Flonationals : Speakers & Interviews

Flo nationals is a great idea, bring in the top 32 and let em duke it out. But like others have said the cost for many to get out to Ohio may prove to be a difficult task, especially for kids and coaches who come from poorer areas. I don't beleive it should be up to flo to pay for the kids to come out, there is already a lot of responsibilites attached to running a tournament but it might be good to think about creating some sort of hardship fee, reduced entry something to bring those kids out.

this is gonna be a great tournament cause its right in the heart of of wrestling ohio, pa. the big boys are gonna be coming.

i think this will fail if its after the ncaas is gona be hard for kids to still wanna wrestle they may wanna take a brake from end of season to freestyle i may be wrong.. i probably am

It is the same day as Senior Nationals because the NHSCA wouldn't let flow videotape matches. May not be entirely true, but too coincidental to ignore. However, having said that. I don't blame flo. They did the American thing and said if we can't tape at your tourney then we will start our own bigger and better one.

If the NHSCA thinks having ESPNU air a 30 minute segment a month after senior nationals at two in the afternoon on a weekday is good then they are sorely mistaken. At least show the finals live, not 2 1/2 matches a month after they'er over. That is more of a slap in the face to NHSCA and wrestling than a good thing.
Thanks flow for saying we don't have to take this.

Lets be honest with ourselves, the NHSCA senior nationals stinks. Not that many good kids go there anymore and the guys who run it have raped the community for years with $150 entry fees for coaches, wrestlers and parents. Its really a shame. I think Flow is doing a good job by running their tournament. I would like to know the FloNationals Fee but my guess is that it is more reasonable.

i agrreee this does not help the competion..they should move the date

Why oh why is this scheduled during Senior Nationals? That will only dilute the talent of both tournaments

Buck, he clearly says on this preview that it is a top 32 invite only tournament. So only Ohio wrestlers ranked in the top 32 will be invited.

Does this conflict with the Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach?

lose the chip, it's not attractive.

I'm sure if a girl makes the top 25 rankings in the nation they would be invited. But it has never happened....

Hey Flo when are we going to know all the rankings for invite on this tourney?

Stop complaining about your womens rights. Come compete with the boys and see how u do

that is some sweet siding!

is this just going to be for boys?
And if so well that's lame your
taking away the chance for female wrestlers
to get an experience as big as this!

that shirt is fly

Mich coach did your buddy hear anytthing from Mark Uyl.

Good idea. You guys kinda look like an ad for Starsky and Hutch

you guys need to start a fund raising section here on flo for this tournament

with this tourney being in oHio, more Ohio kids will show up. Let's face, is the # 7 kid at 145 from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona etc...really gonna fly to Akron, Ohio to wrestle in this? keep dreaming if you say yes. With that, this will help Preusse rank even more Ohio kids at the top, since there will be more #'s of them attending than any other state. this is great for Ohio, because it will be an ohio showcase event and lead to more rankings for ohio kids. this will hurt Pa because they don't travel much to post season tournies. So, I see Ohio taking over from Pa in rankings cause this tournament will definitely be an Ohio showcase event.

Jersery All day Top 3 State Every year in HS Wrestling.. No such thing as an "off Year" with us oh Yea How Many Champs And Finalist did we have at NCAA's This Year? Not A Knock to any other talented states but we will show and prove as usual!! cant wait

No doubt, Pennsylvania is the #1 wrestling state in the country. I'd say number 2 is between New Jersey and Ohio. I guess we'll see how these states do.

you know the ohio kids will show up. rankings from AWN will now have ohio kids at or near top of every weight class. this is great for teh kids from ohio. many other states won't step up and attend, this will mean more top ranking for ohio wretslers. ohio wrestlers are # 1

Is Bloomsburg on the guy one the lefts shirt thr D2 Bloomsburg in Pa

Meant for # 76

All Jersey

this gonna be sweet

Mark I think you are way off here. You should already know that flo really isn't in this for the money. And if they were, there are plenty of better options to do so (They don't even sell merchandise) . This is about exactly what it says, finding the best wrestler in the nation, and creating matchups that we would otherwise never see. Whether it works or not is a whole different story.

To bad Michigan guys wont be able to showcase their talent here do to the horrible rules put fourth by the MHSAA

im sure it wont be the same days. Also its good because this will prove all the rankings . if it starts to workout good and a lot of ppl show it coudl be a great thing because its the best against the best. and theres never enough nationals because great wrestlers always seek the best competition to excel.

Mark Uhl

I know how hot the dome gets for the Ironman finals, imaging this.

We already have too many "nationals" as it is. We have Preseason Nationals, Folkstyle Nationals, 9th-12th NHSCA Nationals, Brute Nationals, amongst other "nationals." This nationals thing is getting out of hand.

If you are a top kid & get invited to the Dapper Dan (37 year history) and FloNationals, where do you go? History has shown that the Dapper Dan usually wins out when it directly competed against the NHSCA.

I think this is about Flo trying to make some money. Lets face it, they have been doing an amazing service for free. They should be able to make some money, just think they are trying to in the wrong venue. Timing it for the end of March is a disaster

Invite only will eliminate any N.C. kids too!

More names that I saw when I looked at that tournament from 1999 were Chris Notte, Kodie Silvestri, Hank Stinson, Anthony Curcio, Vinnie DelleFave, Eric Dunnet, Jonathon Becker, Nick Menditto, Max Shanaman, etc.. Awesome

Great!

awesome for sure

This is crazy, look at some of these names.. Caldwell, Jordan Burroughs, Umbehauer, Vallimont, Mike Grey, Molinaro, Mac Mancuso, Devin Carter, Tim Darling, and on and on.. It's quite impressive seeing how young all of them started. http://www.usawnj.org/1999.htm

This sounds like a good idea, but I just don't see it being a big hit. Seniors who have signed to wrestle in college already blow off Fargo and Sr Nationals as it is. Good luck getting the top kids. You will get some of the top kids, but then the question will be, "if half of the kids are going to NHSCA and half to FloNationals, who really is determining the best?" Pa kids notoriusly do not wrestle mny post season tournaments. If I am a good wrestler, I want to go to Va Beach, see the sun and have some fun. Who wants to go to Akron, Ohio in late March?

I love what Flo does, I just think they are trying to move into an arena in which there is way too much competition that does a good job already.

In an 8 day period we have four national tournaments (FloNationals, Brute-Adidas, NHSCA and USAW). Anyone that places in any tournament will be considered an All-American.

I am still interested in hearing how Flo proposes they will get the top wrestlers at their event.

Who at the Dapper Dan and NHSCA pissed off Martin?

Who you going to call at the MHSAA?

I just talked to one of our top coaches and he said he beleives Michigan kids will be able to attend. He is going to call the MHSAA Monday to clarify.

I know some states aren't allowed to compete in invite only tournaments or they lsoe a yr of eligibility.

i gotta train hard to make it

So now Bob P can rank exclusively on this tournament and the ironman..

Let the best tournament win. Should nobody have the rite to host a tournament if someone already runs one on that date? If this is a successful event maybe the other tournaments will change their date not to conflict with FloNationals next year. Can FloNationals attract the elite athletes and fill the gym with spectators? I don't know but I can't wait to find out.

One of the best posts on the subject.

This is a great idea, but as others stated below, I really wish this tournament would be on a different date. Having it on the same weekend as NHSCA is horrible for the sport. I go out to Virginia Beach every year with my kids and our state and I hate the prices, but it is a good tournament and competition. If we continue to put these big events on the same weekends, we are going to waterdown the competition and nobody will attend any of them. We already have too many damn National tournaments. Everywhere I look there are National tournaments and every kid that travels, becomes an All-American of some sort. Hopefully you guys will reconsider the date and then we can compete in both and maybe people will just choose which is the best fit for them.

IS IT GONNA B FREE OR SCHOLASTIC?

dang im gonna miss it! im gonna be on a mission by then

how are they going to choose the top 32 kids? i know there are a lot of rankings out there but they all seam to be different

hopefully this event will take place after Sr. Nationals and before MD Duals, like 2-3 wks. later. Kids will still have enough time to keep training for FS...

This is going to be an awesome tourney. But, I wish you would reconsider the date. Having it the same weekend as NHSCA is going to water down both tournaments. As a coach it is a fun trip to take a lot of my wrestlers to Virginia Beach. I don't like the crazy prices and the money making machine that is the NHSCA but the kids get good competition and it is a good reward for a long season. I don't know if I will have any of my guys in the top 32 but if I do I would hate to have to make that choice. Great idea to do this tournament, but I think it should be on another date.

hopefully we some more cali kids coming to wrestle there

would everyone stop complaining they can handle it they have 1 of the best tournament directors around

Thank you for the clarification on the Michigan rules. I hope the MHSAA looks at changing this to help their athletes.

so this means taylor massa cant compete hes a beast damn that sucks

Is that some states could consider this an 'all star' event which would then prohibit wrestlers (underclassman) from competing in the event. I believe that the majority of these other national tournaments are really 'open' tournaments or they have a 'pre-qualifying' event prior the event. Each state has different rules. Some are harder than others.

Responding to the lower posts about Michigan rules, the way I understand it this would not be ok for Michigan wrestlers to compete in. The rule about the wrestling teams from other states is based on 300 miles of travel not borders. Teams cannot travel further than that and no team can travel further than that to reach the tournament. This would not apply to this tournament though because it is out of season. What would affect it is the fact that it is invitation only. The MHSAA restricts all star events or other events of this nature. The reason Border Wars Nationals is ok is because it is based on out of season qualifying tournaments. Pre-season nationals and other preseason tourneys are ok because their are no invites or qualifications. You just have to be tough enough to want to go. Senior nationals competitors from Michigan do lose their eligibility when the compete. This tourney would be the same. The invitation was the real problem with MI rules. This is why Metcalf was not allowed to compete in the Midlands as a Senior. You can compete in 2 non MHSAA tournaments during the season. Also as a side note, if it is a freestyle or greco tournament, no rules apply as it is considered a different sport, and therefore the MHSAA has absolutely no regulatory authority.

This is what is wrong with our sport. Instead of supporting each other's main events and finding ways to promote what's good, we continue to try to compete within. Media outlets like Flo and organizations like the NHSCA already do a lot to promote high school wrestlers and coaches, not sure why you would place this on the same date as the High School and Senior Nationals weekend. To this point, Flo has seemed to be a great promoter, now they are falling into a different category.

wow great idea! maybe we will really find out who is #1 in each weight!

Why does Martin look like Tamillow??? Sorry Martin :(

genius, just do this at the college level, then international, then have a flo worlds!

the michigan thing is sneaky.... its all about the name... and the qualifying... If the name is has "high school national championship" then they cant go.. if its based on high school state finals results, then they cant go...... which is why nhsca nationals under classmen dont go, and the Sr's that go cannot participate in spring sports, if they get coached by their high school coach, the coach cant coach the next year...

as a team they can only travel so far out of state a few hundred miles..
kids can go to post season or pre season folkstyle events as long as they are open to everyone..

can michigan kids wreslte unattached? kinda like they do in college when guys redshirt?

blue springs south strong Joe!

freakin awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or considering the age of some of the wrestlers, perhaps FauxStachies for FloNashies

FloStachies for FloNashies?

Martin u da mannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! A Nat tourney for a true HS National Champ ! Should be cool have kids start wrestling at the Super 32 in early October, wrestled until the post season, go to states and win em....about a 40-50 match season. If this is going to be the top 32 so some kids will be invited to Dapper Dan and Dream Team.....then do not forget the NHSCA Nationals then "FloNationals" (Good Branding by the way). Who does drop dead and/or burn themselves out automatically wins ! Cool Deal Mom and Dad ! (Oh by the way you both need second jobs......so get to work)

i say everyone boycotts high-school nationals and the ESPN boner they got goin on and lets build the wrestling community from within.....there should be no individual grade level competitions.... there should be THE FLOwrestling NATIONAL TOURNIMENT where all the matches are posted and not just shown on the internet to people that have virison internet

yo mane this sounds off the friggin chain holllaaa

YEAH!!!

ok "Cool" who said your going to be on the list. are you a national winner, fargo placer, state champ??????????

OK I am spent after state and need a break of like 3 weeks or a month to just relax and this should be preseason like in october september in that area.

I had a few questions.

1. Who is paying for the athletes to attend the event? Without picking up the tab do you really think all the top wrestlers are coming.
2. How will you get around the state association rules that prohibit these events for their wrestlers?
3. Will you be forcing wrestlers to chose between NHSCA and your event?

you flo guys are brilliant
a wrestling fans dream high school tournament. its brilliant! brilliant!

nice.....I live 30 miles from Walsh

this actually is a great idea. i cant wait just to watch it. is it going to be aired on television or just on FLO

Use NCAA D1 rules.

Ask Rohler about coming into Ohio on the wrong date!

Make sure all periods are 2-2-2 including wrestlebacks along with daily weigh ins if needed. Senior Nats kinda blow because they don't do this.

The 3 rules for running a tournament are timing, timing, timing. Although I do enjoy the enthusiasm, trying to take over established tourneys is a tall order. And if those tourneys are on a decline, it might be wise to consider why.

I'm still wondering why my garlic flavored gum isn't taking off!?!?!

This is going to be competing against The Dapper Dan and the Senior Nationals. Great idea, but you should move it to early summer time. Kids will be too spent from their season to focus on this. Moreover, Pa kids barely attend Senior Nationals, can't see them suddently jumping to do this. Michigan kids can't make it, California travels very well to Senior Nationals, can't see them suddenly changing this.

Good idea, but you should focus on post season (June time frame) as a pre-cursor to Fargo

I bet Bob Ferraro is loving this.

mhsaa does not allow for michigan student athletes to participate in national events. so they can go, they will just not be allowed to wrestle for their highscools after that.

Michigan kids can't wrestle in this because they can't compete in an event where any state not bordering Michigan is involved. Literally the worst rule ever for one of the best up and coming states in the last ten years! I believe the seniors will be able to go, because they are leaving and no rules or penalties apply to them after senior year of season.

Won't this be after their wrestling season? If so why can't they attend?

sounds awesome

Martin I like your shirt and im this tornament is gonna be great i can feel it.

michigan kids wont be able to attend this...

When are they going to announce the top 32.

I hope they announce the top 32 kids with enough time for them to raise money to travel. But this is gonna be friggen great. Probably great wrestling, and college coaches there to recruit.

Definitely go raised mats + spotlight. Celebrity refs & table help, maybe Ben Askren and Steve Moccoo as the towel guys (seriously!)

I have to say, I like it, for those entering good publicity (what’s better then flo for coverage), those watching great action. Could use another hook though, just to seal the deal with getting the best (like NCAA raised single mat for finals, scholly award??, ESPN2 co-coverage).

Held at Walsh Jesuit in OHIO as stated at the end of the video blurb.

Where is this tournament going to be held?

This tournament sounds awesome. I think it will be really hard to pull off and get a lot of the best guys to come. Im hopin you do. Good Luck!

I'd say day inviting the top 16 is more realistic considering it may take the top 32 to fit the top 16 field.

What happen when several wrstlers decline. Do you find the next best guys or just forfeit the weight? Is this under the USA wrestling name? If not some wrestler may not be able to participate because of the number of post season tournament restrictions their state may impose.

OMG this is going to be soooooo freakin NASTY how will flo pick the top 32 cause i hope i go (well im goin even if i dont get picked lol)

I can't wait for this one!!!!

This is going to be the sickest tournament of the year. I will make it over from Cali to watch the west coast kids bring back some respect. You guys are the best. All in 2 days, you mean I dont have to go somewhere for a whole week and spend all of my money. Really something to look forward to.