The NCAA News - News and Features

January 19, 1998

Wrestling weight-loss rule recommendation approved

Changes in NCAA wrestling rules that deal with making weight have been made in reaction to three deaths that have occurred in the sport since mid-November. The changes were effective January 13.

Each of the student-athletes who died -- Billy Saylor of Campbell University; Joe LaRosa of University of Wisconsin, La Crosse; and Jeff Reese of University of Michigan -- collapsed during or after workouts to make weight for an upcoming match. Medical personnel were unable to revive them. The three deaths are the first such fatalities that have happened in NCAA wrestling since it became an Association-sponsored sport in 1928.

The changes were made as a result of a series of NCAA Wrestling Committee telephone conferences that began in early December and culminated during a conference call with the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports that took place January 8.

"We believe that these changes will promote a safe environment for our sport," said Mike Moyer, chair of the Wrestling Committee and director of the Patriot Club at George Mason University. "Once the season is over, we look forward to working more with the competitive-safeguards committee at our April rules meeting, with the goal of making long-term changes that ideally will allow wrestlers to focus on competition rather than making weight and also to maintain competitive equity within the weight classes."

"The competitive-safeguards committee recognizes that these recommendations are not long-term solutions to the problem of inappropriate weight-loss behaviors that have become acceptable in the sport," said William F. Arnet, chair of the competitive-safeguards committee. "Rather, these are short-term recommendations with the purpose of reducing the likelihood of any further health problems associated with wrestlers making weight in the 1997-98 season."

The rules changes:

1. A guideline on hypohydration (defined as a state of negative water balance in the body that comes from dehydration), which has been a part of the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook since 1985 and is included in Appendix B of the 1998 NCAA Wrestling Rules Book as a recommendation, has been made a playing rule with some modifications.

The changes are indicated in bold-faced type:

"Hypohydration poses a health hazard to wrestlers. With regard to the practice of dehydration, the use of laxatives, emetics, excessive food and fluid restriction, self-induced vomiting, hot rooms, hot boxes, saunas and steam rooms is prohibited. The use of diuretics at any time is prohibited by NCAA legislation. Regardless of purpose, the use of vapor-impermeable suits (e.g., rubber or rubberized nylon) is prohibited. Violators of these rules, including both coaches and student-athletes, shall be suspended from the competition(s) for which the weigh-in is intended. A second violation would result in suspension for the remainder of the season. A hot room is defined as a room in which the temperature exceeds 79 degrees Fahrenheit."

2. For the remainder of this season only, including all qualifying tournaments and championships, an immediate, mandatory, unalterable seven-pound weight allowance shall be added to each weight class.

Because an unalterable one-pound allowance already is in effect for January, weight classes will be eight pounds over the actual weight class for the remainder of the month. For example, for the 118-pound class, wrestlers may weigh as much as 126 pounds; for the 126-pound class, wrestlers may weigh as much as 134 pounds, etc. Once the previous one-pound weight allowance ends on February 1, the seven pounds will be added to the actual weight class, i.e., 118 pounds becomes 125 pounds, 126 pounds becomes 133 pounds, etc. The purpose is to minimize further weight reduction this season.

According to the previous rules, a three-pound weight allowance was recommended in November and a two-pound allowance was recommended in December before the mandatory one-pound allowance of January. Meeting the actual weight (i.e., no allowance) was required in February and March, the last two months of the season.

3. To assure compliance with the intent of No. 2, a wrestler may compete only in weight classes in which he competed on or before January 7 of this season.

In cases where a wrestler had not yet competed or in which a wrestler may have competed at a high weight to fill a temporary gap in the lineup, coaches may appeal to the respective Wrestling Committee division subcommittee chair for an exception on a form that must be signed by a school's team physician after examination of the student-athlete and by the director of athletics and head coach.

The appeal form will ask the signees to designate the weight class (with no weight allowance) in which it will be safe for the student-athlete to compete. A copy of the form also must be filed with the respective division subcommittee's championships liaison at the NCAA national office.

Approval of such a request is not automatic. The championships rule that states that wrestlers must weigh in at the weight at which they plan to compete in the NCAA qualifying tournaments and championships for at least 75 percent of the matches during the second half of their team's regular season, remains in effect.

4. All weigh-ins shall be held no more than two hours before the beginning of the 118-pound match(es). Under this change, student-athletes have only one chance to make weight on the official scale once the weigh-in officially has begun. A physician should be present at all weigh-ins. Because of the complication created by the large number of participants at the NCAA championships, weigh-in logistics for those tournaments will be determined at a later date.

Previously, for dual, triangular and quadrangular meets, contestants could weigh in a maximum of five hours and a minimum of one-half hour before the meet was scheduled to begin, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon, on scales provided by the host school. For tournaments, the weigh-in time was established by the respective tournament committee and was to be limited to a maximum of 24 hours and a minimum of one-half hour before the tournament was scheduled to start.

5. Use of any artificial rehydration techniques (e.g., intravenous hydration) between the time a wrestler has made weight and competition is prohibited. Coaches and student-athletes who violate this rule shall be suspended for the competition(s) for which the weigh-in is intended. A second violation would result in suspension for the remainder of the season.

6. A single, two-hour, prior-to-competition weigh-in shall be used at all multiple-day tournaments (excluding multiple-day dual meets).

These changes also were approved by the competitive-safeguards committee, the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, Division II Championships Committee and Division III Championships Committee.

"We greatly appreciate the timely manner in which these committees acted and the cooperation of the competitive-safeguards committee," Moyer said. "People may wonder why this took so long. The answer is that this is a complex issue that has no easy answers. We on the Wrestling Committee wanted to make sure the rules changes we recommended would indeed promote safe practices and at the same time retain the competitive equity that makes the sport unique. We believe we have done that.

"The committee recognizes that no rules guarantee the safety of participants but believes these measures will promote safety in our sport; therefore, the committee urges compliance with both the letter and the intent of all of these changes. Nothing is more important than the safety of our competitors."

The Wrestling Committee and competitive-safeguards committee intend to continue to review the weight-loss issue, as further information is forthcoming. These committees will receive results of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation of the three deaths, as well as recommendations from USA Wrestling task forces.

Both committees will further examine the more complex issue of changing weight-loss behavior in wrestling and more changes will be considered at the annual Wrestling Committee meeting April 6-10 in Kansas City, Missouri.