Heres an article I found, interesting
Let the wrestlers determine the outcome
Letter to the editor on stalling calls
By Jeff Herring, Greeley Colorado
I would like to raise a concern about the state of wrestling in Colorado, and offer a suggestion if I may.
I have been on all sides of the wrestling mat. As a wrestler, coach, official, father of a wrestler and most recently, a fan in the bleachers. I have seen tens of thousands of wrestling matches. To witness the State Wrestling Tournament Parade of Champions, still gives me goose bumps. However, I have not enjoyed it as much recently. The sport has changed in recent years.
The wrestlers have not changed, their styles or techniques are the same moves their fathers and grandfathers used. The fans have not changed, they still cheer hard for their team. What has changed, is the officiating.
During my last years of officiating, there was a big push for referees to call stalling more aggressively. The reasoning, as far as I understood, was to make the sport more exciting and fan friendly.
I have not observed the "Fan Friendly" change. I have seen just the opposite. I have watched fans sitting near me become infuriated with officials who call stalling, just for the sake of making a call. I have become disappointed in the'outcome of some matches myself, when I just wanted to watch two good wrestlers battle for a title, I went away disappointed that an official ruined the pureness of a sport, where subjective judging has no place. Remember, It's not figure skating or gymnastics.
This season I paid attention to what the people were saying. I heard things like "It isn't fair and square like it used to be." "I want to watch the kids decide who is the best, I don't want to see the ref have an influence on the outcome."
I got the impression that fans were leaving a wrestling match with a bitter taste in their mouth. Not because of the loss of their son or the team, but the feeling that some of the matches were not the true outcome. The out come seemed dictated by a referee who was overzealous with his stalling calls.
In the state tournament this year, I would estimate that there were about two stalling calls per match. (maybe more) When you figure that there are more than 1,600 matches wrestled, that would mean the referees called more than 3,200 stalling calls at the state tournament alone. Are we to believe that the best wrestlers in the state are a bunch of lazy, stalling wrestlers? Hardly, I saw some of the most dynamic wrestling you can be witness to. I must admit, the referees did call fewer stalling penalties during the finals this year. And that made it more pleasing to watch. One of the most exciting matches I watched at the State Tournament this year, was a scoreless tie. There were no stalling calls during the match. The wrestlers truly decided the match.
Let's look at what the stalling call is all about. The "stalling" rule is intended to keep a wrestler, who is leading the match, from using tactics for the purpose of keeping his opponent from scoring. These tactics would include riding without the intent to try to score, avoiding the opponent or simply holding on to a body part to burn time off the clock. To have referees call stalling to "liven up the match" is an abuse of the rule. My mentor Jack LaBonde Sr. once told me, "The best ref is invisible, he awards the points that are earned and keeps the wrestlers safe." And when he leaves the mat, and the crowd can't even remember he was there, then he did a good job."
I saw wrestlers called for stalling when they were in a cradle and they were trying desperately not to get turned. One wrestler was put in a double leg ride and a double under hook and was called for stalling. Some of the referees seem to forget that it is nearly impossible to move in this situation. Much less work out of it. I do not believe that a wrestler who is being held down on the mat with a leg ride and a power half, should be called for stalling, when the other option is to get turned and pinned.
Many of the stalling calls are not necessary. It does not make either wrestler work harder. It doesn't make wrestling more enjoyable to watch. It doesn't make sense for the referees to call as many stalling calls as they do, and in the process, inflame the crowd. Referees already take enough heat for making some unpopular calls. Why make it worse? And we all know that consistency with this call around the state or even with individual referees is not the same.
If referees are genuinely interested in making wrestling a spectator friendly sport, I would suggest using another call afforded them. It is called the "Stalemate."
Many times in wrestling matches, the action comes to a stop. Neither wrestler seems to be able to complete a move, or gain the advantage. These wrestlers are not stalling, they are just in a situation that occurs often in wrestling. When the referee calls a stalemate, the crowd is never unhappy. They view it as a good way to get the action started again without penalizing either wrestler. I believe that you can accomplish the goal of keeping wrestling active and fan friendly by using stale mate calls more than stalling calls.
Think about it, when was the last time you heard anyone complain that a referee made a bad stalemate call? When was the last time a ref made too many stalemate calls?
The stalemate call is the referees best bet to keep the sport interesting, fast paced and exciting. What gets the action moving more than restarting the match at the sound of a whistle?
Jeff Herring Greeley, Colorado
