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.