Ironman 2023

[BobPreusse]

Thanks Bob, and thanks for your contribution in making the Ironman tourney into what it is today. I have run tournaments too, albeit at a much, much smaller scale and I have not only great appreciation for what it takes to run a successful event but also a ton of tolerance for inconvenience knowing that unforeseen s H *t always happens. Even did it before track - w/ paper bout sheets, runners, paper brackets, hand calculating team scores, etc. Thankless job to say the least. Nobody notices when it goes smooth and that's the goal. It takes planning, teamwork and even sometime a little luck to pull it off.

All that said, it's absolutely indefensible for any tournament should be running way past midnight IMHO. It's unfair to everyone involved, and I have to think completely avoidable with proper planning and execution.

Ironman today run a bit different than my era. ......Back then we were 2 days and had no girls and were out by 9:30 friday nite as a courtesy to teams traveling in from afar and parents/coaches who wanted to socialize a bit. get a beer and food. . Head table boss Ken Dies & his crew were on top of things. We ran the Quarters first thing on Saturday morn. before huge enthusiastic crowds. Semis around noon. Fans loved it. Finals after a dinner break at 6:30 .

Somewhere i saw the figure 600 entries now?, ......We peaked at 500 or less back then.. i know because i did the inviting and the seeding so i was constantly looking at the numbers in the months leading up.. I planned to let as many of the best teams and individual wrestlers in as possible while maintaining a comfortable pace and manageable operation.. Occasionally i had to tell a tardy applicant that the deadline was long past to get in, after that school sat on their contract for months. Former AD Conzaman backed me. His backing was a reason for our success. (very important)

Matter of fact, Ironman success no accident. There were distinct reasons--- innovative ideas, aggressive approaches, even technology at the time--- our team put Cuyahoga Falls on the wrestling map. No one can duplicate it so far. Its unique. Since i dont attend i am in no position to judge the Ironman today. Apparently the wrestling is still lites out. i am glad to see.

(For the record in our era we had as many as 8 No 1's entered in a couple years. ..... truth, book it. Clubs yes but in many areas Ohio is just down now. No CYO, no YMCA, no jr high,teams, thats why.