I hate to be the harbinger of bad news regarding the sport I so dearly love, but the truth is that this new coaching philosophy of weekend after weekend of faraway tournaments “ain’t” working. It’s driving fans away and has hurt the sport of wrestling as a whole throughout the Valley.

If you have ever attended such events that are hours away from wrestlers’ high schools, who did you see in the bleachers? The answer is simple: moms and pops, possibly other relatives, and maybe a couple mat maids and/or girlfriends.

School supporters are not going to travel long distances and sit for hours waiting for their favorite wrestlers to compete.

Then there are the sporadic Triangular and Quadrangular home matches that the people in attendance have no idea who is winning or how to figure out what’s going on during the competition.

Thus, fan attendance has dwindled at all area schools over the past two decades. And wrestlers, like all athletes, want to perform in front of a crowd of spectators.

Why would student-athletes, who are considering wrestling, want to participate in nearly empty gyms? The result: many forfeits on our area mat teams. And the participation numbers will only continue to deplete.

You need, and I mean really need, to return to robust dual-meet schedules if you want to replenish fan-support for your wrestling programs. Ignoring my plea will result in the further downfall of wrestling in the Valley.

Spectators will come back if coaches are willing to return to the traditional dual-meet schedule. In doing so, more kids will sign up for the mat sport. Furthermore, we’ll see bigger crowds at the Ron Mauck OVAC Wrestling Championships. Why because the hometown fans will have a much deeper connection with the participants on their school’s wrestling team.

“Okay, Welker, what do you suggest?”

It’s so simple; I can’t understand why others have not postulated it. West Virginia allows 18 weigh-ins throughout the season, whereas Ohio permits 20 weigh-ins. The best schedule scenario is to compete in a strong Holiday Season Tournament and the Ron Mauck OVAC wrestling tournament in January.

Then develop a strong dual meet itinerary, especially with area rivalries (i.e., Martins Ferry vs. Bellaire; Wheeling Park vs. John Marshall; Oak Glen vs. East Liverpool, etc.) with half the dual meets in your gym. The hometown fans will come, bond with their wrestling teams, and even attend away dual meets.

Now for the naysayers.

We won’t be able to compete at the state level because we haven’t wrestled in a multitude of tournaments. If this is true, then why haven’t we had an abundance of area state champions and placewinners. Whybecause it doesn’t work. And in many cases, the wrestlers burn-out or peak in the middle of the season.

I understand that the contemporary mindset regarding wrestling schedules is to expose the wrestlers to as much “competition” as possible via tournament after tournament. But it’s not needed. Your more dedicated wrestlers have already experienced very highly-competitive meets during the off-season months.

Furthermore, there are two other drawbacks to scheduling numerous tournaments. To begin with, a wrestler often ends up competing and beating the same opponent four or five times during the season. Many of these multiple victories are earned against inferior adversaries. No one can improve their mat skills or benefit from such outings.

Secondly, and even more important, grueling daylong tournaments can be very tiring. And fatigue often breeds injury, especially when the more physically-aggressive wrestlers compete against each other. Is it worth losing them (due to a serious injury) before the year-end state qualifying tournaments?

Many win-crazy parents might say: “My boy won’t be able to reach the 100-victory mark with a schedule dominated by dual meets?”

My answer is: “Yes he will if he is truly a GREAT wrestler.” In reality, today’s wrestlers with 100-plus wins are a dime a dozen. As a matter of fact, very few wrestlers with such winning figures win or even place at states.

The wise coach is the one who develops a strong dual meet schedule. Not only will the fan-base continually grow, but more kids will want to be a part of such a dynamic wrestling program. Thus, all 14 weight classes will be filled, and you will witness the re-birth of full junior varsity squad schedules.

In sum, there’s no better athletic thrill than running through a “gauntlet of spectators” to reach the mat and seeing a “packed house” during a dual-meet rivalry. I had that exhilarating experience as a scholastic wrestler. What an athletic high!

Sad to say, coaches, but your current scheduling philosophy is truly “Killing the Mat Sport” in the Ohio Valley.

Welker’s e-mail address is mattalkwv@hotmail.com