|
|
What Do You Think Of The High School Wrestling Lawsuit?
|
|
T O P I C
|
Discussion Started: 02-05-2002, 1:43 PM
|
|
|
|
A former Eastlake North wrestler has filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming that he was forced to lose weight in order to compete.
He says that the coach wanted him to lose weight so that he could compete in a lower weight class.
What do you think about the high school wrestling lawsuit?
|
|
View Messages: [newest first] | [oldest first]
|
amethysto
|
07-28-2002, 12:28 PM
|
|
|
coaches do force children to drop weight. My son wrestled jr. high and varsity. His coaches threatened the team all the time to make weight or don't be a part of the team. He always used the team as an excuse for making weight. What about the individual child who is not over weight, and can't afford to take off any body fat. Children cutting weight are not happy and have a bad attitude about everything, (they need your help) they can't help but act out. There are nutritional needs-they are still growing. Our school doesn't even have an instrument to measure body fat, and if you were to ask him(the coach) he would tell you he doesn't have to. My son suffers from a hernia because his coach would make him wrestle up and down because his team mate broke his ankle. He wouldn't put in the jv wrestler who was 112 because he said he wasn't good enough. Let him wrestle so he can get better. Some kids would even pick the weight they wanted and get away with it even though he knew they would starve themselves to get there. We need to start working together and prove it is just a mythe that working down in weight is better. more parents need to become knowledgeable as to what is a reasonable weight loss. parents need to step forward and demand those severe weightloss practices be eliminated from their school wrestling program. we need to work with coaches, school directors, trainers and school personel. Contact PTA or NFHS sports medicine advisory committee get the help your team needs and good luck to this student.
good luck, wrestlers mom
|
|
wrestlma
|
03-19-2002, 12:05 PM
|
|
|
Frivolous lawsuit! No coach FORCES a wrestler to cut weight. All the kid needed to do was beat the kid at the 140, 145 or 152. If 135 required so much cutting, he could have wrestled a more natural weight, if he beats the kid at that weight. Part of wrestling is being the best at the weight the wrestler chooses to wrestle. Not much the coach could do if he had beaten those other kids. Bottom line, this kid is a crybaby, couldn't make the lineup at a weight more natural to him, now he's blaming a coach for no wrestling money. Pick a weight you are COMFORTABLE at, win a state championship (especially in OH, PA, NJ) you get the college dollars!!
|
|
SAWrestler
|
02-23-2002, 9:37 PM
|
|
|
First of all, all you parents please shut up. Wrestling is more than a sport, its something thatcan evolve into the center of your life. Do you know how hard it is to wrestle up a weight class? When you weigh forsay 171 and to go up to 189? For me, that would be 18 more pounds of muscle⬠⬠if the other guy weight in at 189 and i weigh in at 175, how do you think I'll manage if he has 15 more pounds of puire muscle. Let me put it this way, its just the way that everybody does it and the way that all the best do it, when you're made out of pure muscle and little fluid do you realize your capabilities? Sure you might not have great technique, but some great wrestlers I know are not very good but they keep their weight down and win their matches because they suck their weight. "Winning isnt everything, its the only thing" do you realzie why its the only thing? This is because a wrestler sacrifices so much of his life to practice and conditioning not to mention cutting weight, think about how bad it feels when you lose? Sure the strife can count, but it sure as hell sets all the teamates ive seen cry or feel horrible when they lose because they simply "bumped up a weight class". Some cases perhaps, but in the case of this wrestler, when the coach threatened him do you think perhaps it was because we was the only person who could wrestle 135 for the team? Many schools fight just to fill a majority of their weight classes, if a weight class isnt filled then the team gives up 6 points. Ifa wrestler pins his opponent the team gains six points. Some of you who have wrestled apparently haven't gotten a good sense of how hard wrestling is and how invigorating it is. The article speaks little about the athlet's attitude, for all we know he could've just done the stupidest thing in the world which is binge after every match because then you have to work it all off all of a sudden. And when wrestlers are doing things before they step on the scale for weigh in, maybe its because they were irresponsible and ate too much that day with their 3 pound weight allowance. Please, its the same as football, suck it up and shut up. To understand why one must make weight, go out and wrestle for a few years at a competitive high school level, or talk to someone who loves wrestling so much that its his life, and ask them your questions. Dont stereotype wrestlers, we're ****y but thats only because we gotta make the weight sometimes, but its been accepted as the sport continues to grow. Know your facts, and your sport
|
|
crcommerto
|
02-12-2002, 8:55 AM
|
|
|
I have been a head high school coach for the past 3 years and I think what happened to this wrestler is a shame, but the blame goes on the parents and not just the coach. Don't get me wrong, the coach was rightfully disciplined if the allegations are true. I wonder if there was a body fat test to see what his healthy weight actually was. The parents should have picked up on his eating habits, or lack thereof beforehand. It is funny to me how the issue was not raised untill after he left the team. Now for the mother who feels practices should be open, I disagree with this 100%. You can have a parent that participated in that sport and thinks he knows more than that coach. This can cause problems not just for that coach, but can hinder the performance of the team. A parent needs to trust the coach. If he/she does not they need to take the issue to the administration, but please let there be due cause and a legitimate complaint. My advice to all wrestling coaches, before a weight loss program is instituted, get a body fat reading and discuss the plan of action with the parents and the wrestler. It is thier health, not ours.
Chuck Commerton
|
|
superfan11
|
02-10-2002, 10:42 PM
|
|
|
I think if anyone is responsible it is the parent. If he can sit around and watch his kid eat what the article said he did then what kind of parent is he. Plus I am sure that he is the one that bought the rubbersuit in the first place. I am familar with the program and actually have aquaintances with the family and I know for a fact that the father used to make the laundry room into a heated room and the son would wear his plastics in there to lose wait. And for the record there is no way possible he would have gotten a college scholarship. He was a 500 wrestler. A lot of things said in the interview are wrong.
|
|
lmbm
|
02-10-2002, 9:24 PM
|
|
|
I would like to know who is suing the parents? I agree that some coaches go to far and need to be made accountable but what about the parents. Doesn't anyone eat a meal with his young man? My sons are wrestlers. One recently came to me and talked about wanting to lose weight. We arranged his food habits and he began to eat healthier. He ate 3 meals a day with snacks, but he changed the types of foods he was eating. His coaches were very up front with me and discussions regarding his health involved all of us. He was never forced to lose the weight. Again, I ask where were the parents?
|
|
okwrestler
|
02-08-2002, 9:35 PM
|
|
|
i dont know whether to believe the kid or not, but if he is telling the truth, the coach needs to be punished. wrestling has already had too many black eyes, and we dont need any stupid coaches making our sport worse in the eyes of non-wrestling people. its a great sport, i love it, thats why i do it in college. the wrestling community needs to let everyone know that our sport is great and incidents like this are very few and far between. of course, the kid might be lying. if he is, all that ive said goes for him too.
|
|
brocktatum
|
02-07-2002, 1:26 PM
|
|
|
Coming from a former 8th grade wrestler, and a current professional wrestler, the lawsuit is real stupid in my point of view. High school wrestling is full of hazing, and stupid methods of weight loss. This is the main reason I never even bothered to wrestle in High School. It is a big joke. In 8th grade I was never forced to lose weight, heck I wrestled at the heavyweight level, yet I weighed in 1 or 2 weight classes lower. I don't see the big deal. Coaches have the belief of "Winning isn't everything, it is the only thing." Sadly, so do a lot of people. This person should take a different stand on the situation. Creating more money loss just adds to problems. Now all the sudden this school system can't update their computer equipment or something because they had to pay up money for some kid who was told to lose weight. He should just wrestle at his weight. If that isn't good enough quit. Do something else. If you like wrestling, try shootfighting or other forms of martial arts. Try professional wrestling, there is no pressue at all to lose weight, and it is just as athletic if not more. This person and their parents should drop the lawsuit and just find something else to do.
|
|
swags
|
02-06-2002, 2:48 PM
|
|
|
I can't believe this lawsuit has been filed. For starters, losing weight is part of being a wrestler. Anyone who thinks otherwise has been uninformed. There are proper, less harmful ways of doing it, or the alternatives which can be reckless. A parent who is involved in a child's life would see this from the beginning. Obviously, this parent isn't to bright. This parent fully supported his child's method for losing weight, and as it was stated, he admitted buying the suit solely for this purpose. The wrestling coach DID NOT force him to wear it and nor was the child hurt or harmed in any way. I don't support the use of these suits to lose weight, but I also don't support a parent trying to milk the system for a dollar. When the facts surface once for and all, the public will see what a true farce this was.
|
|
PEWH
|
02-06-2002, 2:40 PM
|
|
|
Thank you for this oppertunity to discuss High School wrestling programs, and what pressures go on behind thier closed doors. I have seen many changes over the last 30 years. Some where the high school coaching staff has forgotten whose memories the high school years are for. Behind closed doors athletes are bullied, humilated, and forced into dropping to a lower wieght class or not wrestle at all. Why can't the atletes wrestle off at a higher weight classes? Could it be that there might be a default in certian weight classes, when the one team gets points because there is not one to wrestle in that weight on the opposing team? No coach behind closed doors has the right to dangle the carrot of a wrestling spot at the expense of an athletes helath, and this carries for all sports, not only wrestling. Look at the amount of athletes who die every year from overexhurtion and heat exhaustion. Let the doors be open, and let the parents get involved and watch so the coaches can't force younger athletes to wrestle off without the right of refusal. Face it, an 18 year old senior should not be compeating against a 14 year old inexprienced freshmen, unless requested by the younger athlete. Watch how your schools coaches speak to their athletes, how many yell and schold. Coaches should on notice that their actions are being watched, parents should be allowed at practices to watch the manorisims of coaches. NO COACH HAS THE RIGHT TO BULLY, DEMEEN, OR WITHDRAW THE RIGHT TO WRESTLE OFF AT A HIGHER WIEGHT CLASS--THESE MEMORIES BELONG TO THE ATHLETE, YOU MUST HUMANIZE YOUR APPROACH TO COACHING OR STEP DOWN. WINNING MIGHT BE THE COMMON GOAL--BUT NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF ANY ATHLETES HEALTH. Remember thses are 14 to 18 year old young adults that have choosen to attempt to be active in a sport. TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT, OPEN YOUR DOORS TO THEIR PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITY AND THE SUPPORT OF HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS WILL IMPROVE, BENIFITING EVERYONE.
Thank you for this long over due topic and the allowing a wrestlers mom to speak her mind sincerely, PEWH
|
|
Top
News