Post by Wiltz on Feb 16, 2007 17:19:46 GMT -5
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/highschool/02/16/wrestling.weights/index.html
Weighty measures
Wrestlers learn to grapple with new weight-loss rules
Posted: Friday February 16, 2007 12:05PM; Updated: Friday February 16, 2007 12:05PM
By cutting weight through healthy measures over time, Stephono Griffin (left) has seen an improvement in his body and his health.
Diana Eliazov/ SI
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By Joe Lemire, SI.com
For an out-of-shape novice wrestler like Blue Ridge (New Milford, Pa.) sophomore Stephono Griffin, shedding a few pounds was as much about self-preservation as it was about fitness. In October, he had reported at 179 pounds -- with 29 percent body fat -- and Griffin's coach was "almost fearful for his health" when he competed against fitter athletes in that class, as he did at an early-season tournament.
"They were jacked," the 5-foot-8 Griffin recalls of his opponents. "I was a little shorter and a little chubbier. I didn't want to wrestle those guys any more."
So Griffin began to quickly drop weight, but not in the dangerous ways wrestlers have in the past.
This year the National Federation of High Schools implemented strict rules about how wrestlers could cut weight. A minimum level of hydration is now required for the preseason body composition assessment and gradual losses are stressed: 1.5 percent of weight per week to not less than 7 percent body fat for boys and 12 percent for girls. Each wrestler is given a weight-loss schedule, indicating when he or she becomes eligible to compete at a lower class.
The goal of the new rules is to improve both the health of the athletes and the image of the sport.
"It's a huge public relations tool with wrestling moms," says Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, noting how reluctant some parents had been to let their children wrestle.
In the past wrestlers have resorted to drastic measures before weigh-ins, which have sometimes resulted in disaster: At the collegiate level, three weight-cutting wrestlers died in 1997 in a 35-day span. The NCAA, which has since found that most of its championship wrestlers maintain an average body fat of 8.5 percent, instituted a weight management program in 1998.
Early feedback from high school coaches and administrators indicates that most wrestlers are grappling with the same opponents as last year -- but often at a higher weight class. In its inaugural year, the NFHS weight management program -- with each state association free to craft its own specific policy -- has been hailed as a monumental change for high school wrestling.
"This is a dramatic departure from what we've been doing in our sport for the previous 100 years," Moyer said.
With more practice time spent on technique rather than weight loss, the sport can shift its focus back to the competition. Scott Chenoweth, president of the Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association and coach of Perry High, says: "I wish this would have been in place back when I wrestled. The weight cutting was god-awful miserable."
Coaches at a few prominent wrestling schools such as Tony DiGiovanni at Solon (Ohio) and Russ Cozart at Brandon (Fla.), however, don't like the new system, saying it is too complicated and costly a solution for what really wasn't a problem at the high school level.
"It's a waste of time, and it's expensive," DiGiovanni says.
DiGiovanni and other coaches have formed a group called "A Better Way" and will sit down at the end of the season to brainstorm ideas for a simpler high school system.
But Griffin's case shows how the new measures, which will be reviewed by the NFHS in March, can help. Following the program's goals, he started losing about 2.5 pounds per week by improving his diet -- he cut out soda and started eating smaller meals -- and adding running and lifting workouts outside practice. In three-and-a half months, Griffin has lost 42 pounds and has reached his plan's lowest allowable weight class of 140.
"I have 10 belts, and only two of them fit," Griffin says. "My pants don't fit and my shirts are baggy."
Though Griffin may need a new wardrobe, he said he has more energy during the day and is committing himself this offseason to training so he can improve his 4-18 record. Blue Ridge assistant coach Jim Lewis doesn't think Griffin could have made such strides in fitness without the structure of the NFHS plan. Griffin agrees.
"I thought I might get down to 165," Griffin said. "An extra 28 pounds? Oh my gosh!"
Weighty measures
Wrestlers learn to grapple with new weight-loss rules
Posted: Friday February 16, 2007 12:05PM; Updated: Friday February 16, 2007 12:05PM
By cutting weight through healthy measures over time, Stephono Griffin (left) has seen an improvement in his body and his health.
Diana Eliazov/ SI
griffin, georgia New Homes
Search for new home communities at iNest - info updated weekly.
www.inest.com
Buy Griffins Cigars Online
Buy Griffins cigars at wholesale prices.
www.cheapercigars.com
melbourne oak griffin hotel
Find deals, read reviews from real people. Get the truth. Then go.
www.tripadvisor.com
griffin lodging
Get the scoop from travelers who know Griffin.
www.tripadvisor.com
By Joe Lemire, SI.com
For an out-of-shape novice wrestler like Blue Ridge (New Milford, Pa.) sophomore Stephono Griffin, shedding a few pounds was as much about self-preservation as it was about fitness. In October, he had reported at 179 pounds -- with 29 percent body fat -- and Griffin's coach was "almost fearful for his health" when he competed against fitter athletes in that class, as he did at an early-season tournament.
"They were jacked," the 5-foot-8 Griffin recalls of his opponents. "I was a little shorter and a little chubbier. I didn't want to wrestle those guys any more."
So Griffin began to quickly drop weight, but not in the dangerous ways wrestlers have in the past.
This year the National Federation of High Schools implemented strict rules about how wrestlers could cut weight. A minimum level of hydration is now required for the preseason body composition assessment and gradual losses are stressed: 1.5 percent of weight per week to not less than 7 percent body fat for boys and 12 percent for girls. Each wrestler is given a weight-loss schedule, indicating when he or she becomes eligible to compete at a lower class.
The goal of the new rules is to improve both the health of the athletes and the image of the sport.
"It's a huge public relations tool with wrestling moms," says Mike Moyer, executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, noting how reluctant some parents had been to let their children wrestle.
In the past wrestlers have resorted to drastic measures before weigh-ins, which have sometimes resulted in disaster: At the collegiate level, three weight-cutting wrestlers died in 1997 in a 35-day span. The NCAA, which has since found that most of its championship wrestlers maintain an average body fat of 8.5 percent, instituted a weight management program in 1998.
Early feedback from high school coaches and administrators indicates that most wrestlers are grappling with the same opponents as last year -- but often at a higher weight class. In its inaugural year, the NFHS weight management program -- with each state association free to craft its own specific policy -- has been hailed as a monumental change for high school wrestling.
"This is a dramatic departure from what we've been doing in our sport for the previous 100 years," Moyer said.
With more practice time spent on technique rather than weight loss, the sport can shift its focus back to the competition. Scott Chenoweth, president of the Oklahoma Wrestling Coaches Association and coach of Perry High, says: "I wish this would have been in place back when I wrestled. The weight cutting was god-awful miserable."
Coaches at a few prominent wrestling schools such as Tony DiGiovanni at Solon (Ohio) and Russ Cozart at Brandon (Fla.), however, don't like the new system, saying it is too complicated and costly a solution for what really wasn't a problem at the high school level.
"It's a waste of time, and it's expensive," DiGiovanni says.
DiGiovanni and other coaches have formed a group called "A Better Way" and will sit down at the end of the season to brainstorm ideas for a simpler high school system.
But Griffin's case shows how the new measures, which will be reviewed by the NFHS in March, can help. Following the program's goals, he started losing about 2.5 pounds per week by improving his diet -- he cut out soda and started eating smaller meals -- and adding running and lifting workouts outside practice. In three-and-a half months, Griffin has lost 42 pounds and has reached his plan's lowest allowable weight class of 140.
"I have 10 belts, and only two of them fit," Griffin says. "My pants don't fit and my shirts are baggy."
Though Griffin may need a new wardrobe, he said he has more energy during the day and is committing himself this offseason to training so he can improve his 4-18 record. Blue Ridge assistant coach Jim Lewis doesn't think Griffin could have made such strides in fitness without the structure of the NFHS plan. Griffin agrees.
"I thought I might get down to 165," Griffin said. "An extra 28 pounds? Oh my gosh!"