Covering a state wrestling tournament

This guy know what he's talking about.

 

State tournaments can be hectic, but a lot of fun.

One thing you always have to keep in mind is that a lot of kids will disappear pretty much the minute they get off the mat. Especially on that first night, you might have kids go directly into the locker room, shower, dress and head to the hotel room or wherever to get some sleep. So it helps to be standing wherever they go to exit the main floor. That way, you can be right there in front of them to grab a kid or get a coach's attention.

Also be prepared for kids to win and do their own thing -- run into the stands, go hug mom, see their girlfriend, etc. It can make for some great color in your story, but it can also cause some panic because you don't know where the kid is. Luckily, there will eventually be a medal ceremony. Same as above - be in position to grab a few moments of his time.

I have talked to kids that just lost the state title. In excruciating fashion too. It helps to have a relationship with the kid and there are definitely some kids who are more capable of handling it with others. In my experience, the coach won't BS you - if the kid can talk, he will. If the kid is too much of a mess, he will say that.

As for writing about kids who are just there as opposed to studs, don't be afraid to write about kids who likely aren't going to medal, especially on day 1. If a kid wins two early matches in exciting fashion but he isn't exactly a top contender, go ahead and write about him. So what if he gets pinned in 30 seconds in his third match. You know you will be writing about the studs in the end; no need to only write about them the whole week.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

Jex,

Good advice here. Take care of all the kids in the preview, at least with lists or capsules.

The first day obviously you want to do a feature with maybe some a wrapup of how local teams/kids are doing.

If no wrestler stands out as a feature, consider doing something offbeat -- like on a trainer. They can keep hopping trying to stop bloody noses and such. Probably have good stories. I have been to 3-mat meets with 3 trainers and 3-mat meets with one (and all three matches needing a trainer).

You also could do more of an overall strategy piece. Do you try to be aggressive or wait for the other guy to make a mistake? Third round of a tournament score is tied, do you want to be up, down or both up?

If you have plenty of space, maybe you can break out some of that stuff if it's worth it in your area to get voices talking about something other than the results.

 

If you're in Vermont, Mount Anthony High is going for its 27th title in a row.

 

Everything already mentioned here is excellent advice. I'd add:
-- If your paper or state association has good records (who the school's last state champ was or even a list of state placers for every year on file like Ohio does) that can be good information to have.
-- Also have a list of the head coaches cell phone numbers for the schools in your coverage area with you. It can be invaluable, if one of wrestlers bails or if there is something you may need clarified.

 

This weekend -- assuming any of our local kids make the finals -- will be my ninth or 10th time covering the Kentucky state tournament.

Got a feature planned on one kid who's unbeaten and ranked first in his class. Missed a good chunk of last season after getting suspended when he got caught smoking weed with some of his teammates.

Other than that, a preview of all teams/individuals will run Friday -- when the tournament starts -- with a recap in Sunday's edition.

 

Totally seconded. RHCP knows his stuff.

And that NWCA site -- it is a fabulous resource, especially if you don't have records of guys from out of your area. At Hershey, they have complete brackets with records and classes. I doubt everyone does. This website will have them ... well, just try it and you'll see. Under "High School," choose "High School Wrestler Reports" and go to town.

http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcaonline/results/scorebook/Welcome.aspx

Finally, Jex, be sure that you don't get overwhelmed there. State tournaments are like three-ring circuses. Keep your focus. Be sure you know when your guys are coming up.

 

Exceptions have and will continue to be made. I use this when I'm covering a tournament when I have numerous athletes from my area.

P.S. I use what you taught me every day.

 

Some of the best info I've ever gotten from kids is after they lose a state final. They're at their most vulnerable, but are often the most honest after a loss in the state final. Some clam up. Like someone else said, it helps if you have a relationship with the kid prior to the state tournament, but don't ever be afraid to ask for a few minutes. Worst they can say is no.

 

I'll be covering my 14th state wrestling tournament in a couple of weeks. We typically have around 70 kids and anywhere from 3-6 teams in our coverage area qualify.

It is a terrible assignment. Pawn it off on someone else. Threaten to quit. Call in sick. Do whatever you can to get out of it.

If you absolutely must cover it, though, everyone here has offered some great advice. What I will you offer you is not advice, but a survival guide.

-- Wrestlers are constantly running in circles around the arena halls. They do this because 1) they may need to cut weight in the most unhealthy way possible at the very last minute or 2) they're just dumb wrestlers and don't know how else to occupy themselves.

-- Wrestlers often run in packs. Don't get run over as you're scurrying back to the media room to type in more agate or transcribe another boring as shit wrestler interview.

-- Wrestlers like to spit in garbage cans. If you're near a garbage can and you see a running wrestler approaching, he will likely spit into the garbage can. Careful to not get hit by the side-spray.

-- Wrestling parents/siblings are insane. They will constantly yell instructions and other nonsense from the stands and act like jackasses.

-- Many of these wrestling parents/siblings will be given media credentials, meaning you'll have to deal with their screaming and bullshit as you try to get a photo. If you make it through the entire tournament without telling an asshole wrestling parent to the get the fuck out of your way, you are a better man than I.

-- As others have mentioned, do your best to figure out which two or three kids have the best shot at winning and focus on them. Cross your fingers that one of them actually wins so you have something to write about.

-- Openly root against every other kid in your coverage area. The sooner they're eliminated, the sooner you can cross them off your list and forget about tracking them for agate purposes.

-- Whatever you do, don't accidentally leave some kid out of the agate. Even if it's a meaningless wrestlebacks match, you will hear from the crazy wrestling parent if you forget to type in the result of their precious kid's match. This goes back to openly rooting against kids in your coverage area. The quicker your kids are knocked out, the less you have to worry about agate oversights.

-- Wrestlers wear the dumbest shirts with the dumbest sayings on them. Shit like, "Bustin' mine. Kickin' yours." Keeping a running top 5 list of the dumbest shirts is one way to pass the time.

-- Small town radio guys will often be back in the media room recording updates for their podunk stations back home. These updates are usually half-filled w/ ridiculous sports radio guy cliches and cheerleading for the hometown kids "who work so hard." Listening to these reports as they're being recorded is another fun way to pass the time.

-- Watch out for asshole wrestling coach guy. Asshole wrestling coach guy is the guy who tries to shoo you away from a wrestler after a match because he thinks the wrestler "needs his space" and can't do an interview until later.

-- Wrestlers will cry after a tough loss. I can't say I blame them. I'd cry too if I dedicated my young life to that awful sport and came up short. But just because a kid is bawling, it doesn't mean you can't approach him for an interview. They're usually really open and talking helps calm them down.

-- Wrestlers are the worst possible quotes on the face of the Earth. If you can consistently coax good quotes out of wrestlers, once again, you are a better man than I. Try to watch the wrestlers before and after the match to get some details to add color to your story. Did he jump in his dad's arms after a win? Was he slapping himself in the face to get pumped before the match? Did he pump his fist after a pin? In all likelihood, lame wrestler quotes won't do much to improve your story so keep your eyes open for other things.

-- Drink lots of beer when you're done. I mean a shit ton of beer. You're going to need it.

Good luck.

 

Ya know Ric I liked you better after your match at Wrestlemania 24.........right after Shawn kicked you in the face.

 

The most important thing is to know the territory.

The 2010 state wrestling tournament in Utah for the Salt Lake Tribune was one of the most satisfying accomplishments of my career. Two months of covering the sport statewide had me prepared.

If I didn't get something in main articles, we updated blogs (twitter hadn't kicked in yet). After two days, the 5A and 4A finals were set and the 1A-2A-3A tournament.

The desk trusted me, and the final two days were amazing. Myself and two other stringers covered the event just as good as the Deseret News folks.

We divided up 1A ,2A and 3A and cranked out that first round coverage easily. I delegated the 4A match to someone because the team title was already and that gave her time to also write a cool pull-out about a first-year program.

I took the 5A match, because it was more compelling. We tracked consolations because the team scoring lead changed three times. Turned it into a sidebar 1) because it was quick and 2) Got a lot of names into the coverage. Some of the best wrestlers whose teams weren't up for team title got their fair share because I convinced the desk to use the space for that instead of recapping storylines.

I said in my preview blog that morning that it could come down to a certain match. Not only did it come down to that match, it came down to one TAKEDOWN. The kid let his opponent escape so he could score a takedown and get an extra point in the team standings. Later that evening, the team won by one point because another team couldn't get a victory by pin. Dang thing wrote itself. We were out there 30 minutes before the Deseret News because we had our act together.

Final night was anti-climatic, but allowed us to do some good mini-features. Sports editor sent us an e-mail saying thanks and send in the invoice as soon as possible because we deserved it.