I am wanting to know where to find the rule for Jr High kids wrestling at Kids wrestling tournaments. Other schools throughout the state have their Jr High wrestling seasons before their basketball seasons. This enables their wrestlers the opportunity to wrestle all of the kids tournaments and therefore getting many more matches. Is there a rule that says that our Jr High wrestlers can't wrestle in kids tournaments during there Jr High season or is this assumed and never done. If there is a rule where is it and how do I find it. Thanks for any info. Dan

If competing for the Junior High, a wrestler cannot practice or compete with the kids club. Period.

Gibby is correct. However I have been unable to locate the actual rule thus far. I know its written somewhere, im fiarly sure its not in the Kansas Kids rule, I do believe this mandate comes directly from KSHSAA.

Rule 22
OUTSIDE COMPETITION
Violation of this rule shall make a student ineligible for the remainder of that sport or scholars’ bowl or debate season, unless he or she is reinstated by the Executive Board.

Section 1: General Regulations (apply to grades 7-12)

Art. 1: A student who is a member of a school athletic, scholars’ bowl or debate squad effective Tuesday following Labor Day through Friday preceding Memorial Day may not participate as a member of an outside team or as an independent competitor in the same sport, scholars’ bowl or debate activity. (Exception: See Rule 4, United States Olympic Committee-Sponsored National Trials and Competitions.)

NOTE: Informal participation on the part of the student athlete, such as that experienced on the black top (concrete), in the park, local “Y”, etc., is not considered a violation of this rule, provided it was not formally called or organized, no coaching takes place, where no official score is kept, time kept, officials used, etc.

Intra non-school youth group athletic participation is not considered a violation of this rule. Inter non-school youth group athletic participation is a violation.

Art. 2: A student shall not be prohibited from competing on a special team within his or her own school such as an FFA team, etc. All members of such teams must be bona fide students, however, and eligible under the rules of the Association.

Art. 3: A student becomes a member of a school’s athletic squad, scholars’ bowl or debate team when he or she first participates in a practice session.

A student ceases to be a squad member after his or her last contest for the school’s athletic squad, scholars’ bowl or debate team or when the membership on a squad is terminated. (See Rule 14-1-1, Bona Fide Student and Rule 30-2-2, Seasons of Activities.)

Ha ha, i knew it was there somewhere, thanks Richard.

Thanks for the info. I looked for the rule but I could not find it. It stinks that our league can't get this fixed to where our Jr High kids get the same amount of competition as those in eastern Ks. You can't even find a wrestling tournament with 14 and under in western kansas but they are out in eastern kansas all year long. Wish that we could balance everything out a little.

coach I hear you on that. I have tried for a couple of years to talk to our school board about the benefits of wrestling basketball season but to no prevail. This year I will once again ask that we switch seasons to better help the sport and the kids. Here we only wrestle 4 nights in the month and it isn't very many matches at all. Our league decided to keep it this way- I think because we are a basketball league. It is upsetting because we see a declining sport and without proper handling it could go away.

thanks for understanding scooby. I am afraid that Jr High wrestling in this area is going to suffer greatly. Many kids and parents are already talking about abandoning Jr High and just staying in kids. I myself think that Jr High wrestling is a good stepping stone for the kids but I wish that the state was regulated to keep every kid with the same season's and therefore the same experience during the year.

I would have to agree. I have thought myself many times about just having the Jr. High be part of the kids program because of the level of competetion but if you were to do that I think alot of Jr High kids wouldn't go out. Thus hurting the numbers that are already low in High School.
One thing that we did was put in a weight lifting time for all Jr High Wrestlers which helped our numbers. From 5 to 5:30 we are in the weight room each night and doing a program that goes along with the high school football. it will get the kids ready for summer lifting and give them confidence. It helped our numbers so and gives kids more reason to go out for wrestling.

Now if the school decides yeah that is a good idea and let the Jr High boys who don't wrestle lift then it will not work.

I've debated this Jr. High v. Kids thing in my mind many times. My son is a member of a north central Kansas Jr. High team (a member of the same league as pville, I suspect). He wrestles a couple of Kids tourneys and gets 20 or so Jr. High matches before finishing up the week prior to sub-districts. Our kids come from Jr. High having practiced 2 hours each night against good competition and are in superior physical condition. They condition very hard in our Jr. High program. It is difficult for us to get our older kids in top shape when practicing only 2 nights per week in our kids program. Not to mention, we have to deal with many different ages and skill levels in the kids' ranks. Our Jr. High coach is very geared towards preparing our kids for the kids qualifying tournaments. Furthermore, they have stabilized their weight. I saw an advantage in my son last year in this regard. Of course, it also helps to wrestle freestyle and greco in the summer. I can't say which season for Jr. High works best. I just know for my son it was an advantage.

Great idea!

The part I don't like about the rule is that some kids don't really get any wrestling time in Jr. Hight. I have a little cousin in his first year. He started out as the Varsity 75 lber. Then they said that there was no longer a 75lbs class in jr. high and added 215. The reason they did that is cause not all schools have kids that small to wrestl in Jr. High. Many duals they go to are open at 80-85lbs. I think they should make some exceptions. He has only wrestle 4 matches all year. They start to wonder why they parctice 4-5 nights a week just to wrestle a hand full of times a year.

We have wrestling first and then basketball. Personally, I like it this way. We actually have had a few junior high kids who have never wrestled before decide that they liked wrestling and so joined the kids program so that they can continue. The kids get more experience when they can go right into kids federation after junior high is over. As far as keeping in shape for sub-district by practicing for junior high-you have a very good point. I can see where you will get more out of four day practices than two day practices. But by going to all of the tournaments every weekend, we have "live" practices. I know that my son and some of his buddies went out for basketball (currently in season here) to help keep in shape. It does make for some long nights when you either have basketball practice followed directly by wrestling practice and get home around 9:00pm. But it really pays off when you need that extra boost in the 3rd period.

Rule 44
WRESTLING (Boys)

Art. 2: Weight divisions for seventh and eighth grade wrestlers may be 75 lbs., 80 lbs., 85 lbs., 90 lbs., 95 lbs., 100 lbs., 105 lbs., 110 lbs., 115 lbs., 120 lbs., 127 lbs., 134 lbs., 141 lbs., 148 lbs., 155 lbs., 165 lbs., 180 lbs. and 265 lbs.

a. It is permissible for schools that are organized with grades seven, eight and nine under one administrative unit, to have one school team combining the grade levels, and add categories of lower weights for the purpose of determining team scores. This is only permissible if all schools involved in the match or tournament agree to do this in advance of competition.

In the absence of unanimous agreement, competition involving ninth graders with seventh and/or eighth graders, senior high weight divisions shall be used by all competitors.

NOTE: If mutually agreed upon, this will allow seventh, eighth and ninth grade team competition to include the 72 lb., 76 lb., 80 lb., 84 lb., 88 lb., 92 lb., and 96 lb. weights, in addition to those listed for senior high competition which begins at the 103 lb. category.

Jr High here doesn't get to many matches as most of the area wrestlers early. They have 4 meet nights during the month and that is all. First off we have about 4 practices before the first match and then turn around and wrestler a couple days later with no practice inbetween. Then we have about 2 and half weeks of practice and go back to back again to end the thing off. I would think we get maybe 10 matches at best in and that just isn't enough to for the beginners. Plus if you are Hwy or light weight matches are tough to find. One of my boys had 5 matches all of last season. And had no one his size to wrestle at practice. Of course our program is down right now and not alot of kids are out so that hurts as much as anything. If our season was before Jr High basketball we would get more kids out, I believe, because of the football coaching influence. I like the wrestling season first as well because when you have Jr High kids done with jr High for a parent to pay around 50 bucks to join the kids program for maybe 2 matches just doesn't happen to often so the ones that find out they love the sport for the first time usually don't continue.

Our Jr. High just started practicing last night and they will end the Thursday before Sub-District. Jr. High wrestling makes a difference. I saw it last year when my son was wrestling Jr. High and then when he returned to Kids. I was also able to tell the kids that my son has wrestled this year that had already had their Jr. High season, this year. I think it would be helpful if all of the Jr. Highs either wrestled early or late, but all at the same time of the year. Jr. High wrestling does make a difference. The coach is able to focus on and work with a more mature age group then when doing Kids practices, with the variety of ages. Just my opinion.