From our point of view age matters.

The 2025 Florida High School Athletic Association boys state championships turned 60, the girls turned four and the Florida State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame will be 26 years old in August.

Refinement and efficiency is the end game. We remember paper brackets, bout sheets, and flipping numbers to keep score at a tournament held in a cramped high school gym.

In 1997 Miriam Jenkins won a match at states for the Gainesville High boys team. In 2000 Gary and Jane Townsend executed a first for Florida, a Hall of Fame ceremony at the Greenlefe in Haines City ( for sale).

The annual event is now held in a Disney Resort, capable of accommodating 500 guests, and featuring three separate events over two days . There are currently 158 Florida honorees.

Today the state tournament is being held in arenas that host three boys divisions and one for girls. Wrestling software efficiently manages 900 athletes, an astounding 1,792 bouts and results posted in real time.

The constant barking of the public address, calling wrestlers to the mats is a thing of the past. Girls wrestling has its own teams, coaches, practices and superstars.

Florida wrestling is promoted heavily by Brant Parsons of Kabra Wrestling, Dan Ward of Ward Wrestling, and Ricky Marcus of The Florida Wrestling Room. Their enthusiasm spotlights high school wrestling in a way that makes it front-page news.

Our sport has matured in a way we could not have imagined. The way we see it, getting older has been a good thing.

Congratulations Florida, let's keep getting old together.

See us in 2025, Refined and Efficient