Super 32 Hits The Midwest

Super 32 Early Entry Event Scheduled for Kansas City

By Joe Williamson

The wrestling season is approaching. If there is one thing that I know, it is that I will learn some new names at the Super 32 Challenge. Each year the season kicks off with a bang as the top kids in the country enter the Greensboro coliseum to do battle and lock in their position in the national preseason rankings. Many times the guy that made a name the year before, and who had become unbeatable, will get toppled by another who has found his chi. Rinse and repeat.

The day before competition, it is always a hoot to see what time the first wrestlers show up for weigh ins. To avoid being near the end of a long line, they wait hours and hours to make weight first. Probably not the worst idea, as it is nearly impossible to get a seat at any restaurant in town later in the evening. Greensboro is full of cauliflower ear and sweatshirts tucked into sweatpants. As the night goes on, you will find old college teammates and rivals bellying up, telling stories. There will be a technique session taking place at every bar.

The next day sees the start of an amazing event. The largest brackets you will see all year are out and they are chock-full of beast masters itching to get the season started. One of my favorite events included a tournament win by Anthony Ashnault. If I remember correctly, he had to beat state champions in each of his last 5 matches. In the finals he took out former champ, Joey Dance. It was an incredible performance.

The tournament did not start out at the level it is at now. In fact, its origins were in the mid 90s at Morehead HS in North Carolina. It was just a preseason tournament to raise money for the program. It only drew about 75 wrestlers! The Super 32 name was added in 2000. It represented the ranked wrestlers from the state. Wrestlers throughout the state would attend with the motivation of improving their state ranking through a good performance.

In 2001 Great Bridge HS joined the event. In came the national caliber talent. This opened the flood gates and talent came in from all around the country. And in droves. The first event I attended was in 2008. By that point the event was wrestled on 20 mats and it dawned on me that many of these HS wrestlers were competing at a higher level than I had in college. It was impressive.

The demand to compete in this event does something that no other event in wrestling can do. It forces people to wait behind their computers for registration to start. Imagine the Rolling Stones playing at a small venue in New York City. In some years the registration has closed the same hour it opens! The majority of tournament directors these days are losing sleep weeks before the event because people consistently wait for the last moment to sign up. Super 32 demand is so high that they raffle off the last 10 spots for charity and slots have been filled for thousands of dollars.

So what have Dave and Sara, the Super 32 directors, done about this? They created an Early Entry Series in which wrestlers can compete to win a guaranteed registration spot for Super 32. If you earn one of these, you will not have to sweat missing that minuscule registration window. In 2017 these events took place in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Indiana, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

2018 will add a new site for the Super 32 Early Entry event. This one will be held at North Kansas City High School in Missouri on September 22. Look for a good competition here as the Midwest always produces top talent. As our friend Hardell Moore says: “When you wrestle a kid from the Midwest…you better bring your hard hat.” Whether you are trying to get a spot at the Super 32, or even just looking to get in a few matches before the season starts, get over to the Early Entry event in Kansas City. GroWrestling would love to see you there. Come say hello and let’s kick off the folkstyle season together.