Matt will be posting clarifications about the skin form and requirements today. I was wrong in stating the form must be 7 days or less old.

What about for stitches? Anything needed?

Skin Release Forms
Kansas Kids Wrestling does not have a 3 day or 7 day requirement that a form must be signed before a tournament – the 3 day wording comes from an example given on the back of the skin release form under "Important Components for an Effective Form", paragraph 3. It is just an example, but not a rule.

The skin release form USAWKS uses lists an "expiration date" and an "earliest date may return to participation". As long as the form compeltely filled out (for the current season)and covers the present skin lesion, then the wrestler should be allowed to participate - unless an appropriate health care provider is present at weigh-in, and overrules the form. The KSHSAA has defined an appropriate health care provider as an MD, DO, or PA-C. With that said, the head tournament official always has the final say.

Rule 4-2-5 specifically covers a "specific condition such as a birthmark or other non-communicable skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema . . ." That rule is designed so a wrestler does not have to get the form redone multiple times during a season for such a situation.

Our By-Laws require a physicians letterhead or prescription form to accompany the skin release form, however, our skin release form does not say anything about that requirement. Because such a requirement is not listed on the form, it would unfair to require such letterhead or prescription form from the doctor to accompany the skin release form. Therefore, no letterhead or prescription form is required.

Matt Treaster
Executive Director
Kansas Kids Wrestling

Maybe I have a misunderstanding here, but I have always been under the impression that if a By-Law needs to be changed it has to go before the state body meeting. Is this not actually the case? If this is part of the By-Laws how can it be changed now not to require a letterhead or prescription form attached to the silhouette form?

For the record this seems like a really bad idea not to require the letterhead or prescripton form even if it doesn't state it directly in the silhouette form. It basically allows anybody the ability to print off a form and fill it out themselves. It doesn't give the officials performing skin checks any additional ability to verify that the skin problem is not an issue.

Rich Zimmerman

So you expect every parent to go through and read all the by-laws to figure this out? If it is not on our skin release forms how would anyone know that the letterhead or prescription is required?

No I don't expect parents to be required to read through the bylaws to figure out this is required. I don't think it is unreasonable though to expect club directors to know the rules by which they are being governed and to read through them and know that it's a requirement. They could then inform their parents of this requirement when getting a form filled out.

I know that we tell everybody that wrestles for Salina of the requirement, that I make it a requirement at our tournament, and that we tell everybody that has a skin issue when we are asked to host a satellite weigh-in of the requirement.

Rich Zimmerman

My son came down with Impetigo a couple of weeks ago. It seems that this season has had a lot of skin diseases, more than I remember in the past. Impetigo is pretty nasty, so take precautions if your wrestler exhibits any skin irregularities (go see the doctor).

Salina was a tourny where we were questioned about a scar I showed the skin form without any letterhead or prescription and we passed skin check we were not asked to show letterhead or prescription

Jeremy if that was the case, then you probably got by skin checks when you shouldn't have. I can tell you that I sent a whole lot of people to StatCare even though they had forms because they didn't have a letterhead or prescription form attached to it. If your wrestlers got booted from State for a skin disease he got from somebody with a bogus form at Subs or District I would imagine your view on the subject would change.

Regardless though of whether you got by at Salina or not, this rule is in the bylaws and should be followed. The argument that "I didn't know" doesn't exclude you from having to follow the rules and guidelines.

Sorry Matt, I don't see anything under the By-Laws for Rule 4-2-5

Is it under Kansas Kids' Bylaws (effective 10/30/2011)
or Bylaws of USA Wrestling-Kansas, Inc.?

The by laws need to be changed or this rule needs to be put on the form that is being provided on this website by usawks. I had never heard of this rule before it was brought up here and have never seen it enforced at any tourny, but I guess I will be going back to the Dr again to get some letterhead.

Rich, in this day and age of computers your arguement on people filling out their own paperwork does not hold water, anyone could create paperwork that had letterhead on it.

Jeremy, I totally agree with you that it should have been stated on the form once that By-Law was created. I even think the form that's on the website needs to be updated immediately to conform to the By-Laws. I don't know when that By-Law was initially created, but somebody at some point in time must have dropped the ball on that.

I'll also agree that if somebody wants to bad enough they will find a way to cheat the system. I don't necessarily think that because a small percentage of people will find a way around it makes the rule flawed. I don't see what the problem with is with getting a letterhead or prescription pad attached to the form for those people going to the doctor. I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the usefulness of the By-Law, since I don't see either of us changing our opinion on it. It sounds like this is definitely something that should be brought up at the State Body meeting though.

I still would like to hear clarification from somebody on whether the By-Law can be changed without it going before the State Body though. Like I stated earlier, it was my understanding that this was a requirement. Maybe Tom, Matt or Richard could clarify that for everybody.

Rich, I don't have a problem with having to get the letterhead my problem is with not knowing about it, most parents don't talk to their club directors or head coaches when it comes to filling out skin sheets they just print them off and go to the Dr and I believe you are correct the by-laws can't be changed without going before state body.

Anyone see Rule 4-2-5 in the by-laws? Thanks

I'm guessing he got the number of the rule wrong Jimmy. Rule 4-2-3 which falls under the section on Tournament Operations is on page 19 and states the following.

The written documentation must consist of the form designed by USAWA-Kansas Kids, Inc. This form must be accompanied by a physician's letterhead or prescription form.

Let me just say, I had to make a last minute appointment for my son with ezcema to get all the requirements on the form that everyone is complaining about. The D.O. was floored when I told her everything that was needed.

Thanks Rich, saw that but still doesn't clearly explain the subject of non-communicable skin disorders. I think I'll play it safe and just get a new form. This definitely needs to be addressed at all district/by-law meetings in the fall. Smithy, it IS indeed a pain, I had 30 minutes to do it in last year at state... Good luck to ya.