Sunday, December 12, 1999
HIGH SCHOOL INSIDER
Wrestling rule targets rapid weight loss
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Extensive weight loss by wrestlers, sometimes resulting in permanent physical damage, is a concern that the Ohio High School Athletic Association addressed with a rule change last season.
The rule's second season probably will be a better indicator of whether or not the OHSAA's efforts have been successful in stopping crash weight loss by wrestlers attempting to win a starting position in open weight classes, sometimes 20 to 30 pounds from their normal weight.
“It's hard to tell after only one year if the new rule has had a positive effect,” Mason wrestling coach Tim Keeton said. “The change was initiated after a college wrestler died two years ago.”
Wrestlers must weigh in and declare for the sectional tournament on or before Jan.8. They then must wrestle in at least 50 percent of their matches at the declared weight prior to the sectional Feb.14.
“Once a wrestler certifies, he can't go down a weight class but can wrestle up,” Keeton said. “If a wrestler fails to compete at the 50 percent level, he or she is ineligible to compete in the tournament.”
Keeton said the rule has some drawbacks.
“Suppose a wrestler gets hurt after the certification and is out for the season,” Keeton said. “If no other wrestler on the team certified at this weight class, it will be an automatic forfeit for the team.”
Most coaches have been cognizant of the dangers of extreme weight loss and have taken measures on their own to prevent it.
Keeton said the biggest weight losers usually didn't wrestle at the varsity level when he was a competitor at Lockland.
“I'm in favor of anything that stops unnecessary weight loss,” Keeton said. “We want the kids to use common sense. That means eating three square meals a day except the day of the match.”
Officials from the OHSAA are taking a wait-and-see attitude before making additional rules changes.
SELLET OUT: After playing 11 football games without an injury, Nick Sellet, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound senior at Oak Hills, suffered a season-ending injury during basketball practice.
Within the next two weeks, Sellet will undergo anterior cruciate ligament surgery that could jeopardize his chances of receiving a football scholarship.
“Nick recently made the decision to play college football,” Oak Hills football coach Steve Sheehan. “He's off the chart academically, and the Ivy League schools were interested. My gut feeling is that they won't back off.”
Sellet averaged more than 20 points a game for the basketball team last season and was expected to lead the Highlanders again this season.
STATE CHAMPS: The OHSAA awarded 25 state team championship trophies for fall sports, and Cincinnati schools captured five.
Ursuline (girls golf), Colerain (Division I girls cross country), Lakota West (Division I girls soccer), Summit Country Day (Division II boys soccer) and Mount Notre Dame (Division I volleyball) were the recipients.
CLASSIFIEDS: Norwood is looking for a head football coach. Send resumes immediately to Steve Zimmerman, Norwood High School, 2020 Sherman Ave., 45212.
LaSalle is looking for a boys volleyball coach. Call Dan Flynn at 741-2686 before Dec.20.
St.Xavier is looking for a head soccer coach. Call Pete Boylan at 761-7815, ext 127.
Moeller is looking for track coaches. Call Barry Borman at 792-3340.
Goshen is looking to schedule seventh- and eighth-grade basketball games this season. Call Bill Schmidbauer at 722-2227.
FOOTBALL ATTENDANCE: Attendance at the six state football championship games last weekend in Canton and Massillon was 59,731, up 3,749 over 1998.
Attendance was down in Division I (minus-542) and Division V (minus-411) but up in Division II (252), Division III (2,041), Division IV (1,063) and Division VI (1,346).
As expected, the Division I game between St.Ignatius and Huber Heights Wayne drew the largest crowd (14,550). The smallest crowd was 6,997 for the Division V game.
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