Adding an 11th weight class

[Tofurky 577]

What would be the plusses and minuses to adding an 11th weight class somewhere in the 230 pounds range in the NCAA? Has the NWCA ever considered this move and making a push for it to the NCAA?

[armspin 257]

Canadian college wrestling has similar weight classes to the NCAA and they just added a 220 category. Makes sense to me.

[AKHUNTER 278]

IMO...... there aren't enough big guys to go around as it is. Most big guys with athletic talent are in FB and BB.

That being said I am for adding a couple weights. But the need is in the middle weights to lt. hvy weights. THAT is where the large number of competitors exists.

With that in mind something like........... 121, 128, 136, 143, 150, 157, 164, 171, 178, 188, 205, Hwt.

[littlethadd 22]

The NCWA has 235. I think its a great addition. I know bunch of kids who were too big to cut to 97 but a tiny 285, the 235 was a good addition.

[Gantry 1,526]

Just raising 197 to 210 and adjusting the other mid/upper weights up a couple pounds would be a big enough get. 

[lu_alum 662]

net result would be 30 NCAA qualifiers per weight, instead of 33.

[paboom 204]

Yeah...like that is going to work.  At best Division 1 programs have 9.9 scholarships, not 10.9.  What about over half the programs that have 5 or less and some have none.

 

Also adding another weight class above 197 would make the top 3 weight classes the weakest just like adding not just 215/220 but then adding the 182 weight in HS.  They are consistently the weakest.

[Jaroslav Hasek 1,816]

Just raising 197 to 210 and adjusting the other mid/upper weights up a couple pounds would be a big enough get. 

125

133 - 6.4

141 - 6.0

149 - 5.7

157 - 5.4

166 - 5.7

177 - 6.6

190 - 7.3

210 - 10.5

285 - 35.7

 

?

 

potential new weights with % increase from next lower weight.

[Cradle2grave 16]

Shifting 197 up to around 210 makes sense.  97kg is always an exciting weight class at the international level - powerful but still agile. Makes sense to let the 197 college guys muscle up a bit and fill that gap (plus the smaller tweener HWT's).  I can't see any downside. 

[pm-01 25]

It's obvious: it would kill wrestling.

[treep2000 899]

ask Mark Hall and Zahid Valencia if adding 182 is 'weak'... P4P, two of the best HS wrestlers in the country, besides the Phenom Lee.

[mlbruem 123]

You can only name 3 good guys in all of the high school wrestling programs in the nation.

I think you just made the previous point.

[treep2000 899]

Intermat HS Rankings at 182

 

RANK WRESTLER SCHOOL STATE CLASS COLLEGE PREV 1 Zahid Valencia St. John Bosco CA Senior Arizona State 1 2 Myles Martin McDonogh MD Senior Ohio State 2 3 Keegan Moore Jackson County Central MN Junior   3 4 Taylor Lujan Carrollton GA Senior Northern Iowa 4 5 Justan Rivera Kennesaw Mountain GA Senior Notre Dame College 5 6 Kollin Moore Norwayne OH Senior Ohio State 6 7 Nathan Traxler Marmion Academy IL Junior   7 8 Xavier Montalvo Montini Catholic IL Senior Illinois 8 9 Ben Darmstadt Elyria OH Junior Cornell 9 10 Dylan Wisman Millbrook VA Senior Missouri 10

[AKHUNTER 278]

It's obvious: it would kill wrestling.

pm.....a question if I may............ in what way? IMO.... more wrestlers= more viewers

[Tofurky 577]

pm.....a question if I may............ in what way? IMO.... more wrestlers= more viewers

 

I'm curious about this response, too.

[RichB 182]

I am in favor of an 11th weight, as discussed in previous postings on tie-breakers. For it to be practical all we need is some to donate $1Million to each D1 wrestling program, a $2/3M donation to D2 $1/3M to D3 schools, and $25million to NCAA. Then we need to provide for women sports at those schools a donation twice as large. Then $50M to various women's sports foundations.

[Jaroslav Hasek 1,816]

I am in favor of an 11th weight, as discussed in previous postings on tie-breakers. For it to be practical all we need is some to donate $1Million to each D1 wrestling program, a $2/3M donation to D2 $1/3M to D3 schools, and $25million to NCAA. Then we need to provide for women sports at those schools a donation twice as large. Then $50M to various women's sports foundations.

is that all? let me just get my checkbook then. 

[armspin 257]

I imagine the weights could be reconfigured pretty easily to still have 10. Something like 125-133-141- 150- 160- 172- 184- 197- 220- heavy.

[ionel 1,116]

I am in favor of an 11th weight, as discussed in previous postings on tie-breakers. For it to be practical all we need is some to donate $1Million to each D1 wrestling program, a $2/3M donation to D2 $1/3M to D3 schools, and $25million to NCAA. Then we need to provide for women sports at those schools a donation twice as large. Then $50M to various women's sports foundations.

 

Well there could be a less expensive method, simply convince the NCAA all the athletic programs and women that women's basketball should be played 6 v 6 and women's soccer 12 v 12.  Personally I think it will be easier to go with RichB's millions of dollars method, but at least there's an option.  ;)

[paboom 204]

 

Intermat HS Rankings at 182

 

RANK WRESTLER SCHOOL STATE CLASS COLLEGE PREV 1 Zahid Valencia St. John Bosco CA Senior Arizona State 1 2 Myles Martin McDonogh MD Senior Ohio State 2 3 Keegan Moore Jackson County Central MN Junior   3 4 Taylor Lujan Carrollton GA Senior Northern Iowa 4 5 Justan Rivera Kennesaw Mountain GA Senior Notre Dame College 5 6 Kollin Moore Norwayne OH Senior Ohio State 6 7 Nathan Traxler Marmion Academy IL Junior   7 8 Xavier Montalvo Montini Catholic IL Senior Illinois 8 9 Ben Darmstadt Elyria OH Junior Cornell 9 10 Dylan Wisman Millbrook VA Senior Missouri 10

 

 

Pretty good wrestlers but I am basing my opinion on the fact that the PA state tournament has fat kids qualifying to states at all the upper weights now, not just 220 and heavy,  Those are kids who would not qualify 5 years ago.

[paboom 204]

I am in favor of an 11th weight, as discussed in previous postings on tie-breakers. For it to be practical all we need is some to donate $1Million to each D1 wrestling program, a $2/3M donation to D2 $1/3M to D3 schools, and $25million to NCAA. Then we need to provide for women sports at those schools a donation twice as large. Then $50M to various women's sports foundations.

 

Yep and you would see many schools drop their funding even more because they see a "Sugar Daddy" out there.  It would be a vicious cycle and why a national endowment wouldn't work unless you are talking close to a billion.

[RichB 182]

Someone winning and donating this weeks PowerBall (at least $317M) should come close I had forgotten we would need any more money for the Service academies

[Idaho 641]

Adding weights = adding scholarships = raising more money in an already financially struggling sport.  I would like to see 11 or 12 weights but I would also like to see wrestling period. Curious  how more wrestlers = more viewers? I can see the family or maybe some friends - is it really going to add enough viewers to pay for the exta costs?

[Tofurky 577]

When do the Title IXers and the non-revenue sports band together to attack the bloated football scholarships at most universities? 85 scholarships are available per NCAA rules to BCS teams and 63 to FCS teams? Football can't live with 60 scholarships per team, especially in the B10, B12 and PAC10? Television and online revenues can't make up 1.1 scholarships at most universities? My thought is that wrestling isn't asking for much. Add a weight and go to 11 scholarships max. If the $13,821 is the real figure for a the average athletic scholarship these days, then giving wrestling just shy of $15,000 more a year in scholarship money from cutting back on football's scholarships, sharing more viewer revenue, etc. isn't going to kill most athletic departments that still have the sport. Other teams, such as App State, UTC, American U., Davidson, et al, will have to find other opportunities to boost revenues to cover for one more weight.

 

Pros:

• More opportunities for high school wrestlers to compete in college
• Shortens the gap between 197 and 285
• Potentially attracts the elusive two sport athlete
• The one and only tie breaker necessary for a locked score at the end of a dual

Cons:

• Thins out scholarship opportunities as they currently exist
• Programs would be pressed to raise more money for the extra weight class

[ionel 1,116]

 

When do the Title IXers and the non-revenue sports band together to attack the bloated football scholarships at most universities? 85 scholarships are available per NCAA rules to BCS teams and 63 to FCS teams? Football can't live with 60 scholarships per team, especially in the B10, B12 and PAC10? Television and online revenues can't make up 1.1 scholarships at most universities? My thought is that wrestling isn't asking for much. Add a weight and go to 11 scholarships max. If the $13,821 is the real figure for a the average athletic scholarship these days, then giving wrestling just shy of $15,000 more a year in scholarship money from cutting back on football's scholarships, sharing more viewer revenue, etc. isn't going to kill most athletic departments that still have the sport. Other teams, such as App State, UTC, American U., Davidson, et al, will have to find other opportunities to boost revenues to cover for one more weight.

 

Pros:

• More opportunities for high school wrestlers to compete in college
• Shortens the gap between 197 and 285
• Potentially attracts the elusive two sport athlete
• The one and only tie breaker necessary for a locked score at the end of a dual

Cons:

• Thins out scholarship opportunities as they currently exist
• Programs would be pressed to raise more money for the extra weight class

 

 

 

When do the Title IXers and the non-revenue sports band together to attack the bloated football scholarships at most universities? 85 scholarships are available per NCAA rules to BCS teams and 63 to FCS teams? Football can't live with 60 scholarships per team, especially in the B10, B12 and PAC10? Television and online revenues can't make up 1.1 scholarships at most universities? My thought is that wrestling isn't asking for much. Add a weight and go to 11 scholarships max. If the $13,821 is the real figure for a the average athletic scholarship these days, then giving wrestling just shy of $15,000 more a year in scholarship money from cutting back on football's scholarships, sharing more viewer revenue, etc. isn't going to kill most athletic departments that still have the sport. Other teams, such as App State, UTC, American U., Davidson, et al, will have to find other opportunities to boost revenues to cover for one more weight.

 

Pros:

• More opportunities for high school wrestlers to compete in college
• Shortens the gap between 197 and 285
• Potentially attracts the elusive two sport athlete
• The one and only tie breaker necessary for a locked score at the end of a dual

Cons:

• Thins out scholarship opportunities as they currently exist
• Programs would be pressed to raise more money for the extra weight class

 

 

Going down to 9 weight classes (with the heavy at 215 to 225) achieves all your pros and eliminates the cons.  11 will never happen, 9 could improve the sport.