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Coaches, athletes grapple with IHSA's new guidelines

BY PIONEER PRESS
STAFF WRITERS 1/1/04

Gone are the days when high-school wrestlers did anything and everything possible in dropping pounds to reach a specific weight class, as longtime Prospect head coach Gary McMorrow did as a Knights wrestler more than 30 years ago when he was encouraged to wrestle at 103 pounds rather than 135.

"I did a lot of foolish things," McMorrow admitted. "I wasn't eating very much or drinking very much, chewing gum all day instead of drinking water -- and I wore rubberized vinyl suits in saunas and steam baths. I never should have done that, and I if I had it to do over again I never would have done it. But you were worried about weight and not wrestling. I made the weight, but I was dehydrated and you can't function that way. I would have been stronger, and healthier, at 112 or 119."

And that's exactly why the IHSA instituted its own Wrestling Weight Control Program prior to the 2003-04 school-year, a program designed to determine the minimum weight class in which a wrestler may participate throughout the season based on a body-fat measurement of 7 percent for males and 12 percent for female wrestlers. Now, before a wrestler takes the mat, he or she must submit to a preseason urine-gravity test (which helps monitor hydration levels) and a skinfold measurement to determine an individual's body fat percentage.

At the time of measurement, any wrestler whose body fat percentage falls below 7 percent or 12 percent will not be allowed to lose any further weight to make a particular weight class. If the wrestler's weight falls between two classes, the wrestler must participate at the next-highest class. And if the wrestler meets an exact weight while also meeting the required body-fat percentage parameters, that particular weight class will be considered the wrestler's minimum weight class.

For example, if a wrestler's minimum determined weight is 131, that wrestler can't compete in the 125-pound weight class but must rather move up to the 135 class. On the flip-side, wrestlers aiming down may lose no more than 1.5 percent of their total body weight per week.

The IHSA's rationale for the new program is based upon many factors, notably increased awareness of health risks from dehydration and the negative impact on athletes who -- as McMorrow did -- lose weight at all costs to reach a weight class they and their coaches believe would net the best results.

"I think the kids have been historically cutting too much weight and not doing it safely," McMorrow said. "But now coaches are more knowledgeable, and kids are more aware of nutrition. You have to be sensible regarding health these days. We don't want to put any kids at risk -- the health of the athlete comes first.

"The whole thing takes a lot of paperwork and time, but it's worked out well for us here. We sent letters to the parents (in the summer) to let them know about the program ahead of time, and we (urine-gravity) tested all the kids we knew would be back, plus the incoming freshmen. We had great help from our trainer (Matt Guth) and everything went real smooth."

Not everyone is happy about the new testing. One of the staunchest critics of the new weight control measures is Notre Dame coach Augie Genovesi. Genovesi, who wrestled for the late legendary coach Chuck Farina at Leyden and has been the Dons' skipper for the past two decades, is incensed those most involved with the sport were not included in developing the new format.

"We basically had the (weight control) rules shoved down our throat," said Genovesi, who is a past president of the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. "The coaches had no opportunity to give any input into the program. And a majority of us resent it.

"Cutting weight has been a part of wrestling for as long as the sport has been organized. Weight comes off naturally, simply by working hard at practice, running and lifting weights.

"Most coaches, who wrestled themselves, remember the old days when guys cut weight the wrong way by going to saunas and wearing vinyl suits. We've learned from old mistakes.

"And what equality is this ruling? If the IHSA is going to do this they should be fair about it across the board. What about the other sports like cross country, gymnastics and swimming where they taper to lose weight? And look at football. What is the obesity level of some linemen?"

Guth said that despite the fact that implementing the new program's procedures, "is a time-consuming process, in keeping with the health welfare of our student-athletes, it is an appropriate thing.

"It has to do with body chemistry," he continued. "You have to have a certain amount of body fat to function. So if the procedure is done correctly, it establishes a safe wrestling weight. You don't want them getting too lean because they can harm themselves physically. Hopefully this teaches the kids when it's healthy to wrestle -- and not to cut the wrong amount of body weight. They should be able to be comfortable at their weight, not only to wrestle effectively but to be healthy."

Chuck Marth, Maine West's trainer, said his staff began implementing testing procedures in September, ahead of the IHSA's Oct. 19 target date for measuring to the program's exact specifications.

"That allowed them to get their weight down safely and be prepared to do it," Marth said. "The old way would be to starve yourself to make weight -- and then go eat like you're at a banquet. Now, they're only allowed to lose 1.5 percent of their body weight per week, so they're not going to starve themselves anymore. They're going to bring the weight down in a slow, consistent way, which we monitor daily. The guys who are conscious about it will use proper diet and exercise rather than starvation and dehydration, which can cause brain damage, kidney damage, liver damage -- some of which you can have for the rest of your life.

"So it's working for us. We're abiding by the spirit of the rule and to the letter of the rule. There are bugs (in the program), but it's just the first year doing it. I'm in favor of this system . . . the IHSA is on the right track -- kids can't lose weight the way they used to do it. The old concept came out of tradition, and by losing weight that way you're reducing the ability of your body to function. The body will break down muscle in order to lose weight. Now, you're reducing that likelihood. We want them to lose body fat, not muscle mass."

Some coaches believe a big part of the recent rulings have come as a result of the untimely deaths several years ago of wrestlers at the college level.

"Like so many things in our society today," Maine South coach Craig Fallico said, "I think this was a knee-jerk reaction to a problem. I understand the NCAA and IHSA have to react, because of the horrifying weight-cutting stories. But why single out wrestling? Look at football where guys have 40-50 percent body fat.

"I think the new plan is ideal for college-level athletes. They are adults and are done growing. But there is a big difference between guys that are 20 years old and kids that are 14. I just don't think the weigh-control laws are practical for high school kids.

"My own son wrestles here and I would never encourage our kids to do anything that would be damaging to their health. We have taught our kids about proper dieting and food pyramids. Coaches are much more responsible today."
Jim Harrier, Maine West's head coach and a former high-school wrestler (at Lockport) who didn't lose weight excessively (though he did run in rubber suits to make weight at 145), said he likes, "the theory of the new program but not the practice. There are better ways, in my opinion, to go about it. One of my big concerns -- is this test being done for other sports? I question how many kids in other sports are properly hydrated. Another problem -- it's alarming to incoming freshmen. They've never wrestled before, and you have tell them about urine tests and the like, and that scares off a lot of kids.

"Again, I think the theory of the new program is phenomenal. But they're so worried about kids cutting weight, what about kids who add too much weight? In order to wrestle at 189, you must weigh 189 or less. If you're 190, you're in the 215 weight class. So that kid will add weight, and how many kids will do it the healthy way and not just eat a lot of fast food? You hope a kid is eating a balanced diet, but there's not a coach supervising them 24 hours a day."

Morrie Geselter, former national Greco-Roman coach for Illinois and now a varsity assistant at Maine East, has already seen inequities with testing.

"Some of the testers (high school athletic trainers in most cases) have had about a one-hour training session for what they have to do. So depending upon who the tester is, there could be a huge variance in the results from one school to another.

"I saw a team come in here (at East) and I would guess that almost every kid was at 15-30 percent body fat. So they can cut as much as they want. While we on the other hand, can only cut 1.5 percent because our tester did a better job."

"We try to provide information and teach the kids about diet," Guth said. "And we're fortunate that we do have an educated group of younger people, and astute parents as well. The process is somewhat difficult to manage, but it is working relatively well nonetheless."

Maine East's current head coach, Emiliano Hernandez, has seen both sides of the issue. A former state champion himself at East in 1979, Hernandez well knows the importance of controlling weight the correct way.

"Years ago, there was not the information available that there is today," Hernandez said. "We didn't lose weight the right way, but we didn't know any better. I understand what is trying to be done with the new rules.

"But today's coaches are already much more informed about how to cut weight the proper way. You don't see abuses like you did in the old days."

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Flagstaff coach leading effort to add girls teams

Tim Tyers
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 2, 2004 12:00 AM

Now that female wrestling has become an Olympic sport, Flagstaff High coach Chris Giannola is the latest trying to help pioneer girls wrestling in Arizona.

It's not unheard of for girls to wrestle on boys teams and compete against boys, but the Olympics will pit girls vs. girls and that's what Giannola & Co. are attempting.

"It's growing," Giannola said. "It's not officially recognized, but Dave Severn (former Arizona State All-America and an aide at Deer Valley High) held a tournament at Deer Valley with about 80 girls competing last year.

"We've seen limited overall participation when girls compete against boys, but more and more are starting to get interested in competing only against women. Page High has about four girls, Coconino High has five or six, Tuba City has six - quite a few programs are starting to develop."

Severn's tournament for girls coincides with an annual tournament for middle-school boys.

Giannola's boys team is 8-6 in dual meets this season, and is led by 130-pound Jose Ontiveros, who is 15-1 after finishing fourth at that weight last year, and Scott Skinner, who is 14-2 at 215 and was a sixth-place state finisher last year.

He said he got the idea to start a girls program after the Eagles won the Tony Komadina Award for owning the strongest 5A and 4A girls athletic program.

"I thought we have so many outstanding women athletes, why not start a program for girls to compete in a separate division against each other," Giannola said. "We advertised it and had a meeting and 19 showed up for it, but only four followed up. The fact we have pay-for-play probably plays a big part."

Giannola's top girl wrestler is 112-pound Whitney Roberts, who owns a 15-2 record.

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Tualatin's Lang hopes for breakthrough year

01/01/04

DOUG BINDER

Tualatin's Sammi Lang always has dared to dream big.

And in 2004, she has a chance to knock down a couple of her biggest goals.

She wants to become the first girl to qualify for the state high school wrestling tournament out of the Pac-9 Conference.

And she wants to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.

Although not universally accepted by her wrestling peers -- who almost are exclusively boys -- Lang has forged ahead and continued to add to her list of accomplishments. She was second at the U.S. women's nationals in 2003.

"The only team that truly accepts me is my own team," Lang said. "The ones that I work out with accept me."

She is, however, gaining respect.

Lang won the 171-pound title at Tualatin's Outback Classic, including a 5-3 overtime victory over sixth-ranked Robbie Bergstrom of Roosevelt.

"She could make it to state, for sure," Tigard coach Vince Fritzie said. "She has the potential to beat some of the best ones around."

Lang placed fifth in her weight class at the Pac-9 district meet last season.

"I think it would be awesome to go to the state tournament and win a match there, but if I don't make it I won't be devastated," Lang said. "If I go to the Olympics, that's a little more important."

She is among a handful of state meet hopefuls at Tualatin. Senior Sean Lugo begins the season as a potential state champion at 275 pounds, and senior Josh Warren is hoping to make a return trip to the state meet at 152 pounds.

Sophomore Andrew Scott (103), junior Tory Nelson (112), senior Dan Morris (125), senior Ryan McMahon (140) and junior Bret Voorhees (189) are among those with strong opportunities to reach the state meet.

Tualatin has an increasingly competitive situation at heavyweight, where freshman Jake Wigfield and sophomores Eric Ramseyer and Dan Wright join Lugo to give the team depth.

Coach Matt Hamilton convinced former Oregon State heavyweight Andy Bowlby to assist with Lugo, the defending district champion.

"The sky is the limit with Sean," Hamilton said. "He can place as high as he wants to. He's so quick and aggressive."

Although Newberg and Canby figure to remain the top two teams in the Pac-9, Tualatin is developing the depth that could carry it up to the third or fourth spot. The Timberwolves were fifth last season.

Tigard: The Tigers are top-loaded with a group of wrestlers that could place high both in the Pac-9 district meet, and even at state.

Seniors Joey Nobriga (171) and Adam August (160) have been even in the training room and both figure to be among the top performers in their weight classes. Both rejoined the team after playing on the Tigers' state championship football team, and both were state meet qualifiers last season.

Nobriga, an all-state running back in football, has been wrestling at 189 but plans to move down later in the season. He was seventh at the state meet last season and is a defending Pac-9 champion.

Senior Colin Field-Eaton is one of the team's most improved wrestlers, and has hopes of reaching the state meet at 152 or 145.

Junior Ricky Hays (130) was a state qualifier as a freshman, and is another Tigard performer who has state meet aspirations, as does senior Danny Homma (140). Senior Adam Portwood, who is recovering from back surgery, could be a factor at 152.

"We have a lot of kids that can place high at districts, but we have holes in our junior varsity," coach Vince Fritzie said.

Tigard placed sixth in the Pac-9 last year and hopes to contend for the third or fourth spot along with Tualatin and Silverton.

Young wrestlers like freshman Andy Howe (103) and sophomores Patrick Laird (119) and Tyler Gillespie (189) could give the Tigers a bright future.

Sherwood: The Bowmen, 0-8 in dual meets this season, are rebuilding.

The team is led by four returning starters, including junior Calvin Davis, who placed sixth in the state last year at 135 pounds. He is 12-1 this season.

Senior Josh Malay (152), sophomore Daniel Hegerberg (119) and Judy twins Luke (130) and Chad (140), both juniors, give the team a handful of state meet hopefuls.

A lack of depth has hurt Sherwood in some cases. The heart of the team is in the middle weights, but it has been forced to forfeit matches at 103, and at 215 and 275.

The team also has waged a difficult preseason schedule against primarily Class 4A teams.

Freshman David Irish (145), junior Joey Thiessen (160), senior Drew Karpeles (152), sophomore Luke Gilgan (135) and Zartman twins Kyle (171) and Cody (189), both seniors, are also key performers.

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Athens 2004: Wrestlers Resume Camping Jan. 14

Boye Ajayi
Lagos 12.30/03

The Nigerian wrestlers who were decamped for the Christmas holidays will be resuming at their regular campsite at Yenegoa, Bayelsa State on January 14 for the last round of the selection process, preparatory to the Athens 2004 Olympic qualifiers.

THISDAYSports gathered from the Secretary General of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Josephat Ochi that the athletes will be resuming afresh after the festivities to perfect their training for the Olympic qualifiers.

Among the invited wrestlers for the Olympic qualifiers are Sammy Oziti (48kg), Rose Daniel (48kg), Affiong Okon (51kg), Mercy Anaeke (51kg), Hanna Sanni (55kg), Lovina Odohi (55kg), Oyina Tangi (59kg), Helen Okus (59kg), Happiness Brutu (63kg), Becky Ademoh (63kg), Helen Opara (67kg), Korutimi Pabor (67kg), Josephine Moses (72kg) and Priscillia Seidu for the female category.

Male wrestlers called to camp included Isaac Jacob (55kg), Oziti Joe (55kg), Dorgu Tebe (60kg), Isaac Boaz (60kg), Fred Jessey (66kg), Darosa Blessing (66kg), Dick Adebo (74kg), Boltic Sinivie (84kg), Robert Daufagha (74kg), Joel Enetimi (84kg), Are Agberekeme (96kg), Samuel Ebikabovei (96kg), Seiwari Wilson (120kg) and Uwandu Onyewuchi (120kg).

However, the team under the guidance of a five- man technical crew led by the chief coach of the federation, Panov Stonel will jet out of the country to Bulgaria later in the month for a training tour so that they could have access to first class training facilities in readiness for the qualifiers.

The Nigerian wrestlers mainly in the free style category will encounter their counterparts from Slovak and Bulgaria in February for one of the tickets for the Athens Olympic Games in August.

The Secretary General of NWF disclosed that in all, the IWF had scheduled a total five Olympic qualifiers, with the remaining three coming up in France, America and Eastern Europe.

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First ever women's wrestling in April

BSS, DHAKA 12/28/03

The first Women's Wrestling Championship will be held from April 15 next year at the National Sports Council Gymnasium.

Bangladesh Amateur Wrestling Federation (BAWF) will organise the championship, a press release of the federation said on Saturday.

Eight weight categories-----40 kg, 44 kg, 48 kg, 51kg, 55kg, 59 kg, 63kg and 67 kg---will be at stake in the first ever women's wrestling meet.