Why is NCMAT a Pay Site?
Hello NCMATers!! Hope all is well in your world as we embark on the next edition of The Grind.
Early indications are that the new NCMAT has been overwhelmingly appreciated. The credit is all due to Nick Barnes, who is the website designer and manager. Nick comes up with ideas for the site that are so complex for me to understand that I just say "yeah" and "ok" followed by "get it done."
One idea Nick did not create was the idea for NCMAT to be a pay site. That was my decision. There are several reasons for making this decision not the least of which is so that the guys who are doing the rankings can make a little something for their time and effort. Furthermore, I believe the rankings on NCMAT will be much more accurate than you'll find elsewhere. The NCMAT rankings will also be updated much more frequently. So, while nobody wants to spend $25 for rankings access, I hope you'll consider it and follow through, because these guys doing these rankings are going to work hard at doing so.
The idea of the rankings is to have random yet frequent updates. For example, in the 4A rankings that I will be working in, I plan on updating as soon as I receive information. Gone will be the days of announced updates that takes weeks and months to update. My hope is to have rankings updated with information provided by NCMATers across the state.
One of the keys to offering as precise and accurate a rankings compilation as possible is for everybody to send in information. You can find the contact information for the person you need to contact on the contact page. There is also a form available on the contacts page that you can fill out to send that information in as well. If you see someone who isn't ranked where you think they should be provide that explanation so we can consider it. In most cases, I think you'll find that the information you have was unknown prior to contacting us about it. As diligently as we'll be at finding information for the rankings we simply will not find everything. Hopefully, that's where you will come into play.
If you plan on hosting an off-season tournament, or a tournament that is not affiliated with any high school you can promote your event right here on NCMAT. On the front page find the Promote Event Banners icon and click on it for information. Banners are not just limited to tournaments. Camps, clinics, etc. are just as welcome to advertise on NCMAT. And believe it or not, so are tournaments that are freestyle/Greco.
I want to say thank you to all who have already purchased access to the rankings. Please pass the word about NCMAT. Our hope is to make this as magical as the prior NCMAT website was.
I know there are plenty of wrestlers missing from the career wins list. If you know a former wrestler who won 150 or more matches in his career please send that information in so we can list it. You all have to understand that these records haven't been kept up for at least 4 years and quite a bit has happened in that time frame.
One final point before signing off, North Carolina has had some very successful high school wrestlers who were female. We want to list the all-time wins for the female wrestlers over the years, so if you know of some former female wrestlers and their career records please send that information in. We want to promote female wrestling in North Carolina as much as possible, which will be the topic of my next blog.
Thanks for reading, and until next time,
EMBRACE THE GRIND,
Maurice Atwood
Next Topic: Why the NCHSAA should sanction female wrestling