If two wrestlers of equal skill and determination compete, a significantly larger wrestler is overwhelmingly more likely to win. For this reason, high school wrestling competition is divided into weight classes. The rules surrounding weight classes are in place to keep wrestling matches fair and safe for all participants. The weight classes were changed in 2011 by the National Federation of State High School Associations.
The Basics
To compete at a given weight class, a wrestler must prove that he weighs at or below the maximum weight for a class on the day of a match. If the wrestler is overweight, he forfeits the match. In team play, the other team receives points as if that athlete had been pinned. National Federation of State High School Associations rules for 2011-2012 place the 14 weight classes at 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 200 and 285 pounds.
Weighing In
At weigh-in, an athlete stands on a medical scale in front of a representative of each competing team and an officiating referee. The scale will have been confirmed as accurate before weigh-in commences. Depending on the discretion of the supervising adults, an overweight wrestler may be given extra time to "make weight" before competition commences. Teams with alternates can also substitute a wrestler if their starting player can't make weight.
Growth Allowance
Many wrestling districts permit a growth allowance to account for the fact that a teenager will put on weight over the course of a three-month season. Specific rules will vary, put a pound each at the beginning of January and February is common. Tournaments that last several days may also permit wrestlers to weigh more during the second day of competition than the first.
Cutting Weight
Because wrestling below your natural body weight can give you a competitive advantage, using extreme weight loss methods to qualify for that lower weight class has been a part of high school wrestling for decades. Because those practices caused the deaths of three college wrestlers in 1997, many states, districts and individual schools have instituted rules governing how their wrestlers cut weight. Specifics will vary from program to program, but typical examples include minimum body fat percentage readings, forbidding particularly dangerous techniques and requiring wrestlers to stick to weight classes within 90 percent of their natural body weight.
Member Comments