A few things I would like to throw out there.
First, the coach of the injured wrestler did not tell his wrestler to forfeit. I asked the wrestler, "young man, are you going to be able to continue?" He said, "No sir". Also, to the coaches credit, later in the day,
while calling another of his teams matches, I awarded his wrestler with a point for illegal hands to the face by the opponent. He then said, "I think it was really just an accident Mr. Official." Seeing that, I could tell
that he wanted his kids to win legitimately. So, please, do not lash out against the coach, especially if you have no frame of reference in the day.
[At the end of the day, the EMT came up to tell me that there was a chance that the injured wrestler was going to the hospital because they though he might have a concussion.
Whether or not he went, I am unsure.]
My reason for calling the slam had nothing to do with the differential of skill level. I do not believe that matches should be called with a bias towards inexperienced competitors.
The M-Elite wrestler was certainly dominating the match, and was an entertaining and aggressive
wrestler to watch. In my opinion, he was wrestling exactly the way that he was supposed to, aggressively to win.
Now, to the point of this thread, why call it illegal?
In my opinion and from my judgement, the force used at the end of the return to the mat was unnecessary. The position of the defensive wrestler's feet being in the air did not play into
this, although his inability to defend himself did. Also, it seemed that the offensive wrestler was in control, and this added to my belief that he "slammed" the defensive wrestler into the mat with added force, rather than simply returning him to the mat. Perhaps a better call would have been "unnecessary roughness", I am still working out the kinks on my wording.
A few things that I hinge on from the Rules Book and Case Book.
1. "The risk minimization of the wrestlers is paramount."
2. "There are some holds/maneuvers that are legitimate, but because of their nature are potentially dangerous."
3. "The referee shall enforce the letter and spirit of the rules and consistently penalize any violation promptly."
Let me address each of these, and why they relate.
1. Risk minimization. I thought this kid might have racked up a concussion. If you have ever gotten a concussion, then you should know and understand that at that moment in time, you are knocked senseless. How many times does someone with a concussion get up, not even knowing that their head hurts yet, to get back in the game. It isn't until they are dizzy and vomiting that they and others realize something is wrong. Case in point: Arizona's quarterback, Matt Scott, during football season this year. This kid saying that it was his knee that hurt surprised me for a second. I thought "chances are his head didn't hurt yet", that comes later. The last thing that I want is for a kid, especially a middle school kid, to compete with an injury that could turn into something far worse, simply because I was not diligent. One of my best friends was unable to compete his senior year due to a broken neck.
2. I think that the offensive wrestler was well coached, and initiated a sequence that should continue to be taught and drilled. As the book states, some legal moves, simply by their nature, can become dangerous and illegal.
As an official, I have to juggle the responsibility of keeping the kids safe, while allowing the sport to competed in an intense and aggressive manner. If I were to stop the match every time that someone got lifted off the ground,
then it would no longer be wrestling. Had the added force not been applied, I certainly would have allowed wrestling to continue. Watching the video even, it is a borderline scenario.
My opinion of what defines that "added force" may come to change through the years, but my concern for the safety and well being of the competitors will not change (if anything I believe it will grow when I have children of
my own).
3. I stopped the match (with my back turned to the 3-4 people that apparently came at the mat... I did not know this happened, but thanks for telling me). I awarded the penalty point as I saw it. I ended the match in accordance
with the rules book and with the wrestler's safety in mind, safety being the paramount concern (not a team score either way).
I hate to see a kid lose on the basis of an illegal move/ injury, especially when he is one of the best wrestlers I have seen through the day. I wish only the best for each competitor, and look forward to seeing that M-Elite wrestler
grow and progress.
Thank you all for this discussion. I have valued your opinions (some far more than others), and am glad that I was directed to this thread (it even got me to make a Coach T account). To the coaches of any matches that I ref this year,
my only goals are to make sure that I keep your kids safe, make sure that I am fair, as unbiased as possible, consistent, and that I continually learn and improve. Hopefully, you will see this applied and in action.
Merry Christmas, and happy holidays.
