For freestyle wrestling you will need both a red and blue singlet. Hi-Flyers have their own singlets that we sell for $25.00 each. (See Linda Poikonen for purchasing a singlet.) You do not need to have the Hi-Flyer singlet, but it does help the coaches to pick out the kids at the tournaments. If you don't have both colors of singlets you will have to wear an ankle band when your singlet is not the specified color for a particular match. The advantage to wearing the correct color singlet is that the referee can easily see who the points are to be awarded to during the match. Freestyle points can be scored very quickly and can be easily confused when the referee has only an ankle band to go by.
HOW ARE FREESTYLE TOURNAMENTS RUN?
Weigh-ins are always from 7:00-8:30 a.m. You will be asked to pick a draw number from a bucket before you weigh in. This is used as an impartial way to determine bracket order. A skin check will be performed before you are weighed. This is to prevent the spread of skin diseases. If you have a question about a skin condition, check with a coach at practice before the tournament. With certain skin conditions you will not be allowed to wrestle. You must wear a singlet to weigh in. Wrestling begins around 10:00 a.m. Wall charts will be posted before wrestling begins. The wrestlers are grouped by scratch weights up until the State Qualifiers were they are divided by weight classes. (Weight classes can be found at www.mnusawrestling.org) The largest bracket will be 8-man up until the State Qualifier. The wall charts are posted by divisions (Peewee, Bantam, Midget, etc.) They are posted in order of weight groups and labeled with a letter (i.e.. Bantam A, Bantam B, etc.). Locate you name on a wall chart and remember what letter is in the upper right corner. This is what they will announce when you are called to the mat. The first two matches will be on the wall chart. Note if there is a dot by your match. If there is a dot, this means that you should wear your red singlet. If there is no dot then you wear a blue singlet. When you are called to a mat, be sure to find a Hi-Flyer coach. They are usually wearing a Hi-Flyer shirt. If you can't find a coach, have the announcer page one to your mat number. They will hold the match until you have a coach. You must tape your shoe laces or have lace guards on your shoes. You also need to have a blood rag (handkerchief) that you keep inside your singlet. The referee will ask to see this before the match starts. A paper towel works fine too. The winner of the match has to sign the bout sheet at the table by your mat. It is double elimination (If you lose two matches you are out). There is a required 30 minute minimum time between each individuals matches.
HOW IS A FREESTYLE MATCH DIFFERENT FROM A FOLKSTYLE MATCH?
There are two periods instead of three. Peewees, Bantams, & Midgets have two 1 ½ minute periods. Novice, School Boy & Cadets have two 2 minute periods. There is a 30 second break between periods. The wrestlers both start in the neutral position (both standing up) at the beginning of both periods. An exception to this would be if no points were scored in the first period. In this case the second period would be started in a clinch. A person has to score at least three points to win in regulation. If regulation time ends with neither wrestler scoring three points, over time will start with a clinch. Over time is a one minute period. The first person to score three points wins. If the match ends in regulation time with a tie of at least three points each, it will go into a one minute over time period with both wrestlers starting neutral. The first person to score wins.
Scoring: These are the general rules, there are many exceptions...
A takedown = 1 point (a takedown from their feet to their back = 3 points)
Any time you expose your opponent's back to the mat = 2 points
A technical fall is a 10 point difference
There is no clasping in freestyle (you CAN lock your hands at any time)
The rule for scoring points on a gut wrench and a leg lace is you can not do either move more than once in a row. You have to score with another move in-between. (i.e.. You can do a gut wrench, leg lace, then gut wrench, etc.)
When you take your opponent down, you have "a reasonable amount of time" (about 15 seconds) to try and turn your opponent. The amount of time is at the discretion of the referee.
If you do not turn your opponent in this time, both wrestlers will return to the neutral position.
Escape points are generally not awarded.
Stalling in freestyle is called passive. If a person is called passive, the referee will stop the match and give the opponent the choice of which position he/she wants to start from. (You can not get called passive from the bottom position.)
WHERE CAN I FIND WRESTLING SHOES, HEADGEAR, KNEE PADS ETC.?
There are often people at the tournaments selling this type of equipment. There is a local company called JR Wrestling Products that sells all types of wrestling gear. Their web site is www.jrwrestling.com. Headgear is not required for freestyle wrestling, although many people still choose to wear it.
HOW WILL FREESTYLE WRESTLING AFFECT MY FOLKSTYLE WRESTLING?
Only in a positive way. Freestyle wrestling puts a lot of emphasis on take downs. It is a fact that an overwhelming percentage of the top place winners in the state high school wrestling tournament are freestyle wrestlers. You get better by wrestling the best opponents and the best opponents wrestle freestyle.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF PARENTS AS PART OF THE HI-FLYER CLUB?
There are many different ways that parents can help support our club.
* There is help needed before and after practice with moving and cleaning mats. This only requires about 15 minutes before and after practice if enough people volunteer.
*At the tournaments there are several jobs that parents can help with that require no previous experience or knowledge of wrestling. Help is always appreciated! The more people that offer to help the better the tournament will run. It is a great way to meet people and helps you learn more about the sport.
WRITERS: Before the tournament begins there is a lot of paper work (wall charts, bout sheets, etc.) that needs to be completed. It is just basically copying information. Once the tournament begins they also need people to help update charts.
RUNNERS: During the tournament people are needed for taking bout sheets to the table at the mat the group was called to.
TABLE WORKERS: A time keeper and score keeper are needed for each table. Our club usually has 2-3 tables that we are responsible for running at each tournament. It is very helpful if everybody takes a turn at the tables so that the same people don't have to sit at the tables all day. This is also a good way to get to know other parents in our club. No prior experience is needed. When it is your child's turn to wrestle, someone else can fill in for you while you're gone or the matches at that mat can be held until you get back.
PAIRERS: Pairing begins immediately after weigh-ins are closed. This is a job that requires some experience, but is not too hard to learn. If you are interested in learning, just show up in the pairing room and watch how it's done. There are also occasionally little clinics to teach how to pair. You may want to start by helping with the writing to see how it's done. (The pairers set up the things for the writers to copy.)
REFEREES: You can take a class to become a certified referee.