I would add lacrosse. We would play some really good schools if we did.
I also like watching lacrosse although Iâve never participated in it. The sport looks really fun to play and itâs very physical and fast-paced. A very great sport for smaller guys that are very athletic and speedy, but kind of too small for football.
Also if you are not super familiar with wrestling, it can be boring as heck to watch the technical matches.
When thinking of adding a menâs sport, consideration of which womenâs sports to add to meet Title IX requirements is necessary. Currently there are 18 menâs sports and 21 womenâs sports that are allowed by the NCAA to provide scholarships. We used to have a menâs swim team and I think bringing that back would seem to be a logical start. But what womenâs sports would be required to add the same number of participants for each gender?
Athletic Scholarship Sports for Men
Gymnastics
Fencing
Ice Hockey
Football
Golf
Skiing - alpine
Rifle
Baseball
Soccer
Swimming & diving
Tennis
Lacrosse
Cross country
Track & field
Water polo
Wrestling
Volleyball
Athletic Scholarship Sports for Women
Rowing
Equestrian
Rugby
Fencing
Ice hockey
Golf
Gymnastics
Skiing
Rifle
Soccer
Basketball
Lacrosse
Swimming & diving
Tennis
Softball
Volleyball
Field hockey
Water Polo
Cross country
Track & Field
Bowling
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You also have to add a support that has either conference inclusion or geographic inclusion. That was a stated issue when Simone Biles offered to support a womanâs gymnastic teamâŠneither was an option.
UH also used to have a strong (Iâm told) menâs tennis program. Apparently itâs not just Biles who supported womenâs gymnastics at UH, but several ladies who gymnastics in their background.
Among them, UH graduate and Olympic gymnastics medalist Shannon Miller.
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For womenâs gymnastics, we could become an affiliate member of the SEC.
For wrestling, Big 12.
For lacrosse, there are various options.
And a lot of travel dollars for a non-revenue sport. We ainât exactly overwhelmed with discretionary money in the athletic department.
Thatâs correct low; thatâs why I brought up the title nine question above. Itâs not only travel costs, itâs also coaching staff, support staff, equipment, locker rooms, and other things I canât even think of. Just adding a sport is not as easy as it sounds.
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I am with you. Furthermore, there are more and more high schools here in Houston that have wrestling. So it would only make sense that we could get some of those kids from the schools here in Houston instead of them going to schools in the Midwest or Northeast.
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The amount of scholarships offered in menâs wrestling out of Houston is minimal at best. Last year the best wrestler in Texas was out of Katy and got a full ride to Oklahoma State. He was undefeated his last few years. No one came down here to recruit until after he went to the Fargo championships and wrecked shop there. I know a lot of wrestling coaches for private clubs here in Houston and the only looks kids from Texas get are at Fargo (off season national championship). Recruiters would rather take the fifth best kid out of Pennsylvania or Ohio or Iowa than the best kid out of Texas.
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Womenâs wrestling is the direct opposite. Texas, California and Colorado are the Meccaâs or womenâs wrestling and the Houston area is the Mecca or the Meccaâs for overall womenâs talent. However there are no d1 womenâs wrestling schools. My daughter had looks from schools and she did not make state. It is just tough goings in Houston. The 95, 102, 128, 138, 165 and 185 6a state champs were out of the cy fair, Katy and Conroe districts. The 2nd place in 148 and 215 were as well. Only 110 and 119 did not have a first or second place finisher from those three districts.
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Nice!! Thanks for all the info. Iâve been a fan of wrestling but donât follow that aspect since we donât have it here.
Thatâs stupid! And it has nothing to with the fact that Texas kids canât wrestle as good as Pennsylvania or Ohio kids! It has to do with perception, connections, and the tradition of going to those states to get wrestling recruits!
The reason is because Texas high schools are still new in the wrestling game, but that will change as time goes by. Once wrestling has picked up interest and more schools participate in wrestling Texas would probably have more kids participating in wrestling than Pennsylvania and Ohio combined!
If Texas have more high school kids participating in wrestling do you think the best high school wrestler in Texas is inferior to the best high school wrestler in Pennsylvania or Ohio? If you answered yes then I would highly disagree with you!
The reason I come to that conclusion is because the best high school wrestler in Texas would have to go through a greater numbers of competition in order to be crowned as the best in the state than say Pennsylvania and Ohio. Likewise, I would hold higher esteem for the best high school wrestler from Ohio than the best high school wrestler from Rhode Island!
Once
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Once we joined a Power5 conference we can afford to add a couple more sports! We would have the money to do so!
Kinkaid had a kid come down as a junior from Pennsylvania. He came and never lost a match, never had a decision and only pinned kids for 2 straight years. Cut through them.
It has to do with wrestling, outside of north Dallas Allen area, is 10-15 years old. Big districts are just starting to have junior high after school wrestling. Community groups like Cy Fair Sports is in year 3 of youth wrestling.
I have friends that wrestled in Michigan and Ohio in elementary school through high school. It is like football here. Shoot, when I was in high school why would you wrestle when you can play football?
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It is t they would rather have the fifth best from Iowa, it is that the fifth best from iowa is just routinely better.
The last thing UH needs is another non revenue producing sport. Wrestling? Really??
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Well what revenue producing sport can we add? Shoot, our revenue producing sports arent even creating positive revenue. I would be surprised and shocked if we gross our football coaches salaries at the gate this year.