Wrestling with your weight

STORY BY DAYTON FRASER »

KSHAA passed a new rule for wrestling this year. Wrestlers have to weigh-in an hour before duels and 2 hours before tournaments. This is different from last year, where the wrestling team would weigh-in the night before meets and sometimes the morning of, allowing athletes who had been fasting to eat all day. 

“I like the new rule change because it keeps everything fair,” said Coach Gus Andrews. “They changed the rules because they are trying to promote less weight loss and they are wanting kids to wrestle hydrated and at their natural weight opposed to cutting a lot of weight.” He later said,  “It shouldn’t affect our wrestlers anyways because we don’t promote cutting lots of weight.”

Sophomore Joe Faircloth also likes the new rule. “It will stop people from cheating and lying about their weigh-in.” 

Faircloth acknowledges that it might affect his performance, but pointed out that neither side will necessarily have an advantage.

“On the day of the tournament,” Faircloth said, “I won’t be able to eat much, so it might affect my performance but it should affect theirs to so it will all be equal.”

Junior, Cael Lynch, however, thinks the new rule is ridiculous. 

“Kids are doing everything in their power to be able to make weight, that causes a lot of stress,” Lynch said.  “It will definitely be more tiring.” Lynch won’t let the new weigh-in system affect his preparation or mindset before a match. 

“There is no sense in getting in my own head,” he said.

Sophomore Maddy Born is the only female wrestler on the team this year. Born is hoping to maintain her weight and using the lead time, often as long as two weeks, to safely meet her weight goal for competition.

“I’m not worried about making my weight,” Born said, “I’m staying strong.”