By: Andy Hutchison, Sports Editor
The days of high school wrestlers jogging in rubber suits in order to drop pounds are long gone. Wrestlers no longer leave pre-match weigh-ins to run off the necessary weight to compete, also found to be unsafe because of dehydration complications.
Wrestling has always suffered from a poor image, coaches say, because of these and other once-accepted workout habits. But the National Federation of State High Schools Association (NFSHSA), has been working to change the rules, and is considering changing a big one – by limiting the amount of weight a wrestler can lose.
The NFSHSA, based in Indianapolis, Ind., is considering a country-wide mandate that wrestlers may lose no more than one-and-a-half percent of their weight in the course of a week. A number of states have already taken on some variation of the weight regulation in their rules, according to Jerry Diehl, NFSHSA assistant director, adding that it is unlimited how much weight a wrestler can drop in others.
“It’s probably the biggest thing to happen in wrestling – in history, “Diehl says of the likely rule enforcement. The national high school organization’s rules committee will meet in April to consider the change.
Weighing the changes
One reason some grapplers have tried to drop or pile on several pounds is to round out a roster. If multiple wrestlers on the same team weigh about the same, the less-skilled competitor has to accept a reserve role, or gain or drop the necessary weight to fill a slot in another weight class on the roster. Fairfield Prep coach David Judd, who has been around the sport of wrestling for several decades, explained how a wrestler trying to cut weight might have prepared for a match years ago: “Dry toast for breakfast, a carrot stick for lunch, and maybe an ice cube for dinner.”
Judd says he witnessed wrestlers eating very little meat to trim down, and added that they once worked out in hot showers to shed pounds. But weight gain and loss issues have changed throughout the past couple of decades – for the better, the coach notes – as a result of rule changes.
“It was kind of expected – you did what ever you had to do to cut weight, “the coach said, describing school wrestling before the NFSHSA’s rules came into play. “I think a lot of coaches’ philosophies have changed.
“My attitude has always been … these are young kids and they’re still growing. Why would you want to damage yourself by starving yourself or by dehydrating yourself? “Judd said. “It makes you more prone to injury and it makes the recovery process harder.”
To this point, no high school wrestlers have died as a result of weight loss/dehydration complications, although college wrestlers have died from dehydration. Diehl notes. “We can’t wait until someone dies because of it before we make the change, “he said.
Diehl said that it is normal for a wrestler to lose between three and eight pounds after a practice session. “But that’s all water weight and that’s what’s dangerous. That’s what’s got to be put back on after practice. … What you want to lose is fat – not water.
“All of the professional medical organizations determine dehydration is your worst enemy in any sport, or in life in general, “Diehl added.
Worth the weight?
Wrestlers check their weight day in and day out to make sure they will qualify for the weight class in which they compete. They must weigh-in prior to each match.
Wrestlers, thanks to a NFSHSA rule put into place only three years ago, have one chance to make weight just before taking on an opponent. If wrestlers are slightly over their designated weight range, they must be bumped up one weight class or forfeit a match.
That wasn’t always the case.
“It used to be if a kid was a half pound over, he would go run for 20 minutes then come back and make weight, “Judd explains.
But athletes were actually dehydrating themselves to “make weight, “or putting their bodies through additional, unnecessary stress, the coach says.
“I think that’s a lot safer, and it makes more sense, “Judd said of the rule, which was previously put in place at the collegiate level after three collegiate wrestlers died from dehydration complications in 1997.
Judd says there were only a handful of instances in which an opposing wrestler did not make weight during his team’s competitions this past season. But when it happens, a coach has to decide whether to move the wrestler up into the next weight class, (which means bumping a teammate from his match), or just benching the wrestler who does not make weight.
“It’s always a tough call for a coach because you want to do what’s best for the team, but you don’t want to send the wrong message to the kids, “he says.
Fortunately for Judd, he only had to make that decision once this past season.
The challenge of making weight before heading into the pre-match weigh-in is a challenging process, but it is a process that can be safe and actually beneficial to the health of wrestlers if they eat healthy foods and exercise properly, Judd and Fairfield Ludlowe coach Nick Garoffolo say.
“The thing you want to do – instead of cutting weight – is to stay in the best shape you can, “Garoffolo explains.
“The kids end up with a real sense of what it is they can eat when, and what the impact is to their body, “Judd adds. “The experienced kids have it basically fine-tuned.”
Wrestlers do have to be careful not to eat that extra handful of cookies or bowl of ice cream during the season, for example, Judd says. Fairfield Prep wrestler Dave Bernstein weighed about 210 pounds, and competed in the 215 weight class this past season. He could have put on a few more pounds, but maintained what he considered a healthier weight.
“I always watch what I eat in-season because I don’t want to put on extra pounds that would slow me down, “said Bernstein, a senior.
Weight monitoring
All high school wrestlers must undergo a certification test before mid-January – another rule put in place during the last decade. After the annual certification, an athlete must compete in the weight class he is certified in, or one weight class above it. The mid-season certification allows athletes to gain or lose weight naturally during the first few weeks of practice. Judd points out that this is necessary because wrestlers may drop or gain several pounds naturally through workouts as they get involved in the new season.
Each weight class is bumped up two pounds by the mid-January certification to allow for natural growth progression of high schoolers. For example, a wrestler in the 103-pound weight class at the beginning of the season can weigh as much as 105 when he’s certified. From then on, he can only wrestle in the 105-pound weight class or jump to the next weight class (112, which becomes 114).
Another weight increase comes into play for two-day post season tournaments. Wrestlers can put on as much as one more pound for the second day of competition in order to encourage wrestlers not to starve themselves the night before what could be the biggest match of their careers.
“There’s a lot of protection in making sure kids aren’t losing weight dangerously. “Garoffolo said.
Garoffolo adds that in addition to all that is involved with staying in shape and maintaining weight, the one-on-one competitive nature of wrestling is beneficial to up-and-coming student athletes. Garoffolo compares wrestling to dealing with any everyday life issue, in which a person must figure out how to get things done. He points to the common saying: “wrestling with your problems.”
Much like a wrestler deals with an opponent, a person deals with his problems the same way, figuratively. “You turn it upside down, you go over it, you go through it, you go under it. You try to finagle it … “he says. “It’s about putting it on the line – daring everything.”
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