wvmat.com

Do to the rule a female wrestler must carry 5% more body fat than her male opponent, should there be an extra weight allowance?

4) If a wrestler is assessed with less than 7% Body Fat for males or less than 12% for females, but passed the urine hydration test, he/she must compete at the nearest higher weight class (e.g., If such a wrestler’s assessment weight is 107 pounds, he/she must compete at the 112-pound weight class or higher.)

Using "plain ole math" it is obvious that a male of the same weight would have a muscular advantage over the female.

Assuming both wrestlers weigh the same 126 lbs.
The male can have a "non-fat" make up 93% or 117.18 lbs of his weight
The female can have a "non-fat" make up 88% or 100.88 lbs of her weight

Obviously the female is at a disadvantage since the male can carry over 6 lbs more muscle than the female assuming bone density and organ weight are closely matched.

My only question would be if we have enough female wrestlers that are reaching the 12% body fat mark for it to be an issue.

I feel it will need to be addressed in a few years with more female involvement in wrestling.

Here's a random thought. Have a girls division.

Wood County Middle School is doing a girls only league championship this year. I think we have around ten girls in the league. Gotta start somewhere.

There has been some local discussion of doing a second tournament that is open to the state. Two divisions, middle school and high school. We just don't know how many girls are wrestling for their school team. Replies appreciated.

brentsams wrote:Wood County Middle School is doing a girls only league championship this year. I think we have around ten girls in the league. Gotta start somewhere.

There has been some local discussion of doing a second tournament that is open to the state. Two divisions, middle school and high school. We just don't know how many girls are wrestling for their school team. Replies appreciated.

This is a really good thing.

I attended the Huntington middle’s Eagle Classic this past weekend and female participation is on the rise! My count was 12 girls competing. Two of those girls finished in the top 4 of their divisions. I do know these 2 girls will be moving up to high school level next year.