I personally feel this may not be the best way to go to prevent excessive weight cutting, for two reasons:
Although I think the theory of being proactive is sound.
1. Who will be in charge of the urine? As a coach I hope my job description does not include handling 20-40 pee cups, I don't care if it's once a year or 30 times. Don't want to do it! We have enough trouble getting our guys to walk and chew gum at the same time let alone judge whether their pee is dark enough or not!
2. As someone with a back ground in exercise science (although I am not claiming to be an expert, simply remembering from previous classwork) I realize there are problems with body fat testing. As Gibby mentioned there are plus or minuses regardless of type of testing. Body fat tests of any type are an estimation. The only way to get an exact measure of body fat verses lean body mass is to grind up your body and measure the contents. All testing procedures use a complex formula based on height and weight which estimates things like bone density, muscle density, connective tissue, size and weight of an individuals organs. (These formulas were derived by actually grinding up a hand full of cadavers some years ago). Things like bone and muscle density are increased by weight training, or intense exercise, done by many wrestlers, and very greatly from person to person, especially someone who weighs 103lbs. vs. 250+ lbs. which can change or increase the innacurracy and error of the measurements. Body fat % cannot be measured exactly no matter what the choice of method. I have not even mentioned the subjectivity factor of each individual tester for either body fat or hydration.
I think this avenue will create more problems than it will solve. I am sure this will help recruit kids into the sport. Come try out for wrestling. By the way you get to get naked, weighed like cattle then pinched, proded and poked by people you don't know and then piss in a cup. After that we'll see if you're tough enough to handle practice. I'm sure that will help expand the sport. Choose your battles fellas.
Shannon Sawner
Assistant wrestling coach
Shawnee Heights
