NCWA is the future of college wrestling

[BootScoot122 1]

I have wrestled D1, I have coached NCWA. Many of my NCWA athletes got a better college experience, to prepare them for life, than I did. They wrestled in D1 opens. They defeated D2,D3 and NAIA All-Americans,. The reason we want people wrestling in college is for intangibles. So they build skills for life. NCWA guys CAN get 90% of D1 guys get for life. It doesn't matter, at all, that they don't get nearly the same wrestling specific skills.  Comparing NBA guys to rec leagues is the false comparison.  NBA guys are not in it for personal development, they are in it for money. Rec basketball guys are mostly in it for fun from their normal lives. Being the most competitive wrestler in the country, does not even make for the best Doctors or Engineers. I would hire an NCWA national champ, who did some research and some internships, over an NCAA national champ who did nothing but wrestle for 5 years of college, while getting tutored in his classes. That NCWA guy had far less resources and still had to rise above his peers. In the finance world, that ultra-competitiveness of D1 is admittedly useful, but not in most other industries. 

The benefits of D1 have very little do to with the athletes, it is mostly about the fans. Fans like it because of their connection to their school and the appearance that it is the highest level. High school teams pack gyms and HS states fill arenas, even though on an absolute scale, the skills are low. Fans only care about their connection to the school and how competitive the teams are relative to each other.  D1 champs of the past were successful in life, even though their skills are lower, on average, than today.

[Swayz 96]

On 3/18/2014 at 1:47 PM, blametheref said:

the ncwa also allows for full scholarships so i think we can all agree the ncwa has passed d3 naia and juco in terms of competition and is probably on par with division 2 in the long run i would bet NCWA takes over NCAA wrestling. Lets Face facts NCAA doesnt care about wrestling they care about football and basketball thats why title 9 is forcing wrestling out at schools across the nation. NCWA is dedicated to just wrestling

If you took the 5th best team in each division...made them dual,   NCWA probably winds up 0-3 against NAIA, DIII and Juco on most years.   Even with champions,  I think some good matches may happen,  but I don't see a NCWA team beating Loras/Wartburg, Grandview,  or Clackamas.

[Swayz 96]

[lu1979 332]

21 hours ago, BootScoot122 said:

I have wrestled D1, I have coached NCWA. Many of my NCWA athletes got a better college experience, to prepare them for life, than I did. They wrestled in D1 opens. They defeated D2,D3 and NAIA All-Americans,. The reason we want people wrestling in college is for intangibles. So they build skills for life. NCWA guys CAN get 90% of D1 guys get for life. It doesn't matter, at all, that they don't get nearly the same wrestling specific skills.  Comparing NBA guys to rec leagues is the false comparison.  NBA guys are not in it for personal development, they are in it for money. Rec basketball guys are mostly in it for fun from their normal lives. Being the most competitive wrestler in the country, does not even make for the best Doctors or Engineers. I would hire an NCWA national champ, who did some research and some internships, over an NCAA national champ who did nothing but wrestle for 5 years of college, while getting tutored in his classes. That NCWA guy had far less resources and still had to rise above his peers. In the finance world, that ultra-competitiveness of D1 is admittedly useful, but not in most other industries. 

The benefits of D1 have very little do to with the athletes, it is mostly about the fans. Fans like it because of their connection to their school and the appearance that it is the highest level. High school teams pack gyms and HS states fill arenas, even though on an absolute scale, the skills are low. Fans only care about their connection to the school and how competitive the teams are relative to each other.  D1 champs of the past were successful in life, even though their skills are lower, on average, than today.

I am not really debating that those kids who compete at the NCWA level are not getting many of the same intangible benefits that those in D1 get.  I will freely stipulate that they get many great benefits from wrestling at the NCWA level and as I stated earlier I fully support wrestling at that level.  My point is that the reason the D1 wrestlers get a much higher level of resources put in to their programs (and I believe that is appropriate) is because they are the very best at what they are doing.  It is not an "appearance that it is the highest level", it is being done at the highest level.  Accomplishing that takes a great deal of commitment from the athletes and coaches and it is the resources put in and competition between schools that drives those individuals and programs to reach that level.