Kansas Wrestling Forums General Discussion Kids Folkstyle Weight question

How rigidly is the rule regarding wrestling someone heavier enforced?

My son (8&U) had to wrestle someone almost 30 lbs heavier this weekend and is ready to give up wrestling now.

This is a topic we discussed in detail last year. I take it your son will be 8/U Heavyweight? If so, during regular season, some of the smaller tournaments they will allow a bracket of heavyweight that is from 96-whatever. (I believe 95 is the top weight division in 8/U.)
When you get to the bigger tournaments, sub-districts, districts and state, there is a 25 pound max difference. They put the 25 pound difference because if they set it at 5-10 pounds, they probably wouldn't have many kids to wrestle through out the year. Sometimes there will be just one kid who has no one else to wrestle and they will put them in the next bracket down.
My son last year wrestled a kid that was 45 pounds heavier and many that were 25-30. Tell him don't give up, he can do it.

We have a Kids Constitution that covers this subject. Here is what it says:
Rule 4-4-2
No wrestler will be permitted to wrestle another person with a weight spread exceeding the following weights:
8 & Under
15 Pounds
9 & 10
20 Pounds
11 & 12
25 Pounds
13 & 14
30 Pounds
15 & 16
35 Pounds

Our son got caught in this same situation last week. Our scales must be off a little because we sure thought he was weighing almost 100 lbs. He is 10 and under so the weight break is 100 then 110. We entered him at a 110 because my husband doesn't like for him to have to move up a weight class before the end of the season and we do not believe it is healthy to have him try to cut weight. It was a split tournment that we were going to (great format, by the way) and we knew he was not going to be close to weight - so he had a very large breakfast and then we drove to the tournament and he ate a good sized lunch right before 2nd session weigh-ins. He weighed in at 94.7. The bracket he was in was 130 and under. Technically, it met the rules because we had entered him at 110, but he was actually quite a bit lighter than we thought. It was a tough situation with it being a split format the matches came really quick.

Proud Mom ,

A very large breakfast and good sized lunch right before weigh-in. After the meals 94.7 and you thought around 100 and sign up at 110. It would be in your best interest to buy some digital scales for less than $90.00 and stop guessing.

Barry,
I know that the rules say that, but that is not the case that happens at many smaller tournaments. Many times the director don't even say anything about the weight difference, they just make the bracket up. For example, the bracket would be 166-215. What do we do, ask that the big kid that is over the max not get to wrestle?? I have never brought that up before.
Anyone else had this problem?

Pancake, the scales we were using were fairly new (purchased in May) and not cheap. We have since bought a new scale.

It shouldn't be up to you as a parent to do anything. I put the rule on the forum as a reminder to the tournament directors. I would be very interested to see if the USA Wrestling insurance would cover a tournament director who arranges a match between two wrestlers who have a weight differnce larger than our rules provide for and one of them ends up getting hurt.