District IX Rules Interp Meeting
Monday, Nov. 1, 1999
@ Brockway, PA

District IX       1998 notes

This is entirely preliminary, since the meeting hasn't taken place yet <grin>, but the
National Federation Rules Books ARE out and this is what your editor has gleaned from
his copy.  More to come, obviously.
** Asterisks indiacte comments made AFTER the meeting took place.

First, substantial work seems to have been done on the explanatory photo section in the
back.  Many of the photos are new - and even the old ones have the text edited to make
the explanations clearer.  Good job, guys!

A couple of easy ones that needed made:
1. grasping of clothing during a takedown attempt is now a delayed call.
2. Unnecessary roughness, illegal holds, and blood time are not "correctable" due to
bad time.

More interesting:
The language on stalling during the tiebreaker is eliminated.  No replacement.  It will
be interesting to hear how that is interpreted.
** At the meeting - the language in the book was being widely misinterpreted, so it was
simply removed.  Nothing much has changed.  It was stressed that during the tie-breaker,
the top man is simpy expected to maintain controlled wrsetling - he is not expected to
actively "work for the fall."  But he cannot just drop down and grab an ankle, either.

Two time outs by the end of the first period results in AUTOMATIC choice of position for
the opponent in both the second and third periods.  [Good call.  unnecessary game-playing
with this one last year.]

Unsportsmanlike conduct calls WILL carry over in multiple-day events.

Misconduct of coaches will NOT carry over in multiple-day events.

Long hair may be braided or rolled as long as it is covered.
** If it IS braided or rolled, it MUST be covered, regardless of length.

Rule 6-2-2 again refers to a pre-meet coin toss to determine odd or even.
** Not in PA.  Nothing much has changed.  ALTHOUGH, the book seems to indicate that ONLY
the first man is committed, discussion was not conclusive.

Charging a time-out for contact search-and-rescue is discretionary for the ref - based 
on disrupting the flow of the match."
** Not discussed at the meeting.

Expiration of blood time caused by unnecessary roughness, illegal holds, etc. results in
the bleeder winning by default.

The word "unadorned" is eliminated from the special equipment rule (4-3-1).  The rule
was not intended to prohibit logos & such - and "taunting" types of markings ARE covered
under unsportsmanlike conduct rules.

In the Notes on the Rules: 

a false start from neutral that results in contact to a knee or ankle, causing injury,
should be charged as unnecessary roughness.  
** This mean TWO calls - one for the false start and one for the Unnecessary roughness.
False start could be a caution or a point; UR is an automatic point.  
Possible TWO points if this is a third caution.

Avoiding wrestling - edge of the mat play needs to be called more often.  
[Ed note: hear, hear!!]

Figure-four headscissors (from neutral) is a delayed call - if the "offensive" wrestler
can complete the TD, he gets 2 + 1.

Biting is flagrant misconduct.  The ref doesn't have to SEE it, just be certain that it
did occur.  It must be called when it happened - a wrestler or coach can't bring it up
after the match.

Byes.  Language in the Notes indicates that each weight class is to be considered
individually.  In an eight-team tournament, a weight class with only four people has
NO byes.  There are to be NO byes after the first round of either the championship or
consolation brackets.  This would seem to mandate balancing of the the quarter-brackets
in order to eliminate "double-byes" in the first round of consy's.

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