Two years after the NCAA made sweeping policy changes regarding wrestling weight management, two scientists now report the rules are achieving the desired result: significantly fewer cases of weight cutting and rapid regain.

The Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports, the NCAA group responsible for policing the safety of student-athletes, has funded several studies relating to weight management.

One such study completed by James R. Scott, a professor at Grand Valley State University, focused on rapid weight regain. The study was designed to measure the amount of weight wrestlers gained after weighing in before competition at the Division I championships.

The study compares the level of regain in the 1991-92 season, under less stringent weight management rules, to the level of regain in the last two seasons.

"What we've found is that the combination of rules changes and the education of the student-athlete seems to have had a positive effect," Scott said. The average regain in 1991-92 was about 8.5 pounds; last season's regain was about 1.5 pounds.

One rule change was the use of a weigh-in that was closer to the time of actual competition, which truly allowed weight to be the competitive-equity variable. Two wrestlers who walked onto the mat were at the designated weight class. Previously, there was time for wrestlers to gain back weight before wrestling.

The rule was part of a series of changes the wrestling committee made after a two-month period in 1997 in which three college wrestlers died while taking measures to drastically reduce weight before competitions.

Safety measures introduced

Before the 1997-98 season, the NCAA Wrestling Committee made one-hour weigh-ins mandatory, essentially forcing wrestlers to be at their competitive weight when they stepped on the scale. The next season, upon the recommendation of the competitive-safeguards committee, the wrestling committee put rules in place that required student-athletes to establish a minimum wrestling weight early in the season and maintain that weight throughout the year. The student-athletes were not allowed to go below that weight class, and if they decided to move up in weight, that new weight would become their minimum weight.

"We're committed to continuing to educate our coaches and student-athletes in weight-management procedures," said David A. Martin, chair of the wrestling committee and associate athletics director at Oklahoma State University. "We are adhering to strict policies to make sure our student-athletes are safe and that the experience they have is a positive one."

From the student-athlete prospective, the rules seem to be making the wrestling experience less about weight management and more about actual wrestling. Dave Lance, a wrestler at John Carroll University, said wrestling is more fun with less focus on weight.

"I think it's easier to keep your weight where it should be," he said. "It makes wrestling the real focus."

Lance said that the better wrestler wins matches now, which was not always the case. "Wrestling is less about weight and more about how good a wrestler you are, which is what it should be," Lance said.

Martin sees a significant difference during weigh-ins at the Division I championships.

"The whole mood at weigh-ins has changed dramatically," he said. "I think it's a positive thing when you don't see kids with sunken faces, which we had several years ago. I've talked to many student-athletes who have said wrestling is more fun and more about technique and less about weight issues."

Scott said he thinks the weight-management rules have been effective, but he believes that the success is a combination of factors.

"I would not accept the observation that the weigh-ins took care of the problem," said Scott, a former wrestler. "I think the certification procedures had a lot to do with this, and weigh-ins are just part of that process."

Second opinion

A study completed by Robert A. Opplinger investigated changes in body weight and body fat over the season to study the effectiveness of NCAA rules regarding rapid weight loss. The study, which sampled NCAA Division I qualifiers and was sponsored by the competitive-safeguards committee, found that 98 percent of those sampled reduced body fat and weight at normal levels.

"This would indicate that the certified weight at the start of the season was accurate," Opplinger said. "Most wrestlers ended up in March where they were in October. That's a good message that the system is working. We're probably doing as good a job as we can do."

This research seems to indicate that one main goal of the NCAA's certification program has been reached: having wrestlers stay at a natural weight throughout the season.

"We are not penalizing student-athletes by having certifications at the start of the season," Opplinger said. "In most cases, wrestlers are staying near or at the weight where they certified at the beginning of the year."

Bryan W. Smith, M.D., chair of the competitive-safeguards committee, said that while there is always room for improvement, the wrestling changes have been positive.

"The committee is pleased with the research that appears to support the recommendations and rules that have been implemented," Smith said. "I think the dialogue we have had with the wrestling committee has been positive and we appreciate the opportunity to continue discussions on this issue. The committee continues to urge the wrestling community to embrace these changes and we commend efforts to comply with these rules."

The wrestling committee also hopes those certification procedures are embraced at other levels.

"We hope this trickles down to the high-school level as well," Martin said. "The more quickly wrestlers learn to safely control their weight, the healthier they will be. It will make the transition to college wrestling much easier for them."

The weight-management policies were put in place during perhaps the sport's most challenging time. The changes, though dramatic at the time, seem to have calmed what had been a difficult period.

"We take this issue very seriously," Martin said. "We've had to take a strong stance, and we've tried to make action and wrestling the main emphasis of our sport. I think we've been able to do that."

Weight by numbers

Two studies funded in part by the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports indicate that new weight-management procedures implemented in wrestling over the past several years have had a positive impact on the sport. James R. Scott's research indicates that weight-management regulations have significantly limited rapid weight regain, while Robert A. Opplinger's study measured wrestlers at the Division I championships to determine the effectiveness of weight-management rules in which student-athletes must have a preliminary assessment (preseason) and certification (early season).

Scott study

Opplinger study