalvo 2 – 2 took 6th, pinned Everglades , lost to Starr HML 11 – 10, pinned Koeing Col 3:42 and defaulted to Perez Brad for 5th.
171 Stephon Moore 1 – 2 DNP, not a strong weight class for Dade.
189 Travus Webster 3 – 1 took 7th, lost to Cooper City , pinned Jensen Beach and Sarasota , and majored American Heritage for 7th.
215 Willie Wiggins 4 – 1 took 2nd, 3 pins, won by default and lost in the finals.
285 Wain Elliton 1 – 2 DNP, pinned Lobos Mia, lost to Chinchilla and Creek.
Friday, December 7, 2007
The Bar Fight Polls Close
Seems we have a new resident bad ass in Dade County.
And the Winner is…
K Freakin W
Are you $hitting me?
Well anyway, the fans have spoken, apparently you all know somefin about K Dub cause no one wants any part of him in a bar fight. I know the Irish can take a punch and maybe that is part of the fear, but I think it has something to do with getting a Laptop squarely broken on your noggin, followed by a pencil protruding from your eye. Deduct all the team points you want, K dub takes no prisoners.
The next bad ass in line is Coach Not so Sorio, I guess the quick rise of the American machine intimidated many of our voters, take note Balmeceda, he’s gunnin for you. Though it seems you did well to get K W as your protector. I could almost see Osorio dropping his level and driving someone back first into the bar rail. He’d get up and pi$$ on them and say A$$hole!
The Next bad ass is really no surprise, he was a real wrestling bad ass, with attitude and those crazy eyes that say “Don’t F wit me” Borgen is one guy on this list that I personally would not want on the other side of me in a Bar fight. It seems to me he can go Tasmanian Devil crazy in a heart beat, and not just the guy that started is going to get some.
The next bad ass is a little long in the tooth, but I bet he knows every dirty trick in the book. Key jab to the eyes, Sucker punch, Hey your shoe’s are untied. Which one of you guys really wants to stare Dodd down the barrel of a broken bottle suckin his teeth and sneering at you in that raspy voice what you gonna do now tiny.
Finally the guy I thought would be at the top of the list; his demeanor alone would cause many to back down, but I bet if a fight really broke out this guy would do some serious damage. I get the impression that a fit of rage from Dewberry would be much like watching the first 40 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, senseless slaughter if your involved, and nerve damaging tension if your watching.
Anyway, I loved this poll, and obviously so did our readers since more readers (56) participated in this poll than in any previous poll. I hope I can bring you more exciting polls in the future; and remember, if you have a poll you would like me to run, send it along, and if I like it I will feature it on my site.
And the Winner is…
K Freakin W
Are you $hitting me?
Well anyway, the fans have spoken, apparently you all know somefin about K Dub cause no one wants any part of him in a bar fight. I know the Irish can take a punch and maybe that is part of the fear, but I think it has something to do with getting a Laptop squarely broken on your noggin, followed by a pencil protruding from your eye. Deduct all the team points you want, K dub takes no prisoners.
The next bad ass in line is Coach Not so Sorio, I guess the quick rise of the American machine intimidated many of our voters, take note Balmeceda, he’s gunnin for you. Though it seems you did well to get K W as your protector. I could almost see Osorio dropping his level and driving someone back first into the bar rail. He’d get up and pi$$ on them and say A$$hole!
The Next bad ass is really no surprise, he was a real wrestling bad ass, with attitude and those crazy eyes that say “Don’t F wit me” Borgen is one guy on this list that I personally would not want on the other side of me in a Bar fight. It seems to me he can go Tasmanian Devil crazy in a heart beat, and not just the guy that started is going to get some.
The next bad ass is a little long in the tooth, but I bet he knows every dirty trick in the book. Key jab to the eyes, Sucker punch, Hey your shoe’s are untied. Which one of you guys really wants to stare Dodd down the barrel of a broken bottle suckin his teeth and sneering at you in that raspy voice what you gonna do now tiny.
Finally the guy I thought would be at the top of the list; his demeanor alone would cause many to back down, but I bet if a fight really broke out this guy would do some serious damage. I get the impression that a fit of rage from Dewberry would be much like watching the first 40 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, senseless slaughter if your involved, and nerve damaging tension if your watching.
Anyway, I loved this poll, and obviously so did our readers since more readers (56) participated in this poll than in any previous poll. I hope I can bring you more exciting polls in the future; and remember, if you have a poll you would like me to run, send it along, and if I like it I will feature it on my site.
Recap of all the scores from the past week
American 60, Varela 22:119: Julio Ore (AM) pin in :38; 160: Marcos Abeledo (AM) pin in 1:37; 171: George Garcia (AM) pin in 1:43.
• American 51, Miami High 12: 189: Tom Perez (AM) pin in 1:00; 152: Nicholas Clarke (AM) pin in 3:10; 140: Leo Santibanez (AM) pin in 3:15.
• American 78, S. Miami 5: 135: Chris Perez (AM) pin in 1:19; 145: Jeramy Troncoso (AM) pin in 1:02; 171: Danilo Ventura (AM) pin in :48.
• American 69, Sunset 9:130: Justin Cortez (AM) pin in 1:50; 152: Nicholas Clarke (AM) pin in :42.
• American 50, Homestead 18:112: Armani Harris (AM) pin in 1:37; 152: Nicholas Clarke (AM) pin in 1:52; 215: David Castillo (AM) :53.
• American 82, Killian 0:103: Leo Miller (AM) pin in 1:50; 125: Jamel Lattimore (AM) pin in 1:20; 140: Camilo Hernandez (AM) pin in :44. AM 8-0.
• American 51, Miami High 12: 189: Tom Perez (AM) pin in 1:00; 152: Nicholas Clarke (AM) pin in 3:10; 140: Leo Santibanez (AM) pin in 3:15.
• American 78, S. Miami 5: 135: Chris Perez (AM) pin in 1:19; 145: Jeramy Troncoso (AM) pin in 1:02; 171: Danilo Ventura (AM) pin in :48.
• American 69, Sunset 9:130: Justin Cortez (AM) pin in 1:50; 152: Nicholas Clarke (AM) pin in :42.
• American 50, Homestead 18:112: Armani Harris (AM) pin in 1:37; 152: Nicholas Clarke (AM) pin in 1:52; 215: David Castillo (AM) :53.
• American 82, Killian 0:103: Leo Miller (AM) pin in 1:50; 125: Jamel Lattimore (AM) pin in 1:20; 140: Camilo Hernandez (AM) pin in :44. AM 8-0.
• Dade Christian 72, Horeb Christian 6: 145: Gian Blanco (DC) pin 1:24; 171: Andy Ponte (DC) pin 1:32; 125: Joseph Scarras (DC) pin :37.
• Dade Christian 72, South Florida HEAT 6. DC 2-0.
• Northwestern 54, Jackson 12: 140: Morel Campbell (NW) pin 1:16; 189: Kadeem Howard (NW) pin :56.
• Northwestern 54, Central 18: 130: Jamal Emmers (NW) pin :49; 189: Kadeem Howard (NW) pin 1:20. NW 3-2.
• Dade Christian 72, South Florida HEAT 6. DC 2-0.
• Northwestern 54, Jackson 12: 140: Morel Campbell (NW) pin 1:16; 189: Kadeem Howard (NW) pin :56.
• Northwestern 54, Central 18: 130: Jamal Emmers (NW) pin :49; 189: Kadeem Howard (NW) pin 1:20. NW 3-2.
• Wednesday
Columbus 54, Miami High 16: 285: Alex Wethy (Col) pinned in :41. 171: Andrew Davis (Col) pinned in :43. 152: Joey Cruz (Col) pinned in :46. Col 6-0.
Pace 51, Coral Park 27: 135: Montavius Frazier pinned in :40. 165: Diddley Weche pinned in 1:45. 215: Keefer Scott pinned in :44. Pace 3-0.
Pace 69, Ferguson 3: 130: Kedarius Harris pinned in 1:00. 120: Andy Quintana pinned in 1:32. Pace 4-0.
Pace 53, Miami Beach 22: 119: Bryan Rivera pinned in 1:19. 152: Chris Nunez pinned in 1:00. Pace 5-0.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Matches of the Week
By: KW
Tuesday
Sunset 51 - Southwest 30
Pace 58 - Norland 22
Pace 59 - Killian 15
Wednesday
South Dade 51 - Palmetto 18 6:00/7:00
Pace, Coral Park and Ferguson @ Miami Beach 4:00
Booker T Washington @ North Miami 4:30
Columbus 54 - Miami High 16
Krop @ Varela 5:00
Thursday
Braddock 32 - South Ridge 29 (Go to the Comments section for a nice breakdown by KW)
Miami Beach @ North Miami Beach 4:00
Northwestern, Central and Jackson @ Killian 4:00
Hialeah @ Coral Gables 6:00
Friday and Saturday
Several of Dade's top teams will be at Western High School competing in the 3rd Annual Wildcat Tournament. Scheduled to attend South Dade, Braddock, Columbus, Sunset, Hialeah Miami Lakes, Miami High, American, Goleman, Miami Springs, and Krop.
Weekend Update
Report From Durant
By: KW
With only 3 Dade County teams in attendance, it is hard to see where these wrestlers will stand come GMAC time, but we got a chance to see how they compare with some of the best teams in any classification.
103 - The only wrestler present was Jacob Grant SD. He had a good showing for his first high school tournament (2 - 2), but he will not be the starter come the end of the year.
103 - The only wrestler present was Jacob Grant SD. He had a good showing for his first high school tournament (2 - 2), but he will not be the starter come the end of the year.
112 - Quintavian McPhearson SD placed 4th, but was 1 bad call away from being in the Finals. Jonathan Olivera SW was there but got disqualified from the tournament Friday night as he was wrestling the eventual champion. Not sure what happened, so I won't speculate. Braddock's wrestler Julio Fernandez did not do very well.
119 - Omi Acosta SD took a big jump to the head of the list for Dade's best wrestler in what could become a very loaded weight class with his semi final win over Gabriel Chandler Brad by a score of 7 - 5. Acosta's luck ended with an injury in the Finals vs Pete Baldwin of Osceola. Chandler did not rebound in an extremely loaded weight class and fell to 6th place. Southwest's Shaddy did not win a match.
125 - Mario Montoto Brad was seeded 6th, but made it to the Finals before he was pinned by Scottie Sentes of Riverdale. This showing should move Mario up in the rankings. Southwest's Joel Blanco did not have a good draw, he lost to Mario in the first round and Matt Jones of Osceola in the wrestlebacks. South Dade's Josh Williams did not preform as expected.
130 - Rat is still the top of Dade County, even with his last second loss to Brett Jorge of Lake Gibson. Southwest's Oxsunn Ramirez had 2 pins and was in the quarterfinals before an injury forced him out of the tournament. Braddock's Fitz Rodriguez looked decent and might have won some more matches if he didn't have to wrestle SW's Ramirez in the first round.
135 - Wilson Metelus SD had 2 first period pins and a 7 point semi victory before he fell to Aron Sanchez Riverdale in the finals. Randy Pineyro Brad lost in the first round, but stormed back with 5 wins in the consolation bracket to place 5th. Southwest's Uxsunn Ramirez did not wrestle in this tournament.
140 - South Dade's Tico Baez is still the best wrestler in his weight class in the state. Tico started the tournament with 3 first period pins and finished with 2 minor decisions including a 3 - 2 victory over 2time State Placer Gabriel Bird. Braddock's Danny Villalobos only wrestled Dade County wrestlers on Friday (1st match vs SW, 2nd match vs Tico). Danny was 1 match from placing. Southwest's Joel Blanco had 2 pins for the tournament, but was pinned by Villalobos of Braddock.
145 - Elyse Fontaine SD, had an excellent showing in his first tournament. Elyse recorded 2 pins and 2 major decisions on his way to a 5th place finish. Braddock's Jhonathan Medina wreslter well, recording 3 pins and a minor decision before he was eliminated 1 match away from placing. Southwest's Daniel Campos went 1 - 2 with a pin. Danny had the unfortunate luck of facing Medina Brad in the first round (1 of 3 times Brad and SW meet in the 1st round).
152 - Daniel Perez Brad had a pretty good tournament and placed 4th. Danny lost his first match, but had 5 straight victories in the wrestlebacks to set up a rematch with Thad Klenovich of Springstead (who defeated Daniel in the first round). Danny went 5 - 2, but only lost to 1 wrestler. South Dade's Daren Anguiano did well in his first match as a Varsity wrestler. Daren had 3 pins and a major on his way to a 6th place finish. Southwest's Alex Porras went 2 - 2 on the weekend with 2 pins.
160 - Luis Montalvo pinned his way through the tournament. Should have been considered for heavyweight OW, but the weight class was not loaded as 171. Both Eddy Rodriguez SW and Javier Hernandez Brad did not win a match.
171 - Shawn King went 4 - 2 with 3 pins en route to a 4th place finish. Eddie Torres SW went 3 - 2 with 3 pins, but did not place, he was 1 match away. He lost to Champion Jacob Harmer and the 6th place finisher Chris Cox from Olympia. Chrisitian Lopez Brad did not win a match.
171 - Shawn King went 4 - 2 with 3 pins en route to a 4th place finish. Eddie Torres SW went 3 - 2 with 3 pins, but did not place, he was 1 match away. He lost to Champion Jacob Harmer and the 6th place finisher Chris Cox from Olympia. Chrisitian Lopez Brad did not win a match.
189 - Travus Webster SD was unseeded but on the strength of 4 pins he finished 4th. Steven Caballero Brad went 3 - 2 with 2 pins, he looked good coming off of football season.
215 - Both Southwest and South Dade had some new wrestlers who did ok, each attained a record of 1 - 2. Melvin Amaya SD and Giovanni Garzon SW.
285 - South Dade's Wain Elliton earned 1 pin to pick up some bonus points for South Dade. I expected more for Joe Vazquez of Southwest, but I'm not sure what happened as I didn't get to see him wrestle on Friday.
South Dade missing 3 wrestlers still had a great showing. They got some big points from some unexpected sources, but also got a goose egg where they can not afford to be held scoreless.
Braddock could have had more than 4 placers, but had some bad first round draws. Randy and Danny showed some great poise by placing high after losing their first match. Having Eric out of the line up might have hurt the morale of Braddock.
Southwest did not have a tournament that Mendez would have liked to have. I didn't get to see very many of their matches on Saturday. I fully expect that the Eagles will be healthier when the season winds down in Janurary.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Weekend update
American was impressive, their kids were very businesslike, and they showed both maturity and desire in regards to their performance. It’s evident that whatever Osorio did in his time sine he arrived there has worked. I did see many new faces, and a new team demographic which I think is in large part the reason why many of the recruiting allegations are being thrown around. I don’t have any evidence by which to accuse American further so for now I will just abide by my impressions that Osorio has in very little time built a legitimate contender again, at a school which much as his previous destination has never been known as a wrestling power, it will be interesting to see if they can sustain it. One wrestler that I know belongs at American is Perez, the younger brother of Tommy Perez is just a Freshman but was every bit as impressive as Nates was when he came on the scene if not more. This kid is going to make noise this year, and could be Osorio’s next multi champ.
Miami High was impressive in spots, their 103 is a little stud, forget that he was dominated by Hall, he did not follow the game plan, and next time they meet it could be different. He is muscular, but Hall showed him that proper counter technique will quell strength on many occasions. If properly instructed and if he follows the prescription, he could get the better of Hall in the future. Their middles weights are solid, but not yet at the elite level, though some showed greater promise than anticipated. Miami High continues to improve year in and year out, and could soon join the ranks of the elite.
Homestead did not live up to the billing, and the reasons why raise more intrigue than their lackluster performance. Watson got pinned by Miami High guy on a simple half, but was clearly at that point exhausted. He looked out of shape and it cost him badly. He didn't return to wrestle on Saturday, a wise choice on his part or his coach’s lest he show further kinks in his armor. The Homestead team forfeited 171 and 189 to everyone, likely a by product of their football team still being alive in the State Football playoffs. Earl Hall looked way impressive in that he seems to dominate though many times smaller than his opposition, still, I expected to see a more fluid and resolute Hall, I don’t know if it’s because he is physically overmatched, but at times he appeared one dimensional, and his best scoring came from countering his opposition rather than from being proactive on the attack. I have heard rumblings that Homesteads training regiment may in the long run be their undoing despite their abundance of talent; we shall have to keep and eye out to see, I hope it is just opening of the season rust and not a more ominous sign.
Sunset looked tough though young, they introduced a wrestler I was not expecting to see, one of Nestor Varona’s own which I would have bet was going to land at Columbus, or South Dade, or possibly even Varela, but not Sunset. Coach Rivera had his young men prepared and in shape though a little wide eyed and nervous. The future looks bright at Sunset. Chinchilla looked a little rusty, and went in overconfident against South Miami’s kid and paid the price by being taken to his back. He overcame that obstacle and decided the event with a pin over an inexperienced wrestler.
Varela had some strength in the lightweights and they appear to have some experience and toughness. They have the ability to launch anyone in a throw if they are not careful, and they are a tenacious bunch.
Killian was unimpressive, except for the drubbing of South Miami they did not win many matches. I fear there coach for all he tries has limited experience and seems to be one of the many coaches in Dade County which will take the position of head wrestling coach as a favor to the school and because and extra supplement means a little extra cash in your pocket. At least Killian had nice numbers, fielding an entire compliment of wrestlers which is more than can be said of other teams.
South Miami looked Pathetic, good thing I read Pardo’s reply before posting this because I was roasting them as clearly the worst team, not just at the Dodd duals, but in Miami. After reading his comments I decided to be less harsh because he said that 9 of his wrestlers wrestled their first match that weekend. There are a couple of tough young kids that I remember from last year that were not present, one with a mole on his face and another in the middle weights. I was impressed by his Heavyweight, he is quite an interesting prospect, especially since as Moonie mentioned, South Miami has been very successful with the heavies.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
I Wouldn't Want To Fight That Guy
By: Anonymous
This poll comes to you from one of our readers that would prefer to remain anonymous.
This is a great poll; I have opened up a section for comments because I think it has the potential to be funny as well as informative.
To be honest I don’t know everyone on there well enough to guess whether I would want to face them in a bar fight or not, but it will be interesting to see what people think.
Have fun with it!
Have fun with it!
Future Home of the
The Devil's Advocate
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and every story has two sides.
Do you want to know what the other side of the story is?
Stay tuned, our newest Member "The Devil's Advocate" will have it for you.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Props to Google
The more I use the Google product, the more I like it. Besides that fact that everything Google is basically FREE, they offer a host of other services that are very valuable, I could even make money doing this if I desired through Google ads. One of my favorite things is called Google analytics; it allows you to see how many people are visiting your site and provides a host of other statistical reference materials that makes this endeavor very worthwhile, and all the while keeping readers and posters anonymous and free. It is encouraging to know that there are many people out there reading my Blog, and from all regions of the state, and also some from out of state. Yesterday was our biggest day with 91 individuals visiting the site, up from a high of 78 last week and up from 56 the week before that, so I guess the word of mouth is spreading. Overall we have had 304 unique visitors, and over 5300 page views, not bad at all; I hope it continues to grow.
This Blog does have it’s limitation in that readers can not readily start their own topic, but I think most if not all are aware that if they send me ideas or pre written articles I will post any topic on my Blog. Believe it or not I would like a greater influence from the middle and the west part of the state, and even the north, but no one has stepped up to be my counterpart in those regions. I hope with time more interest develops and we can have editors in other parts, but even if that never happens, you may feel comfort in that this has become the pre-eminent location to get all information pertinent to Dade County. I would like to thank all the readers and posters, without you this would not work. Thank You, and I hope you all continue to enjoy this Blog.
This Blog does have it’s limitation in that readers can not readily start their own topic, but I think most if not all are aware that if they send me ideas or pre written articles I will post any topic on my Blog. Believe it or not I would like a greater influence from the middle and the west part of the state, and even the north, but no one has stepped up to be my counterpart in those regions. I hope with time more interest develops and we can have editors in other parts, but even if that never happens, you may feel comfort in that this has become the pre-eminent location to get all information pertinent to Dade County. I would like to thank all the readers and posters, without you this would not work. Thank You, and I hope you all continue to enjoy this Blog.
Sincerely,
Spidey
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
MMA Event at Metropolis
Former South Dade's state champion Daniel Perez will be fighting on Dec.14 at Club Metropolis in Miami. I encourage all of you to come out and see Danny devour yet another opponent. See you there.
Polls Close!
The polls close and we have some very interesting results.
Our top five Dade County officials are Valls, Johnson, Pardo, Dewberry, and Wimberly. Balmeceda had a nice showing with 10 votes and so did Baldwin with 8 but they were outdistanced by the top 5.
I was somewhat surprised at the results because I thought Johnson would run away with it followed by Dewberry and Wimberly.
Valls is a good official; him getting the most votes is not that surprising when you take into account the personal nature of wrestling. I think more than any other sport, wrestling officials and coaches form a very tight circle, and that translates to the parents and the fans. I think each cross section will favor or have an affinity for some officials as well as others, as well as distaste for some. That in turn makes it more likely for parents and fans affiliated to those programs to have their opinions skewed based on those perception. When a reader votes he selects 5 different officials. Valls is likely the most personable and least controversial official on that list. Some voters may not like Johnson who may be perceived as abrasive, Dewberry who may be perceived as intimidating, Pardo who may be perceived as bias, or Balmeceda who may be perceived as arrogant, while Valls on the other hand may not suffer from any such perceptions. It’s quite possible Valls might be the 5th guy many list and as the votes are tallied, that leaves him with most votes over all. Someone who does not vote for one of the aforementioned because of some personal conflict would not have the same problem with Valls.
This was our most popular poll to date with 35 readers participating. It is encouraging to see that people take the time to vote, and I look forward to have some more exciting and interesting polls on the Blog. If any of you have any ideas for interesting polls don’t hesitate to forward me your idea and if it’s good I will be happy to make it part of my Blog, I will even credit you with it if you so desire.
Our top five Dade County officials are Valls, Johnson, Pardo, Dewberry, and Wimberly. Balmeceda had a nice showing with 10 votes and so did Baldwin with 8 but they were outdistanced by the top 5.
I was somewhat surprised at the results because I thought Johnson would run away with it followed by Dewberry and Wimberly.
Valls is a good official; him getting the most votes is not that surprising when you take into account the personal nature of wrestling. I think more than any other sport, wrestling officials and coaches form a very tight circle, and that translates to the parents and the fans. I think each cross section will favor or have an affinity for some officials as well as others, as well as distaste for some. That in turn makes it more likely for parents and fans affiliated to those programs to have their opinions skewed based on those perception. When a reader votes he selects 5 different officials. Valls is likely the most personable and least controversial official on that list. Some voters may not like Johnson who may be perceived as abrasive, Dewberry who may be perceived as intimidating, Pardo who may be perceived as bias, or Balmeceda who may be perceived as arrogant, while Valls on the other hand may not suffer from any such perceptions. It’s quite possible Valls might be the 5th guy many list and as the votes are tallied, that leaves him with most votes over all. Someone who does not vote for one of the aforementioned because of some personal conflict would not have the same problem with Valls.
This was our most popular poll to date with 35 readers participating. It is encouraging to see that people take the time to vote, and I look forward to have some more exciting and interesting polls on the Blog. If any of you have any ideas for interesting polls don’t hesitate to forward me your idea and if it’s good I will be happy to make it part of my Blog, I will even credit you with it if you so desire.
Dodd Duals at the High
This weekend has the potential for some very exciting match-ups at the Ken Dodd Duals hosted by Miami High.
The American Patriots will make their tournament debut and we should get a nice feel for their standing with 7 duals on their record when the weekend is over.
Another of Dade’s up and coming teams the Homestead Broncos which boast individuals with National titles will likely give American their best test.
Don’t count out the resilient Sting and the Sunset knights, both teams are well coached and hard fighting, and have the potential to make any dual interesting.
South Miami, NMB, and Killian have interesting wrestlers in spots, but they will mostly be working to improve and re-build programs that were once formidable.
Varela comes in with few accolades, but they always seem to have one or two kids that can do damage.
All in all it should be a great weekend of wrestling.
Here are some of the possible highlights in this tournament as described earlier by KW.
#6 American vs #9 Homestead might be the best match up, but don't be suprised if #8 Sunset makes some noise.103 could have Hall, Bentancourt and possibly Harris.
You may get to see Harris and Guzman at 112.
Plus Dade County's top ranked 145 Raymond Watson (Hom)
160 George Garcia (Am)
2nd ranked 189 Tommy Perez (Am)
3A top ranked (in the state) heavy Michael Chinchilla (Sum).
See you all at the Asylum this weekend, and if you look up in the rafters, you just might see me.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Patriots Roll!
Those of you who doubted Osorio can remove some of the doubt right now. The Patriots thrashed a veteran Cavaliers team with a 48 point drubbing. American lost only two matches; one as expected to Montero, and another match on what my source tells me was a fluke roll that earned a pin.
Call him what you will, sticks and stones I say; the guys is a winner, and I would not have believed his opener against an experienced Gables team would go this well.
Take note out there, while American may not be a top 3 team right now, I think they could quickly move into the top 5. You Osorio haters would do well to put some dressing on the Crow, American is for real.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The New poll Is Up
Who are the top 5 Officials in Dade County
This poll comes to you as a suggestion from one of our readers. Please don’t forget to vote, and when you do please select only your top 5 individuals. If there is someone you think we forgot please make a comment here on this section and we can discuss it.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Web Head Lines
More Breaking New:
There whereabouts of
Wilson Metellus
The Spiderman always knows!
After days of being kept on hold and through other investigative means, the information is finally mine to share.
WILSON METELLUS location is 7701
But to make it fun, I will not make it easy to find. You can find the athletes location embedded within this text, see if you can figure out how to decipher it.
Good luck to all you Sherlock’s out there, though I am willing to bet there are more Clouseau’s. If you do figure it out, please keep it to yourself, this could be lots of fun.
Web Head Lines
Top Wrestler could be done
Word from a source is Michael Nates career may be over.
Apparently he has had trouble adapting to his new coach and the new team rules, like coming to practice on time not to mention daily. My insider says Ponce told Nates to go fly a kite.
Evidently not too many of Hialeah’s former wrestlers have taken kindly to Ponce, my source told me there are no more than 6 or 8 kids at practice daily. Ponce comes from the Turner school, and that is a very strict and disciplined school, he may find it hard to field a team for a year or two until he can get his type kids in the room.
If the report is accurate, and if Nates can not adapt to the Ponce way, there will be one middleweight division that will be a hell of a lot easier.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Coach Follows Athlete?
by: The Ref
I have been apprised of the Situation by the Spiderman and have read the pertinent post on the subject.
The question is a good one; but the subject contains only a few possibilities.
First and foremost, an investigation into inappropriate action can always be initiated by the principle of a school that wishes to bring forth accusations of rules violations. I say the principle because he/she must sign off on any request for an investigation; but in reality it would be the athletic director that writes up the allegations from information he may have obtained from his coach or an outside source.
The facts as it pertains to this case have not been made public, so I will write on the subject based on the assumptions that the Wrestler in question did in fact transfer to American Prior his coach and it was in subsequent manner that the coach came to the same school as his former wrestler. While I am aware of no such rule that would prohibit eligibility of an athlete based on his coach relocating to a school to which that individual had previously relocated, there are other circumstances that would justify cause for investigation.
An investigation may be launched on the pretext that the athlete had prior knowledge that his coach would be leaving for a position at another school and moved to that school in preemptive manner. While this would be very hard to prove because the Athlete or his guardian would basically have to corroborate that they were aware of the coaches imminent departure and destination, it is nevertheless a suitable inquiry if the former school desires to bring forth such allegations. If such corroboration may be obtained, prima fascia evidence of recruiting may be established, and the athlete’s eligibility would be withdrawn; the coach would face sanctions and quite possibly the institution as well.
An investigation may also be launched to certify the athletes existing residence, and that he resides with the same legal guardian as in the previous calendar year. The onus to legitimize the residence is on the school in which the athlete is currently enrolled. In other words, it is up to the school to police itself and the legitimacy of their athlete’s residences. If however outside proof were brought forth showing that the school may have not done it’s due diligence, or may have been deceived by the athlete, the FHSAA and the GMAC both have a right to use the evidence presented to prohibit the athlete from participating. Just as a point of reference, the situation I describe is similar to the situation of a few years back with South ridge and a wrestler that transferred there from Killian. South Ridge sent out their personnel to confirm residence and approved the athlete, but upon further evidence brought forth by a third party (Video Tape) of the athlete living in another location, the GMAC rescinded the athlete’s eligibility.
These are the only two legitimate scenarios I can think of by which the athlete in question my have his eligibility challenged based on the information provided.
The Ref
The question is a good one; but the subject contains only a few possibilities.
First and foremost, an investigation into inappropriate action can always be initiated by the principle of a school that wishes to bring forth accusations of rules violations. I say the principle because he/she must sign off on any request for an investigation; but in reality it would be the athletic director that writes up the allegations from information he may have obtained from his coach or an outside source.
The facts as it pertains to this case have not been made public, so I will write on the subject based on the assumptions that the Wrestler in question did in fact transfer to American Prior his coach and it was in subsequent manner that the coach came to the same school as his former wrestler. While I am aware of no such rule that would prohibit eligibility of an athlete based on his coach relocating to a school to which that individual had previously relocated, there are other circumstances that would justify cause for investigation.
An investigation may be launched on the pretext that the athlete had prior knowledge that his coach would be leaving for a position at another school and moved to that school in preemptive manner. While this would be very hard to prove because the Athlete or his guardian would basically have to corroborate that they were aware of the coaches imminent departure and destination, it is nevertheless a suitable inquiry if the former school desires to bring forth such allegations. If such corroboration may be obtained, prima fascia evidence of recruiting may be established, and the athlete’s eligibility would be withdrawn; the coach would face sanctions and quite possibly the institution as well.
An investigation may also be launched to certify the athletes existing residence, and that he resides with the same legal guardian as in the previous calendar year. The onus to legitimize the residence is on the school in which the athlete is currently enrolled. In other words, it is up to the school to police itself and the legitimacy of their athlete’s residences. If however outside proof were brought forth showing that the school may have not done it’s due diligence, or may have been deceived by the athlete, the FHSAA and the GMAC both have a right to use the evidence presented to prohibit the athlete from participating. Just as a point of reference, the situation I describe is similar to the situation of a few years back with South ridge and a wrestler that transferred there from Killian. South Ridge sent out their personnel to confirm residence and approved the athlete, but upon further evidence brought forth by a third party (Video Tape) of the athlete living in another location, the GMAC rescinded the athlete’s eligibility.
These are the only two legitimate scenarios I can think of by which the athlete in question my have his eligibility challenged based on the information provided.
The Ref
The Spiders Lair Welcomes Magneto
Future Home of:
Magneto's Mind
Magneto's Mind
May he grace us with his wisdom and wit.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Butch and Sundance Split Up
It turns out Michael Nates has landed back at Hialeah, and Daniel Ogando is at Matter Academy. Neithers wrestling future is secured, Nates has a history of being difficult and new coach Carlos Ponce may not want or need the headache. Ogando may have to wrestle out of position, it appears that Matter Academy might already have had someone in his weight class; according to my source, Ogando will have to either move to a different weight class or forego wrestling.
Classified Ad
Writers Needed
I am looking for some writers to add to my Blog, administrative privileges may be granted. I would like to have editors in the Central, West Coast, North and other interested areas. If you are interested please write me privately at Spiderman_fkn_wrestling@yahoo.com and leave me a note on this topic so I will know to look for it on my e-mail.
You may remain anonymous if you wish or you may give me your identity it’s up to you. I give you my word your identity will remain secure as I have never betrayed a source or confidence, and anyone on here can vouch for me.
I am looking for someone who has knowledge of events in their area and can develop sources in that area; someone who can compose intelligent, coherent, and logical articles for publication on the Blog. You will need to express facts as such, and state opinions as desired so long as the line is not blurred.
You will not be edited or censored so long as the content remains within the standards of decency and such. If you’d rather just report to me and let me write the article for you that would also be acceptable, I will take no credit and will let you post it under your own banner.
I hope to find interest, and I hope to soon be collaborating with you.
Auditions will open immediately, so send me an e-mail with a sample of your writing and a brief description of what you might be able to add to the site.
Good Luck!
Spidey
You may remain anonymous if you wish or you may give me your identity it’s up to you. I give you my word your identity will remain secure as I have never betrayed a source or confidence, and anyone on here can vouch for me.
I am looking for someone who has knowledge of events in their area and can develop sources in that area; someone who can compose intelligent, coherent, and logical articles for publication on the Blog. You will need to express facts as such, and state opinions as desired so long as the line is not blurred.
You will not be edited or censored so long as the content remains within the standards of decency and such. If you’d rather just report to me and let me write the article for you that would also be acceptable, I will take no credit and will let you post it under your own banner.
I hope to find interest, and I hope to soon be collaborating with you.
Auditions will open immediately, so send me an e-mail with a sample of your writing and a brief description of what you might be able to add to the site.
Good Luck!
Spidey
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Galactus Gabs
MMA Announcement
By: Galactus
Tonight, November 10, in Tampa at the USF arena, former South Dade State Champ Eddie "The Cranium" Boza will fight former Tampa Bay Buc Marcus Jones in his MMA debut. This match took some time to happen due to Jones' reluctance to fight a wrestler in his first match. We'll see if his misgivings were justified tonight.
Stay tuned, the results will be posted as soon as possible.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Would Michael Nates and Daniel Ogando be Eligible at American Senior High?
By The Ref:
I have been apprised of the Situation by the Spiderman and have read the pertinent information in regards to this case, and here is what I can determine from the information provided.
There are a few rules in place here that would definitely affect the eligibility of the wrestlers in question.
First and foremost is their home address. A school is responsible for policing itself in regards to which students transfer in, and the status of their eligibility. Technically they are supposed to send an administrator or other school sanctioned personnel to verify that said residence is in fact occupied by the student in question. The visits are supposed to be Random and multiple, and are supposed to establish without question that the student actually lives their and that it is his primary residence.
The second issue is that the student must be living with the same guardian with which he was living the previous calendar year (365days previous). The fact that a student might be 18 or 19 years old an emancipated from his guardians makes no difference unless his emancipation is greater than one calendar year (365). Usually a tax return is necessary to complete this process; the student is not considered emancipated if he appears on his guardian’s tax return within the previous calendar year.
The third issue affecting this case is that of following the coach. A student shall not enroll at the same school in which a coach that he was associated within 1 calendar year (365 days). Any enrollment in said school by the student would immediately cause ineligibility due to previous relationship with coach. The fact that these kids went to a different school is beside the point, them going to American would still make them ineligible due to previous contact with coach with less than 365 days removed from the coach.
The first day of school and first day of practice rules do not impede eligibility so long as a corresponding change of address and the guardian rules are satisfied.
An appeal may always be filed, but in this situation the appeal would most certainly be rejected unless there are some extenuating circumstances that have not been brought up here.
I hope this clears things up.
The Ref
There are a few rules in place here that would definitely affect the eligibility of the wrestlers in question.
First and foremost is their home address. A school is responsible for policing itself in regards to which students transfer in, and the status of their eligibility. Technically they are supposed to send an administrator or other school sanctioned personnel to verify that said residence is in fact occupied by the student in question. The visits are supposed to be Random and multiple, and are supposed to establish without question that the student actually lives their and that it is his primary residence.
The second issue is that the student must be living with the same guardian with which he was living the previous calendar year (365days previous). The fact that a student might be 18 or 19 years old an emancipated from his guardians makes no difference unless his emancipation is greater than one calendar year (365). Usually a tax return is necessary to complete this process; the student is not considered emancipated if he appears on his guardian’s tax return within the previous calendar year.
The third issue affecting this case is that of following the coach. A student shall not enroll at the same school in which a coach that he was associated within 1 calendar year (365 days). Any enrollment in said school by the student would immediately cause ineligibility due to previous relationship with coach. The fact that these kids went to a different school is beside the point, them going to American would still make them ineligible due to previous contact with coach with less than 365 days removed from the coach.
The first day of school and first day of practice rules do not impede eligibility so long as a corresponding change of address and the guardian rules are satisfied.
An appeal may always be filed, but in this situation the appeal would most certainly be rejected unless there are some extenuating circumstances that have not been brought up here.
I hope this clears things up.
The Ref
New Poll is Up:
What's on your Ipod
Don't forget to vote, and if you think we left something out, tell us what it is, we'd like to know.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Spidey Scoop:
Word From the West is...
One of my better sources out in the west coast is reporting to me that Michael Nates and Daniel Ogando were dismissed from the Riverdale wrestling team. I can not at this time divulge the circumstances behind their dismissal, but needless to say neither individual will be wrestling for Riverdale. Word has it they are headed back to Dade County where they will basically be free agents. Maybe these two refuges from Hialeah will now become American Citizens and they can proudly display their Patriotism.
Any of you ever seen those Guinness commercials? BRILLIANT! Very well played if I do say so myself. A new change of residence should be enough, and since their last coach was not Osorio, they can not be accused of following their coach. Their last coach was the Riverdale coach, so they should be OK to wrestle as Patriots; after all they did not follow Osorio. Yeah someone will make a stink and the G.M.A.C. will throw a hissy; and likely the FHSAA will as well, but technically speaking they should be able to wrestle at American. Too bad they will not have the pockets to hire the right lawyer to kick the FHSAA in their tail yet again. Hey maybe those Oviedo lawyers would like to do some pro-bono work? I doubt it, besides it’s better to have a judge on your side than a lawyer.
So if not American where will they go?
A South Dade address would do nicely; I could almost see Brandon shaking in their Burgundy Boots if this happens. Would they dare to cry foul? We can only hope; any time the pot calls the kettle black it is always very interesting.
Perhaps they will land at Christopher Columbus, where they can re-name the gym San Salvador Gymnasium. It’s got a nice RING to it. The Godfather can make this happen and solidify a dynasty that includes some very favorable move-ins.
How about Braddock? Why not, lots of nice apartments springing up at Bargain prices in west Kendall. Two returning champs, plus two potential finalists, plus a compliment of others is a nice formula for a run at the title.
What ever the case may be, two Dade boys are headed back home, and I could not be more pleased.
Stay Tuned, things are heating up.
Spidey
Any of you ever seen those Guinness commercials? BRILLIANT! Very well played if I do say so myself. A new change of residence should be enough, and since their last coach was not Osorio, they can not be accused of following their coach. Their last coach was the Riverdale coach, so they should be OK to wrestle as Patriots; after all they did not follow Osorio. Yeah someone will make a stink and the G.M.A.C. will throw a hissy; and likely the FHSAA will as well, but technically speaking they should be able to wrestle at American. Too bad they will not have the pockets to hire the right lawyer to kick the FHSAA in their tail yet again. Hey maybe those Oviedo lawyers would like to do some pro-bono work? I doubt it, besides it’s better to have a judge on your side than a lawyer.
So if not American where will they go?
A South Dade address would do nicely; I could almost see Brandon shaking in their Burgundy Boots if this happens. Would they dare to cry foul? We can only hope; any time the pot calls the kettle black it is always very interesting.
Perhaps they will land at Christopher Columbus, where they can re-name the gym San Salvador Gymnasium. It’s got a nice RING to it. The Godfather can make this happen and solidify a dynasty that includes some very favorable move-ins.
How about Braddock? Why not, lots of nice apartments springing up at Bargain prices in west Kendall. Two returning champs, plus two potential finalists, plus a compliment of others is a nice formula for a run at the title.
What ever the case may be, two Dade boys are headed back home, and I could not be more pleased.
Stay Tuned, things are heating up.
Spidey
Polls Close
The Top 5 Coaches are Selected
I am happy to say this was our most popular poll so far, with a total of 28 participants casting theirs votes. This poll was a “what have you done for me lately” poll, using just the accomplishments from the last 10 years as a basis from which to rank the Dade Coaches. More than ten years would not have been fair to the coaches with much less experience, and less than ten years would not have been fair to the coaches that have been doing it for a while, so we thought 10 years would be a nice period in which to get a feel for who is doing what.
Clearly and rightfully, Victor Balmeceda (South Dade) received the largest number of votes, and is the consensus top pick as Dade’s best coach. No real surprise here, the seven rings shirt and four straight runner-up finishes that would likely have translated into at least two more titles were it not for Oviedo’s dip into the free agent market says it all. South Dade is easily the most consistent team in the state along with Brandon, and Balmeceda is in large part responsible.
Tejada was the consensus number 2 vote getter. Does he deserve the number 2 spot is a good question? His success the last ten years speaks for itself, with a runner up finish in 2003 and another 4 times in the top 10 including 8 state champs makes him top 5 for sure. I don’t believe he belongs on this list ahead of Husk, but I was not the only one voting; Husk has almost double the state champs Tajada has plus 2 state titles of which Tejada has none.
Husk Finished 3rd in this poll, but likely should have been no worse than second, and were it not limited to the last 10 years, he would easily be number 1. The Godfather had a tremendous run at South Ridge in recent history, with 15 state champs, and 2 state titles. He had multiple repeaters in Everette, Blue, Rio, and West. A wrestling Legend in Florida for sure; but all has not been rosy since leaving South Ridge. This could be the year Husk has another wrestler climb the podium, but time is running out on this Johnny come lately list; if Columbus doesn’t start to make some noise soon, Husk could drop out of the top 5 soon.
Number 4 on the list was Pardo. He has some nice accomplishments with a runner-up finish and 7 champs along with many individual runner-ups and 2 team 3rd place finishes; lately though it’s been bad News for South Miami, if Pardo can’t bring them out of it soon he is going to fall off this list pretty quickly.
Osorio received the next most votes to round out the top 5. If I were Soderholm I would be a little insulted at that. Not that Osorio is not a fine coach, he is, but he is not in league with Soderholm, not just yet. If Osorio duplicated his numbers in his best 5 years, he would still not have had the success that Soderholm has had in the last 10 years. If however Osorio proves that the formula he used at Hialeah transfers well and American comes up quickly, Osorio could quickly jump up as high as 2 or 3 on the list.
There are some other significant accomplishments by the top 5 coaches, Balmeceda, and Husk are the only two to have state titles, and back to back titles boot. Balmeceda, Husk, and Pardo are the only three on this list to put 4 or more individuals in state finals; but only Balmeceda and Husk have had 4 champions in one state tournament. All three along with Tejada have had at least one state tournament where 5 or more wrestlers placed in the top 4.
Rounding out the poll was Soderholm in 6th place, Mendez in 7th place, Rivera in 8th place, and Turner in 9th.
There was one omission on my part that could have made a big difference in the poll, I was thinking strictly 3A as I tend to do and left Frank Pelegri off the list. His accomplishments would likely put him no worse than 2nd or 3rd with a state title and numerous state champs, bumping down Tejada and Pardo for sure and putting Osorio out of the top 5. There were 6 votes for “Someone left off the list” and I believe most if not all those votes are Pelgri votes.
Was this a popularity contest? Of course it was, but so what. Does it really mean anything? NO! But if you are one of those guys I bet it’s nice to see your name up there; assuming of course they read this kind of crap. Thanks to everyone that voted for making this our best poll yet, and thanks for the comments and the interest, I hope we can continue to build interest.
Spidey
Friday, November 2, 2007
The Definitive List of Coaches and their Rank
By: MoonKnight
After much debating I thought that Coach KW would give us some history on who really has been the best school or coach over the past 10 years. From all accounts he has been busy so I took it upon myself to post the accomplishments of the great coaches here in Dade. TheRankings are my own and your input is appreciated.
Please remember how hard it is to break the top 10 at states and how much harder it is to come in the top 5 especially when your region is the hardest in the state. I congratulate all coaches who dare to venture into this county to try and make a name for themselves. In closing, ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BUCKS AND BALMACEDA ! ! ! !
Top 5 Coaches in Dade the past 10 years 1997-2007
1. Balmaceda:
1 – State Title (w/Mcoy) (Was really the Head coach that year because McCoy was Near Death)
4 - State Titles
5 - Runner-ups
1 - 4th
24 - Individual State Champs
2. Husk/Johnson:
2 – State Titles
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 5th
1 – 8th
15 – Individual State Champs
3. Tejada:
1 - Runner-up
1 - 4th
1 - 5th
1 - 6th
1 - 7th
8 - Individual State Champs
4. Phillips/Hatcher:
1 - 3rd
2 - 4th
1 – 7th
1 – 9th
5 – Individual State Champs
5. Pardo:
1 – Runner-up
2 – 3rd
1 – 5th
1 – 10th
7 - Individual State Champions
6. Soderholm:
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 4th
1 – 8th
1 – 10th
5 – Individual State Champs
7. Osorio:
1 – 4th
2 – 6th
1 – 9th
4 – Individual State Champs
8. Mendez:
1 – 3rd
1 – 10th
1 – Individual State Champ
9. Turner:
1 – 10th
4 – Individual State Champs
This should settle this stupid popularity poll and truly honor all the coaches who have worked and worked to give their kids a chance to be great.
Please remember how hard it is to break the top 10 at states and how much harder it is to come in the top 5 especially when your region is the hardest in the state. I congratulate all coaches who dare to venture into this county to try and make a name for themselves. In closing, ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BUCKS AND BALMACEDA ! ! ! !
Top 5 Coaches in Dade the past 10 years 1997-2007
1. Balmaceda:
1 – State Title (w/Mcoy) (Was really the Head coach that year because McCoy was Near Death)
4 - State Titles
5 - Runner-ups
1 - 4th
24 - Individual State Champs
2. Husk/Johnson:
2 – State Titles
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 5th
1 – 8th
15 – Individual State Champs
3. Tejada:
1 - Runner-up
1 - 4th
1 - 5th
1 - 6th
1 - 7th
8 - Individual State Champs
4. Phillips/Hatcher:
1 - 3rd
2 - 4th
1 – 7th
1 – 9th
5 – Individual State Champs
5. Pardo:
1 – Runner-up
2 – 3rd
1 – 5th
1 – 10th
7 - Individual State Champions
6. Soderholm:
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 4th
1 – 8th
1 – 10th
5 – Individual State Champs
7. Osorio:
1 – 4th
2 – 6th
1 – 9th
4 – Individual State Champs
8. Mendez:
1 – 3rd
1 – 10th
1 – Individual State Champ
9. Turner:
1 – 10th
4 – Individual State Champs
This should settle this stupid popularity poll and truly honor all the coaches who have worked and worked to give their kids a chance to be great.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
New Poll Opens
Don't forget to vote
Who are your top five coaches in Dade?
If you think I missed someone, vote for the one that says someone was left off and explain why here in the comments section. The poll will be open for 1 week, we shall see what everyone thinks by next week.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Polls are closed
The results are in
While there is no chance of this ever happening the majority of you feel that athletes should be free to go to any institution of learning that best suits them and their athletic aspirations. It makes sense to me, in this country of opportunity we should not make it policy that individuals are locked into attending a school with an inferior product (athletics) solely because of their choice of residence. I understand that many of you feel that open enrollment would mean heavy recruiting, and while it might, what would be the difference? The best schools in the state right at this very moment all recruit, all have exceptional members not living within their boundaries, and all have found a way to make it happen regardless of the rules. I have said it 100 times or more, these rules only hurt the have nots, the haves already figured out how to circumvent the rules, or they would also be have nots.
Some of you felt it was OK so long as they did it their freshman year. Not a bad choice either, there is some prudence here, I lean towards this device only because it has the most likely chance of someday being instituted, though I think the first choice is still the better choice. What happens though to an athlete whose coach moves on for a better opportunity to a better program? That kid is forced to stay behind and languish with whatever bum might come in? Why can’t that athlete follow his coach? That is a very silly rule if you ask me; it’s like the schools own the athletes or something, I thought the Supreme Court all ready ruled on free agency? Let Athletes go where they want and follow the coach that got them there, it is the fair thing for both the Athlete and his Coach.
Some of you felt that it’s OK to transfer so long as the Governing body gives it their stamp of approval. A very wise choice for those of you already getting the athletes you want, you should want the rules to remain the same, you are smarter than the rest and have found a way to circumvent the rules and make them work for you. You know that if they opened it up to all, you would likely lose your advantage, not immediately, but certainly over time.
Not a single one of you believes that kids should be forced to go to their home school without exception. That is a very prudent view, so why do we have that policy in place. Yeah without exception is more restrictive than the current rules, but only because loopholes exist, like Magnets Programs, Curriculum Transfers, Best Interest Transfers, and my new favorite the Nickleby Transfer. All are just different ways to circumvent the system. Fake like you are interested in agriculture (for example) so you can wrestle at a certain school, or whatever their magnet is… It’s all very cute, just jump through a few hoops and go where you want.
Some of you felt it was OK so long as they did it their freshman year. Not a bad choice either, there is some prudence here, I lean towards this device only because it has the most likely chance of someday being instituted, though I think the first choice is still the better choice. What happens though to an athlete whose coach moves on for a better opportunity to a better program? That kid is forced to stay behind and languish with whatever bum might come in? Why can’t that athlete follow his coach? That is a very silly rule if you ask me; it’s like the schools own the athletes or something, I thought the Supreme Court all ready ruled on free agency? Let Athletes go where they want and follow the coach that got them there, it is the fair thing for both the Athlete and his Coach.
Some of you felt that it’s OK to transfer so long as the Governing body gives it their stamp of approval. A very wise choice for those of you already getting the athletes you want, you should want the rules to remain the same, you are smarter than the rest and have found a way to circumvent the rules and make them work for you. You know that if they opened it up to all, you would likely lose your advantage, not immediately, but certainly over time.
Not a single one of you believes that kids should be forced to go to their home school without exception. That is a very prudent view, so why do we have that policy in place. Yeah without exception is more restrictive than the current rules, but only because loopholes exist, like Magnets Programs, Curriculum Transfers, Best Interest Transfers, and my new favorite the Nickleby Transfer. All are just different ways to circumvent the system. Fake like you are interested in agriculture (for example) so you can wrestle at a certain school, or whatever their magnet is… It’s all very cute, just jump through a few hoops and go where you want.
Monday, October 22, 2007
It's A Double Standard
Boy there is nothing better to light a fire under ones ass than a clear cut double standard. We have all been witness to double standards; women often complain that men get better pay for similar work because of their sex, Blacks often complain that they are treated more harshly by the justice system than whites, and athletics though a valuable means to a college education is devalued beyond compare.
Athletes are being cheated, cheated by a double standard that is sickening and needs to be discussed.
Have any of you out there heard about the Nickleby program?
Yes well it’s very cute; it’s the government’s way of giving kids a fair shot (As they see it) at success. Basically under the Nickleby if you are a student who attends an "F" school you can legally transfer to any "C" or better school of your choice without repercussions; meaning that you would be eligible for all activities and athletics at your school of choice. That is fine and dandy, I don’t have a problem with that; I actually find it to be a positive development, because no one should be made to attend an institution that is underperforming. Everyone has the right to a better opportunity, and if that means you can find that opportunity at another school, then so be it.
But let’s get to the double standard shall we?
Why are athletics not considered just like academics in this situation? Every year hundreds of millions of dollars are awarded for Athletic scholarships, meaning that there are abundant opportunities for students to better themselves through athletics, but first they have to showcase their abilities. However, unlike with the Nickleby, a student that is at a school whose athletic programs are a joke or an “F” in athletics has no recourse to pick up and go elsewhere without repercussion. An athlete who transfers for athletic purposes is accosted and sanctioned by the system; he can lose a year or more of eligibility; and his future can be seriously impacted by this unfair and obvious double standard. I understand academics is important, but for many so are athletics, and in some cases just as if not more important.
Now before you get all bent out of shape, let me explain myself. Some kids go to school and sacrifice, study hard, and attend their classes, because of athletics. Without athletics, many students (especially males) would lack the motivation to keep up with their studies and their attendance; this is a reality. Athletes perform better on exams, have better attendance, get better grades, and are less likely to be detrimental in their behavior to the school environment than the general population of the school. These are facts according to the statistics compiled by the schools themselves.
Why should any athlete in any program be forced to attend a school where their sport of choice at that school would offer less than an adequate opportunity to maximize their potential and skill?
Why should their future be impacted so seriously because the system improperly objectifies athletics, when in fact athletes are proven to excel in the classroom and in the school environment beyond the performance of the average student?
Why are the opportunities that athletics offer less pertinent and receive less consideration than do academics?
I say it’s time to evaluate schools and their athletic programs, grade them based on their performance much as we do with schools on the FCAT, and if a school is found to be lacking in a sport, then their athletes should be allowed to transfer to a school of choice without penalty.
Of course we all know this is a pipe dream, and it will never happen. Therefore, heed the words of the Spiderman, if your want your child to have success in athletics and he belongs to a school who devalues his sport of choice, do everything you can to get him to a schools with an adequate program.
Cheat if you have to, your child’s future is more important than the rules that are biased against them.
Athletes are being cheated, cheated by a double standard that is sickening and needs to be discussed.
Have any of you out there heard about the Nickleby program?
Yes well it’s very cute; it’s the government’s way of giving kids a fair shot (As they see it) at success. Basically under the Nickleby if you are a student who attends an "F" school you can legally transfer to any "C" or better school of your choice without repercussions; meaning that you would be eligible for all activities and athletics at your school of choice. That is fine and dandy, I don’t have a problem with that; I actually find it to be a positive development, because no one should be made to attend an institution that is underperforming. Everyone has the right to a better opportunity, and if that means you can find that opportunity at another school, then so be it.
But let’s get to the double standard shall we?
Why are athletics not considered just like academics in this situation? Every year hundreds of millions of dollars are awarded for Athletic scholarships, meaning that there are abundant opportunities for students to better themselves through athletics, but first they have to showcase their abilities. However, unlike with the Nickleby, a student that is at a school whose athletic programs are a joke or an “F” in athletics has no recourse to pick up and go elsewhere without repercussion. An athlete who transfers for athletic purposes is accosted and sanctioned by the system; he can lose a year or more of eligibility; and his future can be seriously impacted by this unfair and obvious double standard. I understand academics is important, but for many so are athletics, and in some cases just as if not more important.
Now before you get all bent out of shape, let me explain myself. Some kids go to school and sacrifice, study hard, and attend their classes, because of athletics. Without athletics, many students (especially males) would lack the motivation to keep up with their studies and their attendance; this is a reality. Athletes perform better on exams, have better attendance, get better grades, and are less likely to be detrimental in their behavior to the school environment than the general population of the school. These are facts according to the statistics compiled by the schools themselves.
Why should any athlete in any program be forced to attend a school where their sport of choice at that school would offer less than an adequate opportunity to maximize their potential and skill?
Why should their future be impacted so seriously because the system improperly objectifies athletics, when in fact athletes are proven to excel in the classroom and in the school environment beyond the performance of the average student?
Why are the opportunities that athletics offer less pertinent and receive less consideration than do academics?
I say it’s time to evaluate schools and their athletic programs, grade them based on their performance much as we do with schools on the FCAT, and if a school is found to be lacking in a sport, then their athletes should be allowed to transfer to a school of choice without penalty.
Of course we all know this is a pipe dream, and it will never happen. Therefore, heed the words of the Spiderman, if your want your child to have success in athletics and he belongs to a school who devalues his sport of choice, do everything you can to get him to a schools with an adequate program.
Cheat if you have to, your child’s future is more important than the rules that are biased against them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
