Will,
I read your 6/19/08 post on this topic concerning the article from Tony DiGiovanni - OhioWrestling.Net on November 15, 2006. He made a strong case for matside weigh-ins. I think it is an interesting idea because I believe that weight cutting is one of the biggest obstacles that wrestling needs to overcome to increase participation. Some in the wrestling community may consider weight cutting to be some sort of positive indication of a wrestler's dedication to the pursuit of wrestling excellence but it is definitely not viewed that way outside the wrestling community. It gives wrestling a bad rap with the general sports public. I have heard both men and women say that they would not get their kids into wrestling because they remember the awful things that their brothers had to do to make weight. If matside weigh-ins could help eliminate severe weight cutting, I would be in favor of it.
My question though would be concerning the mechanics of making it work. How cumbersome would it be? Would it add a lot of extra time to a tournament day? Tony's article seems to say they are weighing in front of everyone. Would that be correct? Who would actually weigh the wrestlers in and would it be by every mat? Would they weigh in with their shoes and singlets on with some added weight allowance to compensate for it? I am assuming it would have to be only one weigh-in to make weight. I am just wondering how it would actually work in a tournament.
