State Participation Growth/Decline

[darth vomitus]

Looks like South Carolina's participation has been growing. The addition of programs in the Aiken area should further increase the numbers.

http://www.flowrestling.org/article...igh-school-participation-numbers#.WVzm5o-cHIU

 

[revfrank4]

If you run the numbers, South Carolina is in the top 10 states for growth in wrestling.

 

[ParTerre57]

Really interesting numbers nationwide. Wish Flo had done some real analysis and overlayed these increases against population rise/fall.

An awesome positive for SC, and a stark contrast from what the distinguished leaders at the SCHSL were saying less than 5 months ago. Really impressive given the rise of Lax in the state since 2007. Agreed that the Aiken programs will help even more.

 

[scbuckeye99]

Not to be debbie downer, but my guess is those numbers were taken from team hydration rosters. Only conceivable method I can think of to obtain this sort of data and well probably the easiest way.

How many of those kids who we hydrate in November don't make it past Thanksgiving?

I know we like to blame LAX for a variety of reasons and I'm all for it haha but I wonder how much impact the introduction of that sport has really had on wrestling.

In addition. Those of us who coach in this state know and have seen plenty of kids from the northeast and midwest who move down here. So are these numbers simply a reflection of overall population trends (Ohio, PA, Iowa family move to GSP or Charleston to work at BMW, Michelin, Volvo, Boeing, etc...) and the fact that more and more people are relocating to the south or is the sport really "dying" up there and growing down here?

My guess is the former. Just look at the number of kids over the last decade who have won state titles in SC who came from somewhere else (OH, TX, NJ, NY, etc....)

 

[darth vomitus]

That is still good for us. Be helpful if experienced coaches moved down here as well.

I know of a few out-of-state transfers that have won titles in SC over the years, but I am curious where your decade's long data is coming from. Personal observance or is there an actual list somewhere?

 

[ParTerre57]

If the method of participant gathering, or timing, was the same in 2007 as it was in 2016 it's still a 1-to-1 comparison that holds water, in an analytical sense.

I think a deeper dive into all these numbers by Flo, or another outlet, would paint a much better picture. It would be interesting to see how rates of participation are impacted against population rise/fall in the states where we see significant decrease in participation (Illinois, Michigan, etc.) As an example, South Carolina wrestling participation outpaced general population growth in-state from the same time period, based on numbers I saw, by about 6%, so there is a level of organic growth there.

I think the lacrosse example is still viable based only on the general idea that it is another sport that can draw participants that wasn't around in the 10 years prior to this data time period.

I agree totally about the influx of people from traditional wrestling states to our heavy population centers and I'd imagine that is something that will only continue at a higher pace.