What should we expect from Saturday matches?
Meets
usually consist of three or four teams, with multiple matches going on simultaneously. Team scores are not
kept. There are paid referees and official timekeepers for most matches. There will be one or two WTW
coaches on the mat to assist your child when they wrestle. Parents, siblings, and other wrestlers should not be
on the mat during the matches. Depending on how many wrestlers attend, there are usually 100 to 150 matches which
takes about 3 hours to complete. Wrestlers need to be in the gym early to receive their "match number assignments"
which will be written on their hand. Most wrestlers will have one match but sometimes could have two or three.
In certain occasions no suitable opponent is available. We will try to notify you ahead of time. When a wrestler has completed his matches he is free to leave but we do encourage our wrestlers to stay a while
to cheer on their teammates. It's not fair to the last wrestler to have no one in the gym to cheer him on.
What are the tournaments all about?
Many recreation programs hold tournaments each year. These tournaments are usually held on Sundays. WT
Wrestling usually participates in two or three league tournaments each season including a novice tournament designed for first
and some second year wrestlers only. Tournaments require each wrestler to "weigh-in" one or two nights prior
to the event. Wrestlers will be placed in weight brackets based on their ages and wrestle in a single elimination style
format. A tournament can be a very short day or a very long day! Unlike the Saturday recreation meets, the tournaments
are "open" so wrestlers will not be matched by equal ability; only by age division and weight. First year
and even some second year wrestlers are strongly encouraged to participate ONLY in the Novice tournament.
Who will my child compete against?
Tournament wrestlers are divided
into the following age categories (for the 2008-2009 season:
Bantam - born 2000 or later
Midget - born in 1999 or 1998
Junior - born in 1997 or 1996
Intermediate - born in 1995 or 1994 (excluding
HS wrestlers)
For Saturday meets, each wrestler will be paired with an opponent of simliar age, weight,
experience, and ability. Please note that there is always variability and we will do our best to provide your child
with competition of equal age, size, and ability. At tournaments, however, the brackets take into account
age and weight only. There is no provision for experience level at the tournaments other than the novice tournament.
What should I do during our meets?
As a
parent, your role is to cheer on your wrestler and his teammates. This should be done in a manner respectful to the
opposing wrestlers, teams, and families and should also be done from the stands. Also be sure not to bring valuables
into the gym during matches.
How can I help?
We desperately need volunteers for the home meets. We will be needing people to set-up, clean, and break-down
the mats, run the scorer's tables, set-up, work, and break-down the concession stand, sell 50/50 tickets, etc. We
will hold a parents' meeting specifically for our home matches and look for each parent to volunteer some time at one
of the home matches. How well we run our home matches is a direct reflection on the WTW program so your participation
is greatly appreciated!
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Rules Overview
WT
Wrestling participates in "folkstyle" wrestling. The objective of the sport of wrestling is to "pin"
your opponent. A pin (also called a "fall") is awarded by putting your opponent on his back
with any part of both shoulders or shoulder blades in contact with the mat for two seconds. Once you pin your opponent
the match is over and you are the winner.
If neither wrestler gets pinned, the winner is the wrestler who has scored
the most points during the match. There are five ways to score points in a folkstyle wrestling match: Take Down,
Escape, Reverse, Near-Fall, and Penalty.
Match Scoring
Takedown - 2 points - from a neutral position (both standing with neither wrestler having control)
a wrestler gains control over his opponent down on the mat.
Escape - 1 point - When a defensive (bottom)
wrestler gains a neutral position and his opponent has lost control.
Reversal - 2 points - When the defensive
wrestler comes from the bottom position and gains control of his opponent, either on the mat or in a rear standing position.
Near Fall - 2 or 3 points - When near fall criteria is met for 2 seconds. Near fall criteria is when
any part of both shoulders of the defensive wrestler are held for at least 2 seconds within four inches of the mat or when
one shoulder is touching the mat with the other shoulderheld at an angle of 45 degrees or less. If a near fall criteriai
is met for 2 seconds then 2 points rae awarded. If near fall criteria is met for 5 seconds then 3 points are awarded.
Penalty - 1 or 2 points - A wrestler is awarded point(s) for tachnical violations or infractions of the rules
committed by his opponent. A penalty is usually 1 point unless it is a multiple occurrence of the infraction (usually
third) which is then a 2 point penalty.
Match Duration
A full tournament match consists of three periods. Only a pin or default terminates a match prior
to the completion of three periods. The typical duration of each of the periods (tournaments) is as follows:
Bantams and Midgets: 1 min - 1 min - 1 min
Juniors and Intermediates: 1 min - 1.5 min - 1.5 min
High
School: 2 min - 2 min - 2 min
Note
that Saturday recreation matches usually run 1 minute periods for ALL ages.
Referee Hand
Signals
The match referee will use a variety of hand signals to signal to the scorekeeper and to
the coaches and spectators. To view the referee hand signals click on the link below.
Click here to see Referee Hand Signals
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