By Bob McPhee,Staff Writer

The long-standing knock on wrestling has centered on weight control – or the lack thereof.

A mandatory weight-management program should ease the notion that participation in the sport is unhealthy.

The WMP has been in existence for several years nationwide. (Michigan has used a WMP for 15 years.) Pilot programs were used in Maine last year and were considered a success.

“Based on last year’s report, we petitioned the (Maine Principals’ Association) executive committee for a waiver,” wrestling committee chairman Marty Ryan said. “They allowed for two preseason meetings, for this year only, due to the weight-management program. We felt coaches needed to be able to spend time with their kids explaining, at least for this first time, about the program.”

The MPA and the wrestling coaches association are working together to ensure the WMP is followed. The reason behind this is to provide a safe environment for every wrestler.

“This program is good,” said Oxford Hills coach Mark Dolloff, who is the liaison to the MPA. “It really lets the kids grow and wrestle at their proper weight. It stops rapid weight loss and prevents yo-yo weekend eating habits. It also has promoted better nutrition and will continue to get better.

“I believe that this could be used in other sports as well.”

At the beginning of the season, a wrestler takes a urine test to check for proper hydration. If he/she passes that, they are then weighed by an MPA certified assessor. The athlete is also skin-fold measured to determine how much weight can be lost.

Each team can have their own assessor, or one assessor can serve several schools. That person must be in the medical field – a trainer, nurse or doctor.

“Going statewide really helped,” Ryan said. “It caused us to be sure that every school had either an athletic director, coach or test assessor at our two workshops held in October. These sessions were well attended and provided not only instruction in measuring skin fold, but also provided nutrition information.”

With these results, the assessor does the calculation and sends the results to the MPA, which then enters them onto a spreadsheet or schedule. The school has a password to view the weight-loss schedule.

This will allow coaches to print reports for each student and their weight-loss program.

“There are different body fat contents,” Ryan said. “It’s seven percent for males’ and 12 percent for females’ body fat. Very few will actually go to the seven or 12 percent level. Coaches can also receive their meet date entry forms, which prints out, by date of event, what two classes each wrestler can enter on that date. Not their minimum weight, but the actual classes they can wrestle, and they cannot go any lower than what is stated in the report.”

The program allows a loss of 1.5 percent of body weight per week. If a wrestler weighed 200 with 20-percent body fat on Nov. 10, for example, the athlete may be able to wrestle at 171 on Jan. 25, as long as body fat is not below the required amounts.

“We found for the most part that the pilot schools’ wrestlers were rarely impacted by the weight-management regimen,” Ryan said. “Once we understood that we needed to provide schools with a list for each meet that details what two classes a wrestler is eligible to compete in for that day, things went well.

“It does not make sense for kids to lose more than necessary because, coming in at 130, when your class of entry for that day is 135 or 140, will hurt you more than help. The gradual decrease is much healthier for the competitors.”

“Our pilot program went well,” added Dolloff. “The one piece that was hard and will be hard is getting the schools to exchange weight-loss schedules on the day of the meet.”

If individuals fall below the minimum body-fat percentages initially, a doctor’s note stating that this a normal healthy weight is required. All tests can be challenged and another test administered, with a written signed form from the parents.

“The rules will be enforced when it comes time to go to a dual meet,” Dolloff said. “When you get ready to weigh in, each coach must have a copy of the weight loss. All wrestlers cannot wrestle below the weight class indicated for that day.”

All tournaments involving Maine teams must comply, or it will be considered no match or a forfeit.

The 50-percent rule, which requires wrestlers to compete in half of their matches at a certain weight class to compete in the postseason, will not be in effect.

“This is open for further discussion,” Ryan said. “But without it, a kid could have wrestled in many classes and come regional time, a coach just plops him in where he has the best chance of success, without having many or any matches in the class of entry.”