runner-up

I would ask that everybody ask their fans to not boo the kids or coaches at Bankers Life.  No kid deserves that kind of treatment.  Thank you.

Oh ok, I get it now since you used all caps lock. 🙄

I’m pretty sure the so called sauna suits were “technically against the rules” even back in the 70’s when “everybody” was doing it.  (Or so I was told at the time.)  However, it was most generally overlooked kind of like driving a few miles over the speed limit.  I think at least a lot of schools were openly handing them out as standard practice equipment. And I think they must have been recognized as being POTENTIALLY dangerous even then or they probably wouldn’t have already been “technically against the rules”.  However, I think enforcement became more of a priority after some tragic events occurred (as has already been pointed out).  Of course, those tragic events were brought on by some very severe and extreme abuses.
Certainly, use of sauna suits can be potentially dangerous as are many rapid weight loss techniques.  Sauna suits are against the rules and so should not be used.  But if we are talking about potential risk and endangerment and not just about breaking rules, any method of losing large amount of weight rapidly through dehydration is fraught with equal risk.  For certain, to be losing 10 pounds via dehydration in a week (or even weekly?) certainly isn’t healthy and can cause not only short term but long term health risks.  So if we are castigating Carmel wrestling for breaking rules, okay.  But if we are tsk-tsk-ing them for potentially endangering the wrestlers, I think perhaps a lot of people better be wary of their own glass houses.    

Max is 2 additional lbs

I hear what you're saying jasonbk2 but I don't think it's fair to punish the kids. I think the adults need to step up in this case.
If you're a kid in high school athletics, you do what your coach(s) tell you to do. You might have knowledge what you're being told isn't legal or fair, but you respect their authority and position, and your own position on the team, and do what you're told. It takes a unique kid to stand up to a coach, and ironically that might be what occurred here, although I suspect it was a parent. So I struggle with the life lesson that would be taught by not letting the kid wrestle when they were just following coaches orders, even if they knew it was wrong.
The better life lesson might be for the adults to stand up, accept responsibility and self punish themselves. Yes, forfeiting wins is a punishment for the kid, but c'mon man, that's nothing in the big picture. Teach the kid what it means to be an adult and admit mistakes were made, offer restitution of some sort be it voluntarily sitting out the state series, 6 month off season hiatus (yeah, I know most coaches would think this is a treat not punishment), whatever is deemed appropriate and necessary. That would be the proper life lesson to teach a kid in my opinion...that as an adult, you stand up and take responsibility for mistakes.
Tough deal, I know the Coach is held in high regard..but this is a pretty serious deal what with death occurring for this very thing decades ago. I would love to hear what @ClownBaby has to say about the issue. About time for him to come out and get the Audi washed for States anyway.

I agree... but i'm some circumstances a lot of kids would rather wrestle than get a bye... but you're right it's crazy honestly.

Pairings and Seeding Procedures for those interested: 
A. Sectional pairings and seeding will be made at 7:00 p.m. on the Monday preceding the sectional tournament at the center school.
1. Each participating school in that sectional may have only 1 representative voting. Positions of contestants from schools not represented will be drawn by lot.
2. Six contestants shall be seeded in each weight class. Coaches are required to bring their official team scorebook and all of their Alpha Master Reports for each season contest date. A coaches’ failure to have his official team scorebook and his Alpha Master Reports shall result in his school’s entries being unseeded unless a majority of the other coaches present wish to seed the offending school’s wrestlers.
3. If a school does not have an entry in a weight class, then a forfeit shall be entered for that school in that weight class. EXCEPTION – When a school enters two (2) or less wrestlers in the IHSAA tournament series, the vacant weight classes created by this school’s entry into the tournament shall NOT cause a forfeit in the vacant weight classes.
4. A copy of the Official Entry List from each school shall be in the hands of the tourney director at the time of the seeding meeting.
5. Each coach shall specify to the Tourney Director his entrants for each weight class prior to the seeding meeting. If no representative is present at the seeding meeting, the first contestant listed on the official entry list who is eligible in a particular weight class will be entered in that weight class.
6. Pairings at this meeting shall be by lot after the seeding assignments are made. These pairings shall be final and will not be redrawn.
7. Only qualified alternate/s may be substituted after the seeding meeting. A qualified alternate is defined as any wrestler who meets the following criteria:
a. possesses six (6) qualified weigh‐ins throughout the regular season,
b. has not been seeded nor placed by draw at the IHSAA sectional seeding meeting,
c.   is legally entered in his weight class or the weight class immediately above his weight class and is then eligible in either weight class.
8. If it becomes necessary to replace a seeded wrestler after the conclusion of the seeding meeting, the following procedures shall be implemented:
a. all seeded wrestlers below the vacated spot shall move up one seeded position. The alternate shall be placed at the #6 seeded position.
b. if an alternate is not available to be placed at the 6th seeded position, the last unseeded wrestler drawn shall be placed in the 6th seeded position.
B. Mandatory Procedures to Follow at the Sectional Seeding Meeting
1. Equipment and Supplies: TrackWrestling software, Chalkboard/White Board, numbers and shaker bottle; sufficient chairs and tables; sufficient blank bracket sheets for each weight class and coach. Brackets will also be needed for classes in which all schools do not enter.
2. Have the head coach stand, introduce himself and his assistant and tell what school they represent.
3. Follow the conduct of tournament recommendations in the Official Wrestling Rules–Rule 10.
4. Each coach is to possess a complete individual record of his wrestlers to be seeded including opponents’ names, schools and match scores.
5. Coaches should strive to keep open minds when seeding assignments are being decided. The main objective of seeding is to have outstanding wrestlers separated in the brackets so that they will not meet each other until the finals. Seeding shall be based upon the wrestler's proven ability and not upon the desire for unwarranted advantage.  
6. Determination of seeded wrestlers is given in order of importance: Varsity contests are the only record submitted for seeding consideration.
a. Head to head competition current year; (The wrestler with the most head to head wins gets the seed. If they have beaten each other an equal number of times, then the winner of the last match gets the seed. Head to head is counted at any level of interscholastic competition.  Matches against teammates are not counted for seeding purposes.);
b. Record against common opponents;
c. Semi‐State quarterfinalist, or higher in previous year IHSAA Tournament Series;
d. Win percentage. A contestant with the best overall record (winning percentage) who has wrestled at least 10 matches; For seeding purposes, forfeits should not be included in a wrestler’s record.
e. Farthest advancement in previous year IHSAA State Tournament Series;
f. Draw by lot. Criteria is reset after determining each seed.
                                Criteria is reset after determining each seed
NOTE: A wrestler with less than ten matches may not be seeded ahead of a wrestler with at least ten matches and a winning record unless he/she meets criteria in a, b or c.  A wrestler with a losing record may not be seeded unless he/she meets criteria a, b or c unless there are less than six (6) wrestlers in the bracket.  
7. A seeded contestant shall have the same opportunity to draw for a bye as other contestants in his bracket.

Ten matches qualifies you to be seeded based on winning percentage.

Per the rules "the main objective of seeding is to have outstanding wrestlers separated in the brackets so that they will not meet each other until the finals." I think that the rule writers assume that a wrestler who was on the cusp of making it to the state meet the previous year defines you as an outstanding wrestler.
10 matches qualifies you to be seeded, thus that is the 1st question. Next is head to head competition followed by common opponents. So if a returning semi-state quarterfinalist has lost to someone else in the sectional or has a worse record vs common opponents, he/she would NOT be seeded over his opponent he lost to or has had more common opponent success than--provided said wrestler meets the seeding criteria.   

Thank you for this. Sorry, he is the champ, but on this issue Burroughs is an idiot who does not appreciate all the hours non-wrestlers put in for the sport, paid or volunteer. It's bad enough for the sport trying to fill shortages of referees, but for him to go off without the facts or investigation being complete, is wrong. He has a higher responsibility to his accurate messaging and to the sport because of his following. 
This is all on the coaching staff who was warned, and even if they were not warned, did not prepare their teams. Every coach should have extra head guard/ with hair , and face-guard in event of injury.  The kid wore a non-regulation equipment item, and the kid & coach made the choice to then cut the hair. They then admitted at the previous meet that the kid “pushed his hair back,” (trying to say he did not wear a regulation cover) - which is on the previous referee.
Burroughs's lame excuse can be easily debunked by many internet videos. If I had a $1 for every-time I saw an official require hair clipping, shaving, and nail clipping being addressed I would have a new car. 
The best thing about wrestling is you compete with someone near your size, but style, length, strength, speed, technique can all be collectively unique and you can still win, regardless of race or ethnicity. But, this hair thing may be the one issue that may have uniqueness in a biological prevalence in ethnicity, but that does not make it a race issue. The National High School Association tried to address this in clarity of rules 4 years ago, and Burroughs is uninformed. 
And just like 5 O'Clock shadow is sometimes non-purposefully or disingenuously used to it's benefit, you can bet there are those that do and do not realize the effect that the abrasiveness of their hair style has on the eyes and face of an opponent, be it short and tight, or long and untamed.  I don't begrudge that sly advantage if they were judicious in its application. Been around the sport long enough to have many black, latin, middle-eastern, and white teammates and opponents with tight, thick hair, who knew how to groom it for maximum effectiveness during the season, and were not shy about it; more power to you. In practice or matches, they would use the crown of their head to dig in on tie-ins like a sand pad, into the eyes, forehead, and face, and those were predominately guys who cut their hair or cornrowed it.
Almost as bad is having a teammate whom doesn't follow appropriate methods to maintain and clean their dreadlocks, especially for wrestlers, who probably sweat and are in close quarters far more than any sport. Try going days with the equivalent of someone sticking an non-washed Force 10 Neoprene kneepad in your face and hour a day and tell me how lovely that is (and their were guys who liked to put on the smelly Force 10's for a match). You get an appreciation for the sweet smell of Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar on the days my teammates deep cleaned their dreads.  
And to to have uninformed non-followers of wrestling, aided by reactionary posts like that of Burroughs now try and make this a African-America cultural issue is also a bit disingenuous, especially when the practice also has roots in Greece, Crete, India, parts of East Asia, and even Jerusalem.  
 
 

From a ref’s perspective, it seems as though the letter of the rule was enforced correctly—a local ref says he had seen the wrestler using an illegal hair cover a week prior and told both wrestler and coach it needed to be addressed. It sounds like they didn’t address it.  The penalty point and starting the injury clock to give the wrestler time to address the issue is the right call per the rule 8-1-1 that is referenced above.
I don’t think the intent of the rule is so that kids will cut their hair matside to make it legal. I think it is more so removing a brace that might not be legal or taping laces. I imagine we will see a ruling forbidding the cutting of hair matside. You either use proper legal covering or you don’t wrestle.
I wanted to start this topic because I’ve seen my fair share of illegal hair coverings over the past years. I’ve always addressed it with the wrestler and coach, but I’ve permitted it if I didn’t think it would have the potential to cause harm (example: skull caps that don’t attach to the headgear). There is a rule emphasis that we are to not permit it. Hair coverings must be affixed to the headgear.
If you are a parent or coach of a wrestler whose hair doesn’t meet the standards, please be sure your wrestler has a legal hair covering.
I am getting frustrated reading all about this and getting texts from my nonwrestling friends asking about this. It is bad optics for our sport.
 

It is easy to blame officials for not checking at weigh ins. I get that they are the ruling authority figure at the tournament so they do deserve some blame--it is, of course, part of their duties. But I am shocked how quickly we are to point the finger at the official. What about the wrestler's responsibility to properly groom him/herself? It also is a responsibility of the coach to verify that their wrestlers are groomed, properly equipped and ready to wrestle.
That is part of my issue with this NJ incident. Where is the personal responsibility of the wrestler? Why has his coach not worked with him to obtain legal hair covering? This wasn't a rule change this year. The rule that hair covering must attach to the headgear it at least 2-3 years old. Why has he been allowed to slide this long? Other officials should have enforced the rule. Then you wouldn't have the "well they him wrestle last week" excuse I am seeing many use and maybe he'd have the proper equipment.
It is a point of emphasis this year that officials are not to allow illegal equipment (like hair covering that doesn't attach), so the ref wasn't in the wrong in the ruling on the mat. It just should have been addressed earlier. According to the NYT coverage an official who graduated from Johnson's school had warned them that the hair cover wasn't legal the week prior.
I get that the ref has had the past experience/suspension with using the racial slur. That isn't ok. There isn't room for hatred and racism in the ranks of officials in the sport. If they deem he should lose his license because of that, I can understand and support that ruling. But I doubt that most of the outrage wouldn't be the same or similar had he not had that happen. People on social media were quick to respond prior to that fact coming to light.
I don't want any wrestler to feel as if this sport isn't for them or that the rules don't allow them to express themselves (including having whatever hairstyle they want). Our sport is one of the most inclusive sports when it comes to accommodations for contestants. How many sports allow a 5' 100 lb participant to be able to contribute as much as a 6'6" 250 lb participant? How many other sports allow for female and male athletes to compete against each other? We allow all participants to wrestle with accommodation if need be. I can't think of another sport that alters rules so that visually impaired contestants can compete with those who aren't and that allows contestants without limbs to compete freely. I know there are religions that don't permit shaving or cutting of the hair, wrestling allows those individuals to compete using legal coverings or facemasks.
If wearing your hair in dreadlocks or a Mississippi Mudflap (mullet for those who aren't familiar) help you express yourself, wear your hair like that to your heart's content. Just please use the proper hair covering.

From a ref’s perspective, it seems as though the letter of the rule was enforced correctly—a local ref says he had seen the wrestler using an illegal hair cover a week prior and told both wrestler and coach it needed to be addressed. It sounds like they didn’t address it.  The penalty point and starting the injury clock to give the wrestler time to address the issue is the right call per the rule 8-1-1 that is referenced above.
I don’t think the intent of the rule is so that kids will cut their hair matside to make it legal. I think it is more so removing a brace that might not be legal or taping laces. I imagine we will see a ruling forbidding the cutting of hair matside. You either use proper legal covering or you don’t wrestle.
I wanted to start this topic because I’ve seen my fair share of illegal hair coverings over the past years. I’ve always addressed it with the wrestler and coach, but I’ve permitted it if I didn’t think it would have the potential to cause harm (example: skull caps that don’t attach to the headgear). There is a rule emphasis that we are to not permit it. Hair coverings must be affixed to the headgear.
If you are a parent or coach of a wrestler whose hair doesn’t meet the standards, please be sure your wrestler has a legal hair covering.
I am getting frustrated reading all about this and getting texts from my nonwrestling friends asking about this. It is bad optics for our sport.
 

Today footage of a varsity wrestler in NJ went viral. The video is of the wrestler having his hair cut matside in what I imagine allowed it to meet the the requirements for wrestlers’ appearance and health in accordance to NFHS rule 4-2-1.
The wrestler appears to be African-American and his hair was in medium length dreadlocks. From what I gather, his hair cover wasn’t legal because it couldn’t be attached to his headgear. It is unclear to me if the hair cover he was trying to use was the same he had worn all year, or if it was different. I read that he had misplaced his normal headgear and was using something else. I also read that it was the same head cover and no other official made a big deal about it. You can’t always believe what you read on the internet, so I guess pick whichever version you like. Either way, something was apparently wrong.
The main reason this seems to have gotten attention is the shock and awe factor of them hastily cutting the young man’s hair in the middle of the gym while he is clearly frustrated and emotional about the whole thing. Now asking a wrestler to cut their hair because their hair didn’t meet the standard/rule and they didn’t have the proper equipment has happened before, but it normally takes place in a lockerroom or wrestling room prior to the meet (as it should be addressed at the time of weigh ins). Having it happen in the middle of the gym in front of all to see is a much different thing and I can see how this video might catch the eyes of people unfamiliar with our sport.
Many are sharing and commenting on the video and many people are viewing it through a racial lense—a white ref making the ruling while a white trainer/manager cuts a black adolescents hair while his white coach stands by allowing all this to happen. I get the optics. It isn’t good. Making matters worse, the ref who made the call allegedly had been disciplined a few years ago for using a racial slur to discribe another official. Really not good optics.
All of this could and should have went differently. The ref should have addressed the hair at the weigh in. The wrestler could have had the proper legal haircovering (assuming he didn’t). The coach, ref, or AD could have decided that cutting the hair matside was wrong. All these things could have happened differently. Hopefully this viral video prevents this from happening again.
I hope to never see this happen in Indiana. But it very well could. I could almost have seen it happen on my mat. As a ref, I have had to enforce this rule matside—just last weekend, even, at a multi-team individual tournament. Another ref forgot to check for hair coverings (probably assuming wrestlers had them but didn’t bring them to be approved as special equipment) during skin check and the the offending wrestler came onto the mat with hair similar to the boy in the viral video. Luckily the wrestler’s teammates had a spare legal covering and they were able to correct it (in my experience, this has always been the case). The offending wrestler pinned his opponent in the first period so the penalty didn’t play a factor. After the match he and his coach said they didn’t realize he needed the hair cover and said he had been wrestling like this all year. This is a problem.
I’ve had wrestlers try to use pantyhose, skull caps that don’t meet NHFS regulations, swim caps, and even had a wrestler try to use a textbook cover as hair covers. Luckily they were all shut down during weigh-in/skin checks. If, in the heat of the moment, a wrestler didn’t have the proper equipment available like in the situation I mentioned above, I can imaging seeing a coach quickly doing something like this and me—with everything that refs have on their mind at a tournament—not thinking about how it might look or if it is appropriate letting it happen.
We can do better to prevent these situations.
I don’t know if the official was making the kid cut his hair because of racial bias. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. I try not to figure out intent—that isn’t my job. As a ref, I only see two colors: red and green. But I totally can see how this has become story. In the age of social media, stuff like this spreads fast and many people don’t care to look at all the facts. If this happened in the heat of the moment at a meet that I was working, I surely wouldn’t want people assocating my name with racism and hatred.
So...let’s make sure this doesn’t happen in the Hoosier state. Below are some rules for this year’s verson of the rule book that partain to this issue.
Rule 4-2-1
During competition all wrestlers shall be clean shaven, with sideburns trimmed no lower than earlobe level and hair trimmed and well groomed. The hair, in its natural state, shall not extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below the earlobe level; in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below earlobe level; in the front, the hair shall not extend below the eyebrows. A neatly trimmed mustache that does not extend below the line of the lower lip shall be permissible. If an individual has hair longer than allowed by rule, it may be braided or rolled if it is contained in a cover so that the hair rule is satisfied. The legal hair cover shall be attached to the ear guards. A bandanna is not considered a legal hair cover. The legal hair cover must be of solid material and be nonabrasive. The wrestler opting to wear a legal hair cover must wear it to the weigh-in procedure and be checked for grooming with it on. The legal hair cover must be removed prior to the wrestler stepping on the scale to be weighed. If a referee is not present at the weigh-ins, the hair cover must be checked by the meet referee upon arrival at the site.
If an individual has facial hair it must be covered with a face mask. All legal hair covers and face masks will be considered special equipment. If an individual’s hair is as abrasive as an unshaved face, the individual shall be required to shave the head as smooth as a face is required or wear legal hair cover.
7-3-5
Reporting to the scorers table, not properly equipt, or not ready to wrestle or any equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match as started is a technical violation.
According to 5-27, technical violations are to be penalized without warning.
Rule 8 covers penalties and injuries. 8-1-1 states:
Any contestant reporting to the scorers’ table not properly equipped or not ready to wrestle is a technical violation. A wrestler with greasy substance on the body or uniform, improper grooming, objectionable pads and braces, illegal equipment, illegal uniform or any equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match has started shall be disqualified if not removed or corrected within the 1 1/2-minute injury time.
...
Most refs don’t want to be bad guys. We want to grow the sport. Help us avoid these types of calls by familiarizing yourselves with the rules and please share the information and knowledge you have gained with others.
Also, if you have questions about these or any other rules, please use this site’s “Ask the Officials” Forum. A lot of times great questions can help us dig deeper into our knowledge of the rules and make us better officials...and from what I hear, everyone wants better officials.

It is easy to blame officials for not checking at weigh ins. I get that they are the ruling authority figure at the tournament so they do deserve some blame--it is, of course, part of their duties. But I am shocked how quickly we are to point the finger at the official. What about the wrestler's responsibility to properly groom him/herself? It also is a responsibility of the coach to verify that their wrestlers are groomed, properly equipped and ready to wrestle.
That is part of my issue with this NJ incident. Where is the personal responsibility of the wrestler? Why has his coach not worked with him to obtain legal hair covering? This wasn't a rule change this year. The rule that hair covering must attach to the headgear it at least 2-3 years old. Why has he been allowed to slide this long? Other officials should have enforced the rule. Then you wouldn't have the "well they him wrestle last week" excuse I am seeing many use and maybe he'd have the proper equipment.
It is a point of emphasis this year that officials are not to allow illegal equipment (like hair covering that doesn't attach), so the ref wasn't in the wrong in the ruling on the mat. It just should have been addressed earlier. According to the NYT coverage an official who graduated from Johnson's school had warned them that the hair cover wasn't legal the week prior.
I get that the ref has had the past experience/suspension with using the racial slur. That isn't ok. There isn't room for hatred and racism in the ranks of officials in the sport. If they deem he should lose his license because of that, I can understand and support that ruling. But I doubt that most of the outrage wouldn't be the same or similar had he not had that happen. People on social media were quick to respond prior to that fact coming to light.
I don't want any wrestler to feel as if this sport isn't for them or that the rules don't allow them to express themselves (including having whatever hairstyle they want). Our sport is one of the most inclusive sports when it comes to accommodations for contestants. How many sports allow a 5' 100 lb participant to be able to contribute as much as a 6'6" 250 lb participant? How many other sports allow for female and male athletes to compete against each other? We allow all participants to wrestle with accommodation if need be. I can't think of another sport that alters rules so that visually impaired contestants can compete with those who aren't and that allows contestants without limbs to compete freely. I know there are religions that don't permit shaving or cutting of the hair, wrestling allows those individuals to compete using legal coverings or facemasks.
If wearing your hair in dreadlocks or a Mississippi Mudflap (mullet for those who aren't familiar) help you express yourself, wear your hair like that to your heart's content. Just please use the proper hair covering.

MattyB, well said. In the last 2 years at the Harrison 10 way, I’ve witnessed 2 haircut situations. This year a mother cut her sons hair with a set of medical scissors. Last year a wrestler obviously was advised his hair covering his eyes were against the rules, so a group of teammates helped him out matside and gave him a good ol bowl hair cut. Both instances were the wrestlers decision. Now back to the main story. Sad that this has evolved to the point that the NJ attorney general is now investigating this as a possible race issue. Coach and said wrestler could’ve/should’ve been better prepared given his hair doesn’t follow the guidelines that all other participants must adhere to. While this may be a non story to many, it’s inadvertently putting a bad look on our sport. 

Today footage of a varsity wrestler in NJ went viral. The video is of the wrestler having his hair cut matside in what I imagine allowed it to meet the the requirements for wrestlers’ appearance and health in accordance to NFHS rule 4-2-1.
The wrestler appears to be African-American and his hair was in medium length dreadlocks. From what I gather, his hair cover wasn’t legal because it couldn’t be attached to his headgear. It is unclear to me if the hair cover he was trying to use was the same he had worn all year, or if it was different. I read that he had misplaced his normal headgear and was using something else. I also read that it was the same head cover and no other official made a big deal about it. You can’t always believe what you read on the internet, so I guess pick whichever version you like. Either way, something was apparently wrong.
The main reason this seems to have gotten attention is the shock and awe factor of them hastily cutting the young man’s hair in the middle of the gym while he is clearly frustrated and emotional about the whole thing. Now asking a wrestler to cut their hair because their hair didn’t meet the standard/rule and they didn’t have the proper equipment has happened before, but it normally takes place in a lockerroom or wrestling room prior to the meet (as it should be addressed at the time of weigh ins). Having it happen in the middle of the gym in front of all to see is a much different thing and I can see how this video might catch the eyes of people unfamiliar with our sport.
Many are sharing and commenting on the video and many people are viewing it through a racial lense—a white ref making the ruling while a white trainer/manager cuts a black adolescents hair while his white coach stands by allowing all this to happen. I get the optics. It isn’t good. Making matters worse, the ref who made the call allegedly had been disciplined a few years ago for using a racial slur to discribe another official. Really not good optics.
All of this could and should have went differently. The ref should have addressed the hair at the weigh in. The wrestler could have had the proper legal haircovering (assuming he didn’t). The coach, ref, or AD could have decided that cutting the hair matside was wrong. All these things could have happened differently. Hopefully this viral video prevents this from happening again.
I hope to never see this happen in Indiana. But it very well could. I could almost have seen it happen on my mat. As a ref, I have had to enforce this rule matside—just last weekend, even, at a multi-team individual tournament. Another ref forgot to check for hair coverings (probably assuming wrestlers had them but didn’t bring them to be approved as special equipment) during skin check and the the offending wrestler came onto the mat with hair similar to the boy in the viral video. Luckily the wrestler’s teammates had a spare legal covering and they were able to correct it (in my experience, this has always been the case). The offending wrestler pinned his opponent in the first period so the penalty didn’t play a factor. After the match he and his coach said they didn’t realize he needed the hair cover and said he had been wrestling like this all year. This is a problem.
I’ve had wrestlers try to use pantyhose, skull caps that don’t meet NHFS regulations, swim caps, and even had a wrestler try to use a textbook cover as hair covers. Luckily they were all shut down during weigh-in/skin checks. If, in the heat of the moment, a wrestler didn’t have the proper equipment available like in the situation I mentioned above, I can imaging seeing a coach quickly doing something like this and me—with everything that refs have on their mind at a tournament—not thinking about how it might look or if it is appropriate letting it happen.
We can do better to prevent these situations.
I don’t know if the official was making the kid cut his hair because of racial bias. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. I try not to figure out intent—that isn’t my job. As a ref, I only see two colors: red and green. But I totally can see how this has become story. In the age of social media, stuff like this spreads fast and many people don’t care to look at all the facts. If this happened in the heat of the moment at a meet that I was working, I surely wouldn’t want people assocating my name with racism and hatred.
So...let’s make sure this doesn’t happen in the Hoosier state. Below are some rules for this year’s verson of the rule book that partain to this issue.
Rule 4-2-1
During competition all wrestlers shall be clean shaven, with sideburns trimmed no lower than earlobe level and hair trimmed and well groomed. The hair, in its natural state, shall not extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below the earlobe level; in the back; and on the sides, the hair shall not extend below earlobe level; in the front, the hair shall not extend below the eyebrows. A neatly trimmed mustache that does not extend below the line of the lower lip shall be permissible. If an individual has hair longer than allowed by rule, it may be braided or rolled if it is contained in a cover so that the hair rule is satisfied. The legal hair cover shall be attached to the ear guards. A bandanna is not considered a legal hair cover. The legal hair cover must be of solid material and be nonabrasive. The wrestler opting to wear a legal hair cover must wear it to the weigh-in procedure and be checked for grooming with it on. The legal hair cover must be removed prior to the wrestler stepping on the scale to be weighed. If a referee is not present at the weigh-ins, the hair cover must be checked by the meet referee upon arrival at the site.
If an individual has facial hair it must be covered with a face mask. All legal hair covers and face masks will be considered special equipment. If an individual’s hair is as abrasive as an unshaved face, the individual shall be required to shave the head as smooth as a face is required or wear legal hair cover.
7-3-5
Reporting to the scorers table, not properly equipt, or not ready to wrestle or any equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match as started is a technical violation.
According to 5-27, technical violations are to be penalized without warning.
Rule 8 covers penalties and injuries. 8-1-1 states:
Any contestant reporting to the scorers’ table not properly equipped or not ready to wrestle is a technical violation. A wrestler with greasy substance on the body or uniform, improper grooming, objectionable pads and braces, illegal equipment, illegal uniform or any equipment that is detected as being illegal after the match has started shall be disqualified if not removed or corrected within the 1 1/2-minute injury time.
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Most refs don’t want to be bad guys. We want to grow the sport. Help us avoid these types of calls by familiarizing yourselves with the rules and please share the information and knowledge you have gained with others.
Also, if you have questions about these or any other rules, please use this site’s “Ask the Officials” Forum. A lot of times great questions can help us dig deeper into our knowledge of the rules and make us better officials...and from what I hear, everyone wants better officials.

We are going big time, we now have the podcast on iTunes and Google Play Music so you can listen to Mike and I talk about wrestling on the go!
Here is the link for both to subscribe and not miss ONE episode
iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/indianamat-gorilla-radio/id1447422509
Google Play Music
https://play.google.com/music/m/Imi2enqzqghaeb7dxqlvrb5e3lu?t=IndianaMat_Gorilla_Radio

Well lets be honest the greatest state is Hawaii.  They got miles of beautiful beaches, Hula girls, and those cool drinks with fruit and umbrellas in em....BUT my son doesnt wrestle in Hawaii so exacto facto Indiana wins by default.

Well...I guess you might as well start the season with a boom.

Part of it is that he sent a picture of himself holding a gun to this girl, which he admitted to. So there is guilt here, there’s a few more things to look into. Here’s an article about it. https://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_566f70bc-d3d6-11e8-94df-ffe9ffc3bb22.html

See the college thread for that and more info on IN's college guys 

If you are really willing to put a little time into it, the Attack Style Wrestling podcast with Daryl Webber did a really good job of talking about strength training for wrestling.  He did a 3 part podcast series on it that was really good.  I found the second podcast in the series, but do a little searching and you can find the others.  I remember Weber ( NCAA champ at Iowa ) saying during the season he did very heavy lifts in sets of 1 to 3 to keep his explosiveness.  His guest is or was the strength coach for Rutgers - Even Esh.
https://www.mattalkonline.com/podcast/attack-style-wrestling/asw31-part-2-strength-training-for-wrestling-with-zach-even-esh/

So are we using an * for these?

Still counting.  Not to mention I'm undefeated up in the room...Weighing 220 and wrestling 171 is so much easier 🙀