Wrestling weight classes beefing up

JIM LEWIS

FRANK WADAS

BY KEVIN WOODRUFF

Next fall’s varsity wrestling season will bring upon some changes in weight classes at our area schools.

That’s because the National Federation of State High School Associations recently passed its new weight classes across the country, and the change has brought out mixed feelings from those close to the sport.

New weight classes (starting 2011-12): 106 (pounds), 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220 and 285.

Current weight classes: 103, 112, 119, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 152, 160, 171, 189, 215, 285

The weight class changes were announced Tuesday in a press release by the NFHS.

The 2011-12 season will feature 10 new classes with a shift to heavier weights starting at 106 pounds.

The only classes that were retained were 145, 152, 160 and 285 pounds.

NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee approved the changes at meetings in Indianapolis at the beginning of April.

The committee’s chairman Dale Pleimann said in the release that the committee aimed to get about seven percent of wrestlers into each weight class.

The committee analyzed data from almost 200,000 wrestlers to create the new weight classes.

The last major shift across the entire weight class system came in 1988.

Since then, the 215-pound weight class was added in 2002 and the 275-pound class moved to 285 pounds in 2006.

Lackawanna Trail wrestling coach Jeff Stauffer said that he doesn’t necessarily think the weight class changes will be a bad thing.

“I think that bumping the 103-pound class up to 106 will help out some kids,” Stauffer said. “It’s not always easy to find someone to fill the 103 spot.”

He believes the bump up will give kids in the smaller weight classes some more opportunities.

Stauffer also said that he likes to addition of the 195-pound class.

“It’s good that they’ve opened up another weight class on the upper end,” Stauffer said. “Instead of going from 189 straight to 215 pounds.”

Stauffer said that he doesn’t think it will be a huge change across the sport next season, but said only time will tell.

Tunkhannock wrestling coach and longtime PIAA official Frank Wadas said he feels that taking out the 140 weight class does a disservice to wrestlers and spectators.

“The 140 class is one where you see a lot of action,” Wadas said. “And I think by focusing more on the heavier classes, it takes away some excitement.”

Wadas said he believes that some of the more exciting matches come in the smaller weight class divisions.

He also noted that he doesn’t understand why there would be increases in the heavier weight classes.

“With the obesity problem in America I don’t think they should be adding more weight on the top,” Wadas said. “It’s always something I’m concerned about, and you hate to see them keep moving the weight classes up.”

Wadas said that overall he’s not sure the new weight classes are a wise solution.”

Montrose head coach Jim Lewis said that he wouldn’t have minded if the weight classes had taken effect this year.

“I wouldn’t have minded with the group I had this year,” Lewis said. “Normally I don’t have many kids in the upper weight classes, but I actually had to put a guy on the bench because I had too many heavyweights.”

Overall, Lewis said that he likes to idea of changing up the weight classes.

“It was something the PIAA needed to address,” Lewis said. “It’s always good to make changes to see the sport thrive.”

Lewis noted that for the past 15 years, he has been going to the District II championship either as a coach or as an athlete, and believes something had to be done.

“I’m happy they did something,” Lewis said.

Lewis noted that by spreading the weight classes out more evenly, it will put less emphasis on losing weight.

“That’s something a lot of kids are scared about,” Lewis said. “They don’t want to come in and lose a bunch of weight. And it’s also not good for them to put on a lot of pounds.”

Lewis said that he doesn’t want his wrestlers to lose weight, he’d rather see them eating right and using the weight room to manage their weight during the season.

Times-Shamrock Writer Tom Brolley contributed to this report.