Time To Stop The Deaths Wrestling Fatalities Prompt Calls For Change In Rules

A knot formed in John Owen’s throat this week when a third collegiate wrestler died while vigorously working to lose weight.

Owen, the longtime North Idaho College coach who resigned last winter, remembered a close call one of his wrestlers had several years ago while trying to cut a substantial amount of weight.

“We had a kid that tried to outthink himself. He was losing potassium through dehydration,” Owen said. “So he took some potassium (pills) and overdosed. He was throwing up and we had to rush him to the hospital. He missed out on going to the regional tournament.”

That was one of a couple of dangerous situations NIC wrestlers encountered under Owen. He declined to get into specifics about the others, but felt fortunate none died.

The three deaths in two months has renewed safety concerns around the country regarding rapid weight loss. The latest fatality, of a University of Michigan wrestler, happened Dec. 9.

Safeguards are in place that should keep similar tragedies from occurring at the high school level, prep coaches say.

But Owen and NIC professor Bill Pecha, an expert on nutrition, hope changes will be made to avoid further deaths.

Pecha, founder of the NIC wrestling program, believes there’s a simple solution: Require all wrestlers to weigh in closer to the time they compete.

Under NCAA rules, wrestlers weigh in the night before dual matches. That allows an overweight athlete to cut weight at the last minute by dehydrating his body of all liquids, knowing there’s enough time to rehydrate before he wrestles.

Pecha plans to write a letter to Amateur Wrestling News proposing changes to NCAA rules. He proposes that weighins be held once at duals and tournaments, occurring no more than an hour before competition, preferably when each wrestler receives his first call for a match.

“That takes dehydration out of it because you need at least 45 minutes to rehydrate by drinking cold water,” said Pecha. “That would solve so many problems. The only true weight loss is fat. Dieting doesn’t hurt people. Dehydrating does.”

Said Owen: “The thing that’s mind boggling for me is this (rapid weight cutting) has been going on for years and years and years.”

Owen understands the mindset of coaches and wrestlers in a sport that requires uncompromising discipline. A wrestler is compelled to lose as much weight as possible and, in many cases, drop down a weight class or two to be most successful.

“I’ve been there, done that. You have to do the same thing you’re opponent is doing,” Owen said. “We’ve gotten away on the college level of doing this for more than 20 years.

“Just because I’m out of it now doesn’t mean it’s right.”

It’s a delicate issue to face, too, considering more colleges each year drop the sport.

Sandpoint High coach Eric Langley is concerned that the deaths will hurt the sport’s image.

“It worries me because it gives wrestling a black eye,” Langley said. “The primary thing I look at after the first week of five practices (of 2 hours each) is what’s their weight. Then we decide if they can reasonably take off any more weight and be healthy. None of my kids is taking off too much weight.”

Wrestling in a dehydrated state is like a Corvette running on a half tank of gas, Langley said. “You can still go the same speed, but not as long,” he said.

High school athletic associations have rules in place to keep wrestlers from attempting to drop a large amount of weight. In Washington, for example, teams must have a doctor certify that the weight their wrestlers want to compete at is healthy based on their body fat. In Idaho, coaches meet with parents and athletes and collectively decide what weight is best for their kids.

Prep wrestlers make weight an hour before dual matches. For tournaments such as TriState, they step on the scales the night before it starts and after the quarterfinals the first day.

Undefeated Jared Lawrence of Sandpoint, who can become the first four-time Tri-State champ, believes the current NCAA weigh-in rules are fine. If changes are made, he’d like to see high school and colleges implement a one-time weigh-in 24 hours before matches and tournaments.

“Everybody has been cutting weight the same way for a long time,” Lawrence said. “We just need to be more disciplined and use more common sense.”

Lawrence cut from 135 pounds to 130 for Tri-State and the Reno Tournament of Champions in two weeks. After that he’ll return to 135.

“I thought I could be more competitive at 130 at these tournaments,” said Lawrence, who competed at 119 last year. “I don’t think I cut weight real sensibly last year. I could probably go lower this year, but where I’m at is more sensible.”

Lawrence said he wrestled dehydrated during three matches Friday because he had to make weight after the quarterfinals.

“I’d guess 50 percent of the guys here are wrestling dehydrated the whole day,” Lawrence said.

The bottom line, though, is prep coaches are being more careful.

Lakeside coach Scott Jones had a wrestler go up a class instead of cutting to a lower weight for Tri-State.

“We’ve cut pretty hard in the past, but with the recent scares …,” Jones said. “What’s happened is devastating. Wrestling struggles with acceptance across the nation as it is.”

Dan Gable, the former University of Iowa coach and the country’s most prominent person in amateur wrestling, is leading an investigation into the deaths. His findings will be reported to the NCAA wrestling rules committee.

The federal Food and Drug Administration also has launched an investigation to determine if the deaths were related to dietary supplements.

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