The NCAA News - News & Features

Wrestling outlines steps for addressing new weight-loss policy

The committee recommended the changes during its April meeting, which was attended by several members of the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. Those recommendations were approved by the NCAA Executive Committee last month.

Although the memorandum lists specific steps, McHugh emphasized that the policy's success depends on the integrity of coaches and student-athletes. McHugh said that circumventing the policy not only would jeopardize the opportunity to participate in NCAA championships, but also would violate the directive of the NCAA Presidents Commission and contradict that body's effort to ensure the safety of the student-athlete.

By addressing the issue of unhealthy weight loss, the new policy seeks to correct some of the negative aspects and perceptions attributed to the sport while promoting the well-being of the participants.

The underlying concept of the plan is that excessive weight loss seen most often at the national championships and at qualifiers will be reduced if wrestlers have to make the actual weight at which they will compete at the national tournament several times before the qualifying tournament. Having to maintain that weight over an extended period of time will help ensure that a wrestler competes at the weight class closest to his optimum body weight and will properly acclimate him to any weight loss.

The specifics of the policy, which was published in the April 29 issue of The NCAA News, are as follows:

1. Weigh-ins at NCAA regionals and championships will take place the day or night before the start of competition. All subsequent weigh-ins at these competitions will be eliminated. Additionally, it was recommended that all other tournaments adopt this single weigh-in format. In addition, last year's Rule 3-5 has been strengthened. The change will allow for a one-pound weight allowance in January and a zero, or "flat weight," allowance in February and the remainder of the season. Unlike in the past, this rule will be unalterable, meaning that institutions may not depart from these allowances.

2. The new policy will require that a student-athlete make weight at the class in which he will participate at NCAA qualifying tournaments and championships for a minimum of 75 percent of the weigh-ins in the second half of the season (75 percent policy). The committee has developed a form for the determination of the season's "second half" for 1996-97 schedule verification, a sample of which was included with the July 8 memorandum.

Coaches are to list one-half of the total dates on their teams' schedules under the "first half" section of the form; the remaining dates will be listed under the "second half" section. Schedules containing an odd number of total dates are to be placed with the greater number of dates in the second-half section. For example, if a team is scheduled for 15 dates, the first seven will be listed under the first-half section and the remaining eight will be listed under the second-half section.

Coaches should note that the halfway determination is not based on the calendar, but refers to the midpoint of a team's total scheduled dates of competition. Additionally, Divisions I and II programs need to be aware that, as indicated on the schedule-verification form, two-day tournaments may be counted either as one date or two, which may affect where a team's second half is determined. Once submitted, the schedule may not be altered except to reschedule a canceled event.

No competitions may be added once the schedule has been verified. If a rescheduled match is moved to the second half of the season, it must figure into the 75 percent policy and be tracked for each individual wrestler, as is now done for the dates of competition.

The season-record form also was modified to record pertinent weigh-in information. Coaches should update this form as the season progresses; doing so is paramount in the determination of the 75 percent policy and with the addition of two new areas for weight verification. Should a coach wait until the end of the season and later discover an error has been made and the 75 percent policy has not been met, it will be too late to correct that error.

Coaches should note that a wrestler may weigh in to fulfill the 75 percent policy, but he does not necessarily have to compete. For this reason, a "DNC" category (did not compete) has been added to the form. Weigh-ins for nonstarters must be administered throughout the season as well, since they are subject to the 75 percent policy. Coaches are reminded that the fewer matches in which a student-athlete participates in the second-half of the season, the less flexibility there is for meeting the 75 percent policy.

Finally, if an individual does not wrestle any matches in the second half of the season, an appeal must be submitted to the appropriate division subcommittee to determine that wrestler's weight-class for the qualifying tournament. This appeal must be made no later than the first business day after the last scheduled competition.

3. Weight-class deviation. During the second half of the season, a wrestler cannot deviate more than one weight-class from the weight class in which he has met the 75 percent policy and will participate at the qualifying tournament and championship. However, a wrestler still may move up more than one weight class to compete. For example, if a student-athlete is planning to wrestle at the 158-pound class in the nationals, he can weigh in no lower than 150 pounds and no higher than 167 pounds during the second half of the year. However, that same 158-pound wrestler may compete in a regular-season contest at 177 pounds or higher. The committee recommends that coaches keep copies of all weigh-in sheets should questions arise regarding information on the season-record form.

Administrators and coaches are asked to fully explain the new policies to student-athletes and the importance of compliance.

Any questions should be directed to McHugh, director of athletics at Trenton State College, or Stann Tate, NCAA assistant director of championships.