WIAA changes to wrestling, 1/2 lb per day rule is gone

[Coach V]

Who is going to monitor that the right weights have been entered? Each opposing coach? The Ref? Both? Do we all have to verify everyones weights? Nightmare and not needed. What if there is a discrepancy? This will not help the sport. Most have enough trouble understanding the 1/2 pound a day and now I have to explain this to parents, kids and administrators 1.5%. I didn't think we needed to change what we had. 

[Ghetto]

We are trying to get in line so we can have voting rights again with the national federation. There are calculators online to figure it out. It isn't that complicated. i m sure there will be more information before we start using the new method.

[imwi]

Who is going to monitor that the right weights have been entered? Each opposing coach? The Ref? Both? Do we all have to verify everyones weights? Nightmare and not needed. What if there is a discrepancy? This will not help the sport. Most have enough trouble understanding the 1/2 pound a day and now I have to explain this to parents, kids and administrators 1.5%. I didn't think we needed to change what we had. 

I suspect it's the same people that were monitoring the 1/2 lb per day rule.

[Ghetto]

Who is going to monitor that the right weights have been entered? Each opposing coach? The Ref? Both? Do we all have to verify everyones weights? Nightmare and not needed. What if there is a discrepancy? This will not help the sport. Most have enough trouble understanding the 1/2 pound a day and now I have to explain this to parents, kids and administrators 1.5%. I didn't think we needed to change what we had. 

I suspect it's the same people that were monitoring the 1/2 lb per day rule.

Right, which is no one until February.

[padre]

We are trying to get in line so we can have voting rights again with the national federation. There are calculators online to figure it out. It isn't that complicated. i m sure there will be more information before we start using the new method.

Do you really believe this was in their thought process at all when passing it? Highly doubtful in my opinion. Just another headache.

As far as anyone monitoring the weight thing I don't think it ever matters until February. I once witnessed a coach showing a ref a weigh in sheet before the tournament started showing a kid had cut more than he was supposed to and he was told to take it up with the WIAA.

[DocWrestling]

Honestly this is just to much for the coaches to deal with and manage.  If the WIAA or NFHS wants all these rules then they need to take it upon themselves to monitor and enforce.  If they really care then they should have the official or host Athletic director submit all weigh-ins to the WIAA.

My fear is always stupid and silly lawyers when it comes to regulations that really do not get monitored.  This just opens up to more liability if something tragic was to happen.   What if something happens to a wrestler like happened with those three college wrestlers which is why we have these regulations.

The lawyers are going to look at weigh-in results and if anything is off they are going to sue the heck out of the coach, school district, and WIAA even if it really had nothing to do with the tragedy.

This is why I would think it is not a smart idea to have wrestlers weigh-in before and after practice (good idea) and then record it (bad idea).  I would not have weights written down anywhere. The rule lacks common sense.  I mean really isn't an athlete violating the rules (even the old 1/2 lb rule) by just losing 3 lbs in one practice?

We should have guidelines but to make it so specific opens up a lot of people to liability.  And for the record I would demonize any lawyer that tried to prosecute such a case without proof that the coach was grossly negligent.  Violating this rule by just a little bit would not be considered gross negligent in my mind.

[Ghetto]

We are trying to get in line so we can have voting rights again with the national federation. There are calculators online to figure it out. It isn't that complicated. i m sure there will be more information before we start using the new method.

Do you really believe this was in their thought process at all when passing it? Highly doubtful in my opinion. Just another headache.

As far as anyone monitoring the weight thing I don't think it ever matters until February. I once witnessed a coach showing a ref a weigh in sheet before the tournament started showing a kid had cut more than he was supposed to and he was told to take it up with the WIAA.

It's 100% the reason.

[Ty Clark]

Yes, it will be far too difficult for us cretins known as wrestling coaches to comprehend... Heck, we can't even figure out how to put on both shorts and a t-shirt, so we had to dumb the uniform down to a unitard...

We are being asked to use common sense. In what world does it make any sense for a 106 lber and a 285 lber to be able to lose the same amount of weight per week?

Think of it this way... if people in Alabama are able to figure it out, I'd like to think we can, too.

[Jimmy]

I resemble that! What's wrong with alibambaha

[Coach V]

Ty-its not about us understanding it, its about enforcing and explaining it every year. Ghetto- why weren't we in compliance before?? I thought that's why we couldn't have 6 matches in a day for the super regional, evidently we don't need it. I agree with Doc 100%

[DocWrestling]

I agree that 250 lbers should be able to lose more than 106 lbers and this rule adjust for that.  I also like that wrestlers are going to have to start cutting much earlier to be down to weight by end of the year.

I just hate rules that have no enforcement or explanation.  What is the penalty for violation?  Can you lose more than 1.5% in 3 days as long as you gain it back by the end of the week?  Do we need scales now that go to the 1/100th decimal point

I always think of all our silly rules and regulations this time of year when we have fireworks stands everywhere.  For some reason, our leadership decided that it would be legal to sell just about everything but make it illegal to use it.  How stupid is that?  Then we put all the pressure on our police force.    And of course we know that even our cops are smart enough to have common sense and do not enforce all the fireworks laws so what is the point.

[bulldog]

We are trying to get in line so we can have voting rights again with the national federation. There are calculators online to figure it out. It isn't that complicated. i m sure there will be more information before we start using the new method.

Do you really believe this was in their thought process at all when passing it? Highly doubtful in my opinion. Just another headache.

As far as anyone monitoring the weight thing I don't think it ever matters until February. I once witnessed a coach showing a ref a weigh in sheet before the tournament started showing a kid had cut more than he was supposed to and he was told to take it up with the WIAA.

It's 100% the reason.

Ghetto...you make a few statements that make me hope for a clearer picture. 1) you state that "If we want voting power with NFHS again, we have to get on board." - what does this get Wisconsin? I mean it is nice to have your "voice heard" in the national organization but it seems coaches can't get their voices heard by the WIAA so what impact does "voting power" with the NFHS do for us. WIAA seems to lean towards NFHS rules most of the time and Wisconsin's one vote isn't going to sway things for wrestling in Wisconsin.

2) you  respond to Padre "it's 100% the reason"...I don't understand. Currently nobody is policing weights. If a kid weighs in on Thursday at 113 and goes to a tournament on Saturday and weighs in at 106 nobody checks his weight sheets to assure he could "legally" cut the weight. The official believe the coaches are policing themselves. They probably are but I know of one instance that a JV wrestler skinfolded for 120 and showed up to a tournament and wrestled 113. Nobody questioned it...until his parents asked their own coach. The coach asked the tournament official and he said it was probably wrong on trackwrestling. The kid wrestled the entire day at the weight class and nobody challenged it. So what is "100% the reason" for this rule?

3) Finally (and maybe you don't know either) I still don't understand the timeline allowed to lose weight. If a wrestler were to weigh in on Thursday and he can lose 3 lbs in a week can he lose that full 3 lbs by a Saturday tournament

Just asking for clarification or a clear picture on this topic...not looking to start an argument on this...Thanks

[Ty Clark]

It will be enforced exactly how the 3.5 lbs/wk is enforced: Every coach must bring (a minimum of) the last two weigh-in sheets as well as the initial minimum weight assessments to each and every competition. If a coach or official thinks there is something up, the potentially offending coach must produce the sheets or have his team disqualified. There really isn't any gray area on this, as coaches are reminded no fewer than twenty times/season to take their weigh-in sheets to every competition. If the officials refuse to uphold the rules at a competition, load your kids on the bus and take them out for breakfast on the way home while you settle down enough to make the phone calls/write the emails to the WIAA and respective superintendents and athletic directors.

I'm not sure what you'll have to explain to your wrestlers other than how to log onto TW (and perhaps read, but that's not really your job). If it is anything like it used to be with the NWCAOnline program before it migrated to TW, each wrestler will get an individual PIN (should be something like WI#####) to access his/her own weight loss plan. It has a spreadsheet with the dates in the left column, and the kid's minimum weight for that date in the right column. After each official weigh-in, the minimum weights for each future day will adjust accordingly to remain within the 1.5%/week threshold (taking into account all official weigh-ins).

I'm sure you guys will all be upset that the weight loss logs/plans will be hidden from the public (kind of like how the skinfold results aren't as public anymore), but I honestly have no idea how the WIAA got away with posting the body fat percentage of underage boys and girls on the internet for anyone to see for so long. It's not pertinent information for anyone other than the wrestler and coach, especially when it's quite personal and pseudo-medical. If you don't think there is a stigma related to a skinfold saying a kid who weighs 168 can drop to 113, you're sorely mistaken. In fact, I kept trying to get a kid to wrestle all the way until January, and I had him talked into skinfolding just in case he changed his mind. He was on board right up until he found out that anyone could see the skinfold results.

Also, I shouldn't be ragging on Alabama... Anyone see the top 10 redneck cities in Wisconsin? Awful lot of good wrestlers from those towns... https://www.roadsnacks.net/these-are-the-10-most-redneck-cities-in-wisconsin/

[bigoil]

I was in Alabama today and I'm pretty sure you will not find the same opinions of strangers in these towns like I heard in Alabama today. Clock hasn't moved down there 1860 still, wow.  Also, Kimberly really? Heartland? Fox point you have to be crazy.

[DarkKnight]

As long as opposing coaches don't try to get too nitpicky on how an opponent lost slightly over what they were allowed to lose, it should be okay. A kid wrestling 113 will just have to cut sooner to make the 108 lb mark, and everything should be alright.

Extra work, yes, but as long as everyone is fair it should be fine.

No I don't agree with the change, but it can be managed.