Cutting Weight Should Be Eliminating from Wrestling

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What are you willing to risk in order to lose weight? Giving up soda, candy, and other treats is an extremely minimal task compared to what most wrestlers go through. Are you willing to starve yourself, cut out liquids, or work your body to extreme levels of pain? Are you willing to risk your life for that final weigh in goal? Losing weight is a common goal for many citizens in the United States and in many other countries as well. The people who are looking to lose weight are generally overweight and want to become healthier and stronger in the process of losing weight. Wrestlers, on the other hand, are losing weight to qualify for a lower weight class. 78% of wrestlers are already in great shape, yet also have unrealistic weight goals placed on them. Why should they be punished to lose weight when they are strong, fit, and ready to compete all year round? Nine out of ten wrestlers at West Salem High School give up sweets or soda constantly to be the best athlete they can be during all of their sports. Adding water to the list of things they cannot consume is a horrible consequence for losing that final pound because water is a huge factor in losing or gaining weight. Dieting and dehydration can lead athletes to more extreme habits like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Most wrestlers use dangerous techniques to lose weight rapidly. The use of saunas, harsh diets, deliberate dehydration, and induced vomiting are just a few strategies for wrestlers use to compete at a lower weight class. The dangers with cutting weight are very serious and can cause a lot of damage to the body. Many of these strategies can cause death in extreme cases. Cutting weight should be eliminated from wrestling because it hurts both the ...

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...ger. It trains their mind into thinking that food is just an optional thing and not a necessity. In reality this “self discipline” is truly damaging the body and putting the body at risk later in life.
In conclusion, wrestlers should not cut weight rapidly or starve themselves. It can lead to psychological damage, damage to the wrestler’s current body, and their future health. They are willing to risk their lives, but we all should want them to rethink before they do such a thing. We need to show our care and compassion for saving a life. Coaches could take the next step and punish a wrestler for loosing weight too fast and make them sit out. Coaches should also educate the team on how to eat nutritiously and safely. All in all, the behavior of wrestlers has improved in the past twenty years, but there is more that everyone can do to help stop the cutting of weight.

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