Officially, there were two major reasons cited for deleting Regionals.
1) State-wide, Regional wrestling tournaments were not even breaking even. They were a financial bust.
AND
2) There was increasing difficulty in identifying schools willing/able to host the events.
Un-Officially, I'm sure there is some truth to whatever motivations that can be dreamed up.
BUT, They followed a process that was actually open, transparent, and in excess of well over a year.
A vote was eventually taken and Regionals went away.
As all of this developed, there was no outrage, there was no real opposition. Nobody said much of anything in the wrestling community; until it was a done deal.
Although money does matter, we live in a softy state focused on equity and inclusion.
Wrestling is just too tough for many in this state to stomach. The consequences are too direct. You can't hide behind a roster of positions when you lose. It's a fabulous fantastic sport but too tough for many.
So they voted for a proposal that ultimately will weaken the sport. In their world view, they did what they had to in order to preserve the institution of the Mat Classic.
I think the decision was just another step in the ever-present and long/slow decline of the sport in WA state. It all started decades ago when the D1 and D2 programs were methodically and quickly cancelled.
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