I was reading the National High School Rules and noticed that there have been a lot of changes made for wrestlers regarding weigh-ins that have been implemented this year but I have not seen these rules being followed. Does Kansas have a different set of rules regarding weigh-ins and weight loss procedures that the National guidelines?

Yes, the Kansas rules about weigh ins is different than those of the Nationl Federation. I belive this is a good thing because if we went with the National rules kids would have to wait till the time of the meet to weigh in. If this were to happen people would be not eating through out the day to keep their weight down.

i believe that kansas should follow the national rules becuase that would assure that each wrestler would be at their actual wrestling weight and you would not have some kid weighing 145 and wrestling 135. I beleive that the only fair way would be to have weigh-ins matside immediately before the match, but i know that will never happen.

The purpose of changing the rules, according to the National rulebook, was to stop wrestlers from dehydrating themselves and wrestle in their natural weight class. By Kansas changing their rules, they are defeating the purpose that was intended for this rule.

Another item that was listed in the National rules was that wrestlers could not partake in any forms of dehydration for weight loss or they would automatically forfeit their spot for the current dual/tournament. I see wrestlers doing a lot of things to loose weight prior to their weigh-in times at tournaments. Unfortunately this is why when wrestling is mentioned to non- wrestling people it has such a bad stigma.

Isn't there any way to change this? I agree with having scales at the matside and all wrestlers have to weigh-in when they check in for their match. This would make them wrestle their natural weight. It would take time for people to get used to this concept, but in the long run, it would be the norm and our sport would not have such a bad stigma to it anymore.

For starters, any type of weight loss in the form of dehydration has been illegal in kansas for years. Wrestlers who use sweat boxes, saunas, or other unnatural methods of cutting weight have been breaking the rules for years. Secondly, while your opinion may be that having weigh-ins on matside may promote healthier wrestlers i disagree. Take no offense, it is just my opinion. I know that when i wrestled in high school i cut weight, but i observed a tough diet and did extra work to cut weight. My fear in making weigh-ins matside is that student-athletes will be concerned with their weight during class. If i still wrestled in high school i am quite sure that my weight would be more important than the test in history class. While matside weigh-ins may promote healthier weight cutting, it would also defeat the purpose of school--academics. My coach made it clear that illegal weight cutting practices would lead to sitting out competition. If coaches followed this lead then this would not be an issue. Again i am not saying that you are wrong in your opinion, but it is just that. As coaches we have a greater responsibilty to our wrestlers academics. Matside weigh-ins counter that.

Coach Stevens,

Like I stated this is just an idea of how to promote healthier wrestlers. I wish all coaches had the belief that you say you have in promoting healthy weight loss but unfortunately they don't. I have seen many wrestlers, LFS ones included, put on numerous layers of sweats and start running in order to make weight again for the second day of a 2 day tournament. If wrestlers are having to drop 6-8 pounds in a short period of time, it is not healthy. There have been too many instances where wrestlers have dropped due to extreme, rapid weight loss. I would just like to see a method in place to help curb this.

I was reading the forum and had to write in about this. I agree something needs to be done about wrestlers loosing too much weight in order to wrestle a lower weight class. Don't they realize, they would be stronger if they are nourished? I think matside weigh-ins would not be such a bad idea. Wrestlers would learn to wrestle the weight they are instead of starving, especially if they don't make weight a couple of times.

I still agree with coach stevens that if mat side weigh ins ever make it into kansas it will be hard for kids to study. I have talked to guys that wrestled in missouri for a meet and they have ran during their lunch period to make sure they are under weight.

Way back when - when I was high school in Iowa in the 70s - we had a weigh control plan that made the most sense of all.

We certified the first Friday in December (or Saturday if we had a tournament that day). On the 15th of December we got two pounds. On the 1st of January, we got two more. Then, on the first of February, we got two more. Yes that's right, SIX pounds over scratch weight. And, we had morning weigh-ins.

What could be a better system? Want to curb weight cutting? A kid can cut 10 percent (maximum) of his first day of practice weight - no waviers - but they only have about two weeks to drop the weight. Then, two weeks later, two pounds. Then two more and then two more.

O.K., maybe this is an extreme, but so is the idea of shoulder-to-shoulder weigh-ins and/or matside. We have a great system in Kansas and thank goodness (and the KSHSAA) that we do.

Jeff Holmes
Immaculata High School

BACK IN THE LATE 70'S WHEN I WAS WRESTLING IN KANSAS THE WEIGHT RULE WAS 5LBS AFTER CHRISTMAS.
IT WORKED THEN, WHY NOT RETURN TO THAT OPTION.
MY SON WRESTLES NOW AND HE CUTS SEVERAL LBS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON. AFTER THE 2LB CERT. RULE IS A LITTLE EASIER, BUT 5LBS WOULD BE A BREEZE FOR HIM, AND HE MIGHT BE A LITTLE EASIER TO LIVE WITH DURING THE SEASON. JUST ANOTHER THOUGHT FROM AN OLD HEAVYWEIGHT.

The way it's set up right now is just fine. As a current high school wrestler I can tell you cutting weight is not fun but its part of the sport. Deal with it or play basketball.

I liked the old rule with the 5 pound certification.