I have been out of the loop for a couple years- can anyone tell me what the weight certification is this year- s Kansas to the point like Ne. where they have to record all that info or just the pee test for hydration still

Kansas dos NOT require (a) the formalized descent plan (1.5% per week maximum) or (b) fat testing. These two components are required by the by the National Federation and Nebraska has adopted the National Federation rules.

Below are the BASIC components of the Kansas weight loss plan:

*Alpha weight must be hydrated.
*Maximum weight loss without a doctor's waiver is 8% of the alpha weight.
*Certified weight must be hydrated.
*Certification date (i.e. growth allowance granted) remains after Christmas (I think Jan. 10 is the latest date to certify this year).

Full explanations of the weight loss provisions are contained in the KSHSAA Wrestling Manual. Schools should be receiving the manuals very soon. They are sent to schools for each of the following persons: Head Coach, Principal, Athletic Director (if a different person than the Principal) and Supt.


Greg Mann
Norton

And oh by the way, you do not get your two pounds growth allowance until after January 17th. That is 23 days AFTER the mandated NO PRACTICE week. Doesn't make much sense to me. And PLEASE don't give me the "We wanted to give wrestlers a longer period of time to certify at a lower weight." The vast majority do not need more time but do need the two pounds after the holiday break. Lets go with a rule that makes sense to the majority not for special cases. There are only 4 weeks of competition left after that and five weeks before so you would have to do some creative scheduling to get your weigh-ins in before regionals. Please tell your little weight managment committee that it doesn't make sense.

And there's Will, right on cue. If nothing else, certainly consistent.

I will be sure to give "my" "little weight management committee" your regards.

Greg Mann
Norton

I can't say that I agree with Will on every point he makes. But this is one area that I feel like he is absolutely RIGHT on. I think if the weight management committee would poll the coaches, they would find the vast majority would favor allowing the 2# allowance after Christmas instead of waiting until the middle of January. When I say "poll the coaches", I don't mean just having them vote on it at the regional tournaments. I mean send out an initial questionnaire asking how many kids were at their certified weight before Christmas. I would guess over 90% of the kids were at their certified weight prior to Christmas(on our own team, that percentage was 100%). And then follow that up with actually letting coaches know the results so they can make an informed decision. If we had better information on how many kids actually need the extra month to get down to weight, it would be much easier to make a decision. Maybe I could even be swayed to voting for the mid-January date. But without the right information, its hard to make the right choice. I know my guys would sure enjoy the holidays more if they knew they had a little more cushion to work with on their weight.

The certification is a joke anyway, many of the kids are not hydrated with the amounts of weigth they are cutting and AD's simply look the other way. Let just have matside weigh ins and this would not be an issue.

24/7

A couple of years ago, I think we got the two pounds right after the break, it worked really nice, I am not sure why we went back but I am sure it had to do with something that Will said.

In the good old days...we got 5 pounds after Christmas break and it was awsome. There was no Hydration, Alpha weight, or anything else. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

The AD's that would "look the other way" really lack integrity and honesty. I understand that there are unethical people in every occupation who will lie, cheat, and steal, but I think most AD's are not cheaters. The ones who are "looking the other way" are obviously unethical, but also idiots because if they "look the other way" and a kid dies or gets really ill due to that, I would think they face some liability due to their negligence.

I agree.

24/7

I am with 24/7 for matside weigh-ins to eliminate all of the bs. I don't think AD's look at as cheating or unethical either. The bottom line is that the rules really don't make sense. It is another case where rules are for the minority and in this case the super small minority of instances where someone takes weight cutting to an extreme. Like many of you, I have been around wrestling my entire life. I have NEVER seen a case where someone has become seriously ill or died and I have seem some extreme weight cutting. From 7th grade until I quit wrestling in college we wore plastics from ankle to neck every day and no one ever passed out or had organ failure. We all know these rules are to fight the "perception" of weight cutting which has damaged the image of the sport. Yes, in 1997 three wrestlers died while weight cutting. Weight cutting was blamed and wrestling took it on the chin but any of you familure with these cases will know that all three were dehydrating while taking a supplement, creatin!

Saylor, 19, died in the morning hours of Nov. 7, 1997, while attempting to lose 15 pounds in 12 hours for his first collegiate meet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Charlotte News and Observer report there was little doubt that "dehydration resulting in hyperthermia - an exceedingly high body temperature - was a factor in the death of Saylor."

LaRosa, 22, died Nov. 21 while working out for four hours in the early morning, according to a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel report. With coaches present, LaRosa was riding a stationary bike in a shower room, wearing a rubberized suit and a sweat suit covering it, the report said. Hyperthermia and heat stroke played roles in LaRosa's death, officials said.

Reese, 21, who died Dec. 7, was trying to lose 17 pounds in "a couple of days," when he collapsed as a result of excessive training, the Chicago Tribune said. The death was due to rhabdomyolysis - cellular breakdown during high exercise that, combined with dehydration, resulted in kidney failure and heart malfunction, said the report.

Questions have arisen since the deaths about whether the use of a popular bodybuilding nutrient, creatine, adds to the hazards of rapid weight loss. Creatine, a combination of amino acids found in skeletal muscles, is popular among athletes in an artificial form that is available in health food stores in powder and capsule form. Wrestlers use it to recover more quickly from workouts and to help develop muscle bulk, but the abuse of creatine without sufficient water intake can cause the body to dangerously overheat.

Bruce Burnett, the national freestyle coach for USA Wrestling, said: ''Creatine retains water in your muscles, so it doesn't work as a coolant. It helps recovery and muscle mass. It's a problem if you take too much and don't follow directions.''

Jones said: ''Creatine is a supplement we use across the board. An athlete who takes it in the morning speeds his recovery for the afternoon. His muscles recover quicker. But if there's a lot of weight loss, don't take it. If you weigh 125 pounds before practice and 119 at the end, that's a 5 percent loss and it's O.K. if you don't dehydrate excessively.''

Jensen, the coach at San Francisco State, agreed that ''creatine is a big thing nowadays.'' He said members of his team used it last season, but ''I told them they needed to get off it.'' A couple of his wrestlers are still on it, including a heavyweight, but Jensen said he does not approve of its use because of concern about possible health risks.

Only these three deaths have EVER been attributed to the sport of wrestling. No high school wrestler death has ever been documented. The body is quite amazing and resilient.

All of these rules, tests, and complexities just make the sport less attractive. Matside weigh would eliminate all of this.

personaly i don't need more time to certify but the more time with the extra 2 pounds the better!

Read my lips MAT SIDE WEIGH INS

Amen brother! When I hear of kids weighing 10-14% of their body weight and they only have 4-6% body fat the rules clearly are not working.

24/7

At the very least, they should make everybody purchase a refractometer. The chart is not definite enough and the strips aren't either. My A.D. is always there and would never cheat, but sometimes you are simply guessing. We could have 3 people look at it and nobody knows. I really believe we should either follow National guidelines or go to mat side weigh ins. On another note, if my kid comes in and pisses the bottom color on that chart, not only is he not hydrated but I am taking him straight to the emergency room.