Many things were different at this state tournament than at others covered by the Louisiana Wrestling News, aside from being held in Bossier City.  Mat access was different for photographers as they were asked to remain outside of the barricades rather than closer to the mats.  This actually was fine, although a little more access, if only on the side of the mats away from the scorers' tables, would have been preferable. 

Re errors, please notify the editor at editor@lawrestlingnews.com in the event you find errors in:

• Names;
• Scores;
• Results;
• Hyperlinks.

Also please notify the editor if something was inadvertently written that is not true or may be considered detrimental.  Please know that politeness, up to and including genuflection, is appreciated, and usually makes things happen faster!

Re the photographs in this article:

• The LWN had two photographers, but both were trying to photograph matches on 10 mats - hence some matches were not covered;
• There are more photographs of Division I matches than Division II or Division III matches.  That is because the LWN editor likes Division I wrestlers better.  OK, that, of course, is not true.  However, the LWN editor does see more Division I wrestlers as the majority of the most successful programs are located in the New Orleans area, and aside from tournaments limited to only Division II or Division III teams, more Division I wrestlers are seen in tournament semifinals and finals matches.  Hence, the editor knows some Division I wrestlers better than some others, and some will catch the editor's eye more so than other wrestlers with whom he is less familiar;
• In addition to the point above, there happen to be more Division I matches overall, which translates into more photos to include the additional matches;
• Some may think there are fewer finals photographs than in other years.  Per each match, that is true.  But there are more Division II and Division III finals and semifinals matches than there were in previous years.  At the Pontchartrain Center the editor was seated mat-side, and that led to a lot of Division I finals photographs but much fewer Division II ones and almost no Division III ones.  Two photographers allowed more photos to be taken overall, but both cameras were switching between two mats;
• Scores during the finals matches are not included.  This was mainly because the scoring lights are imperceptibly blinking, and the cameras, more often than not, catch the scores during mid-blink, when the numbers are not visible;
• Some photos are not as crisp as the editor would like them to be.  This is primarily due to two factors: 1) semifinals photos had to be taken from the stands as coaches and on-deck wrestlers were obstructing the view, and 2)  when shooting from behind the barricades (which was rather preferable to doing so immediately adjacent to the mat) the autofocusing of the lenses often targeted an individual in front or behind the actual wrestlers when the photographer moved the camera's aim from one mat to the next;
• Photographers were not allowed access near the award ceremonies podium until after the 120 lbs. weight class was presented.  Hence podium photographs before 126 lbs. were taken at an oblique angle behind the barricades.  Even when this was corrected, however, amateur photographers had no control of the wrestlers on the podium, subjecting some to maneuvers not attempted since high school.

Once again, thank you for your patience and input.

Yours sincerely,

Martin G. Muller

Editor - www.lawrestlingnews.com

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