Minnesota High School To Vote On Eliminating Weight Classes

goferphan · 06-11-2007, 04:22 PM

Board tables a weighty decision
By John Millea, Star Tribune

A proposal to reduce the number of weight classes in Minnesota high school wrestling from 14 to 12 was tabled today. The Minnesota State High School League board of directors voted to conduct a survey of schools before revisiting the plan, which was proposed by the Minnesota High School Wrestling Coaches Association.

The coaches argue that small schools have trouble filling 14 roster spots, and that losing two weights on each team is preferable to losing entire squads every time two schools merge to form cooperative teams.

The coaches group has polled its members, with 70 percent of the respondents voting to reduce the number of weights, according to Elk River coach John Peterson, past president of the coaches association.

"It's time to act," Peterson told the board. "We've discussed this issue extensively for four years. We do represent the wishes of an overwhelming majority of our coaches. The time has come to settle this issue once and for all."

Wabasha-Kellogg coach Ron Sanders and John Thorn, a wrestling parent from St. Michael-Albertville, spoke against the proposal. Sanders said a change in weight classes will negatively impact schools such as his, which competes against several teams from Wisconsin every year. He also questioned the coaches association's survey results.

"I'm confused on how these votes got the way they did," Sanders said. "I never got the chance to vote for 14 weights. Just about every coach I've talked to wants 14 weights."

Thorn said, "Minnesota wrestling is in great shape. Anyone saying wrestling in Minnesota is in trouble, that could be true at the local level. At the state level, participation numbers are excellent."

The current weight classes are 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215 and 285 pounds.

Under the proposal, they would be 108, 117, 125, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 185, 210 and 285.

Since the 2000-01 season, the number of cooperative teams has risen from 56 to 69 while the overall number of teams has fallen from 209 to 192.

The MSHSL has conducted one preliminary survey of schools, which showed 118 in favor of reducing the number of weight classes and 35 opposed.

goferphan · 06-11-2007, 04:23 PM

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

Champ Kind · 06-11-2007, 05:33 PM

I feel an adjustment in weights should happen, but not necessarily cutting them.

103lbs needs to be around 108-110 and we need a 180-185ish weight class.

goferphan · 06-14-2007, 06:27 PM

i don't know about 103 going to 108...hell I was a sophomore in highschool and still weighed in at 105...if there would have been a 108 class then I would have been up against two multiple state qualifiers in my own wrestling room just to get a chance to wrestle varsity (brian kemp, joey venewicz). because we had a 98, 105, 112 back then, we all made the line-up or i would have most likely not cracked varsity ever...119 and 126 weren't any easier at apple valley that year...

Champ Kind · 06-14-2007, 11:53 PM

Kids are bigger these days and with the new weight loss rules less kids can make 103lbs.

Just because you were 105lbs as a sophomore doesn't mean much. I never wrestled higher than 112lbs in high school.

Minnesota probably doesn't have much trouble filling the 103lb weight class because they allow middle school kids on the varsity. Most states do not allow this.

goferphan · 06-15-2007, 07:42 AM

you are proving my point in way, which is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it...if minnesota has no problem filling that spot, why not keep it as a weight class...i don't think it is a surprise that minnesota holds its own in ncaa competition with some nice lightweights out there doing pretty well on the national scene...falck, ness, sanders soon to be...if there hadn't been a 103 lb class who knows if these guys would have seen the competition that they saw at such an early age...

Champ Kind · 06-15-2007, 07:59 AM

Those guys would have been varsity anyways, because they are that good. What is disturbing is how weak the weight class is now. Teams are filling the spot with very sub par kids because they can't fill the weight class any other way.

This past year in Indiana there were only three seniors and three juniors that qualified for state at 103. That means 10 of the kids that qualified for state were freshmen or sophomores. In 2006 it was two juniors and two seniors that qualified for state.

When the weight class is dominated by freshmen and sophomores(and 7th and 8th graders in states like Minnesota), you compromise the quality of the weight class. The best weight classes are the ones that are heavy with juniors and seniors, which is pretty much 119 and above.

Schlottke · 06-15-2007, 03:22 PM

If they cut out 103, there won't be any more single A 5xer's though

I kid, I kid

goferphan · 06-16-2007, 01:21 AM

yeah, lets not forget about young mr. schlottke...he did pretty well for himself as well at a young age...

if sanders won as an 8th grader and the two 103 lb'ers from Apple Valley won as 7th graders, i find it hard to argue against the quality of the wrestlers as sanders continued to win as he climbed weight classes as has mccauley...

you can argue that the class AA and A are filled with potentially lower quality wrestlers at those weights but in a highschool like apple valley where there are over 3,000 students, its not hard to find a healthy competition for that weight class in the wrestling room...

i don't want to hear any crying either as we had a 93 and a 98 lb weight class when i was growing up...

God I am old.

Champ Kind · 06-16-2007, 01:50 AM

7th graders winning state shouldn't happen when they could be wrestling guys that are 5-7 years older. Do you see a lot of 7th and 8th graders winning state at 125+, or for that matter even qualifying for state?

The quality is not good when 7th graders are winning state.