Posts by Nate Kessen
2021 Beat the Streets/IWCOA Coaches & Officials Convention
On Friday October 29 and Saturday October 30 Coaches and Officials will converge in Chicago, Illinois at Beat the Streets Chicago HQ to attend the 3rd annual BTS/IWCOA Coaches and Officials Convention.
For more information and to register: https://iwcoa.net/coaches-officials-convention/
Announcing partnership with Illinois Matmen
We are excited to announce that the IWCOA has entered into a new partnership with Illinois Matmen! Illinois Matmen is the state’s premier wrestling media organization. The partnership will begin with the marketing and streaming of the 2021 IWCOA State Championships series, with more planned beyond June!
As we continue to move forward, we are in need of many more host sites for regionals and sectionals. If you are interested in being a host, please complete the tournament host form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtAe_m2oB0rPAaTar0KlE-UoU-PQACRPY6Jf1l104BJvzwqQ/viewform
If you have any questions regarding the hosting of a regional or sectional, please contact Rob Porter directly at rporter@naperville203.org
Registration, Rules and Eligibility for the IWCOA Illinois State Open Tournament Series – https://tinyurl.com/w542r58d
IHSA Releases Updated Officials Guidance for 2020-21 Season
IHSA Assistant Executive Director has released an updated Officials Guidance Document.
You can find the document in the IHSA officials center or on the IWCOA website at https://iwcoa.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Guidance-for-Officials.pdf
In his message, Mr. Knox shared “Our original Officials Guidance document for the 2020-21 school year said that electronic whistles are required. That was before some manufacturers developed whistle covers or pouches that attach directly to a traditional whistle. These whistle covers/pouches prevent the spread of respiratory droplets yet allow officials to use a regular whistle that produces a regular whistle sound.
See the attached Officials Guidance document that now allows officials the option of using a traditional whistle with a solid black cover/pouch or an electronic whistle.
I will also post this in the Officials Center message area.”
Rob Sherrill and the IWCOA to release Girls State Wrestling Rankings
Breaking News: Rob Sherrill and the IWCOA are teaming up to release the first ever – IWCOA Girls State Wrestling Rankings! We plan to release 3 ranking issues with the first arriving between January 15-18. Girls/Coaches should complete the “Rankings Survey Form” by clicking the button below. The form should be completed by Friday, January 10, 2020.
Rob Sherrill
A native of Chicago’s south suburbs, Rob Sherrill first covered wrestling for the Star Newspapers in 1978. He gradually expanded his focus statewide, starting The Grappler in 1981. He joined the Chicago Sun-Times in 1983, covering wrestling and other high school sports for the paper for 12 years. That same year, he started The Illinois Best Weekly, the state’s first weekly statewide rankings publication, which continues to this day. He also assists the state’s Web site, illinoismatmen.com, in producing rankings and other content. The voice of the Class 3A state tournament on the IHSA-TV network, Sherrill was a color analyst for the first television broadcast of the state tournament in 1987, and continued in that role for more than a decade.
In 1992, Sherrill initiated the first national Super 25 Wrestling Teams run by USA Today, and produced the Super 25 for the national newspaper for six seasons. He has been the National High School Editor for WIN magazine since 1997.
A resident of Nashville, Tenn. since 1997, Sherrill is a three-time recipient of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) Newsperson of the Year award, one of many local, state and national awards he has received. He was inducted into the IWCOA Hall of Fame in 2006.