Jump to content

Craziest weigh-in story


WaltHarris

Recommended Posts

What is the craziest thing you've ever witnessed at a weigh-in?

 

Back in the late 1970's we had the 98 lbs weight class.  The rules said you had to weigh something like at least 85 lbs to participate in the 98 lbs class.  So we are at a dual having weigh-ins and the opposing team had one really small kid.  This kid was tiny.  His natural weight was a little below the minimum but the coach tells me they stuff him with cheeseburgers to make the 85 lbs minimum.  The official asked the kid to get on the scale.  The kid was wearing only a jock.  As the official is sliding the scale bar to check the weight, I notice a bunch of sand on the scale floor.  Then I see sand on top of his feet.  The kid loaded his jock strap with a small bag of sand to try to be heavy enough to make the 85 lbs minimum.  The official noticed the same time did and figured it out.  The kid's eyes welded up with tears.  I don't think his coach knew.  We all just said go ahead and wrestle.  If the kid was willing to go through all that to wrestle, he must really have liked the sport.  It was the only time I ever saw a kid cheat to gain weight at a weigh-in. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a ref get mad at my asst. coach one time for not having the names written on the weigh in sheet in advance (for the record they were, he turned to the wrong page) and about half way through weigh ins, he kicked us out, told us to get the whole team reassembled and we had to weigh in again at the end of weigh ins. Needless to say half my team missed weight and we got steam rolled. We never went back to the invitational again.

 

When I was competing, we were at either Tournament of Champions or AAU Nationals and we had one kid over weight. We are all miserable from cutting so after we weighed in we left the kid there to keep cutting and we took off to eat. When we returned our coach had him check his weight and he had gained weight. He told our coach he got a drink of water at the end of every lap he ran b/c he was thirsty. Hahaha.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in the olden days when they had freestyle weights with tenths, I was in the 114.5 weight class.  We went to Arsenal Tech for a meet and I was a little over. I went and ran and all that fancy stuff. I hopped on the scale and it would go back and forth from 114.4 to 114.6. I tried everything from standing on my head to peeing as I didn't want to go run off a tenth.  Finally after probably 5 tries on the scale the kid doing the scale said "ohh this scale has never done odd tenths" and then gave me the tenth. I wanted to... <fill in the blank>.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know some high school jokers were wearing thongs with thumbcuffs to weigh-ins a few years ago.  However, funny turned to disturbing when an entire middle school team decided to wear thongs to the local year-end tourney.  I am guessing that stunts like that are why we have undergarment rules at the scale.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasn't during weigh ins but when I was in high school we left a kid running upstairs at the school and didn't realize we had left him until we were half way to Cincinnati.  He said he ran for some time before heading down and realizing we had left.  He ended up quitting the next week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was working the weigh ins at the Junior Worlds one year and the wrestler from Iraq came to the scale. Internationally the wrestlers have a license book with their picture and a stamp from the current year showing their federation paid for their license. We were told several times not to allow anyone to weigh in without the current stamp. The Iraqui hands me his book and starts to get on the scale. He doesn't have a stamp so I don't let him on.  I point to the spot where the stamp is supposed to be and tell him no. I give him the book back and point to the table where they are selling the stamps.

He comes back with his coach and both are smiling and saying "It's ok now". The kid puts the book in the pile with the other guys from his weight. I pick up the book and still no stamp. Again, I don't let him on the scale. Now the coach who looks exactly like Sadam Huessein is screaming at me in Iraqui. I had enough and tell him in English to go do something physically impossible (keeping it PG rated). All of the sudden in perfect English he says "USA, you bombed my house!" The other USA referee who was alerted to the situation was standing next to him and replied "And it's too bad you weren't in it!." Armed security comes and takes the coach and the wrestler away. He never did weigh in.

 

Fun times for sure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The 1st year that the rule changed requiring all wrestlers "must wear proper undergarment" we were starting weight ins and the 106lber was jumping around all anxious to weight in. He was wear a rather thick pair of long basketball shorts (getting ready to drop them and weight in in the buff). We explained to all wrestlers the new rule of having to wear the proper undergarments he turned around to the next wrestler and said "quick give me your underwear". I guess that's when you know who your real friends are

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was working the weigh ins at the Junior Worlds one year and the wrestler from Iraq came to the scale. Internationally the wrestlers have a license book with their picture and a stamp from the current year showing their federation paid for their license. We were told several times not to allow anyone to weigh in without the current stamp. The Iraqui hands me his book and starts to get on the scale. He doesn't have a stamp so I don't let him on.  I point to the spot where the stamp is supposed to be and tell him no. I give him the book back and point to the table where they are selling the stamps.

He comes back with his coach and both are smiling and saying "It's ok now". The kid puts the book in the pile with the other guys from his weight. I pick up the book and still no stamp. Again, I don't let him on the scale. Now the coach who looks exactly like Sadam Huessein is screaming at me in Iraqui. I had enough and tell him in English to go do something physically impossible (keeping it PG rated). All of the sudden in perfect English he says "USA, you bombed my house!" The other USA referee who was alerted to the situation was standing next to him and replied "And it's too bad you weren't in it!." Armed security comes and takes the coach and the wrestler away. He never did weigh in.

 

Fun times for sure

That's not a funny punchline. It is a hateful punchline.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A guy I knew back when I was competing was a very light 189lber. He weighed roughly 168lbs. Coach told him they needed him to weigh 173.1lbs just in case they wanted to bump him to 215lbs. So he needed to eat and drink as much as possible before weigh ins. He guzzled down 48oz of gatorade and a footlong sub. He got to weigh ins and he checked his weight he was still only 171.5lbs. Cringing he walked back to his bag grabbed 2 metal cattle scale weights and put them in his compression shorts.
They call him to the scale and he walks confidently up there as all eyes are looking at him and this impressive bulge. The weights were placed in the crotch area, so it appeared that this kids dad was Dirk Diggler or he was blessed with the most insanely well rounded package. Steps on the scale and makes weight at 173.5lbs.. The downside to this is it was 20 degrees outside and he left the weights in his bag under the bus. Needless to say they were a little cold when he put them in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first year that we had the rule that all teams must weigh in together and you must weigh in exactly in weight order with no "time period" weigh-ins (i.e. multiple attempts to make weight over an hour period), I was officiating a freshmen tournament the first weekend of the season.  One team was coming from a couple hours away and the roads weren't great.  They arrive late after everyone has already weighed in.  We rush the team in still wearing their street clothes and carrying their bags and everything. They all line up and weigh in and we're down to the last couple weights.  Suddenly, the coach realizes he's missing his 189-pounder and is like, "where's Smith?!?"  Somebody go find Smith, quick! A couple guys who were already dressed race around to try to find him.  They finally find him in the bathroom after everyone's already weighed in.  Because it was the first meet of the year, it was a freshmen "open" with multiple kids per team in weights, they had ended up being in their bus 3 hours, and it was the first year of the new rule; we made the decision to let the kid weigh in. 

All the other kids are cleared out already and it's just us 4 officials and the two coaches.  The kid strips down and he's got diarrhea stains EVERYWHERE.  He'd tried to clean himself up, but his whitey-tighties are brown, his skin below the waist is summertime tan in some sections...you get the picture.  We all just stand around watching this kid weigh in with eyes wide open.  He makes weight and the coach just says quietly, "go get cleaned up and ready to wrestle, Smith."  He promptly gets pinned twice and is out of the tournament.  I never got word if he made it to week two of the season.

Edited by maligned
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was working the weigh ins at the Junior Worlds one year and the wrestler from Iraq came to the scale. Internationally the wrestlers have a license book with their picture and a stamp from the current year showing their federation paid for their license. We were told several times not to allow anyone to weigh in without the current stamp. The Iraqui hands me his book and starts to get on the scale. He doesn't have a stamp so I don't let him on. I point to the spot where the stamp is supposed to be and tell him no. I give him the book back and point to the table where they are selling the stamps.

He comes back with his coach and both are smiling and saying "It's ok now". The kid puts the book in the pile with the other guys from his weight. I pick up the book and still no stamp. Again, I don't let him on the scale. Now the coach who looks exactly like Sadam Huessein is screaming at me in Iraqui. I had enough and tell him in English to go do something physically impossible (keeping it PG rated). All of the sudden in perfect English he says "USA, you bombed my house!" The other USA referee who was alerted to the situation was standing next to him and replied "And it's too bad you weren't in it!." Armed security comes and takes the coach and the wrestler away. He never did weigh in.

 

Fun times for sure!

This whole lil story is offensive. First of all there is no Iraqi language. Britain the US and France made up Iraq. Secondly the language spoken in Iraq is Arabic, or Farsi. Thirdly I love Greco but I hope my Arabic named and some looking somewhere between Bob Marley and an Arab sons never crosses paths with you. He looked like Sadaam Hussien. Just not funny and in poor taste.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This whole lil story is offensive. First of all there is no Iraqi language. Britain the US and France made up Iraq. Secondly the language spoken in Iraq is Arabic, or Farsi. Thirdly I love Greco but I hope my Arabic named and some looking somewhere between Bob Marley and an Arab sons never crosses paths with you. He looked like Sadaam Hussien. Just not funny and in poor taste.

 

In my almost 30 years as international referee I was recognized as one who was honest and fair. I was selected to work gold medal matches between Russia and Iran, Iran and Korea, Turkey and Ukraine, etc... I was selected to work those matches because all of those countries knew I would call the match based on who did what not who was from what country and what their religious background was or their skin color. I am welcome in any of those countries with open arms.

One of the Iranian referees is one of my best friends. We used to refer to each other as "My Enemy". We greeted each other that way,

 

Around 1997 or 98 Les Gutches and Kevin Jackson were having battles to make the US Team. They were wrestling in the finals of the National Championships in Orlando. Bobby Douglas was coaching Jackson and asked who the referee was going to be for the final. When they told him it was me his response was "Absolutely no problem. He's fair." I consider that one of the greatest compliments I ever had.

 

I have been selected to work every World or Olympic Team Trial since 1992, the Pan Am Championships, the World Cup, 25 World Championships and the Olympic Games. Not one time has anyone questioned my integrity or my ethics. Until now...and I'm not sure you even know me.

 

Tom Clark

Edited by grecoref
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Conference last year, I'm standing next to the scale watching all my wrestlers weigh in. Our kid gets on the scale 151.2, the ref calls out the weight, we move on. 20 minutes later he comes to me and says our kid needs to weigh in again because he wrote down the wrong weight. Needless to say our kid was over weight and he did not let him wrestle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Conference last year, I'm standing next to the scale watching all my wrestlers weigh in. Our kid gets on the scale 151.2, the ref calls out the weight, we move on. 20 minutes later he comes to me and says our kid needs to weigh in again because he wrote down the wrong weight. Needless to say our kid was over weight and he did not let him wrestle.

wow that sucks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Conference last year, I'm standing next to the scale watching all my wrestlers weigh in. Our kid gets on the scale 151.2, the ref calls out the weight, we move on. 20 minutes later he comes to me and says our kid needs to weigh in again because he wrote down the wrong weight. Needless to say our kid was over weight and he did not let him wrestle.

 

That's insane....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My senior year, before the suitable undergarment rule was around, our 103 and 112 pounders would always strip naked, walk up to the refs (their junk coming dangerously close to the officials) and ask if we could weigh in first. At some tournaments, we got to weigh in before the home team. At the mater dei holiday classic, we weighed last

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My senior year, before the suitable undergarment rule was around, our 103 and 112 pounders would always strip naked, walk up to the refs (their junk coming dangerously close to the officials) and ask if we could weigh in first. At some tournaments, we got to weigh in before the home team. At the mater dei holiday classic, we weighed last

 

Was walking up to them nude part of the strategy?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.