Next Monday, November 13th, starts the beginning of the 2023-2024 Wrestling Season for Kansas High Schools. As a coach, this is an exciting and hectic time. Making sure all the wrestlers have their physicals and all the other paperwork and signatures they need to start the season, having parent and athlete meetings to talk about the expectations of the upcoming season, making sure the wrestling room and locker room is ready, and meeting with the coaching staff about the expectations of the upcoming season. And let’s not forget, the always fun, alpha weigh in, for the upcoming season, along with a plethora of other things.
This week is also Buffer Week for KSHSAA high schools. What is Buffer week you ask? Buffer week is the week before the start of the winter sports season in Kansas. During this week no one is allowed to use school facilities other than for classroom activities during the school day unless they are still involved in a spring sport, namely football. Students are not allowed to use the weight room, wrestling room, gymnasiums, football field, etc, etc, etc.
Now 1st of all let me say that I fully support the IDEA of the Buffer Week. The idea of taking a week off between sports seasons to rest and recharge the body and mind is an awesome idea. The problem is the athletes that need the break the most are not getting the break. Those football players on teams advancing through the state playoffs are not going to get that break. Their bodies are beat up and bruised from the grind of the football season, not to mention the emotional toll it has on them. They are tired and need a nice break, although many of them will not admit it. Nowof them do not take a full week off.
So, what I would propose is, keep Buffer Week as is, the week before the start of winter sports, but for any athlete planning to compete in a winter sport that is still competing in their fall sport during Buffer Week, they must take a full week off just like the regular Buffer Week. No weights, no wrestling except during school for classroom activities. I know how hard that is for some coaches and athletes to take a week off, especially when everyone else is in the room grinding away. But come late in the season no one is going to be able to tell if an athlete sat out a week in November to recharge the body and mind for the grind of the wrestling season.
While I am on the subject, as many of you know KSHSAA rules also set a 5 day window at Christmas time that winter sports can not practice. Again, I support the idea of time off during the holiday time, and as a head coach usually took more than 5 days off. My problem with the KSHSAA break is, we are forced to take a certain 5 days off set by KSHSAA. Every wrestling team and basketball team in the state has to take the same 5 days off. Now, I know I am just a dumb old wrestling coach, but even I can figure out that not every team’s schedule is the same. Some teams might have had a grueling December schedule and need a break at the beginning, while other teams might have a longer break coming back, and want to take those days off towards the end of the break. Again, here is what I would propose. Every winter sports team must take 5 consecutive days off including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but they get to choose what other 3 days they take off.
Lastly, why is there no Buffer Week before the spring sports season? There are mandatory training breaks built in before the winter sports season, during the winter break, and they have now added a mandatory break in the summer. Does KSHASS not think the winter season is grueling enough to warrant a break? The winter sports season is the longest sports season of the year. If there is a Buffer Week between the fall and winter sports seasons, there should be a Buffer Week between the winter and spring sports seasons.
Part of what I want to do here at NuclearWrestling is raise questions and bring out conversations about controversial topics. One way to bring issues to the surface is through conversation. So, please read and comment about these topics. Your views might not match my views and that is okay. Let’s get ideas and issues out in the open so good changes for the great sport of wrestling can be made!