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Rick Bowden |
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WRESTLING
ANNOUNCEMENTS,
INTERPRETATIONS & OTHER INFORMATION
2007-2008 INTERPRETATIONS January 14, 2008 Each official can access the application form by logging on to the KSHSAA web site under the official’s tab (using their own unique password and their official’s number). Once on their own page, click on the sport of “wrestling” under the information as to the sports they are registered in, on the next page that comes up, they can click on “post-season application form”. Officials can fill out the page on-line and send it in, or print it out and fax it to the KSHSAA. IF THE FORM IS SENT IN VIA THE ON-LINE PROCESS MAKE SURE A CONFIRMATION COMES BACK INDICATING THAT THE FORM WAS RECEIVED AT THE KSHSAA OFFICE. Regional host sites – host sites were posted on the KSHSAA wrestling home page. Information re: the regionals will be sent by each host site manager to the schools assigned to the regional. Please remember that all entries will be done “on-line”. If you have questions regarding this process, contact the regional manager for your regional. State tournament pairings – we will also post on the KSHSAA wrestling home page under the heading “2007-08 State Tournament information” a link to the “state tournament brackets”. This initial bracket will show the pairings by regional designation. On Saturday, Feb. 16 the specific designation of each regional (as to which one is “A”, “B”, etc.) will be posted on our web site. On Sunday, Feb. 17, the actual brackets for each class will be posted on the KSHSAA wrestling page under the 2007-08 State Tournament information.
January 7, 2008 Example 1: Wrestler A weighs 134.9 pounds during a regularly scheduled school team competition weigh-in. At the weigh-in he passes a hydration assessment. He uses this as his certification weigh-in for 135#. At a subsequent regularly scheduled school team competition weigh-in, he weighs in at 139.7 and will be wrestling in the 140# weigh-class for that competition. Has the wrestler broken his 135# certification? Answer: No, since he only wrestled up one weight class above 135# class, he has not broken his original certification. Question: Can he use the hydration assessment when he weighed-in at 134.9 as meeting the hydration assessment for the later weigh-in at 139.7 so that he can be certified at 140#. Answer: Since the major concern with respect to hydration and the rationale for having hydration assessment for wrestlers is that wrestlers do not deplete/dehydrate themselves in order to reach a minimum weight, if in this case the wrestler wanted to certify at 140# and since he was hydrated at a weigh-in for a lower weight, the wrestle could use the 139.7 weight weigh-in as now his certified weight. Example 2: Same wrestler as in Example 1. After certifying at 135# class based on competition weigh-in at 134.9 and passing a hydration assessment at that weigh-in, opts to compete in the 145# weight class in a competition. Must he now “recertify” for the 135# class? Answer: Yes – when the wrestler competed in a weight class that is more than one weight class above his certified weight class, then they will have to “recertify” if the want to go back to their 135# (minimum weight class). By going up two weight classes over the initial certified weight class, they have voided that initial certification weigh-in and weight class. They would have to participate in a second regularly schedule school team competition weigh-in BEFORE the certification date (January 12, 2008) and pass a hydration assessment at that weigh-in, in order to be able to recertify for the 135# weight class. In addition, the wrestler must have a minimum of ½ of his total school team competition weigh-in’s (not including the regional competition weigh-in) at the 135# weight class in order to be eligible for the 135# class at the regional competition. Example 3: Wrestler A certifies at 145# and has wrestled in that weight class all season. For the regional meet the coach and the athlete determine that his best chance at placing in the regional and advancing to state is for him to wrestle in the 160# weight class. Can he do this and what must he weigh in order to do this? Answer: Yes he can do this and the fact that he is now NOT going to wrestle in his minimum (certified) weight class during the state tournament series (i.e., regional and state meet) means that he does not have to have a specific number of weigh-ins at the 160# class. HOWEVER, in order to wrestle at the 145# weight class his minimum weight at the time he weighs in for the regional MUST be something over 137# - which by his stripped weight at the regional weigh-in qualifies him for the 140# or 145#. It is wise to note that there are still some people that forget the NFHS rule requires that in order to compete in a class a wrestler must be eligible for that weight class based on the stripped weight of the wrestler. I’ve been present for regional weigh-in’s where athletes had to go eat and drink during the weigh-in in order to be eligible for a weight-class. Their stripped weight initially did not qualify them for the weight class they were entered into! Their coaches just assumed that they would be eligible regardless of their stripped weight because they were wrestling in a weight class that was above their certification weight – an erroneous assumption.
December 17, 2007 The results of coaches and officials on-line submission of answers to the NFHS Part I wrestling examination were also sent to the schools and to the coaches the week of Dec. 3rd. Officials can also now check on their own officials page and find out if they “passed” or “failed” the Part I examination. Failure means the official did not score 90% or more on the exam. This does not prevent the official from officiating during the regular season – it only means that they could not be assigned to work any KSHSAA regional wrestling or state wrestling tournament. Application of NFHS rule 4-2-5 – tooth and mouth protector for wrestlers wearing braces or special orthodontic devices. I recently visited with one of our wrestling coaches as to how this rule would be applied and about some concerns he had about these protectors coming out during competition. I contacted the NFHS with some questions and concerns and would like to provide them to you. SITUATION 1: During the match, Wrestler A (who is wearing a tooth and mouth protector because he has orthodontic devices) loses the protector and it comes out of his mouth a) with both wrestlers in neutral; b) just after Wrestler B has secured a leg and is moving toward a takedown; or c) while Wrestler B has Wrestler A in a near-fall situation. Should the official stop the match as soon as the mouth protector comes out? RULING: In applying the rule, officials should apply the same logic and mechanics as they would for other items of equipment (such as headgear) that come off during competition. In a) since no take-down was in progress, the official should stop the match when the mouth protector comes out. In b) and c) the official should delay stopping the match until the situation has ended or the takedown has been secured (assuming it was not a takedown directly to Wrestler A’s back). COMMENT: The official would not charge this to the wrestler’s injury time – it is to be treated just as if the head gear came off during wrestling. Since the mouth protector would need to be replaced and should be cleaned for health and sanitary reasons, before the wrestler put it in their mouth, the official may have to have allow some time for the wrestler to get the protector rinsed. Concern was expressed by the coach that a wrestler might use the dislodging of the mouth protector in an effort to recover from lack of conditioning or as a “stalling” tactic. From information provided by the NFHS, the wrestling rules committee did discuss this possibility when they were considering this rule change (4-2-5). During the discussion of this possibility, the committee felt that if the official performed their duties appropriately (i.e., warning and/or penalizing the wrestler for stalling if in the judgment of the official they were using this as a delaying tactic) then this should not be a problem. Changes to the NFHS wrestling rules book that were discovered after printing of the books: Corrections to Rule Book: (Underlining shows additions; strikethrough shows deletions.); Page 25, Rule 5-16-3 (Reversal):. . . In awarding a reversal at the edge of the mat, control must be established while the supporting points of either wrestler. . .; Page 27, Rule 5-22-1 (Random Draw): . . . Random draw is the random selection of one of the 14 weight classes to determine the order of weight classes for the dual meet. A random draw for championship final matches for an individual tournament, regular season and/or state high school championship series, may be used for competition.. . .; Page 57, Offensive Starting Position (New 5-20-6): This rule change now allows the offensive wrestler another choice from the offensive starting position after the period has startedduring the match. . . . Corrections to Preseason Guide: Page 1, Second Paragraph under "New Restart Option: Neutral Position:" . . . Rule 5-20-6 allows the offensive wrestler to request a neutral position on the restart after a period has started.during the match.; Page 1, Caption under picture: . . . When wrestling resumes either to start a period or after an out-of-bounds situation, offensivedefensive wrestlers will be able to choose a neutral position restart. . . ; Page 4, Fourth column under "Head Coach Penalized for Improper Uniform/Equipment:". . . The head coach shall not be penalized when a wrestler reports to the scorer's table withwithout headgear (PlayPic A) or shoelaces that are not properly secured (PlayPic B). . .
December 3, 2007 2.B.1 – Order of Competition The next question that arises is “What is the process used by the host school to select the starting weight?” Our current policy as provided in 2.B.1 does not answer that question. Beginning on December 3, 2007, it is the policy of the KSHSAA that the selection of the starting weight (if other than with the competition beginning at 103#) will be on the basis of a random draw conducted under the direction of the host schools administration (Principal, Athletic Director/Activities Director) but not by the host school’s coach. Application of NFHS rules re: misconduct and/or unsportsmanlike actions leading to removal of the offender The question that arose is this – “During a dual team tournament, a coach was penalized and removed from the premises for unsportsmanlike conduct during a match occurring during the first dual competition of the tournament. Is the coach removed from just that dual or is he removed from the entire day’s competitions?” After a lengthy review of the rules by the NFHS staff the following clarification was given – IF the competition is set up as a “tournament” as opposed to a dual, double-dual or triple-dual, then the contestant or coach removed under the provisions of NFHS rule 7-4-2, 7-5-3 or 8-1-4, is to be removed from the premises for the duration of that tournament. IF the competition is set up as dual, double-dual or triple-dual, then the contestant or coach removed under the provisions of NFHS rule 7-4-2, 7-5-3 or 8-1-4 will be removed from the premises during the duration of that competition/event. Example: if the competition is a triple-dual (for example) and the coach or the contestants actions were in violation of 7-4-2, 7-5-3 or 8-1-4 and they were removed from the first dual (for example), they could return for the second dual. HOWEVER, if the competition was a dual-team tournament, where teams were placed into pools and wrestled against the other team within their pool to decide the pairings for a final competition either by wrestlers individually or teams against other wrestlers or teams from the other pool(s), then any coach or contestant removed under the provisions of NFHS rules 7-4-2, 7-5-3 or 8-1-4 would be removed for the duration of the event (meaning all remaining competitions or rounds). For Coach misconduct or for flagrant misconduct by contestants, coaches or other team personnel, the removal from the premises of that individual is for the remainder of the competition – they would not be permitted to return.
November 26, 2007 KSHSAA forms – It is necessary to make one change in the form found in the KSHSAA wrestling manual. On the heading for the 8th column (left to right), it currently has “Alpha Weight”. That should be labeled as the “Certified Weight”. In that column you would record the stripped weight of the wrestler when they certify. The revised form on our web site, has that correction. WHEN SHOULD THE FORM BE SENT TO THE KSHSAA? RULE INTERPRETATIONS: Situation: A match is still tied at the conclusion of the one-minute sudden victory period in overtime. The referee penalizes Wrestler A for unsportsmanlike conduct: (a) prior to the start of the first 30-second tiebreaker; (b) in between the conclusion of the first 30-second tiebreaker and the start of the second 30-second tiebreaker; or (c) after the conclusion of the second 30-second tiebreaker, but prior to the start of the ultimate tiebreaker. Ruling: In (a) or (c), award the appropriate penalty points to Wrestler B and the match is over. In (b), award the appropriate penalty points to Wrestler B and continue with the second 30-second tiebreaker. (5-31-2; 6-7-1; 8-1-3; penalty chart) Situation: In the second 30-second tiebreaker, a wrestler was given the wrong choice. How is this handled? Ruling: This would be considered bad time with each segment of the overtime being considered just like a period in regulation match. The bad time would need to be corrected prior to the start of the next overtime period. The second 30-second tiebreaker would be re-wrestled after a one-minute rest. If the wrong wrestler in the first 30-second tiebreaker was give the choice, his or her opponent would be given the choice to start the second 30-second tiebreaker. (5-1-3; 6-6-2).
November 19, 2007 During the 2007 Wrestling rules meetings, coaches were asked to complete a three question survey. Question 1 was in regards to the adoption and the use of during tournament competition a “restricted zone” as permitted in NFHS wrestling rule 2-2-2. Question 2 and 3 were in regards to the use of a random draw as permitted in NFHS wrestling rule 1-1-2 to select the first weight class to be contested in the championship finals in the KSHSAA championship series (i.e., the regional and state tournament). Following the last KSHSAA wrestling rules meeting, the responses from the coaches attending the rules meetings were tabulated. Those results are as follows: Question 1 – adoption of a restricted zone – 73 coaches supported the adoption, 82 coaches opposed adoption and 28 coaches had no position on the question. During the KSHSAA Executive Board meeting on November 14 I reported on the survey and the survey results. The KSHSAA Executive Board is the body responsible for establishing policies and procedures (such as these items) for wrestling competitions. Based on the results of the surveys, the KSHSAA Executive Board took no action on any of the three items. Since the Board did NOT approve or adopt any of these items, they will not be effect during the KSHSAA State tournament series (i.e., the regional and the state). NFHS rule 2-2-2 does permit the adoption of a “restricted zone” during the regular season for any regular season tournaments. The use of a restricted zone would be at the discretion of the sponsoring/host school for the tournament. NFHS rule 1-1-2 provides that competition for meets during the regular season shall be set by a random draw. The KSHSAA Executive Board (see point 2.B.1 in the 2007-08 KSHSAA Wrestling manual, page 18) has determined that the order of competition for dual meets and tournaments during the regular season will be established a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled start of the competition. Schools may set the starting weight class for competition by a random draw (once the starting weight class is identified, then the weight classes would follow in weight order) for regular season. If the school does not use a random draw to set the starting weight class for competition, then the order will be the traditional one (103#, 112#, etc.). I would encourage all KSHSAA member schools to use rule 1-1-2 to select a starting weight class for regular season competitions. Use of this during the regular season may lead to more support by coaches to use the same process for the state tournament series. MRSA in Sports Participation MRSA is a form of the Staphylococcal aureus bacterium that has developed resistance to certain antibiotics. Originally only found in hospitals and nursing homes, it is now found in community settings. It is an aggressive bacterium that can spread quickly and usually appears as a boil or abscess. It can invade deeper tissues and can cause significant damage to skin and muscles. In some cases it has spread to the lungs of infected persons and can result in severe pneumonia. ATHLETES, ESPECIALLY THOSE PARTICIPATING IN WRESTLING, HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF EXPOSURE TO MRSA. Coaches are asked to secure information re: MRSA and to put into place the preventive and safety steps necessary to minimize exposure of wrestlers to this disease.
November 12, 2007 This will be the first in several weekly updates with interpretations or clarifications to KSHSAA or NFHS rules as they apply to wrestling. These updates will be posted Monday’s during the season – check this site for the weekly updates. NFHS rule 5-20-6 – Offensive wrestler’s choice of neutral NFHS rule 8-1-3 – Penalty administration KSHSAA Wrestling Hydration and Certified Weight Form – page 35 of the KSHSAA Wrestling Manual – Correction An error (that sometimes happens with “new” forms) was discovered on the form to be used for both the alpha weigh-in and the certification weigh-in that is on page 35 of the 2007-08 KSHSAA Wrestling manual. The error is the heading in the eighth (8th) column. This would be the column between the “Certified Weight Class” and the “H2O Asmt P/F” Columns. That column should be used to record the wrestler’s certified weight – not the wrestler’s alpha weight – i.e., record the weight they actually were the day they certified. For example, if the wrestler’s weight the day they certified was 169.5 pounds, then in the “Certified Weight Class” you would enter 171# and in the next column, you would enter 169.5#. My apologies for not noticing this error. |