Filling Weight Classes-The 2021-22 Data

[Handles II]

It's been a few years since I've done this. This past spring the NFHS allowed states to adjust the number of weight classes they use. WIAA made no changes and we stayed at 14 weight classes. Let's see how things are going, shall we?
Taking a look at 12/4 individual tournaments and scrambles, there were 122 teams that participated in 8 tournaments (there were two more tournaments listed that either don't have any info on Trackwrestling, and/or I couldn't get it to load after several attempts). We'll just stick with these 8 for today. I'm not counting any out-of-state tournaments, though I am including teams that come into our state to wrestle. In some tournaments, teams were allowed to wrestle more than one person per weight class to help fill brackets, so that will skew the numbers higher but we'll run with it.

122 teams x 14 weight classes = spots for 1708 wrestlers.  We filled 1056 of those spots, or approximately 62%.  62% of 14 weights = 8.6  Thus our 122 teams that participated in these 8 varsity tournaments averaged 8.6 wrestlers per team.

By weight class, percentage of teams able to fill that slot on that day, which of course will create angst for some of you, but in reality should be looked at objectively and logically:
106 - 48%
113 - 46%
120 - 52%
126 - 67%
132 - 62%
138 - 58%
145 - 72%
152 - 75%
160 - 67%
170 - 69%
182 - 64%
195 - 56%
220 - %70
285 - 60%

So... There's your data for this weekend, similar to this time 5-6 years ago but a lower average number of wrestlers per team, and a shift to wrestlers being heavier.  I've been hearing for a few years that the massive number of kids in youth wrestling and private clubs was going to change this trend. Maybe neither of those actually equate to more participants in our sport? Recruiting without retention is useless.

[wrastle63]

It's been a few years since I've done this. This past spring the NFHS allowed states to adjust the number of weight classes they use. WIAA made no changes and we stayed at 14 weight classes. Let's see how things are going, shall we?
Taking a look at 12/4 individual tournaments and scrambles, there were 122 teams that participated in 8 tournaments (there were two more tournaments listed that either don't have any info on Trackwrestling, and/or I couldn't get it to load after several attempts. We'll just stick with these 8 for today. I'm not counting any out-of-state tournaments, though I am including teams that come into our state to wrestle. In some tournaments, teams were allowed to wrestle more than one person per weight class to help fill brackets, so that will skew the numbers higher but we'll run with it.

122 teams x 14 weight classes = spots for 1708 wrestlers.  We filled 1056 of those spots, or approximately 62%.  62% of 14 weights = 8.6  Thus our 122 teams that participated in these 8 varsity tournaments averaged 8.6 wrestlers per team.

By weight class, percentage of teams able to fill that slot on that day, which of course will create angst for some of you, but in reality should be looked at objectively and logically:
106 - 48%
113 - 46%
120 - 52%
126 - 67%
132 - 62%
138 - 58%
145 - 72%
152 - 75%
160 - 67%
170 - 69%
182 - 64%
195 - 56%
220 - %70
285 - 60%

So... There's your data for this weekend, similar to this time 5-6 years ago but a lower average number of wrestlers per team, and a shift to wrestlers being heavier. I've been hearing for a few years that the massive number of kids in youth wrestling and private clubs was going to change this trend. Maybe neither of those actually equate to more participants in our sport? Recruiting without retention is useless.

Not a surprise when kids aren't allowed to go to school in some areas, play sports, and do there regular activites. Easy to walk into a school and see the change from pre covid to present.

[Handles II]

It's been a few years since I've done this. This past spring the NFHS allowed states to adjust the number of weight classes they use. WIAA made no changes and we stayed at 14 weight classes. Let's see how things are going, shall we?
Taking a look at 12/4 individual tournaments and scrambles, there were 122 teams that participated in 8 tournaments (there were two more tournaments listed that either don't have any info on Trackwrestling, and/or I couldn't get it to load after several attempts. We'll just stick with these 8 for today. I'm not counting any out-of-state tournaments, though I am including teams that come into our state to wrestle. In some tournaments, teams were allowed to wrestle more than one person per weight class to help fill brackets, so that will skew the numbers higher but we'll run with it.

122 teams x 14 weight classes = spots for 1708 wrestlers.  We filled 1056 of those spots, or approximately 62%.  62% of 14 weights = 8.6  Thus our 122 teams that participated in these 8 varsity tournaments averaged 8.6 wrestlers per team.

By weight class, percentage of teams able to fill that slot on that day, which of course will create angst for some of you, but in reality should be looked at objectively and logically:
106 - 48%
113 - 46%
120 - 52%
126 - 67%
132 - 62%
138 - 58%
145 - 72%
152 - 75%
160 - 67%
170 - 69%
182 - 64%
195 - 56%
220 - %70
285 - 60%

So... There's your data for this weekend, similar to this time 5-6 years ago but a lower average number of wrestlers per team, and a shift to wrestlers being heavier. I've been hearing for a few years that the massive number of kids in youth wrestling and private clubs was going to change this trend. Maybe neither of those actually equate to more participants in our sport? Recruiting without retention is useless.

Not a surprise when kids aren't allowed to go to school in some areas, play sports, and do there regular activites. Easy to walk into a school and see the change from pre covid to present.

As stated, the numbers are about the same as 5-6 years ago, maybe a bit lower. If I would have done this 4 years ago, 3 years ago, it would have also been similar. Your point is noted and perhaps has some validity.

[Redeemer]

I see a lot of good competition in all 14 weight classes.

Unfortunately, forfeits are a part of the sport and will always be a part of a sport... 80% of high school teams in WI are not in contention for a team state birth/state title/conference title, and I think they understand that.

[FortWrestling]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

[asdf]

Thank you for the info from WWCA.  I went thru the last 1+ years of meeting minutes and while I may have missed it,  it appears the WWCA is not actively addressing the HS participation rates.  Just curious--isn't this something that the WWCA should/could take a lead in?  Is there concern from the WWCA?

In my opinion the coach/coaching has the largest direct effect on participation #'s in HS sports.

[MNbadger]

" 122 teams x 14 weight classes = spots for 1708 wrestlers.  We filled 1056 of those spots, or approximately 62%.  62% of 14 weights = 8.6  Thus our 122 teams that participated in these 8 varsity tournaments averaged 8.6 wrestlers per team. "
So we should go to having 8 weights?

It's been a few years since I've done this. This past spring the NFHS allowed states to adjust the number of weight classes they use. WIAA made no changes and we stayed at 14 weight classes. Let's see how things are going, shall we?
Taking a look at 12/4 individual tournaments and scrambles, there were 122 teams that participated in 8 tournaments (there were two more tournaments listed that either don't have any info on Trackwrestling, and/or I couldn't get it to load after several attempts). We'll just stick with these 8 for today. I'm not counting any out-of-state tournaments, though I am including teams that come into our state to wrestle. In some tournaments, teams were allowed to wrestle more than one person per weight class to help fill brackets, so that will skew the numbers higher but we'll run with it.

122 teams x 14 weight classes = spots for 1708 wrestlers.  We filled 1056 of those spots, or approximately 62%.  62% of 14 weights = 8.6  Thus our 122 teams that participated in these 8 varsity tournaments averaged 8.6 wrestlers per team.

By weight class, percentage of teams able to fill that slot on that day, which of course will create angst for some of you, but in reality should be looked at objectively and logically:
106 - 48%
113 - 46%
120 - 52%
126 - 67%
132 - 62%
138 - 58%
145 - 72%
152 - 75%
160 - 67%
170 - 69%
182 - 64%
195 - 56%
220 - %70
285 - 60%

So... There's your data for this weekend, similar to this time 5-6 years ago but a lower average number of wrestlers per team, and a shift to wrestlers being heavier.  I've been hearing for a few years that the massive number of kids in youth wrestling and private clubs was going to change this trend. Maybe neither of those actually equate to more participants in our sport? Recruiting without retention is useless.

[Handles II]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

Yes, this is excellent data, and excellent of you to share the link! Hopefully the readers (parents) and WWCA members will be reading it.  When only 25% +/- of the teams in the state can field a full team, there is a problem with the size of the team.

[wrastle63]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

Yes, this is excellent data, and excellent of you to share the link! Hopefully the readers (parents) and WWCA members will be reading it.  When only 25% +/- of the teams in the state can field a full team, there is a problem with the size of the team.

You should do the same thing with other individual/team sports like cross country, track, etc. Sports that don't have any weight restrictions. You don't see track/cross country cutting the number of varsity spots, because teams don't fill a varsity spot. Flawed logic. Again if you want to do seperate weight classes for duals that is a good solution, but don't take away individual opportunities. That will not help the sport.

[Handles II]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

Yes, this is excellent data, and excellent of you to share the link! Hopefully the readers (parents) and WWCA members will be reading it.  When only 25% +/- of the teams in the state can field a full team, there is a problem with the size of the team.

You should do the same thing with other individual/team sports like cross country, track, etc. Sports that don't have any weight restrictions. You don't see track/cross country cutting the number of varsity spots, because teams don't fill a varsity spot. Flawed logic. Again if you want to do seperate weight classes for duals that is a good solution, but don't take away individual opportunities. That will not help the sport.

If this is your logic and your defense, you don't really understand wrestling or other sports very well. Are you suggesting that when we had 16,000 wrestlers in the state and 12 weight classes that  the opportunities for wrestlers were "taken away"? Do you know what's taking away opportunities? Wrestling teams that are shut down because they can only fill 8 of 14 varsity weight classes on average. THAT takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Creating Co-ops takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Reduction of weight classes doesn't take away opportunities or 9 man football wouldn't exist.

[wrastle63]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

Yes, this is excellent data, and excellent of you to share the link! Hopefully the readers (parents) and WWCA members will be reading it.  When only 25% +/- of the teams in the state can field a full team, there is a problem with the size of the team.

You should do the same thing with other individual/team sports like cross country, track, etc. Sports that don't have any weight restrictions. You don't see track/cross country cutting the number of varsity spots, because teams don't fill a varsity spot. Flawed logic. Again if you want to do seperate weight classes for duals that is a good solution, but don't take away individual opportunities. That will not help the sport.

If this is your logic and your defense, you don't really understand wrestling or other sports very well. Are you suggesting that when we had 16,000 wrestlers in the state and 12 weight classes that  the opportunities for wrestlers were "taken away"? Do you know what's taking away opportunities? Wrestling teams that are shut down because they can only fill 8 of 14 varsity weight classes on average. THAT takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Creating Co-ops takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Reduction of weight classes doesn't take away opportunities or 9 man football wouldn't exist.

If your making an assumption of my knowledge of wrestling and sports based on 5 sentences on a forum that says a LOT more about you than it does about me and not in a positive manner in your case.  Also you clearly didn't read my post, or respond at all to what I had talked about with individual/team sports. Maybe reread. Just a thought.

[NoFooForU]

If the stated average is 8.6 wrestlers per team, then for every team that had a full line-up (14 wrestlers) there would be a team that has only 3 wrestlers in the line-up.  That's just not making sense.  Where are the teams that only have 3 kids?  Because I regularly see teams with 13 or 14 kids in the line-up. 

Instead of reducing weight classes across the entire state, have a new division for programs that can't field full teams.  The 8-man football example is a great one.  WIAA didn't make every school in the state play 8-man, only offered it as a solution for those that couldn't get full teams.  Create an 8 weight class division and let those schools that can't get kids compete there for duals. 

[Handles II]

If the stated average is 8.6 wrestlers per team, then for every team that had a full line-up (14 wrestlers) there would be a team that has only 3 wrestlers in the line-up.  That's just not making sense.  Where are the teams that only have 3 kids?  Because I regularly see teams with 13 or 14 kids in the line-up. 

Instead of reducing weight classes across the entire state, have a new division for programs that can't field full teams.  The 8-man football example is a great one.  WIAA didn't make every school in the state play 8-man, only offered it as a solution for those that couldn't get full teams.  Create an 8 weight class division and let those schools that can't get kids compete there for duals.

It's in the math. If there are X number of teams participating in tournaments, then multiply that number by 14 weights. That equals the numbers of wrestlers there would or could be if every weight was filled by every team, ie 100%.   However, when there are teams without a wrestler at a weight, that lowers the percentage. In this case the percentage of possible wrestlers vs actual wrestlers was 62%.  62% of 14 weight classes = 8.6. Thus across each weight class and each team we would get 8.6 wrestlers per team on average.  As a point of emphasis, in looking at each tournament, there wasn't even one weight class where each spot was filled completely, ie 10 schools having 10 160lbers.  In every tournament, every weight, there were empty spots.

[Handles II]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

Yes, this is excellent data, and excellent of you to share the link! Hopefully the readers (parents) and WWCA members will be reading it.  When only 25% +/- of the teams in the state can field a full team, there is a problem with the size of the team.

You should do the same thing with other individual/team sports like cross country, track, etc. Sports that don't have any weight restrictions. You don't see track/cross country cutting the number of varsity spots, because teams don't fill a varsity spot. Flawed logic. Again if you want to do seperate weight classes for duals that is a good solution, but don't take away individual opportunities. That will not help the sport.

If this is your logic and your defense, you don't really understand wrestling or other sports very well. Are you suggesting that when we had 16,000 wrestlers in the state and 12 weight classes that  the opportunities for wrestlers were "taken away"? Do you know what's taking away opportunities? Wrestling teams that are shut down because they can only fill 8 of 14 varsity weight classes on average. THAT takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Creating Co-ops takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Reduction of weight classes doesn't take away opportunities or 9 man football wouldn't exist.

If your making an assumption of my knowledge of wrestling and sports based on 5 sentences on a forum that says a LOT more about you than it does about me and not in a positive manner in your case.  Also you clearly didn't read my post, or respond at all to what I had talked about with individual/team sports. Maybe reread. Just a thought.

I clearly read your post. And, I read it clearly. If your defense for our sport losing programs, and only 25% able to fill all of the positions, is to simply compare them to other sports that don't have a scoring system with missing players as automatic scoring for the other team, or that allows players to compete in more than one position or event, then maybe you don't really understand wrestling or other sports?  Otherwise, provide a bit more depth to your argument other than it's "taking away opportunities", which the cutting of programs and co-ops are act uallydoing. Comparing our sport to football, where the WIAA (and other states) has created a lower number of required players. Or compare it to volleyball, where if a team cannot field 6 players, it's a forfeit and a loss, which is essentially happening in wrestling.

[wrastle63]

A similar document was created based on the last 6 years of Regional data by the WWCA.  I'd suggest logging onto their website, checking out their September notes, and finding the link.  The data is very clear as it relates to participation at the end of the year at Regionals.

Or you can go directly to the document here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1t9tVNDg4QQfsaySxJ9aqNQfCFBTPb2KKJ7gU5EaYCqE/edit?usp=sharing

Yes, this is excellent data, and excellent of you to share the link! Hopefully the readers (parents) and WWCA members will be reading it.  When only 25% +/- of the teams in the state can field a full team, there is a problem with the size of the team.

You should do the same thing with other individual/team sports like cross country, track, etc. Sports that don't have any weight restrictions. You don't see track/cross country cutting the number of varsity spots, because teams don't fill a varsity spot. Flawed logic. Again if you want to do seperate weight classes for duals that is a good solution, but don't take away individual opportunities. That will not help the sport.

If this is your logic and your defense, you don't really understand wrestling or other sports very well. Are you suggesting that when we had 16,000 wrestlers in the state and 12 weight classes that  the opportunities for wrestlers were "taken away"? Do you know what's taking away opportunities? Wrestling teams that are shut down because they can only fill 8 of 14 varsity weight classes on average. THAT takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Creating Co-ops takes away opportunities and it's happening every year.  Reduction of weight classes doesn't take away opportunities or 9 man football wouldn't exist.

If your making an assumption of my knowledge of wrestling and sports based on 5 sentences on a forum that says a LOT more about you than it does about me and not in a positive manner in your case.  Also you clearly didn't read my post, or respond at all to what I had talked about with individual/team sports. Maybe reread. Just a thought.

I clearly read your post. And, I read it clearly. If your defense for our sport losing programs, and only 25% able to fill all of the positions, is to simply compare them to other sports that don't have a scoring system with missing players as automatic scoring for the other team, or that allows players to compete in more than one position or event, then maybe you don't really understand wrestling or other sports?  Otherwise, provide a bit more depth to your argument other than it's "taking away opportunities", which the cutting of programs and co-ops are act uallydoing. Comparing our sport to football, where the WIAA (and other states) has created a lower number of required players. Or compare it to volleyball, where if a team cannot field 6 players, it's a forfeit and a loss, which is essentially happening in wrestling.

Not going to get in an argument, because I wasn't arguing I was just stating that CC/Track are individual and team sports just like wrestling and that they don't cut spots because some teams can't fill the whole varsity roster. So why we would make teams cut opportunities for those that fill all the weight classes?

You didn't address CC/Track format/scoring or different weight class options for tournament/duals(which would be good for duals and still give kids the opportunities at state tournament time). Giving teams an option to go to 8 man like NoFoo said would be a good option, but to make every school drop to 12 weight classes or less is not good for our sport no matter how hard you try to make it sound good. It will hurt a lot of teams also while helping some, but they will still lose to the same teams. You bring up football to prove your point but it actually does the opposite.