The NCAA News - News and FeaturesFebruary 16, 1998
Committee declines support for weigh-in change
The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports has declined to endorse a request from the NCAA wrestling committees to adjust weigh-in procedures at the respective division championships from those required during the regular season.
The purpose of the request was to ease logistical demands created by the large number of participants in championships. A total of 330 wrestlers compete in Division I, 140 in Division II, and 200 in Division III.
Under the three division wrestling committees' recommendation, the initial weigh-in at each championship would have been conducted 20 hours before the start of the first match.
However, a January rules change that was recommended by the wrestling committees and approved by the competitive-safeguards committee mandated that all weigh-ins be held no more than two hours before the start of the first match of all events. The idea behind the change is that, by making the weigh-in time closer to the start of competition, student-athletes will be less likely to lose weight by excessive dehydration.
When the January rules change was recommended, it was stipulated that the championships weigh-in schedule would be discussed later. The wrestling committees subsequently proposed that weigh-ins be held on the second day (all divisions) and third day (Division I only) of championships competition, regardless of whether the 20-hour weigh-in is approved. (Division I holds a three-day tournament; the other divisions hold a two-day tournament.)
Wrestling committee's rationale
The wrestling committees' rationale was that in either case, but especially in the 20-hour scenario, having subsequent-day weigh-ins would remove incentive for rapid dehydration while making weight by reducing student-athletes' recovery time. The committees theorized that minimizing recovery time in that manner also would promote competitive equity, which could be compromised in the championships by student-athletes bulking up after making weight. This possibility, the wrestling committees said, was enhanced by the seven-pound weight allowance that was added to all weight classes as part of the earlier rules changes.
The competitive-safeguards committee, which met January 26-28 in Santa Barbara, California, said the request is inconsistent with its original position on the January rules changes.
Those January changes stemmed from a recommendation from the wrestling committees in reaction to three deaths that occurred in November and December. The deaths occurred during or after workouts to lose weight to qualify for a weight class. The purpose of the rules changes was to minimize the incentive for wrestlers to lose weight rapidly.
Although the competitive-safeguards committee did not support mandatory subsequent weigh-ins, it expressed interest in conducting unofficial second- and third-day weigh-ins at the respective championships for research to determine how much weight student-athletes regained after making weight.
In a related action, the committee recommended to the NCAA Research Committee that $20,000 be allocated to a wrestling/weight loss project (either education or research), with specific application to be determined after meetings of USA Wrestling and the NCAA wrestling committees.
The competitive-safeguards committee began preparing for the wrestling committees' annual meeting April 6-10 in Kansas City, Missouri. Selected members will attend that meeting to discuss how to eliminate from the sport all weight-control practices that potentially place the health of participants at risk.
The committee is awaiting a report on the recent deaths from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see which, if any, factors other than dehydration contributed to the student-athletes' deaths.
Other actions
Addressing other matters, the competitive-safeguards committee:
Voted to strengthen lines of communication with the Divisions I, II and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAACs). It recommended that the NCAA sports sciences staff attend the SAACs' Kansas City, Missouri, meetings March 14-15 and that one of its members attend one other meeting of the SAACs annually. The committee believes that such an arrangement will provide opportunities to hear from a greater number of student-athletes about health and safety issues than would having a few student-athletes attend its meetings.
Requested $15,000 to develop educational materials for student-athletes to help them recognize symptoms and potential significant consequences of possible cardiac abnormalities. If approved, the materials would be developed with assistance from experts in the area and the SAACs.
Noted that an American Heart Association guideline recommending that a cardiovascular examination be performed on collegiate student-athletes every two years will be modified to state that each collegiate student-athlete should receive one such examination upon entry into an athletics program, followed by keeping a detailed medical history throughout the student-athlete's career.
Modified and finalized recommendations on sports medicine issues that should appear in the NCAA's revised Division I Athletics Certification Self-Study Instrument and Divisions II and III Institutional Self-Study Guides.
Agreed to discuss at its next meeting the possibility of proposing that NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook Guideline 1-A (Sports Medicine Administration) be adopted as NCAA legislation.
Reviewed the results of a workshop on head injuries attended by committee members. The committee agreed that much research was necessary to gain medical consensus on the severity of head trauma and when to return a student-athlete to play. It also agreed that the NCAA should remain active in this area.
Reviewed upcoming outreach presentations, including a presentation on drug-testing and drug-education issues at the June 1998 American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) national meeting, a presentation on emergency coverage issues to the National Athletic Trainers' Association and a possible presentation on sports sciences issues at the June meeting of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
Drug education/testing
The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports took the following actions as a result of the discussions of its drug-education/drug-testing subcommittee:
Recommended to the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet that the nonchampionships drug-testing program be expanded to include student-athletes from sports other than football and track and field in fall 1998. Under the proposal, 14 football student-athletes and 16 student-athletes selected from baseball and men's and women's track and field and men's and women's swimming and diving would be tested. Currently, 18 football student-athletes and eight track and field student-athletes are tested.
Recommended to the NCAA Executive Committee that it approve anonymous testing of student-athletes for marijuana use during nonchampionship testing. The committee's drug-education and drug-testing survey showed overwhelming support (86 percent) for including such testing in the program. These tests would enable the committee to ascertain the level of use of the drug. Under the recommendation, the respective drug-testing labs would be asked to report the number of specimens that contained marijuana metabolite. The data gathered would be for nonpunitive research.
Noted that in the aforementioned survey, 43 percent of schools reported having a written policy forbidding giving alcohol to recruits during official visits. The committee noted that NCAA legislation requiring such a policy is not needed because of state laws banning underage drinking. The committee chair will draft a statement encouraging institutions to draft a policy and adhere to state laws concerning dry recruiting. This policy will be published in the upcoming issue of the Sports Sciences Education Newsletter.
Announced its support of an $80,000 Internet project at Oregon State University that will focus on the development of a drug- and alcohol-education World Wide Web page that would be geared toward student-athletes. The committee is seeking information on the cost of maintaining the site once it is up and running.
Requested a proposal from the University of California, Los Angeles, drug-testing laboratory for Carbon Isotope Ratio (CIR) equipment. The purpose of the equipment is to detect use of steroids that are difficult to identify using conventional methods.
Sports sciences safety
The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports took the following actions as a result of the discussions of its sports sciences safety subcommittee:
Reviewed 11 proposals for research projects on the physiological effects (other than on performance) of the use of creatine by male and female collegiate student-athletes. The committee recommended that the NCAA Research Committee fund three of the proposals.
Recommended to the Research Committee that the 1998-99 sports sciences research budget be increased from $70,000 to $100,000. Under the proposal, in addition to $20,000 for wrestling research (see accompanying story), $50,000 would be allocated for concussion research; $20,000 to an anterior-cruciate ligament project that would include an analysis of videotaped injuries; and $10,000 to catastrophic-injury research.
Recommended that the Association develop its own injury-tracking computer software, and recommended that the NCAA sports sciences staff consult with the information services staff to determine the cost and time frame for development.
Discussed the need to create an educational message for the membership on rhabdomyolysis, muscle degeneration that often occurs as a result of excess exercise. An article on the subject will appear in the fall 1998 issue of the Sports Sciences Education Newsletter.
Reviewed topics to cover with the American Hockey Coaches Association at its annual meeting in May. The committee designated members who would deal specifically with the following issues: head/face protection, concussions/mouthguards, and aggressive play.
Endorsed collection of data on all incidents of batted balls striking a pitcher in Division I baseball, and recommended beginning a similar collection of data regarding all facial injuries (regardless of time loss) from among schools that sponsor field hockey and women's lacrosse.
Reviewed and endorsed the NCAA's sponsorship of a national eating disorders screening program, as well as two eating disorders posters that will be distributed to the membership this month.
Reviewed an educational publication on spring football injuries that the committee and the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) cowrote and distributed to athletics administrators, coaches, student-athlete advisory committees (SAACs), athletic trainers and team physicians; also, noted that the spring football legislation it proposed has been adopted in all three NCAA divisions. The committee commended the AFCA, National Athletic Trainers' Association and NCAA SAACs for their support in developing the legislation.
|
