The LoHud Wrestling Blog

In case you missed it in today’s paper, here is my story on the new rule changes, which includes the opinions of a couple of local coaches.

Judging from the comments I’ve seen on the blog and my conversations with a few coaches, it seems that there are a few different ways of looking at it. While a few more people seem to feel that the changes in weight classes are counterproductive, there are some who feel that this is a natural progression.

Personally, I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference. The bottom line is that each team is going to have one more heavyweight and one less lightweight than in seasons past (I do believe that New York state is going to add one more spot at 100 pounds). In theory, that should provide an extra opportunity for an upperclassmen and one less spot for a middle school/freshman-type.

Were these changes necessary? Probably not. But as long as it doesn’t dramatically effect anyone’s preparation or performance, I just don’t see it as a major hurdle.