2008-2009 MSHSL Athletic Rules and Policies Manual

OFFICIAL MSHSL BYLAWS FOR WRESTLING

See the MSHSL Official Handbook Bylaw 501 for information regarding:

·         Maximum Number of Contest   

See the MSHSL Official Handbook Bylaw 502 for information regarding:

·         Daily and Season Player Participation Limitations

See the MSHSL Official Handbook Bylaw 521 following information:

·         Contests

·         Equipment Issued

·         Last Date to Join a Team

·         Practice Sessions Before First Contest

·         Season Begins

ELIGIBILITY DURING MSHSL TOURNAMENTS (sub-section, section and state) (refer to Bylaw 206) A student must be fully eligible under all local school district policies and MSHSL bylaws to be in uniform, occupy the bench or playing area, participate and receive individual/team awards, including all-tournament honors, in the awards ceremony.

CONTEST RULES (refer to Bylaw 402)
Except as modified by the League, the National Federation of High School Association rules for the current year shall be the official game rules for all interscholastic contests in which League members participate.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN LEAGUE-SPONSORED TOURNAMENTS (refer to Bylaw 405)

A member school must schedule a minimum of three interscholastic varsity games, meets or matches to qualify for League-sponsored tournament participation in that sport.

END OF SEASON (refer to Bylaw 411)
A. Student Participation on a Non-School Team While the Season is Still in Progress:

1) The season shall end when the student or the student's team has been eliminated from further participation in a League tournament series.
2) Students who have been eliminated from further participation in a League tournament series may participate as an individual or as a member of a non-school team in that sport.

B. School Team Practice and Competition:
The "end of season" shall be defined to be the last date of the state tournament in that sport.

1) Schools may continue to conduct practice and training for all squad members, including the students who have been eliminated from further individual competition in a League-sponsored series until completion of the state tournament conducted by the League in that activity.
2) Dual contests may be scheduled after the start of the official League tournament series providing the school does not exceed the maximum number of games/matches/meets permitted in that activity.

C.  No school may engage in any meet or meets, practice, training or other activities between the end of the season and the opening of the next season.

D.  During the Summer Vacation Period (Bylaw 208.3 Non-School Competition and Training—Team and Individual Sports) members of a high school team may participate on a non-school team and they may receive coaching or training from a salaried or non-salaried member of the student’s sophomore, B-squad, junior varsity or varsity high school coaching staff in that sport provided the school has approved a summer coaching waiver for the coach or coaches of that sport.

E. Coach Contact Outside of Season:
The Coach-Athlete contact rules in Bylaw 208 apply to wrestling coaches no matter what style of wrestling they are coaching.  Regardless of the style of wrestling being coached, wrestling coaches may not coach members of their high school program during the school year, except during the official season.  Coaches may coach members of the high school team during the summer waiver period providing they have a signed school approved waiver on file at the school.

CONTESTS

A.  Team

1. The maximum number of interscholastic meets, exclusive of MSHSL tournaments and meets, shall not exceed eighteen (18) meets/dates.
2. Member schools may not schedule or compete in more than eighteen (18) meets/dates per season. The champion of any one conference, section, or division of a conference, however, will be allowed to schedule a nineteenth (19th) meet to determine an inter-conference or intra-conference championship.
3. Wrestling tournaments, not a part of MSHSL tournament play, will count as one (1) meet toward the total number allowed.

NOTE: Schools that schedule a junior varsity or b-squad meet against another school's varsity  squad must count that meet as one of the 18 allowed varsity meets/dates.

B.  Individual

1. Season Limitations - The maximum number of matches in which an individual may compete in a season, exclusive of MSHSL tournaments, shall not exceed thirty-six (36). Forfeits and defaults are counted as a match. This includes all junior high, B-squad, junior varsity, and varsity matches.
2. Dual Meet Limitations - In dual meet competition conducted at more than one level (varsity, junior varsity, B-squad) a wrestler shall be limited to one match only.
3. Dual Meet Tournament Limitations - In dual meet tournament competition at more than one level (varsity, junior or B-squad) a wrestler shall be limited to one match per round of tournament competition.

GENERAL INFORMATION

See General Section of the Athletic Rules and Policies Manual for information regarding the following:

·         Athletic Director's Checklist

·         Coaches Responsibility: Student Eligibility Checklist

·         Multiple Level Teams at Sub-Varsity Level

·         Official Squad Size

·         Revenue Sharing Plan for School Reimbursement

·         Substitution in MSHSL Tournaments

·         Weather Conditions (heat, cold & lightning)

 OFFICIAL MSHSL POLICIES FOR THE CONDUCT OF WRESTLING

Video Taping another school's game
It shall be an ethical violation to tape another school's game, meet or contest without their permission.  Further it may be a violation of the laws governing copyrights.  Each school owns the copyrights to their games, meets and contests.  Taping another schools game without permission could constitute a violation of the copyright law.

SANCTIONS
Sanctions are granted to wrestling tournaments only if a wrestler is not required or allowed to wrestle more than five (5) matches in one day.

WEIGHT CERTIFICATION:
WEIGHT PERMIT FORM
Each student participating in wrestling must have a current completed physical form and must submit the annual Wrestling Weight Permit properly signed by the skin fold technician, a physician and the student's parent.

1. Before engaging in any interschool-wrestling match.  
2. SKIN MEASUREMENTS AND WEIGHT MUST BE DONE AT THE SAME TIME.  
3. This permit must be kept on file in the school office and be available on request.
4. The lowest certifiable wrestling weight of each wrestler will be determined by predicting the wrestler's weight at 7% body fat (multiplied by 97% of the body weight.)
5. Once the weight permit form has been completed, it cannot be changed by modification or by a second examination.   The falsification of any wrestler's body composition testing results may result in that school's wrestling team being ineligible for tournament competition that year.
6. Only of the following body composition testing methods shall be used:
         a. Skin Caliper (minimum of three skin fold sites mandatory)
         b. Hydrostatic (underwater) weighing

WEIGHT CERTIFICATION TO LEAGUE OFFICE
All high school wrestlers must have their body composition tested.  The electronic MSHSL Wrestling Weight Certification form must be completed and submitted online to the MSHSL office prior to the first competition or no later than December 10th.  Failure to submit the form prior to the first contest or December 10th, which ever occurs first, will result in forfeitures for all duals and matches, and may disqualify the school from MSHSL tournament competition.  Additions to the original list must be filed prior to participation in any interschool competition.  There will be no exceptions to the deadline.

WEIGHT CLASSES
Competition shall be divided into 14 weight classes as follows (pounds):

ORDER OF COMPETITION
All wrestling competitions will start at 103 pounds. The minimum weight for 103 is 88 pounds and the minimum weight for 112 is 97 pounds.  Minimum weight for 285 is 189.1+.  Growth allowance (as of January 1) affects minimum weights.

WEIGH-IN PROCEDURE: All weigh-ins including the regular season and section tournaments must be conducted according to the National Federation rules of wrestling.  Administrators are reminded that scales must be certified annually.

SKIN CHECKS
The meet official must conduct a Skin Check of all wrestlers prior to the start of the match.

Procedure:
1. The skin check will be done in the locker room to ensure privacy.
2. Coaches from both teams should be present.
3. The official will make the decision whether or not a wrestler can compete.
4. If a wrestler has a skin condition, the wrestler must have a current physician's statement at the skin check which clears him for competition. Note: Officials may disqualify a wrestler if a skin condition appears active.
5. The examination should include the face, trunk and upper body, and lower body.
6. The tournament physician will have final determination if an infectious disease will disqualify a participant from the tournament.
7. The tournament physician can over ride another physician's note about an infectious disease if they feel it has been improperly diagnosed or it has changed or worsened since the note was written.

FEMALE WRESTLERS: Weigh-in/Skin Check - A separate weigh-in and Skin Check area in a private location must be provided for female wrestlers, and must be conducted by a female administrator, school nurse or trained adult female. Weigh-ins must occur at the prescribed weigh-in time for the meet in compliance with the National Federation rules.

GROWTH ALLOWANCE: Minnesota wrestlers will receive growth allowance according to the National Federation rules. A two pound growth allowance will be granted January 1st.

MOUTH GUARDS
The use of mouth guards is strongly recommended. Mouth guards that have been cut down or modified in any manner are illegal equipment.  Students with braces or a special orthodontic device are required to wear a tooth and mouth protector as per NFHS Rule 4-2-5.

MEDICAL/INJURY DEFAULT
A wrestler who defaults for a medical reason or due to an injury must have a "Physician's Approval to Resume Participation in Interscholastic Activities" form signed by a physician before the wrestler may return to competition.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SECTION AND STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENTS

SECTION/STATE MINIMUM WEIGHT CERTIFICATION PROCESS:  Section/State Tournament weight - 50% of a wrestler's weigh-ins starting January 15 and ending the first date of sub-section/section tournament must be at the lowest weight that he/she will wrestle at the sub-section/section and state tournament.

     Example: The wrestler weighs in at 130 pounds 5 times, 125 pounds 5 times and 119 pounds 5 times.  He is not eligible to wrestle at 119 pounds in post-season tournaments, but he is eligible to wrestle at 125 pounds, provided he makes weight at the tournament site.

Wrestlers who have not had a weigh-in after January 14th may appeal to the MSHSL to certify their minimum weight for section and state tournament competition.

Appeal Procedure:
The Athletic Director shall submit the following documents for approval.
1. Mail or fax a letter requesting an appeal for establishing a minimum wrestling weight.  The letter must include the following:

A. State the minimum weight that you are seeking to have the wrestler certified.
B. Identify the medical reason why the wrestler did not have any weigh-ins after January 15th.  The appeal must be accompanied by a letter from the attending physician, stating the reason and length of time the wrestler was unable to compete.

2. A copy of the wrestler's Wrestling Weight Permit.
3. A listing by date of all of the appealing wrestler's weigh-ins.

TEAM SUB-SECTION COMPETITION
In sections with 15 or fewer schools in wrestling, subsection meets need not be held, and the teams will advance directly to section competition.

State Tournament Program Information Deadlines

STATE TOURNAMENT SCHOOL QUALIFYING INFORMATION
Specific information for qualifying schools is on the MSHSL Administrative Web Site under Tournament Info. 

WEIGH-INS FOR SECTION TOURNAMENTS
All weigh-ins must be conducted under the National Federation rules of wrestling.

A. Actual wrestlers weight must be recorded on an official weigh-in sheet.
B. Athletic director or school principal must conduct weigh-ins and certify the actual weight.
C. Weigh-ins must be conducted at the times specified by the National Federation rules.
D. The certified weigh-in sheet must be presented to the tournament manager as soon as the team arrives at the tournament site.

WEIGH-INS
Wrestlers will weigh in at the scale designated for their weight. Additional scales will be located elsewhere so that wrestlers may check their own weights. The official weigh-in periods for the State Wrestling Tournament will be listed in the schedule posted on the League's Web site.

A member of the 19-man roster that fails to make weight during any level of the post season is ineligible to continue wrestling.  However, the team may fill that weight class with one of its alternates.  No roster substitutions will be allowed: the roster will now total 18 members.

NOTE: There will be an allowance of one (1) pound granted each day over the weight limit of the previous day in tournament competition.

PROCEDURE FOR ALL MSHSL WRESTLING TOURNAMENTS (SECTION AND STATE)

A. All wrestlers will be checked, with their coach present, at the tournament site for unexplained rash or open lesions by a medical doctor.
B. The following infectious skin conditions are to be considered cause for medical disqualification:

1. Bacterial skin infections:

a. Impetigo
b. Erysipelas
c. Carbuncle
d. Staphylococcal disease
e. Folliculities (generalized)
f. Hidradenities suppurativa

2. Scabies
3. Pediculosis
4. Herpes simplex
5. Ring worm
6. Herpes zoster (chicken pox)

C. Wrestlers with open lesions will not be allowed to compete in MSHSL tournaments unless they have a Physician's  statement indicating that the existing condition is not contagious. (Wrestling Skin Condition Report form can be found on the MSHSL website in the resource area, under forms.)
D. The MSHSL tournament physician may over rule the Physician's skin condition report if they believe it is in the best interest of the athletes participating in the tournament. The MSHSL tournament physician will have the final authority to certify wrestlers for competition.
E. Protocol for Skin Infection Prevention:

1. Coaches should send all wrestlers with suspicious sores or lesions to a physician for evaluation, and withhold them from wrestling practice and competition until effective treatment is completed.
2. Coaches should withhold from wrestling all wrestlers with active HSV (herpes simplex virus) or skin lesions (blisters, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, etc.) until lesions are dry and crusted over.
3. Wrestlers should consult their physician about any sores, open lesions or blisters, and if such appears should not expose their teammates or opponents.
4. General hygienic considerations:

a. Disinfect mats before practice.
b. Limit access to mats.
c. Have wrestlers clean their shoes before stepping onto the mat. A towel soaked in a disinfectant solution will clean the soles of the shoes and remove a source for dirt on the mat, which leads to skin abrasions and increased risk for transmission of infectious agents.
d. Clean locker rooms and showers on a routine basis.
e. Wear clean workout clothing every day.
f. Shower at school immediately after practice; use soap and water.
g. Use your own towel — Don't share towels with teammates.
h. Clean your headgear on a daily basis with soap used for showering.
i. Wound healing is promoted with a good, balanced diet.
j. Wrestlers who are restricting calories are prone to slow skin growth and may benefit from a vitamin supplement to promote the wound healing process.

POLICIES

A. League-sponsored tournaments will be conducted in three classes: A, AA, and AAA.
B. No school may participate in a section meet unless it participates in at least three Varsity matches in a given weight classification as a condition for qualifying contestants.
C. The section and state wrestling tournaments will involve:  dual meet team competition, and competitions for individual honors in each weight category.
D. Member schools may enter one contestant in each weight classification in their first section meet. No contestant may participate in more than one weight classification.
E. All section tournament information will be sent to each school by the tournament manager appointed by the respective region committee.

FORFEITURE IN MSHSL TOURNAMENT COMPETITION

A. Section Tournaments:

1. Team and individual competition conducted, as separate competitions on separate days will be considered to be separate tournaments.

a. A weight class forfeiture that occurs in the individual competition will only affect the individual tournament.
b. A weight class forfeiture that occurs in the team tournament will only affect the team tournament, however,
c. A weight class forfeiture in team competition will result in a forfeiture of that weight, or the one immediately above or immediately below, through the entire State Tournament.

2. If the team/individual competition is conducted as a single tournament on the same day, teams and individuals must compete in each weight class for which a wrestler has been certified/qualified.

B. State Tournament:

1. In the MSHSL state tournament series, both teams and individuals must compete in each weight class for which a wrestler has been certified/qualified.
2. The only exception to this rule would be for illness or injury certified by the tournament physician.

C. Penalty:
Forfeiture of this weight class, or the one immediately above or immediately below, in all succeeding matches in team and individual competition.

SUBSTITUTIONS AT SECTION AND STATE MEETS
Individual substitutions will not be allowed for any reason. The individual qualifying cannot be replaced.

TEAM COMPETITION: CLASS A, AA AND AAA
A single elimination dual meet team tournament will be conducted at the section and state level.

DUAL MEET WRESTLING TIE-BREAKER CRITERIA - See Wrestling National Federation rules.

INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION QUALIFICATION

A. Member schools may enter one contestant in each weight classification into the first state-level tournament (subsection or section tournament). No contestant may participate in more than one weight classification.
B. Qualifiers for Section Meets: Unless otherwise specified by the region committee, two contestants in each weight class will be allowed to advance to the section meet.
C. Qualifiers for State Meet: Two contestants in each weight class from each section qualify for advancement to the state tournament.

DUAL TEAM COMPETITION TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

OFFICIAL SQUAD FOR DUAL TEAM COMPETITION
19 wrestlers
2 coaches
1 student assistant

HOME AND VISITING TEAMS
The home and visiting teams for the State Dual Meet Team Tournament will be determined by a flip of a coin between the two (2) captains and the referee 15 minutes prior to the beginning of each round of competition.

The coin flip will determine the home team for every other weight, i.e., 103 pounds home - 112 pounds visitor - 119 pounds home, etc.

DUAL TEAM PAIRINGS FOR ALL CLASSES

AWARDS

Section
A. Medals: To the 1st & 2nd place teams and to the 1st-6th place Individuals in each weight class.
B. Trophies: To the 1st & 2nd place teams.

State
A. Certificates of Participation: To each student member of the official squad; to each participant in individual competition.
B. Certificates of Recognition: To the head coach and assistant coach of each team.
C. Medals: To each member of the official squad including coaches to the 1st-3rd place teams and to 1st-6th place Individuals in each weight class.
D. Trophies: To the 1st-4th place teams and consolation winner.

It is a violation of MSHSL policy for a member school or a representative of a member school to establish, distribute or accept any awards not provided by the MSHSL for section or state tournament.

AWARDS PRESENTATIONS

Individuals
The awards for 1st-6th-place will be given following the completion of the Individual Championship, 3rd & 5th-place matches on Saturday evening.
Team
Team awards presentations will be conducted following the completion of the team championship matches on Saturday evening.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR SPECTATOR CONDUCT (8/9/05)
In order to elevate standards of sportsmanship and encourage the growth of responsible citizenship among the students, member schools, fans and school personnel, the MSHSL held a Sportsmanship Summit and asked student participants to identify behavior expectations they felt should be in place at every school event.

These minimum behavior expectations provide a foundation upon which member schools, conferences, administrative regions and the League’s Board of Directors can build specific guidelines for activities under their control.

MSHSL Bylaw 409, RESPONSIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATING TEAMS, STUDENTS AND SPECTATORS, speaks to this issue, directly, and Bylaw 409-2 specifically states that, “School officials shall be held responsible for the proper conduct of teams, team members, students and home spectators regardless of where the contest is being held.”

In all MSHSL activities, each participating school shall designate a person or persons from that school to serve as crowd control supervisors or chaperones.  MSHSL tournament staff may require school administrators to contact the tournament manager prior to the start of the tournament game so that they can be immediately contacted to respond to behavioral issues regarding their team members, students and/or spectators at the tournament site.  Each supervisor or chaperone should be immediately identifiable to the students and to the tournament site ushers and other security personnel.  This will help to coordinate crowd control between school supervisors and tournament site personnel.

MSHSL MINIMAL BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS FOR REGULAR AND POST-SEASON TOURNAMENT COMPETITIONS:

·         Respect the American flag and the National Anthem.

·         Spectators must wear clothing that covers the entire torso.  Those who do not comply or who wear clothing that is vulgar, obscene or that in some other way inappropriate, as determined by school/tournament personnel, will be removed from the arena/stadium if they do not cooperate with this behavior expectation.

·         The use of appropriate language is expected at all times.  Profanity, negative chants, booing, trash talk, name calling, personal attacks or other acts of disrespect are unacceptable and must be immediately addressed by school/tournament administrators.

·         Respect the game/contest.  Under no condition shall anyone other than the members of the official squad enter the playing surface.  No one may interfere with the contest in any way.

·         Hand held signs, which do not obstruct the view of others, will be permitted provided they are in good taste.  Signs, message boards, “white” boards or other similar items contest/tournament officials deem to be in poor taste will be removed.

·         Artificial noise makers (i.e. megaphones, cowbells, sirens, whistles, thunder sticks, and other similar items) are not allowed.

·         Laser lights are strictly prohibited.

THANK YOU for supporting your student athletes and fine arts participants and for providing a positive environment in which educational activities are conducted.