Wrestling 101

Wrestling. A sport most people have never seen, let alone want to. My new found infatuation with the sport most likely stems from my Iowa heritage where wrestling is as necessary as breathing. For those of you unfamiliar with the sport, Iowa Hawkeye wrestling is legendary.

As a former Beaver athlete, I never watched a single match in my time on campus. I don't know if it was the idea of grown men in tights or that these men in tights were rolling around on a germ infested mat?

Well, last year I went to my first meet with my grandparents (from Iowa) and fell in love with the sport. It was amazing and brutal at the same time. The hardest thing about the sport of wrestling as a spectator is the point system. It is more confusing than any other sport! You get points for take downs, near falls, escapes, reversals and penalties. A match automatically ends with a pin, and if that isn't confusing enough, each maneuver is scored differently. The point system is best described as follows:

1) Takedown - (2 points) You score two points for taking your opponent down to the mat and controlling him/her.
2) Escape - (1 point) You score one point for getting away or getting to a neutral position when your opponent has you down on the mat.
3) Reversal - (2 points) You score two points when your opponent has you down on the mat and you come from underneath and gain control of your opponent.
4) Near Fall (Back Points) - (2 or 3 points) You get near fall points when you almost but not quite get your opponent pinned. A near fall (near pin) is when...
both shoulders are held for two seconds within four inches of the mat, or...
one shoulder touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45 degree angle coming down to the mat, or...
the wrestler is held in a high bridge or back on both elbows.
If a near fall lasts for two seconds, you get 2 points. If a near fall lasts for 5 seconds, you get 3 points.
5) Penalty Points - (1 or 2 points) Your opponent is awarded points if you commit the following infractions.
Illegal Holds - There are several holds that the referee will penalize you for without warning. (There are other holds called "potentially dangerous holds" which the referee might make you let go of but will not penalize you for).
Technical Violations
Going off the mat to avoid wrestling ("fleeing the mat.")
Grabbing clothing, the mat, or the headgear
Incorrect starting position or false start (You get two cautions before points are awarded).
Locked or overlapped hands: If you are down on the mat in control of your opponent, you cannot lock or overlap your hands, fingers or arms around your opponent's body or both legs unless you have your opponent in a near pin, or your opponent stands up and has all his/her weight on two feet.
Leaving the mat during the match without the referee's permission
Figure 4 head scissors from the neutral position.
Unnecessary roughness
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Flagrant Misconduct (ejection, the match is over)
Stalling

See what I mean.....most you didn't even read that, and for those of you who did you probably didn't understand it.

Last night my mom (from Iowa) came down for the meet v. Nebraska. Nebraska wasted no time in dominating the match. Did I mention that Nebraska has only one wrestler that isn't nationally ranked? Their 125lb competitor was last year's national champion, talk about intimidation. Anyway, it was a fun night, even though we lost.