1) Does not the editor have a degree in journalism?

Actually it is a 2000 Loyola degree in communications.  "Journalism" brings back recollections of research, grammar, proofreading, design, copy, ink and presses.  These attributes have of late been "shelved" in favor of speed by the most popular on-line news sources, or just getting a snippet available to viewers.  "Communications" is a catch phrase for dissemination of information to the general public via all available media at almost any cost.

That is not to say liberties have not been taken in this article.  But wrestling has both written and oral jargon, and it is easier and often makes things more clear to one knowledgeable of wrestling to break a few grammatical mores by starting a sentence with "#1 seed," rather than conforming to the correct standards that are sadly too often not taught and much less enforced or even expected, in communications media these days.

The editor strives to lean toward older journalistic standards if only because it saves him the time required to send over 1,000 Tweets.

Luckily the reader is not subject to much that involves the editor's geography degree!

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2) Why did the article take so long to be completed?

The dog ate the first draft.  Then another was written on a cell phone, but it was put through the washing machine, and then the dog ate the cell phone.  Then it was written on a computer, but a virus attacked it, causing St. Martin's to win Divisions I, II and III.  Then the dog got the virus and died and editor just could not write in the mourning hours.

In a nutshell over 2,000 photos had to be reviewed.  When just over 700 were chosen, they had to be named and then manipulated via cropping, color effects, etc.  When the design of the article was determined, the photos had to be added to the appropriate Webpages, resized to smaller images, and then hyperlinked to full-size images.  Designing a workable Website and adding the chosen and manipulated photos, took a full two-and-one-half weeks.  This is a Website fully designed by the editor.  It is not one created by an on-line Webpage building provider, or it would have more flair, elan and, dare I say, verve!

One very familiar with wrestling can look at a bracket and tell what happened.  One not so familiar might prefer to know what the listed scores on a bracket mean and how consolation brackets are derived.  But anyone can write on those lines.  But to look at a match and wonder what the wrestler did earlier and if two wrestlers had met before, and if so, what was the results, takes a season's worth of results being compiled.  Luckily, TrackWrestling has most individual matches listed.  The Louisiana High School Wrestling Archives actually served a purpose as well (finally!).  But neither is a database that can "spit out" results of matches between specific individuals.  For that information research is not only performed but then tabulated into mediums that can be referenced by the writer   That data took a full week to compile into a usable format.

The final piece contains about 42,000 words.  While the editor thinks the coverage is a little sparse, it takes a bit of time to write, rewrite, proof and edit each section.

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3) Who died and made you...?

The editor hopes this sort of question does not arise very often.  The article is intended to be as objective as possible, but subjective opinions are bound to either exist or be thought to exist.  The editor cannot change the facts, but also cannot vouch for their absolute integrity.  Notifications of factual errors are welcome as long as they can be verified.  If a subjective opinion is expressed and a reader disagrees with it, the reader is very welcome to state his or her case and possibly persuade the editor to rethink and rewrite the section in which it is found.

4) Why are some matches photographed while others are not?

Most of the tournament: 10 mats, one editor and one camera.  The finals: three mats with matches running concurrently, one editor and one camera.

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5) Why does more information exist on some programs or wrestlers than on others?

This is partially due to scheduling.  More coverage can be gained at a tournament or a multiple-duals event than at a regular dual meet.  It is partially due to geography: the editor lives in the New Orleans area and it is easier to cover events held in that area.  Northshore and Baton Rouge events are not that hard but events in other locations requires substantially more time and financial expenditures.

It is also due to what others send to the editor.  People associated with some programs have forwarded a lot of photographs and information, while others have not.  The editor encourages everyone who can to submit what they can from events at which the editor is not in attendance.

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6) Can one copy the photographs on the Louisiana Wrestling News Website?

Absolutely! That is why they are designed to open into full-size images when clicked.  Just "right-click" an image after opening it, hit "Save as" and select where you would like to save the image on your computer.

Only the text of articles is copyrighted.  If some miraculous photograph is taken, the editor can prevent most people from copying it, but that is not the editor's intent.

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