Few ?? for wrestling fans

[WWJD?]

As a kid I was always really big for my age. I tried wrestling for the Stillwater YMCA team when I was in 2nd grade but at 72 pounds I was always matched up against 6th and 7th graders. I think my lifetime record was like 1-8 will all the matches lasting about 10 seconds.

How can the sport not drive kids away like it did me?

Do you think a really good athlete could compete at the D1 level if they had only picked up wrestling late in high school or are they so far behind mechanically they could never catch up?

 

[Kev4OSU]

Besides dividing kids up by weights they also split them by age and experience.

They have a novice class for new wrestlers and an open class fo those who have been wrestling for at least a year or two. Then they have it split by ages or (divisions). Div I is 5-6 year olds, Div II is 7 & 8 year olds, etc. And then they have the divisions split up into weight classes within each division:



Div I (6&Under): 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 60, 66, HWT

Div II (8&Under): 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58, 61, 64, 67, 70, 75, 83, 90, 105, HWT

Div III (10&Under): 52, 55, 58, 61, 64, 67, 70, 73, 76, 80, 85, 90, 100, 110, 120, 131, HWT

Div IV (12&Under): 64, 67, 70, 73, 76, 80, 84, 88, 92, 96, 100, 105, 110, 120, 130, 140, 160, HWT

Div V (15&Under): 80, 89, 98, 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 140, 150, 162, 175, 200, HWT

So, at least as far as I know a 72 lb 2nd grader should never be matched up with a 72 lb 6th or 7th grader in today's youth wrestling. Somebody that knows more, feel free to jump in and correct me where I'm wrong. There will still be kids that are driven away by the pure physical nature of the sport but not because they are having to wrestle someone 5 years older than them.

As far as your second question, I think it would really be difficult for for any kid to compete in college, especially the D1 level if they didn't start out in youth wrestling. There will always be the exceptional athletice "freak" that will be able to do it but I would say those are very few and far between. JMHO.

 

[gyppoke]

In my opinion, Kev is right about starting wrestling in high school probably being too late. I started wrestling 3rd grade. It takes several years to become good at the basics (double leg, single leg, tulsa ride, chicken wing, arm bar, half neslon, sitout, switch, standup). Then after the basics are mastered, you can get into more of the elite moves. I don't see how you can earn a scholarship if you don't start until late in high school. Even freak athletes struggle on a wrestling mat, because technically astute wrestlers will use his athleticism against him with all kinds of misdirection and double moves. Just my .02

 

[Kingk0ng]

Mark Schultz and Mo Lawal both supposedly didn't start wrestling until high school, so it can be done.

I worry about burnout if they start too young.