The need to cut weight has hidden pressures

Mikiyah Kelley, Arabella Logan, Kennedy Sandwisch, Sidney Sutter
eSomethin Staff

“It’s embarrassing when you work really hard and it’s disappointing when it does not work out,” said senior wrestler Kaden Soto describing a time when he missed his goal weight.

Soto has won multiple wrestling competitions
and he has been a wrestler for over 10 years.

Soto said some wrestlers eat based on how much physical activity they do before each weigh-in. Many of the interviewees said there is a noticeable decline in mental health and grades while cutting to fit low weight classes.

Senior Kaden Soto, juniors Logan Hartzell and Brody Converse, along with freshman Chase Davis, all agreed that they are significantly more fatigued, pay less attention in class, and are hangry as the time gets closer to weigh-ins.

Soto has won multiple wrestling competitions and he has been a wrestler for over 10 years.

Wrestlers told eSomethin that when they are cutting weight they eat portioned fruits, white chicken, rice, and rice cakes. Since those foods are low in calories and high in protein, they are ideal for cutting weight.

Some wrestlers calculate their weight, count their calories, or stick to a very specific diet.
As weigh-ins get closer, the food they consume follows a strict regimen.

Davis, Hartzell, and Converse have been
Wrestling for years and they estimated they
have won over 70 competitions collectively.

Six to seven days a week, the interviewed wrestlers dedicate three hours of their day to practicing. This, plus school work loads, maintaining mental wellness, and worrying about being the best they can be, becomes very tiring, especially when they aren’t eating as much as they should.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) says that there are three methods wrestlers usually use to cycle or cut weight: decreasing calorie intake, increasing exercise, or hurtful dehydration methods. NFHS mentions on their website that “[s]ome of these practices have been shown to decrease performance and lead to harmful effects on the body including death.”

The rules and regulations involving healthy weight cutting according to NFHS wrestling rules say that the consultant of a health professional, along with your guardian, must be used to find a healthy weight class that wrestlers can maintain – all while still eating healthy and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“Overall, wrestling changes a person and how dedicated they are in their everyday life,” Soto said. He believes dedication to the sport, creates a mental schedule, as well as dedication to other activities.

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