Tape On Headgear

As everyone knows, Kansas added a rule against having tape on headgear this year. Why is this rule necessary? I understand not having tape or decals on the pads of your headgear.. But penalizing a kid for having tape on his straps (preventing the straps from falling over his face) seems like an extremely counter-intuitive rule.

Actually the "rule" regarding tape on the headgear stems from the rule from the National Federation rule book which says that equipment shall be worn as intended by the manufacturer. This interpreation has actually been in effect for several years now. The difference this year is that KSHSAA has instructed officials to no longer allow it, whereas in the past several years they said, don't make a big deal out of it.

So really all that happened this year is that we are now in line with the NFHS rule. As many of you know Kansas deviates from a couple of NFHS rules specifically we have homesite weighin, whereas most other states weigh in shoulder to shoulder 1 hour before the event. Because we don't conform to the weigh in rule we lose the ability every year to vote on rule changes and such.

As far as the reasoning behind not allowing tape is twofold. Number one athletic tape is a harbor of several bacterias and fungus so it is partially safety-related. Number 2 it can become quite abrasive and potentially alters the intended operation of the device. It's worth noting that most manufacturers of split strap headgears also manufacture a rubber piece that connects the two straps in the same way the athletic tape was being used and it's perfectly legal to have that piece or add it to the headgear.

Now whether the rule is a good one and effective is up for debate. But in the current time frame its implementation is not therefore tape on the headgear is not allowed, however decals applied by the manufacturer specifically for that headgear when manufactured is still legal. Hope this answers your question satisfactorily.

Ok, but a purchased plastic clip to do the same thing is allowed? Stupid!

Actually, not a rule. Nothing in the rule book says "no tape on headgear." It was a rule interpretation from a few years back. Kansas decided to ignore it but this year we decided not to ignore it. Minor difference maybe between a rule and an interpretation, but there was never a rule against tape on the headgear and there's no rule against it now. The guy at the federation that gets to "interpret" the rules -- I think his name is Colgate--decided this was going to be the interpretation of some rule--perhaps the one referenced above about the uniform being worn as intended by the manufacturer---I doubt anyone actually asked the manufacturer if they intended wrestlers to tape their headgear...its been a common practice for 50 years so it wouldn't be a surprise to the manufacturer, though.

You can put all the stickers you want on your headgear, however. So a sticky-backed "sticker" is fine, but a sticky-backed piece of cotton tape is not.

It costs $2 to fix this issue.

http://www.cliffkeen.com/wrestling/accessories/hg2s58-e58-headgear-two-slot-strap-holder

Arguing about the silliness of the interpretation of the manufacturer rule won't change it. It's been in effect since the 2011 season. Wrestlers have already adjusted just as they did when laces began to be required to be secured, and hair coverings had to be attached to the headgear. It isn't a big deal.

It is for youth wrestling because without tape it is very difficult to size the headgear for a child's head.

They are stating its a "safety" issue. Wrestle Olympic styles. No headgear required!

I don't think it was billed as a safety issue as much as a hygiene. They believe the tape an carry skin diseases, blood etc, because by its nature it is very porous and provides a great environment to harbor things such as that. Why they're worried about it on the headgear and not on shoes etc is beyond me. I'd think tape on the shoes (around the end of shoes not on the laces) is more of an issue than on the headgear.

I'm not agreeing one way or other just giving some of the reasons we were told why it was brought up.

Safety as in avoiding communicable fungus, bacteria, etc. I call BS. When the foam around the ear guards begins to crack and the seal is compromised there is a much greater porous and moist environment there than tape will ever provide. It is beyond me but as many have stated, common sense is damn near extinct.

I am in favor of no headgear!

From my understanding the reason the rule was put in place is wrestlers were covering the holes in the sides of their headgear with tape. Hard head slaps caused several ear drums to rupture because air inside the headgear was unable to escape through the holes, and the head gear manufacturers were sued- but won because the headgear was not being worn as they had intended it. The NFHS needed to cover their rears from litigation, so they put the rule in place.