The Graters are getting a bad rap on this issue.

For the past six years I have had the honor of working state weigh-ins. Five of those years as your State Competition Director, and the last two being on the State Tournament Committee.

The last three years I have been watching the numbers for weigh-ins. Here they are:
Over 1450 wrestlers are scheduled to weigh-in at the State Tournament. Weigh-ins start at 4 pm, by 6pm we have around 50-60 wrestlers left to weigh-in. At 7 pm last year we have 35 wrestlers left to weigh-in when we shut it down for the night. Saturday Morning from 6am to 7 am we had 8 wrestlers come in to weigh-in. three of them were from Friday night weigh-in trying to make weight. The past six years these numbers stayed pretty close, they do move up and down a little, but not much.
For the past two years, I have been talking with the District Directors, the coaches who help with weigh-ins, and many other coaches and parents that I know through out the state about changing the Weigh-in times. NO ONE had a problem with this idea. After state last year I approached the State Tournament Committee with this New weigh-in time line, we then took it to the State Excutive Council meeting in September, finding no objections, I brought it up at the State body meeting in my report on last years tournament. I ask for feed back and have recieved none until last week. I spoke to the State Council again in Febuary one last time to make sure the no one had voiced any concern on this issue. The committee then went with new weigh-in time line.
I think we gave everyone plenty of time to voice there concern on this issue. I do not see any reason to keep weigh-in opens until 9 pm. We are not there much after weigh-ins close. We get there at 8 am to set up as soon as weigh-ins are over we close up shop and spend a little time with the Family. I know other tournaments have weigh-in until 9pm, but the do not start at 4pm like we do. After 6pm we weigh-in less than 3 percent of the kids who wrestle at state.
I am always looking for ways to improve our State Tournament, please keep those ideas coming.

Ned Price
State Competition Director