After the First State Meet with the new weight classes, What do you think?

[Chavez-crew]

The new weight classes has some effect on the state tournament, Some very apparent, and some very subtle. All said and done, I could see the compression of top athletes in the lower brackets. Some of the obvious effects were that some returning State Placers went home without a placing.

Others??

[Coach Withrow]

Mostly just change for the sake of change. While I agree the gaps from 171-189-215-285 were too big, taking away a weight class from the middle weights was a mistake. If you walk around a high school campus youll see alot more 15,16,17 year old that weigh between 130-160lbs than 180-285lbs. I know I had much tougher time findig upper weights than middle weights...

[tommy thompson]

Coach, I couldn't have said it any better! The middle weights got crunched together and it did have a huge impact on those weights this year. It is very tough to find decent wrestlers in those upper weights.


One look at the teams (well, Clovis had kids that benefitted very nicely from those weight changes....almost like the stars lined perfectly up for them) that did very well, they all had very good kids (for the weights) in the 170-285lbs classes. Bakersfield manufactured theirs (pushing kids into weights that they really didnt fit.... IE Hodges, Pope and Fierro). Notwithstanding Bakersfield did Very Well for the size differences.

Mostly just change for the sake of change. While I agree the gaps from 171-189-215-285 were too big, taking away a weight class from the middle weights was a mistake. If you walk around a high school campus youll see alot more 15,16,17 year old that weigh between 130-160lbs than 180-285lbs. I know I had much tougher time findig upper weights than middle weights...

[Next Level]

The weight change did not only affect the state tournament, it affected almost every lower / middle weight wrestler in the state (Country). How many lower /middle weight wrestlers never got to wrestle in a varsity dual, never got to wrestle at league, CIF , Masters or State because there was one less weight class? (Tens of thousands across the country). On the other hand there were some very happy upper weights.

I wonder if the people who manipulated the change to benefit the upper weights stopped to understand how it would have affected the lower weights.
Life goes on and we adjust accordingly!

[Nslick]

While I agree the gaps from 171-189-215-285 were too big, taking away a weight class from the middle weights was a mistake. If you walk around a high school campus youll see alot more 15,16,17 year old that weigh between 130-160lbs than 180-285lbs.

Totally agree!

[acboogie]

Who manipulated the weights to benefit them???? Call them out!!!!

[tirapell]

The National Federation of State High School Associations ("NFHS") has the final decision on weight class changes.

[Next Level]

Who manipulated the weights to benefit them???? Call them out!!!!

It was The National Federation of State High School Associations who recommended the change than each state could agree to follow the recommendation or opt out. California agreed to follow the recommendation. I am sure someone in the know could explain the process.

[acboogie]

But who paid them (joke) off..... Lol

There was complaining in 1991 the last time the weights changed, and maybe they will change again in another 20 years.

[Inukshuk]

As I remember and understand it, there were 3 different weight class "options" to choose from. Coaches all across the nation voted, and their votes were given to their state wrestling committees who in turn passed the results on to the National Federation folks who made the final decision. As Next Level points out, "Life goes on and we adjust accordingly !"