State Duals weigh strategy gone next year

[gumbi1031]

From what I have seen and heard from coaches (some in other states) that already use the system is that it rarely limits kids chances to cut weight. For the most part, high school wrestlers will not cut to levels that are "unhealthy" according to body fat tests. Now, of course there will be the occassional kid that comes in weighing 125 pounds of pure muscle and cut to 103, but not often. Actually, the rule seems to affect bigger kids (for instance, 240 cutting to 215) because they are only allowed to cut weight at a certain rate (I think the rule TSSAA wants to use will limit a wrestler to cutting 1/2 pound per day starting with the day the fat test is administered). It should not affect dual strategy very much.

[best_of_the_west]

Yea, but many teams take wrestlers straight from the football team. These kids may weight 250 at the end of football, and they will have less time to drop to 215. It would take 70 days to drop that much weight, according to this rule, but the time between the end of football and the weight certification date is less than seventy days, usually. It could get interesting.

[pokey]

the 1st day they can wrestle that weight is not decided by when the kid finishes football. It is calculated from the date of the test. I am pretty sure about this. I don't rember if making weight at a higher wieght class can effect the number of days the kid has to cut to the next weight.

exmple: Kid tests in oct. He weighs 220. His lowest wieght is 189. He weighs in during the 1st of Dec at 215. Does the 1/2 lb a day to get to 189 start in Oct or the 1st of Dec?

[best_of_the_west]

Good point. If the 250 pound football player had a minimum weight of 215, but he didn't start dropping weight until Christmas (he got 1/2 pound per day since mid-November), it would defeat the purpose. He would still be dropping weight too fast.