KSUCHARGER,

I agree with you that a football player would gain a lot by wrestling at this time of year. I think that is especially true for a heavier lineman. All those things that you stated a lineman could gain agility, balance, footwoork, hand to hand combat and coordination too are definitely there in wrestling for a lineman. Other football positions would gain from those things too but I agree a lineman would really benefit from 4 months of wrestling training and competition each year. They could do some strength training during the wrestling season too. Delaying their main strength training until the end of February would still give them enough time before football to get bigger and stronger.

I agree with you that a football player at 230 would also benefit to wrestle heavier kids around 260. My son is 220 and has wrestled this year several wrestlers that range from 260 to 270 and I can see where it is helping his footwork to grapple against these bigger wrestlers on their feet. That is very much like what he will be dealing with on the football field next year when as a lineman he is either blocking, trying to combat a blocker or tackling.

You made some great points. The one point that I will disagree with is your statement that the guy you are lined up by is not always in the same weight class as you anyway. For a lineman I do not think that is true. Most of the lineman are over 215 and most are over 215 by a pretty good margin. Aquinas for instance probably had at least ten football players who are well over 215 and potentially could be very good heavyweight wrestlers. There is only one 285 spot open. Most of these athletes are pretty competitive and they are not going to be satisfied with just practicing. They would want that varsity spot. I believe that the lack of weight classes for these football players discourages them from coming out for wrestling. The problem starts before 215 also.

I would like to see weight classes at 171, 185, 200, 220, 245 and 285 instead of our current 171, 189, 215 and 285. A spokesperson for the wrestling organization that changed 275 to 285 this year said that the goal was to allow more of the heavier kids to be able to wrestle. I do not think raising the weight class from 275 to 285 had much effect on increasing the number of heavier kids wrestling nationally. I do believe if they changed the 4 weight classes to the six that I suggested that they would definitely would get more of the heavier athletes wrestling. I think more football coaches would encourage their athletes to wrestle at this time of year too.