PWCA
The Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches' Association

District IX

Randy Cathcart of Clarion Area, serving as President of the Clarion County Coaches'
Association, reports on the PWCA meeting recently held, as edited by your Webmaster.
	Injury time - the National Rules Committee has endorsed a rules change that 
would reduce the time to 1:30, with a limit of two time-outs.  If a wrestler takes
the second time-out, his opponent would have choice of position on the re-start.  
After much discussion, the PWCA endorsed this change, which will probably take effect
next season.  Observers from the National Rules Committee at the PIAA State 
Tournament were "disappointed with the misuse of injury time."
 
	Weight certification - several changes are proposed, none of which are supported
 by the PWCA.
1. A wrestler may only compete at three weight classes in any given season.  A 152# 
wrestler, certified at 140, who "bumps up" to 160 once during the season, would only 
be able to wrestle at 145 in the post-season.  (Ed: Hmm, I suppose he could drop 
straight to 140, without hitting 145 along the way, and meet the letter of the rule.)
2. Each wrestler would have to wrestle at least half of his matches at the post-season 
tournament weight.
3. As of Jan 15, each wrestler must be AT - and stay at for the rest of the season -
their post-season tournament weight.
 
	The PIAA will vote on these changes this summer.  The weight changes are being 
driven largely by the recent deaths in college wrestling (ed: which, strangely enough, 
were attributed to the lack of controls.  The NCAA has adopted what they feel to be 
reasonable controls - ALL OF WHICH have been in place at the high school level for 
years.)
 
	The PWCA has adopted an institutional membership.  For $50.00, all coaches on 
staff, elementary to varsity, are covered members.  The high school library gets a 
copy of the RoundUp.  The PWCA will award an "Assistant Coach of the Year" and a 
"Junior High Coach of the Year" starting next year.  A coach must be a member to 
qualify for the award.
 
	Finally, the PWCA passed a tentative acceptance of the 12 weight classes 
(105, 112, 119. 126, 132, 138, 145, 154, 160, 171, 189, 275) assuming the PIAA has 
only those to vote on.  If there is a choice, the PWCA supports leaving the existing 
weight classes in place.
 
	THE PWCA is running a fund raiser.  Tickets are $5 each, with the winner getting
a complete set of warm-ups for their entire team.  Proceeds support PWCA activities.

top       District IX