Christmas is on Sunday. Yep, if you're like me, you just started shopping and you're nowhere near done, which adds to the stress of this special time.
Since we're well into the wrestling season, I've come up with a list of gifts that wrestlers, coaches and fans would like, or should have, under their trees on Christmas morning:
* The new weight classes to revert back to the old classes. Yeah, I know there's as much of chance at getting this gift as getting a Lexus - like that far-fetched television commercial suggests as a present this time of the year.
The PIAA adopted the weights because the National Federation of State High School Association wrestling rules committee passed it after a three to four-year look into the rosters of high school teams across the nation.
It took a weight away from the middle and added another one in the upper weights. To me, that sounds dumb because most of the wrestlers are in the middle. Of course, I haven't done a scientific study on the matter, it makes sense to me. It's just another reason why a wrestler will give for not going out for the sport, or giving it up.
Maybe in the future, the national federation will see the error of its ways, look at the lump of coal in its stocking from Pennsylvania coaches and change the weights back.
* Patience. Yep, patience. It's a long season, and a lot of things can change over the course of the season. Bedford was patient last season after its loss to Claysburg-Kimmel, and the Bisons came back to beat the Bulldogs and Huntingdon at the PIAA Duals.
Fans who don't approve of where your favorite wrestler is ranked in the initial Mirror rankings should also be patient. They will change a lot over the course of the season with head-to-head matchups, weight drops and catching up to things I've missed during this busy time of the year.
* Some good wrestling reading. I would suggest Tom Elling's Wrestling Handbook, and a subscription to the Pennsylvania Wrestling Newsmagazine.
Elling's book is massive, growing to 462 pages. It includes everything from a list of Pennsylvania's returning state placers to new rules changes to results from other states. To buy it, go to his state web site.
PWN, owned by former Hollidaysburg coach Joe Baranik, includes reports on districts throughout the state, college wrestling reports, profiles on some of the best wrestlers and even junior high rankings. To get it, go to www.pawrestling.net or send $25 to PWN, 409 Mill Road, Duncansville, PA, 16635 with your address information and e-mail. You can also like it on Facebook.
* More generosity. Opposing coaches going against Claysburg-Kimmel would just love for the Bulldogs to let them win one bout. The Bulldogs have outscored their first two opponents, Juniata Valley and Southern Huntingdon, by a combined score of 155-0. Odds are good that C-K will lose at least one bout tonight at home against Chestnut Ridge.
* A state champion. The area didn't have one last year, but Central Cambria's Ben Rager and Tony Risaliti, C-K's Ty Dively and Northern Bedford's Quinton Hixson are among those looking to bring that gift home from Hershey.
Todd Irwin can be reached at 946-7464 or at tirwin@altoonamirror.com. He can be followed on Twitter at ToddIrwin1.
