Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association

WISCONSIN INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Stevens Point, WI 54481

WIAA 7% Committee Meeting
April 8, 2004

The following members were in attendance: Dave Anderson (WIAA), Randy Clark (UWSM), Luke Francois (Middleton), Don Herrmann, Steve Nass (UWSM), Bob Oppliger (U-Iowa), Mel Dow (Prairie du Chien), Bob Empey (Stoughton), Bob Skubal (Tomahawk), Cindy Streich (UWSM), Steve Nass (UWSM), Jack Overgaard (WADA) and Todd Clark (WIAA). The meeting convened at 9:30 a.m. Dave Anderson chaired the meeting and Jack Overgaard recorded the minutes.

I.    Welcome and Introductions

II.    Approval of Minutes � 2003 
Bob Oppliger made the motion to accept the 2003 minutes, seconded by Steve Nass. The motion passes unanimously.

III.    Group Commentary & Review of 2003-04 Season

A.    Participation Numbers 
Dave reported that the Scantron numbers were down this year. They scanned 9,775 with 170 appeals for the underwater test. The WIAA office felt it was a good season with fewer problems. Dave reported that wrestling attrition rates continued to improve again this year. It has gone down since we started the 7% program and hydration testing (especially).

B. Appeals
Steve Ness said he has had problems with wrestlers and coaches not knowing that they must use the original certification weight as the weight for appeals. Mel Dow made the motion: �Knowing that weight certification and weight appeal process are official weigh-ins. Upon appeal if an athlete�s weight is higher then their original weight, their weight at the appeal will be used to recalculate the eligible date for minimum weight.� Don Herrmann seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

C. Out of season weight control
Don asked if the wrestlers that are competing during the summer programs were dropping more weight to compete at a lighter weight class. Mel reported that all the National Champions were at the same weight class or a weight class above their high school wrestling weight.
Bob Oppliger reported that they have been at 5 National Tournaments in the last 6 years and they have seen college wrestlers maintaining their weight during the tournaments.

D. Wrestling Coaches Request for Summer Contact
Dave reported that the wrestling coaches would like to be placed within the same parameters as the softball and baseball programs during the summer. By having the wrestling coaches work with the wrestlers during the summer, they can watch the weight loss. This would be the best for coaches as well as for all the wrestlers. The committee is in support of it.

E. Discussed Skin Fold Measurers
This is the year that the WIAA is offering the skin fold measurers new training, and refresher courses. We need to recruit more measurers in the northwest and northeast parts of the state.

The WIAA is still looking for a �red/green� hydration test. This area presents a problem because untrained people usually do the hydration tests. Randy and Cindy have talked to companies about making an easier test or a strip that would only test hydration. The companies do not think they would have enough call for it, so therefore it would not be cost effective.
At the skinfold measurer's clinic, the WIAA will talk to the measurers and direct them to cut off the bottom of the strip so the hydration test is in the bottom test strip and mark the passing grade on the bottle as one point of emphasis.

F.    Mentoring/Coaches Manual
Bob Skubal reported that the Wrestling Coaches Association is going to put out a mentoring booklet with a list of things that wrestling coaches should go over or complete during the pre-season, in-season, and post-season.

Luke questioned why all the wrestlers have to be tested, especially the sub-103 pound athletes and the heavyweights that do not cut weight. The committee decided that everyone should always be tested. If we error, we need to error on the side of safety.

G.    Hydrostatic Re-weighing
Randy reported that he had 40 wrestlers come to the clinic. Only 31 could be tested due to nine of the wrestlers who could not produce the urine or did not pass the hydration test. Of the 31 tested, 12 could drop down to the next weight class. Randy did not know how many wrestlers Chris Dodge tested at UW LaCrosse.
Randy said they have some time restraints in the clinic after the Christmas Holiday Season and suggested extending the hydrostatic weigh-ins to help a few more wrestlers. Randy made the motion: �To extend the hydrostatic weigh-ins from January 15 to January 22.� Bob Skubal seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

H.    Wrestling Coaches Association Meeting
Bob Oppliger attended the Wisconsin State Wrestling Coaches Association Clinic this year and talked to the wrestling coaches about the 7% program and proper hydration. The wrestling coaches said it was a good session and very well received.

Luke asked why a wrestler upon passing the hydration test couldn't be eligible to wrestle at the weight class at his weight or the weight class above prior to the school receiving the minimum weight printout. The committee tabled that idea because it should be eliminated with �on line� certification that they are looking into.

I.    Growth Allowance
Steve said we need to remind coaches that wrestlers have to be certified at the scratch weight and not at the growth allowance weight. The rule is stated in the WIAA Winter Season Regulations page 46, # 4 and #5b. A wrestler IS NOT eligible for a weight class because of growth allowance. The WIAA needs to remind the coaches at the rules interpretation meeting every year � point of emphasis, 2004-05.

IV.    New Business

A.    On-Line Certification

The WIAA is trying to use the Internet to test the information on the wrestlers. Randy and Cindy presented the National Wrestling Coaches Association online certification program. It is on www.nwc.online.com. It would run each school $30 per year to use the program. After discussing the national program the committee decided that the WIAA should pursue developing its own program with having the following ideas incorporated in the program:

1.    Make three copies of the skinfold measurements (use NCR paper). The original would go to the skinfold measurer and copies to the WIAA and the athletic director of the school being tested.

2.    The athletic director would receive the access code to enter the data. The school would be responsible for entering the data and to make copies of the certification to the wrestling coach and wrestlers.
Dave said he would bring this information back to Doug Chickering and hopefully will proceed from there.

B.    Additional Information
Bob Oppliger reported that he has a grant at the University of Iowa to check the validity of the body fat test for females. They will be testing females from 15 to 23 years old. They need for more females to test. If you have athletes that are interested in participating in the study, please contact Bob.
Dave shared wrestling coaches' vote for simplifying understanding of acceptable weight loss per week by keeping the simple addition/subtraction based on one weigh-in to the next and the number of days in between. No objections were raised since this was a more conservative approach (Item #6 on Wrestling Coaches Advisory Minutes).

The meeting was adjourned at 2:46 p.m.