It's almost time ...

It's time to roll out the mats and drop some weight.
The high school and college seasons are almost here. Heck, a professional season just started.
I'm definitely ready to get back into the swing of things, but this season will be a bit different for me.
I don't plan on covering nearly as much for The Tribune-Democrat. I have a new sports editor that will be handling much of that coverage. That decision is based partly on my need to concentrate more on my job as editor and partly because I now have a relative wrestling in the area who, hopefully, will be doing some newsworthy things. I can't cover him for the newspaper without at least the appearance of a bias. I'm sure plenty would even accuse me of a bias toward his school, so it's best that I just try to avoid that as much as possible.
In the meantime, I do intend to continue with the blog. If anything, I'd like to do even more for the blog, although that could be difficult because of my other commitments.
One problem that I see is that if I'm not writing for the paper, I'm also not getting mileage reimbursements, etc., for the large amount of travel that I do to see events. Over the course of the season, it will begin to add up. To offset that, there are a couple of options.

1. Make my blog a subscriber-only option and charge a fee for it.
I don't want to do that. There are plenty of other people out there trying to fight for your hard-earned dollars. I hope to continue to be able to provide information (and hopefully insight) for free.

2. Solicit donations for the blog.
Given all of the fantastic feedback I've received over the past couple of years, I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who would gladly part with a 5-dollar bill here and there for the content, but that's not my style. Again, I do this for the love of the sport, not to try to make money on it.

3. Give in and add advertising content to the blog.
Not the ideal situation, but probably the most practical. Although I get really good numbers on the blog for what is essentially a niche audience (almost 200,000 in two years) I doubt the ads will generate much revenue. Still, it's worth a shot.
So the plan, for now, is to check out how the ad option works. I plan to tweak the site in the near future, hopefully adding some options that readers will use and appreciate.

I just wanted everyone to know why you might be notice some changes in the coming months. I'd appreciate some feedback on it. (Hopefully more insightful than "I hate the ads.")
I'm starting to get ready for the season. The first step is always getting Tom Elling's Pennsylvania Wrestling Handbook. It's a fantastic resource that I use on a weekly (if not daily) basis throughout the season and carry it with me to every event.
I'm also looking to get some early input from coaches in the region. The District 6 website lists schedules for a number of teams, but I'd like to ask that coaches please send me schedules at eknopsnyder@tribdem.com.
In the meantime, Ryan Spring of the Bedford Gazette has beaten me to the punch with a nice, quick season primer on D5.

Another attempt at professional wrestling

The Association of Career Wrestlers is launching today with an event in Pittsburgh. Think pro wrestling, but not that stuff on TV - our wrestling.
It's a single-elimination tournament with only five weight classes (135, 155, 170, 205, 265). The numbers aren't huge (I don't think there are more than eight in any weight and 265 only has ONE) but there is a $2,500 prize for the winner of each class. It's at the Hyatt Regency - Pittsburgh International Airport in the Grand Ballroom. Spectator tickets are very limited, but with an admission price starting at $30, I can't see the demand being that high for them. They also were selling "social memberships," which include a ticket to the Pittsburgh event, for $75. That also seems pricey. The good news is that you can watch online for free here: http://live.nsidewrestling.org/.
The event starts at noon with the finals set for approximately 7 p.m.
The initial event has plenty of Pennsylvania links, with former college standouts Frank Molinaro (Penn State), Bekzod Abdurakhmonov (Clarion), Matt Kocher (Pitt) and Matt Wilps (Pitt) in the field as well as Bucknell assistant coach Jarrod Garnett.
The style is not quite folkstyle, not quite freestyle, but sounds like a mix of both. Think freestyle from the neutral position, folkstyle on the mat. Sounds like an interesting concept, and I hope it works. But with the prices they're charging, I'm skeptical.