PIAA proposes new weight class scheme for wrestling
Dreier Carr from USA / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
Two high school students wrestling (collegiate, scholastic, or folkstyle) in the United States. Originally uploaded by Wikiman86 on the English Wikipedia project at http://en.wikipedia.org. wrestling falconfrenzy093.jpg
The PIAA is on the verge of possibly applying the change of weight classes to Pennsylvania wrestling.
The original weight classes are 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and 285.
There is no change in weights 106-160, but from there it would go 172, 189, 215, and 285, so in total, it would be 13 instead of 14 weight classes.
Some WPIAL coaches gave their thoughts; Bethel Park’s own Tim Crawford said he is not a fan of the decision, saying “It would only take away opportunities and possible scholarships away from athletes.”(Eleanor Bailey, the Almanac).
“Not a big supporter of taking away opportunities for kids to compete,” Mt. Lebanon head coach Marc Allemang said.
The PIAA officials revealed that 95% of all state duels and tournaments are held in Pennsylvania. They wanted to reduce ties and forfeits with the move.
Although, there could be some pros.
It benefits the teams who may not have a lot of numbers.
BPHS wrestler Aidan Puskas said, “Honestly, I’m all for it. Our team next year is going to be lacking on the heavier weights, and 13 weight classes breaks the ties easier. I think it could be a decent change. It’s definitely going to help us out next year. One less weight class we have to get.”
Coach Allemang also added, “When I saw the proposed 13 weight classes I was pleased that they maintained the majority of the weights, including keeping 106. I do have some concerns about the large gaps at the end of the weights.”(Eleanor Bailey, the Almanac).
You start bringing in the question about other states. If you change the weight classes in Pennsylvania, the other states are not on the same page, and it gets tough for rankings and national tournaments.
It would also limit participation in the sport.
“I feel like they should keep them the same because I feel like they ran pretty smooth,” Bryson Bench, a sophomore on the Bethel Park wrestling team said.
On Wednesday, May 20, the PIAA voted to have the PIAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee review the proposed weight class changes before they officially vote on it.
The PIAA should think about the decision long and hard before making a final choice.
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