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TheScrambler

Missed school extra pound?

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I feel like the whole "growth allowance" and "snow allowance" is getting away from the reason we have the wrestlers weigh-in before they wrestle: on a given day, wrestlers should be wrestling other wrestlers of comparable weight. Not to be harsh, but if a kid weighs more on a given day because he/she comes from a bad home, then he/she should wrestle other kids of comparable weight on that same day (i.e., there should be no "handicaps" in wrestling).

For example, if a first kid weighs 77.9 lbs on a given day, then he/she should wrestle other kids that weigh > 75 lbs & <= 80 lbs (i.e., 80 lb bracket). If a second kid weighs 73.1 lbs on that day, then he/she should wrestle kids that weigh > 70 lbs & <= 75 lbs (75 lb bracket). If the kids weigh out differently on a different day, then they should be placed in appropriate brackets for their respective weights on that different day. How is it fair to make the second kid that weighs 73.1 lbs (i.e., belongs in the 75 lb bracket) wrestle the first kid that weighs 77.9 lbs (belongs in the 80 lb bracket)? I am sure that in at least one bracket, with the growth and snow allowances, this exact situation will come up this weekend.

No one is having this weight allowance discussion about the youth state tournament - the youth kids will wrestle their scratch weight. Of course the difference isn't that youth kids aren't growing, or aren't affected by snow days. Rather, the difference between youth and HS is that youth does not have weight management requirements. MS also does not have weight management requirements and, just like youth, MS should be scratch weight for regionals and state (e.g., look which forum we are posting in).

At the end of the day, weight allowances open the door for MS kids to walk on the mat with documented weight advantages over their competition.

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In theory Gabe this is great but in practice almost impossible to accomplish.  The reason the Youth tourney is a managed chaos is because of this exact reason.  

Because youth has no wt classes is why a weight management procedure is not needed.  But at the middle school level it is a must.  Getting teams to a tournament with no wt. classes is chaotic at best.  There would be no set schedule no set medals and awards.  

What you are suggesting is like telling a football team you can't play your 200lb lineman because the other team does not have anyone that size.  Rules are set up to help manage and control the running of teams and tournaments. Rule changes occur to help improve these situations that pop up and there is some uniformity.  In the end whatever the rules are is what will be abide by.  

Middle school wrestling is just that the middle.  Youth is totally about getting kids interested in wrestling where middle school is getting them ready for high school.  My discussion may seem like I am in favor of wt allowance for snow, where in actuality I am not.  I am just explaining why it is there and understand why it is there.  

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Just for perspective.....my nephew has been wrestling at a weight class in MS all season and giving up 10-12lbs instead of cutting the 2lbs to make the weight class closer to his actual weight. He’s been beating the tar out of bigger kids because his technique is superior. Although there are some advantages to cutting fat from your frame to wrestle at a weight class with maximum muscle mass and minimum fat content, technique trumps brute strength every time. 

When I wrestled in OH(24 yrs ago lol) if I remember correctly; we would have to certify our weight around December, wrestle at least 1 match at the actual weight class, and send a certified form to the OHSAA. So I was wrestling at 152 and I had to make that actual weight and wrestle a 152 match to certify, then in January we’d get 1lb growth weight  and February we’d get 1lb. Seems like a sensible way to go about it.

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Thank you grappler-of-old and Uncle Spam for providing some perspective. I really do understand the reasoning for the current rules (e.g., defined weight classes, growth allowance, and snow allowance) and could argue either side. By the way, from the perspective of the smaller guys, giving up 10-12 lbs in the finals is very significant.

I very personally know one little guy who did not cut at all (i.e., ate/drank normally, stepped on the scale at regionals/state, and wrestled his scratch weight) and lost his state finals match two years in a row to wrestlers who dropped two weight classes for regionals/state. I'm glad he got good matches out of both of those MS state tournaments, and I wouldn't bat an eye about taking him back to the same matches again. Neither of those final matches would have ever happened if we had been at a national tournament wrestling scratch weight (e.g., he had never wrestled either kid before regionals/state and never wrestled either of them again).

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I am not a huge fan of losing wt. at the middle school level. As mentioned earlier by not allowing GOO jr. to drop weight.  The main reason I think the (Fat test) should be done at the middle school level is that it will help the coaches of these teams.  Liability will be almost nil if you have a body fat test that is sanctioned by the national federation used to determine minimal wt. class.  Puts the responsibility on the parents/wrestler along with the coach. 

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