CHSAA adapts state wrestling tournament’s mat layout for addition of new girls class
DENVER – Seeing Ball Arena’s floor covered with mats during the state tournament is the perfect look for many wrestling fans.
Adding two more is the proverbial cherry on top.
This season, with girls wrestling adding a 4A classification, CHSAA needed to pivot from its traditional format of 10.
John Sullivan, CHSAA assistant commissioner, said “conversations have happened in the past,” about finding a new location. But CHSAA staff fought to maintain the buzz of more than 19,000 fans cheering their team, applauding upsets, and other moments that occur during the three-day tournament.
“What makes the wrestling championship such a great event is the ability to have all the classifications in one location,” Sullivan said. “There are people who’ve made the suggestion (of moving venues) but I think that would take away from the greatness of the event. I don’t think there are many other places in Colorado that could house this many people.
“While changing venues would allow a different format, it would be a different quality from what the kids get out of it. The ones who come here early mornings for weigh-ins, especially the ones who have never been here, they’re like, ‘Holy cow, this is pretty cool.’”
CHSAA officials decided on 12 mats during Thursday and Friday’s sessions to accommodate for time required to complete additional matches with a new class.
For Saturday’s finals, they will drop to six mats in the arena – one for all the boys classifications and for 5A and 4A girls.
The layout will resemble a “dog bone,” which Sullivan said they hope gives equal chances for everyone to view their school or competitors.
“We put 4A girls and 2A, 3A (boys) on one end of the dog bone because the 4A girls are similar, in terms of the schools that make them up, to the 2A and 3A schools” Sullivan said. “On the other end, its 4A, 5A, 5A girls and that’s because the girls are mostly comprised of 4A and 5A schools. Small schools can keep their eyes on one school and large schools can keep tabs on their kids. We’re hoping this works for everyone.”
