National Prep Wrestling Championships Weight Control Program*

The following is the National Prep School Weight Management Program that has been approved by the National Prep Board. This program has been created to meet the mandate of the National High School Federation Wrestling Rules Committee. All schools participating in the National Prep Wrestling Tournament must follow this program .

1. Each school must join the National Wrestling Coaches Association each school year to access the NWCA optimal performance calculator (to administrate the private school weight management program). Your membership in the NWCA ill allow each school to have separate access codes for your health professional and your coach to the weight certification data that the NWCA will accept and maintain. No school data can be entered until after a school’s membership is paid.Only the health professional can enter the data. The coach's access code will give them access to the entered data. Each school will be responsible for sending the health professional's and their coach's names and email addresses to the NWCA when the school joins the NWCA. Each school is required to join the NWCA before their first contest. Remember you will need the data from the NWCA OPC form in order to compete in your first contest so the earlier you join and send the NWCA your information the less likely you will have any logistical problems for your first contest. The NWCA phone number is 717-653-8009.

2. Only a professional health person at your school (athletic trainers, doctors, nurses) can administer the official test that will certify the lowest weight class a wrestler can wrestle. The professional health person will administer all aspects of the test (hydration, weigh-in, body fat measurements) and enter the data into the NWCA program. Coaches may not do any of the official testing or enter any data.

3. As per the National High School Federation Rulebook the lowest allowable % of body fat when determining the lowest weight class a wrestler can compete in, is 7% for males and 12% for females.

4. The official test consists of three parts. First the wrestler's urine must be tested to ensure they are properly hydrated. Proper hydration is a measurement of 1.025 or lower specific gravity. The hydration test can be done using either reagent strips or a digital fiber optic refractometer. If a wrestler does not pass the hydration test, they may not do the second portion of the official test and must wait at least 24 hours before they can be tested again for proper hydration level. Once a wrestler has cleared the hydration test the weight certification is done immediately afterward. A school can do as many
hydration tests as necessary in order to then do the weight certification part of the program as long as each hydration test is at least 24 hours apart. The weight certification test includes weighing the wrestler stripped or in their underwear and then measuring the wrestler to determine what their percentage of body fat is. To determine the body fat the professional health person may use professional grade skin calipers (the health professional must be NWCA certified in caliper use to use this method), the Tanita Scale Body Composition Analyzer or by using a registered hydrostatic test site or a "bod pod" test site. All team members must be tested using the same device.Once the wrestler's data is entered the NWCA’s Optimum Performance Calculator will determine the wrestler’s weight at the 7% or 12 % body fat level, then calculate that weight with the variance allowed to establish the lowest weight class a wrestler may participate in this season. When determining the lowest weight class "scratch weight" must be used and not a weight class plus any growth allowance. A second test, the appeal test”, can use any of the approved testing devices but all “appeal tests” for members of the team must use the same device and be done by the same health professional.

5. If a wrestler is lower than 7% or 12 % body fat their weigh- in weight when being tested will determine their certified weight class and they will need a doctor's written permission to wrestle that weight class . The physician’s form is available through the National Prep Tournament web site. A wrestler below the 7% or 12% body fat levels does not get a variance in determining their lowest weight class. A wrestler below the 7% or 12% body fat levels is eligible for an “appeal” test, the same as the wrestlers above the minimum body fat % levels. The process for a sub 7% wrestler’s appeal test will be: pass the hydration test, weigh in, and then test for % of body fat. If their weight is the same or above the weight in the first test the weight at the appeal test is the weight data used. If their weight is lower than the first test then the weight from the first test must be used. If a school does not have a doctor then the highest level health professional at the school can sign the written permission form. If a school does not have a medical service other than an athletic trainer then the wrestler’s family physician must sign the form.

6. Since all devices that measure body fat have a range of plus/minus accuracies we will allow a 0 .9 lb variance in order to determine the lowest weight class for which a wrestler can be certified. For example: if a wrestler at 7% body fat weighs 132.1-132.9 the 0.9 lb is rounded down so that wrestler will be certified as a 132 lber. If a wrestler weighed 133 at 7% they would be certified as a 138 lb wrestler 7. Earliest possible official test: Anytime after October 1 to a day before a wrestler’s first official match/tournament. Note: A wrestler’s first official competition could be after a team’s first official competition depending on when the wrestler joined the team or was declared ready for competition. Any second test (appeal test) must be completed before a wrestler has their first official competition.

8. Maximum number of official tests: Two official tests are the maximum number that can be administered. If administering a second official test, an appeal test, it must be done at least one day before an individual’s first official competition. No testing can be done after an individual has competed in an official contest. If a wrestler joins the team after the official season has begun they must be officially tested before they can compete. Wrestlers joining a team after the season has begun may also have two official tests. If an individual has a second test, the health professional will delete the data from the first test and enter the new data which becomes the official data except as explained in # 5 for the sub 7% or sub 12 % wrestler. Heath professionals can do as many unofficial tests as they like but data from those unofficial tests may not be entered as official test data.

9. Once a wrestler's data has been entered into each school's OPC program each wrestler's lowest certified weight class will be established and the Alpha Master Report from the NWCA will indicate the earliest date a wrestler can compete at that weight class. The earliest date will be based on a weekly weight reduction of 1.5 % beginning the date the wrestler's assessment data is entered into the OPC program. If a wrestler breaks descent by weighing-in at a higher weight than is called for that week the weekly descent plan is recalculated based on the higher weight. This recalculation may effect the first date a wrestler is eligible to make his lowest certified weight class. For each competition during the season each coach will print out a pre match weigh-in form to be given to the opposing coach/es. The pre match weigh in form will indicate the lowest weight class a wrestler can compete in that day. Wrestlers not on the pre match weigh in form are not eligible to compete that day. Within 48 hrs of the completion of the competition each coach will enter into the system each wrestler's exact weight at weigh-ins. All wrestlers who weigh-in must have this post match exact weight recorded regardless of whether they wrestled or not. The next competition's pre match weigh-in form will not be able to be created or printed until the prior competition's weigh-in form has been completed with the exact weight information on each wrestler on the form. After entering the data the coach indicates the weigh-in complete by clicking the appropriate button on the program. Once a weigh-in is designated completed the data is locked and no editing can be done. For consecutive day tournaments coaches should only enter the data for the first day. For consecutive day dual meet tournaments the data for each day should be entered. The descent plan relative to consecutive day competitions and the weight for the next competition is: The wrestler's next descent plan will be based on their actual weigh-in weight minus either the one or two lb allowance being given for the event.

10. A wrestler does not have to make the scratch weight the first time their 1.5 % weekly descent plan allows them to but they can only make it when the weekly descent plan allows them to. Once the growth allowance goes into effect a wrestler who is certified as a 132 may wrestle 134 if their descent plan allows them to make 134 even though they have never made the scratch weight. Example: a wrestler’s lowest weight class is 132 and he has been wrestling above that weight prior to the growth allowance as determined by his weekly descent plan. After the growth allowance is in effect his descent plan allows him to weigh 134 that week which means he can wrestle in the 134 class that week. . A wrestler qualifies for a weight class at the nationals by either making scratch weight one time prior to the qualifying tournament (must be allowable by descent plan on that date) or can qualify by making scratch plus growth allowance one time before the qualifying tournament (descent plan must allow scratch plus growth that date). Wrestler qualifying via the scratch plus growth route must have been CERTIFIED AT THE SCRATCH WEIGHT prior to his first match. For example: wrestler is certified as a 132 he can wait until the weight class becomes 134 and then make 134 one time prior to the qualifying tournament when allowable by descent. Each week the wrestler can wrestle the lowest weight class his weekly descent calls for plus the usual rule book rule of weigh in, wrestle that weight class or wrestle one weight class above your weigh in weight class.

11. The lowest weight class a wrestler can weigh in at, for each competition is designated by each school’s pre match weigh in form. Note: the old Federation rule that stated a wrestler lost their lowest certified weight class if they weighed in two or more weight classes above their lowest certified weight class is no longer a rule. If a wrestler breaks descent when weighing in for a competition, the 1.5 % weekly reduction is recalculated based on that weigh in.

12. The 2 lb growth allowance will be in effect for all area schools on December 26th. The 2 lb growth allowance may be used to make a wrestler eligible for their lowest certified weight class and as with certifying by making scratch weight the wrestler must be eligible for that weight that day as per his descent plan.

13. A wrestler who transfers after having been previously certified at another school (private or public) keeps the same minimum weight class as they had at the prior school. The new school is responsible for securing the data from the original school and entering the same data into their Alpha Master Report Form. Wrestlers may not be retested at their new school.
 

14. If a wrestler competes in a weight class below what the weekly descent plan calls for the penalty will be forfeiture of that bout. Coaches are asked to have their athletic directors contact the other school’s athletic directors to resolve this issue should it happen.

15. All schools must present the NWCA pre match weigh in form to each opposing coach for every contest and must also record the actual weigh in weight on the NWCA form within 48 hours of the completion of each contest NOTE:The zone representatives on the National Board will make sure all the schools in their zone get the weight management program in early September. This information will be sent to each school's AD, trainer, and wrestling coach. Zone representatives will need to contact each school in their zone by Sep 15 to find out which method of measuring body fat it will use.