barondawg77

Truth is first 5 on the road, last 5 at home! 

Apparently, we haven't been contacted by either, but via the rumor mill, that appears to be the case. 

Duke, NC St, Wake, UNC, UVA, VT, Clemson, Louisville, GT (9 schools) are all being under 6 hour trips.   ND, Pitt, FSU, Miami, BC and Syracuse are long trips.
UGA, UK, Vandy, USC, UT would be the only SEC schools under 6 hours(5 schools) .  TA&M, Missouri, LSU, Ole MIss, Miss St,  Arkansas, Bama, Auburn, UF are all LONG trips.
The ACC definitely offers his parents the opportunity to see more games in person, its not even close
 

Shane Allen has joined the staff at Galax, I hear.   Not sure if he is the "Head Varsity Assistant" or not.  However,if this is true, I wish him the best and hope that he has much success at Galax.  Galax is getting a good coach joining their staff.

GMan, I mean no disrespect, but this is clearly fake news. Everyone knows that all you have to do to be a D1 athlete is transfer to Richlands. 

This should be pinned and required reading for everyone who makes a post about "[Insert Name Here] from [Insert Local School Here] is the BEST player EVAR and HOW DARE YOU say he's not D-1 stuff!!!"
 
See also: every posting hyping Sturgill and Asbury for the last 2 seasons.

http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2014/11/16/3-signs-reality-about-di-athletes/
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Division I Athlete?
          Anyone who loves sports has probably fantasized about becoming a Division I athlete. Practicing in some of the best facilities in the country, playing in front of hyped up crowds – this is what athletes live for! However, at some point reality sets in. The competition to play at a Division I school is fierce. Only about 1% of athletes make it to this level.
So, are you a future Division I athlete?
For each sport, the requirements to play at the Division I level are a little different. Check out our sports-specific pages to get into the details. However, there are a few keys factors that might indicate you’re destined to fulfill your DI dreams. How many of these boxes do you check off?
They are the best on their team and attract genuine attention from DI coaches before their junior year.
No coach can afford to waste that level of talent. Straight up: Almost every DI recruit is a starter on their high school team. Having been mastering the game from a young age, Division I athletes tend to attract a lot of real college coach interest early on—well before their junior year of high school.
Where do you stack up? If you’ve been a starter since before you can remember, that’s a good sign. Bear in mind, that not all high school teams are created equal, so also consider if you’re getting recruited heavily by many DI coaches before your junior year. Top athletes tend to receive verbal offers their sophomore year or early junior year.
At the end of your junior year with no offers? You need to be exploring and communicating with schools outside of Division I. If playing your sport in college is your goal, take recruiting seriously with Division II, Division III and NAIA schools. A lot of student-athletes make the mistake of putting all their eggs in the Division I basket. Then, they miss out on playing because they don’t follow up with schools that fail to “meet their standards.” Maybe you just don’t have the skill level to play at the DI level or you fell through the cracks in the recruiting process. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t play your sport in college.
DI athletes have been better than high schoolers—since they were 12.
Dr. Jay Granat, a Ph.D. psychotherapist and founder of StayInTheZone.com, explains that most elite athletes will really start to stand out from their peers around age 12. In many cases, they can beat 16-year-olds! They also tend to overall be bigger and stronger than other kids their age.
Where do you stack up? Have you always stood head and shoulders above your teammates (no pun intended)? Are you constantly playing above your grade level, just to face some actual competition? While athletes can be “late bloomers,” being more athletic than your peers from a young age is a significant sign you’re on the right path.
Athletes have the body build required for that sport.
This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is a key factor. Division I athletes just have the right body build for their position. Look at women’s gymnastics for example. 78% of top gymnasts are around 5 feet tall (give or take 3 inches), and are around 103 pounds. Someone who doesn’t have this build is going to find it much more difficult to compete at a high level.
Where do you stack up? Do your research and see what the general DI body build requirements are for someone at your position. Remember, if you don’t meet those standards, a high level of skill or knowledge of the game might make up for it. Think Isaiah Thomas or Russell Wilson.
The bottom line: Find a college athletic program that’s right for you—and it may not be at a Division I school. If you’re interested in tough competition, look no further than DII schools. If you want to play your sport against excellent athletes and have some time left over to focus on academics, look at DIII or NAIA.
We’re always here to answer your questions about your personal recruiting journey. Click here to get started on a recruiting profile, and find the college that’s right for you.
 
 

We already know he will be there this week 

I apologize for nothing. 

Are you saying that schools shouldn't use "volunteers"?
 
These days there are more volunteers than ever. The amount of teachers willing to coach sports is in a decline. It is getting harder and harder for Head Coaches to bring in coaches because they don't have the luxury of teaching positions for them. It isn't like it was 20 years ago where you can just hire a coach and get them a teaching job at most places. I would bet that nearly every sport in Tazewell County has at least one "volunteer" on staff. Those "volunteers" also have to go through the same background checks and drug testing policies that a teacher does.
 
If this guy did what he is accused of, he carries the entire responsibility of his actions. How the "heads" handled it after the fact is on them.

Are you saying that schools shouldn't use "volunteers"?
 
These days there are more volunteers than ever. The amount of teachers willing to coach sports is in a decline. It is getting harder and harder for Head Coaches to bring in coaches because they don't have the luxury of teaching positions for them. It isn't like it was 20 years ago where you can just hire a coach and get them a teaching job at most places. I would bet that nearly every sport in Tazewell County has at least one "volunteer" on staff. Those "volunteers" also have to go through the same background checks and drug testing policies that a teacher does.
 
If this guy did what he is accused of, he carries the entire responsibility of his actions. How the "heads" handled it after the fact is on them.

WV has some good ones, but the undefeated champion is the Poca Dots.

http://miningpeople.org/old_coalpeople/august08/red_robertson.htm
 
This will shed a little light...

News Leader Sports Retweeted
Patrick Hiteâ€@Patrick_Hite 4m4 minutes ago
Final Robert E. Lee 78, Bruton 45. Lee will play Saturday for 2A East championship at 8 pm at Hanover High.
 
Jim Sacco Retweeted
Phil D'Abbraccioâ€@PhilD_DNRSports 4m4 minutes ago
And that’s how the third quarter ends, with East Rock girls leading Stuarts Draft 51-47.
 
great state

Hard work, dedication(by athletes, coaches, and community), and money that allows them to do what other programs can't in our area like coaches from prestigious backgrounds, travel, wrestling the best competition, and very good facilities. All of that said, it comes back to kids wanting to strive to be like the state champs that paved the way before them.

Speaking from someone who came up in the Grundy program I can tell you first hand that Mr. Robertson's help has been a huge part of the programs success. Also starting at sometimes even as young as 4 years old kids are on the mat "competing" and learning the sport. They travel to tournaments all over the state and mid atlantic at a fairly young age wrestling the best around. The facility's that we have are just as good as some/most college programs with our weight room and wrestling room. During summer its not uncommon for the older kids to go to a wrestling camp at Iowa that last two weeks and is in my own memory "hell on earth".  As Barondawg77 said it also has a lot to do with the culture of the town and fans as well. The parents have just as much to do with the success as the kids in some ways. Its not easy waking up a 5 am just to take your kid to a morning run or spending hours on the road just to sit several more hours on hard bleachers in a old gym. I could probably go on longer about the topic but that's just a few things. FYI most people in the town have the same passion about the subject lol
 

That's the beauty of wrestling, you don't have to be a great athlete to be successful. Hard work and a strong mentality are the keys to success. If you get those things combined with athleticism, then you have something special, as in every sport. But those guys that are too small or too slow, can really benefit from wrestling. I've seen it first hand.

No problem. Grundy wrestling has helped many other local teams as well. Lending wrestling mats, offering a free wrestling camp every summer, attending youth tournaments to help local schools fundraisers are just a few examples of their generosity. Love em or hate em, they have helped a lot of people through the years.

I can tell you from experience tornado99 putting your kids into a youth wrestling program will be a decision you won't regret.  Both of our kids love it.  I really wish I had wrestled when I was in high school.  I love everything about the game of football but wrestling has become my favorite.  No drama!!  Good luck to your boys. I hope they like it.

So Richlands is going to score 20 more points than what they've averaged on the season and Union is going to give up 40 more than what they've averaged allowing?
 
 
...Seems logical

This is exactly why I was asking earlier for my boys in a few years.

Yes, both Tazewell and Richlands have youth programs in the past.  They were quite good, but had fallen off over the years.  It is great that both are actively involved again.  It has been my experience with youth wrestling that many come out, but the number that stick with it dwindle as they grow older.  Too many distractions and competing sports.  Wrestlers are a different breed, tough, driven, and hard nosed.  Some kids don't like the the one on one competition or how physical the sport can be and drop out.  The ones that stick are there for the long haul.  Wrestling is not easy.  Like the T-Shirt says:  "Wrestling is not easy.  If it was, everybody would be doing it".

Quake and Joey do a great job. Tazewell has a lot of area youth that works out with them. Free of charge as well. There are kids from Tazewell, graham, bluefield, Richlands, and Lebanon that work together.

No problem. Grundy wrestling has helped many other local teams as well. Lending wrestling mats, offering a free wrestling camp every summer, attending youth tournaments to help local schools fundraisers are just a few examples of their generosity. Love em or hate em, they have helped a lot of people through the years.

I've known TJ for quite a while, and the one thing that stands out is that he is a true scholar/athlete.
 
I wish him only the best in Hooville.  No matter what happens with football, he will get a world class education.