March 3-6, 2016

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W E E K E N D E D I T I O N | M A R C H 3 - 6 , 2 0 16 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M

OU DAILY SIANDHARA BONNET/THE DAILY

WEIGHING IN

Senior wrestler Cody Brewer squats in the wrestling practice facility in McCasland Field House on Wednesday. Wrestlers have to maintain their weight in order to compete in the same class.

Unhealthy wrestling stereotypes don’t hold water at OU

N

ot too long ago, collegiate wrestlers were faced with a daunting task in the days leading up to competitions. If a wrestler wasn’t at or near h i s t a rg e t w e ig ht a s h e ap proached a dual, drastic measures were taken. Sacrifices were made. Lines were crossed. Changes were made following a five-week period in 1997 in which a trio of collegiate wrestlers died trying to make their weight classes. Now, almost 20 years later, athletes like OU senior Cody Brewer are better off because of it. “Guys back in the day always talk about how they did it — kind of nine or 10 pounds a day, or something like that,” Brewer said. “Now it’s so changed that people can’t do that anymore, and it’s better for the sport.” That doesn’t mean it’s not still challenging. Sacrifices are still made. But now, science is involved. Nutrition is emphasized. Athletes are safer. Weight management is a critical aspect of wrestling that can strain the body and mind if done improperly. The pressure wrestlers face to make weight is still there — if a wrestler weighs in above his designated weight class, he can’t compete — but there are now

KELLI STACY • @ASTACYKELLI

significant resources devoted to nutrition and workout programs across collegiate wrestling. Oklahoma associate head wrestling coach Michael Lightner said wrestlers are still stereotyped as dehydrating and starving themselves to make weight, but this is not the case for OU. The key to weight management is nutrition, which the coaches preach to the team on a daily basis, Lightner said. The two main points they focus on are eating five smaller meals a day and staying hydrated, Lightner said. OU head coach Mark Cody said he wants the team to maintain weight through nutrition so they can focus on getting better in practice instead of worrying about their weight. “If you have proper nutrition and you eat five meals a day, your weight is going to come off,” Cody said. “That’s what we do. We try to keep them eating. That way they’re never hungry, and they’re able to work hard.” Sophomore Ryan Millhof competes at 125 pounds, the lowest weight class in the NCAA. Cutting and maintaining weight all comes down to discipline, Millhof said. “The biggest thing is really being dedicated to it and not eating what you shouldn’t eat, like candy and foods that aren’t healthy for you,” Millhof said.

During weigh-ins and medical examinations, wrestlers’ body compositions are checked for dehydration and other prohibited cutting practices. If a wrestler is found to have used banned practices, he will be suspended from the competition. If there is a second instance of unsafe practices, the wrestler will be suspended for the remainder of the season.

“That’s what we do. We try to keep them eating. That way they’re never hungry, and they’re able to work hard.” MARK CODY, HEAD WRESTLING COACH

Despite wrestling season running from November to March, the NCAA monitors weight management nearly year-round. Teams are required by the NCAA to complete weight assessments prior to Oct. 10 each year but not before the first day of classes. The team will have an assessor conduct an evaluation of each wrestler before determining the minimum weight class he may wrestle in that season, according to the NCAA rules. Wrestlers must follow a

personal weight loss plan that specifies the ways in which the wrestler will drop to his goal weight, along with the earliest he can safely reach that goal. To assure a healthy weight-loss rate, the athlete may not compete at his goal weight before the date specified in his weight loss plan. The NCAA suggests weight loss of no more than 1.5 percent per week. Wrestlers must weigh in before each dual or tournament they compete in. Weigh-ins are completed one hour or less before duals and two hours or less before the first day of tournaments. In an individual or team advancement tournament, however, wrestlers are given a 1-pound allowance after the first day, according to NCAA rules. Cody said that is a big change from when wrestlers weighed in five hours before competition. “Ten or 15 years ago, everybody would starve themselves for a night or cut eight or nine pounds the day of competition,” Cody said. “They’d weigh-in five hours before and go out to compete and feel awful.” Kelli Stacy

kelliastacy@ou.edu

NCAA WEIGHT CUTTING RULES Restricted practices: • Laxatives • Emetics • Excessive food and fluid restriction • Self-induced vomiting • Hot rooms, hot boxes, steam rooms, saunas • Diuretics (water pills) • Vapor impermeable suits (rubber, nylon, neoprene) • Artificial means of rehydration

Penalties: • Public or private reprimand • Financial penalty up to $300 • Disqualification of individual contest(s) • Disassociation of the institutional staff member from all team activities for one or more competitions. If the violation occurs during the last event of the season, the disassociation carries to the next season. • Team records or performance adjusted • Event excluded as an NCAA registered context in the NWCA OPC system the subsequent season • Other penalties the NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee deem appropriate Source: ncaa.org

Stage lights illuminate body image issues Performers learn how to accept looks, selves CHLOE MOORES @chloemoores13

The term “body image” takes on a heightened meaning for performers whose bodies are constantly on display. Body image is defined as “a subjective picture of one’s own physical appearance established both by self-observation and by noting the reactions of others,” according to Merriam-Webster’s medical dictionary. Dancers observe a hyperawareness of their bodies at all times, said Cameron

Morgan, a ballet performance senior. “You don’t have a choice,” he said. “You can’t hide anything. It’s also an elevated self-conscious, because it’s scary to be out there like that.” Morgan struggles with the desire to gain weight and look masculine on stage, he said. “For a guy, it’s very much an emphasis in being that strong base, but even then you can’t be disproportionately large,” he said. “You can have a very slim torso, and your lower body may not be proportionally the same. That can cause uncertainty and self-doubt.” Dancers cannot afford to gain

muscle that is not effective, but eating enough food without feeling bloated on stage is a struggle, he said “Last year I wasn’t getting enough food in throughout the day, and I was looking very skinny,” he said. “My adviser took me aside and asked me if he needed to buy me groceries.” Olivia Abiassi, a junior acting major, said being an actress means her body is her instrument. She didn’t think being self-conscious about her body would ever be an obstacle. “In high school I never really struggled with that, but in college see BODY page 2

NOOR EEMAAN/THE DAILY

Student dancers perform in Oklahoma Festival Ballet’s December 2015 production of the Nutcracker. Dancers are aware of their bodies and have to watch how much muscle and weight they put gain.


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