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New interpertation/clarification from OHSAA/NFHS
Clarification 1/22/08: Team Personal/Tshirts
Clarification1/3/08: Match Stoppage and Weigh-ins/Growth Allowance
Clarification to the use of Hair Covers
Second Injury Time Out
Preseason updates from NFHS or as PDF
Rule changes for 2007-2008 or as PDF
Clarification 1/22/08 Team Personal /Tshirts
1a) Does a Board-Approved coach have to be in the chair during a tournament or can a fellow wrestler (in uniform or not) and/or a parent (not necessarily that wrestler's parent)?
Answer: The rules book states that a maximum of two team personnel (coaches and/or non-participating contestants) will be permitted on chairs at the edge of the mat. As long as that person in the chair has been designated by the Head coach, it is okay, so it can be another coach, wrestler or parent. Keep in mind, The Head coach is responsible for whom ever is setting in the chair and they are subject to all OHSAA / NFHS rules.
1b) Does a wrestler have to have someone in the chair and where is that stated? Some teams have only two coaches and are in tournaments that run 3 or more mats.
Answer: Use common sense in this situation. There is nothing in the rule book that states someone has to be in the chair, however, we do want someone in the chair to take responsibility for the wrestler should he/she get injured or require an opinion from the chair. We would advise officials, not to start the match before someone representing that team or wrestler, is in the chair. The official can take an "officials time out" to provide time for someone to take the chair representing the school. Keep in mind, the Head coach is responsible for whom ever is setting in the chair and they are subject to all OHSAA / NFHS rules.
1c) Can a wrestler refuse to start a match if he doesn't have a coach and would that then count toward the "5-minutes to appear" rule?
Answer: No. A wrestler can't refuse to wrestle if he doesn't have a coach, but as stated in the last question, we want our officials to provide time to allow someone to take the chair representing the school for that wrestler. The Head coach is responsible for whom ever is setting in the chair and they are subject to all OHSAA / NFHS rules. In addition, the 5 minute rule would not apply to this, because the wrestler is on the mat and ready to wrestle.
2a) An increasing number of wrestlers want to wear Under Armour-type t-shirts under their singlets. The rule allows the official to permit this if a sufficient reason exists. Can a wrestler state that it is against his religious beliefs and if yes, would that then mean that he should also be wearing tights?
Answer: The rule allows the official to permit a wrestler to wear a tight fitting short sleeve shirt under the uniform provided there is sufficient reason...i.e. because of an acne condition or non-contagious skin problem, or a heavy wrestler for modesty reasons, etc. I would also allow it if requested by a female wrestler for modisty reasons, too. However, the OHSAA / NFHS does not provide an exception for religious reasons, therefore, a request for exception based on this reason would not be granted.
2b) There is a wrestler that has a doctor's note stating he needs to wear a long sleeve Under-Armour shirt. I had not seen this wrestler until one of the later rounds of a pool tournament and when I questioned the long sleeve they said he had wrestled all the earlier rounds and that he does have a doctor's note. I allowed him to wrestle with it but informed the coach that he would need an OHSAA waiver similar to a prosthesis. Please advise on how this should be handled.
Answer: As stated in the previous question, The rule allows the official to permit a wrestler to wear a tight fitting short sleeve shirt under the uniform provided there is sufficient reason...i.e. because of an acne condition or non-contagious skin problem, or a heavy wrestler for modisty reasons, etc. I would also allow it if requested by a female wrestler for modisty reasons, too. As far as a doctors note regarding the request, it would still be up to the official to determine whether or not there is sufficient reason to wear the shirt under the uniform....the reason we are stating this in this way is that we do not want a doctors note allowing a wrestler to wear an under garment to cover a contagious condition thus trying to make it legal. Covering a contagious condition does not make it legal and would not permit the wrestler to wrestle. In addition, since this is considered special equipment, the official will have the final say. In addition, the current rule would not allow a long sleeve shirt, because it would be a disadvantage for the other wrestler, unless written permission has been granted by the OHSAA.
Clarification 1/3/08: Match Stoppage and Weigh-ins/Growth Allowance
Situation: Pinning combination and stopping a match
Wrestler A put wrestler B on his back in a near-fall situation with a cradle while the official counts to 5 for the near fall. Eventually wrestler B bellies up and goes to his stomach while wrestler A still maintains a locked cradle on wrestler B. Wrestler B indicates that he is hurt and the official stops the match. What are the correct points earned by wrestler A?
Ruling:
Since Wrestler A still has a locked cradle and the near fall points have not been awarded by the official, Wrestler A would receive a four point near fall. (Three for the near-fall and one additional point for having to stop the match). The rational for this is that even though wrestler B has belled up and is on his stomach, he is still technically in a pinning combination and near-fall situation, because the official has not yet awarded the near fall points. In this situation, the injury to wrestler B forces wrestler A to release the pinning combination and end the pinning situation.
Keep in mind, the 90 degree rule has no bearing in this situation. It only applies to a situation where no near-fall points have been earned and indicates a near-fall was imminent when the official had to stop the match for an injury, technical violation or illegal hold for wrestler B.
Situation: Weigh-ins and Growth Allowance
A wrestler is moving down to the 112 pound weight class on Dec. 26th for a tournament. The wrestler weighs in at 113 pounds....can he/she take advantage of the two pound allowance that was given on Dec. 25th if this is the first time he is wrestling at this weigh class.
Ruling:
No.. The OHSAA Weight Monitoring Program includes a growth allowance. A two pound growth allowance will be given on December 25. A Growth allowance may not be utilized to achieve a lower minimum weight for a wrestler.
In order to utilize the growth allowance, a wrestler shall compete at “scratch” weight in the desired weight class at least once prior to using the two pound growth allowance or any other addition pounds for continuous days of competition.
Situation: Weigh-ins and weight classes
A wrestler has worked his way down and made scratch weight at the 112 weight class. On a particular day, he weighs in at 115 pounds and wants to wrestle at the 125 pound weigh class for a given match or tournament. If the wrestler competes in the 125 pound weight class, does he/she forfeit the ability to wrestle at the 112 pound weight?
Ruling:
No, the wrester will still be allowed to compete at the 112 pound weight class. Only if a wrestlers scratch weigh is two weight classes above his weight class will he eliminate himself from the lower weight class, which in this example is the 112 pound class. In this case, the wrestler is only weighing in one weigh class above his weigh class even though he is going to wrestle at 125 pounds.
Point of emphasis.......one of the reasons for the weigh management program is to eliminate and discourage rapid weight loss in wrestlers from week to week...hence the 1 1/2% per week limitation. Coaches should discourage wrestlers from dramatic weight change. Case in point, a wrestler should not make scratch weight at 112 pounds one week, then move up his actual scratch weight to 119 pounds the next week and then back down to an actual weight of 112 pounds the next, etc. This defeats the purpose of controlled weight loss and is not healthy for the wrestler...in addition, it doesn't comply with the limitation of losing more than 1 1/2% weight loss per week.
Clarification to the use of Hair Covers
The NFHS has clarified their position on Hair Covers......a wrestler can have rubber bands, braided hair and corn rolls as long as they are covered by the appropriate Hair Cover. If the Hair Cover comes off during the match, do not penalize the wrestler....just have the wrestler put the cover back on. However, if a wrestler has any metal objects in the hair or ears, etc....then they would be penalized appropriately. The reasoning behind this is that metal objects could become harmful to the wrestlers.
How should you handle a situation where the cover keeps coming off?
1st time.....officials time out....have the wrestler put the Hair Cover back on
2nd time....officials warns the wrestler that he/she must make sure it doesn't come off again...tape it, etc.
3rd time....start injury time.....wrestler is charged with one injury time out
4th time....start injury time.....wrestler is charged with second injury time out and the other wrestler gets his/her choice of re-start.
5th time....match is over...the other wrestler wins by default.
Second Injury Time Out
Situation "A":
In a dual meet, wrestler A has choice for starting position in this weight class - Wrestler A takes his 2nd injury timeout at the end of the 1st period, thus giving Wrestler B his choice of starting positions at the start of both the 2nd and 3rd periods. Wrestler B then takes his 2nd injury timeout in the middle of the 2nd period. Since "A" would then get choice on the restart, who gets the choice to start the 3rd period (A should have had choice to start the 2nd period as determined by the pre-meet flip)?......or
Situation "B" - Put the above situation in a tournament. Since "A" has taken his 2nd timeout at the end of the 1st period, the official doesn't flip his disk because he "knows" that "B" gets his choice at the start of both the 2nd and 3rd periods. Now wrestler B takes his 2nd timeout in the middle of the 2nd period and "A" gets his choice on the restart. How is the choice to start the 3rd period determined - flip the disk between the 2nd and 3rd period?
Ruling:
In either of these situations(A or B), you would take the following course of action. We have already determined that A took his second injury time out at the end of the 1st period so B was getting both choices in the 2nd and 3rd periods. However, if B takes his second injury time out in the middle of the 2nd period, everything goes back to normal. So, A would get his choice at the restart in the middle of the 2nd period and the wrestler who did not get his choice at the start of the 2nd period, would get his choice at the start of the 3rd period....which in this case is wrestler A.
Preseason Interpretations and Updates from the NHFS & the OHSAA Top of the Page
Revision of NHFS 2007-08 Preseason Guide
Optional start situation
Situation:
With 10 seconds left in the third period, both wrestlers go out of bounds in a flurry of action. Once Wrestler B is set (down on all fours), Wrestler A indicates he wants the Optional Start by properly signaling his desire to the Referee. The Referee informs Wrestler B of the Optional Start. Once both Wrestlers are set the Referee blows his whistle to initiate action. Wrestler A pushes off of wrestler B and takes three steps backward, but Wrestler B does not move.
Ruling:
Since Wrestler A has initiated action by pushing off and stepping backward, Wrestler B would be either warned or penalized for stalling, without stopping the match. If, after the warning he still refuses to move, he would be penalized a second time for stalling. The Referee may choose to instruct both Wrestlers with the command “Action”. However, if there is no action within 3 - 5 second, stalling should be called on Wrestler B.
New Restart Option: Neutral Position, Located on Page 2, Situation 3.
Situation:
Both Wrestlers go out of bounds. For the second time in a row, Wrestler A waits until Wrestler B gets set in the defensive starting position (down on all fours) and then signals to the Referee that the decision is for a neutral Restart.
Ruling: The Referee should allow the Neutral restart, just as he would allow the choice of the Optional start in this situation. It was never the intent to penalize the offensive wrestler in this situation. If, however, Wrestler A kneels down to assume the starting position, then decides he wants a neutral restart, we would have delay of match, which is stalling.
Situation:
At the start of the second period, wrestler A gets his choice of position and indicates he wants the Top position. Once wrestler B is set, wrestler A changes his mind and says he wants the Neutral position. Can wrestler A change his mind at this point without a penalty?
Ruling:
No. Once wrestler A decides on a position and the bottom man is set, he can no longer change his mind. Wrestler A would be called for delay of match and warned or penalized for stalling. (Once wrestler A is penalized, the official would ask him what position he wants at that point and start the period.)
Situation:
In the second period Wrestler A has his choice to start the period and chooses Neutral position . At the start of the third period, Wrestler B gets his choice to start the period and takes the Bottom position. Then Wrestler A says he wants a Neutral start. Can Wrestler A request the Neutral position?
Ruling:
Yes, Wrestler A can request the Neutral start even though Wrestler B had his choice to start the period. The thinking behind this is that Wrestler B did in fact get his choice to take the bottom position, so
Wrestler A can then let the Official know he wants Neutral. The Official will signal the Neutral position and give Wrestler B one point for an Escape and start the wrestlers on their feet.
Figure-four from a neutral position / scissors
Situation:
Wrestler A shoots in for a takedown and wrestler B applies a figure-four…..while the official allows wrestler A to finish the move, wrestler B’s figure-four turns into a scissors which is illegal. The official immediately stops the move and penalizes wrestler B for the figure-four which is a technical violation. Should wrestler B also be charged for an illegal hold?
Ruling:
No. The official should just penalize for the technical violation in this situation. The official should be in position to stop the figure-four before it becomes an illegal scissors. If on the other hand, wrestler B was trying to intentionally hurt the other wrestler with the scissors, then the official could call him for unnecessary roughness and penalize accordingly.
Dick Loewenstine, OHSAA Interpreters.
Ray Anthony
Lyle Smith
Preliminary – 2007 - 2008 Wresting Rules Changes Top of the Page
1-1-2a
NEW
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.
Rationale: This rule change allows a random draw for championship final matches in individual tournaments
conducted during the year. This would create a more consistent format for individuals to go along with team
tournaments.
3-1-1 The referee's uniform consists of a short sleeve knit shirt, with alternating black and white 1-inch stripes, or gray
with black pinstripes, or an event provided shirt common to all referees at that event...
Rationale: This change would allow referees and states another option for their referee's uniform in wrestling.
The gray shirt with black pinstripes has been allowed by other sports organizations in wrestling, and has been
well received by the fans, coaches, and referees.
4-2-3 If a participant is suspected by the referee or coach of having a communicable skin disease or any other condition
that makes participation appear inadvisable, the coach shall provide current written documentation, as defined by
the NFHS or the state associations, from a physician stating that the suspected disease or condition is not
communicable and that the athlete's participation would not be harmful to any opponent...
Rationale: This rule change would help clarify the current rule in that the current written documentation from a
physician needs to be on an approved form from either the NFHS or a state association.
4-2-5
NEW
Each contestant who has braces or has a special orthodontic device on their teeth, shall be required to wear a
tooth and mouth protector. A tooth and mouth protector (intraoral) which shall include an occlusal (protecting
and separating the biting surfaces) and a labial (protecting the teeth and supporting structures) portion and covers
the teeth and all areas of the braces or special orthodontic device with adequate thickness. This would include
upper and lower teeth if devices are present on both. It is recommended the protector be properly fitted and:
1. Constructed from a model made from an impression of the individual's teeth and braces or special orthodontic
device.
2. Constructed and fitted to the individual by impressing the teeth and braces or special orthodontic device into
the tooth and mouth protector itself.
Rationale: The NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee feels that it would be in the best interest from a
safety perspective that if a wrestler does have braces, or wears a special orthodontic device on their teeth, they
should be covered to protect their opponent from injury when coming in contact with the mouth and teeth.
Coaches have expressed concern about frequent stoppage of matches because of blood time-out secondary to
brace-inflicted wounds.
5-20-5a
NEW
Prior to assuming an offensive starting position, the offensive wrestler may signal to the referee the neutral
position. The defensive wrestler is awarded an escape, and wrestling begins from the neutral position.
Rationale: This rule change would now allow the offensive wrestler another choice from the offensive starting
position.
5-31-1 Coaches and Team Personnel. Unsportsmanlike conduct of coaches and other team personnel is any act which
becomes abusive or interferes with the orderly progress of the match. These acts may occur prior to, during or
after a match. This includes violations of the bench decorum rule (7-5-2), taunting, acts of disrespect, or those
actions which incite negative reaction by others. The offender shall be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct in
accordance with the Penalty Chart. The head coach shall be penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct if wrestlers
report to the scorer's table not in proper uniform, not properly groomed, not properly equipped or not ready to
wrestle. Exception: The head coach shall not be penalized when a wrestler reports to the scorer's table with shoe
laces that are not properly secured.
5-31-1
Cont’d
Rationale: This rule change now gives rules support for a penalty that reflects the intent behind Rule 1-2-7,
which requires the head coach to verify their wrestlers are in proper uniform, properly groomed, properly
equipped and ready to wrestle. It does not penalize the head coach when their wrestlers have improperly secured
shoe laces.
6-4-4 The coach of the contestant or the contestant has the prerogative to default a match in progress or during an injury
time-out by informing the referee.Any coach of the contestant or the contestant has the prerogative to default a
match to the opponent at any time by informing the referee.
Rationale: This rule change allows a coach or a wrestler to default a match to his opponent at any time.
Requiring a wrestler injured by illegal action, who wished to default, to return to wrestling prior to the expiration
of recovery time in order to be able to default is undesirable and in some cases an unsafe situation.
6-6-4a1,
5a1
Any error, other than Bad Time (Art. 1) ...must be corrected prior to the wrestler/coach leaving the mat area.
Errors by the timekeeper, scorer or referee must be corrected prior to the offended contestant leaving the mat area
if additional wrestling is necessary. If additional wrestling is not necessary, the error may be corrected as long as
the offended contestant or coach remains in the mat area.
Rationale: The previous rule was intended to simplify the process for correction of errors, but instead, it created
confusion. This rule change will now allow the referee to correct an error as long as the wrestler or coach remains
in the mat area.
8-2-1a-h An injured or ill contestant is entitled to a maximum injury time-out of 1 ½ minutes which is cumulative
throughout the match, including overtime periods. There is a limit of two injury time-outs which may be
permitted in any match, provided the total time does not exceed 1 ½ minutes. If a second injury time-out is taken
during a regulation period, the opponent shall will have the choice of top, bottom or neutral position for on the
restart. (The up, down or neutral position shall be chosen).
EXCEPTIONS: During the tiebreaker, only the top, bottom or defer options are available.
a. if the second injury time-out is taken at the conclusion occurs at the end of the first period, the opponent shall
will have the choice at the start of the second and third periods;
b. if the second injury time-out is taken at the conclusion of the second period, the opponent shall have the choice
at the start of the third period;
c. if the second injury time-out is taken at the conclusion of the third period, the opponent shall have the choice of
any one of the three starting positions at the beginning of the sudden victory period;
d. if the second injury time-out is taken any time during the sudden victory period, the opponent shall have the
choice of top, bottom or neutral position on the restart;
e. if the second injury time-out is taken at the conclusion of the sudden victory period, the opponent shall have
the choice of either top or bottom position at the start of both 30-second tiebreaker periods.
f. if the second injury time-out is taken at the conclusion of the first 30-second tiebreaker period, the opponent
shall have the choice of either top or bottom at the start of the second 30-second tiebreaker period.
g. if the second injury time-out occurs at the conclusion of the second 30-second tiebreaker period, the opponent
shall have the choice of top or bottom at the start of the ultimate tiebreaker period.
h. if the second injury time-out occurs during either of the 30-second tiebreaker periods or during the ultimate
tiebreaker period, the opponent shall have the choice of top or bottom on the restart.
A third injury time-out shall terminate the match. The opponent shall be declared the winner by default.
8-2-1a-h
Cont’d
Rationale: This rule change helps to clarify the exact procedure to follow when administering the second injury
time-out. Limiting a wrestler to 1 ½ minutes of injury time and two injury time-outs has been successful in
reducing the number of unnecessary time-outs. Allowing an opponent the choice of position for all remaining
periods, both regulation and overtime is too harsh a penalty. This may cause injured wrestlers to decline
necessary and needed injury time which is counter to the NFHS philosophy that safety comes first.
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
1. Communicable Skin Conditions
2. Correction of Errors
3. Stalling
4. Sportsmanship
*25 -- Editorial Changes for 2007-08
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