The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Wrestling Committee is making six immediate rules changes in reaction to the deaths of three wrestlers this season.
Among the changes is the banning of rubber suits used for dehydration, implementing a 7-pound weight allowance for this season and mandating all weigh-ins be no more than two hours before the start of competition.
Billy Jack Saylor of Campbell (N.C.) University, Joe Larosa of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Jeff Reese of the University of Michigan died within a two-month period during or after workouts to lose considerable weight for competition. The three deaths are the first in wrestling since it became an NCAA sport in 1928.
“Truthfully, I don’t think those kids would have been cutting the weight they did based on these guidelines,” said Northwestern coach Tim Cysewski. “There is no recovery time now. Two hours recovery time is pretty hard-core and that’s good. It still allows you to train in an effective and a healthy way. You don’t have to cut 15 pounds in two days. You can do it, but you’re going to feel (weak). Then you and the coach will find out it costs the team.”
The changes come the week of the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s national duals Saturday and Sunday at Iowa City. January and February are conditioning months for conference and NCAA tournaments in March.
“I’m not saying (the rules changes) will completely end anything, but they sure have restricted things,” said Cysewski, a former collegiate All-American at Iowa. “You do it right or not at all.”
Among the changes:
– Guidelines that discourage the use of rubber suits, diuretics, saunas, steam rooms and other practices of dehydration have been made a rule. Violations by both coaches and wrestlers will result in suspensions from the competition for which the weigh-in was intended. A second violation would result in a suspension for the season.
– For the remainder of this season only, a 7-pound weight allowance will be implemented. Wrestlers competing at 118 pounds, will be able to weigh as much as 125. A one-pound allowance is in effect for January, giving wrestlers an 8-pound allowance for the rest of the month.
– Wrestlers will be able to compete only in weight classes in which they have competed on or before Jan. 7.
– Weigh-ins will take place no more than two hours before competition.
– The use of artificial rehydration between the time a wrestler makes weight and competition is prohibited.
“At our April rules meeting, (we will meet) with the goal of making long-term changes that ideally will allow wrestlers to focus on competition rather than making weight,” said Mike Moyer, chairman of the Wrestling Committee and director of the Patriot Club at George Mason University.
