Rules

Lathrop Youth Wrestling Rules for Wrestlers and Parents

Every child that decides to make the commitment to wrestle for LYW will be given the following handout information. It is required that every wrestler, coach, parent and/or guardian attend a sportsmanship class before the season begins. This class is required for all athletes, parents and coaches that commit to representing Lathrop Youth Wrestling. Every athlete and their parents will be asked to sign a code of conduct to be a member of the LYW team!

LYW Goals:
Our goals are to teach the fundamentals of wrestling, help teach these athletes to master control of their body, to teach good sportsmanship, friendship, and teamwork. Wrestling is an emotional, hard sport. We want our athletes to have fun first while positively representing themselves and their team with good sportsmanship and discipline.



Lathrop Youth Wrestling Club Members: (Everyone)

Sportsmanship is FIRST AND FOREMOST. It is the expectation that the adults lead by example for their children. Good sportsmanship is a commitment to fair play, ethical behavior and integrity. Wrestlers, parents, coaches, siblings and spectators must be aware of their influence on the behavior of others and the reputation of the club. The Head Coach or a Board Member will have the authority to remove any person at any time that behaves in a manner detrimental to others or the reputation of the club. If someone representing LYW has continued destructive behavior, the behavior examples, will be presented at a board meeting for guidance on future discipline and/or club membership.


Practices & Tournaments:

The only people allowed mat side at the practice or a tournament is those that hold a current coaching card.

ALL tournament registrations are to be paid on the Monday two weeks prior to the scheduled tournament. The Board Treasurer or Secretary will be present at each Monday’s practice to register the wrestler and collect the tournament fee for the first 30 minutes of the practice. The Coach or a Board Member will conduct weigh-In’s the same evening.

All wrestlers, parents or guardians are to make every attempt to arrive on time and be picked up on time for all practices and tournaments. The warm-up process is crucial prior to wrestling. If you are late, the wrestler will be expected to warm up before stepping on the mat.

Any questions or comments about the direction of the team are welcome after practices and tournaments. Please refrain from interrupting the wrestlers or coaching staff while they are working.

LYW discourages cutting weight. Wrestlers should compete at a weight that is appropriate for them. A wrestler is not bound to a certain weight for the entire season. The weight classes are generally in 5-pound increments and you can change classes as needed. Once the registration for a tournament is complete, the wrestler is typically bound to the weight he/she pre-registers for. If your child does not make weight the day of the tournament, they will not be allowed to wrestle.

On the day of a tournament, it will be the wrestlers and his/her parents or guardians responsibility to be on time for the tournament. It will also be their responsibility to make sure the wrestler is at mat side or in the bullpen at the proper times. The coaches will not be responsible for tracking wrestlers down before their match. We like our team and spectators to sit together in the bleachers when possible. We do not allow our wrestlers to be in restricted areas, running through the hallways, and behaving in any inappropriate manner between their matches. Wrestlers should be sitting in the bleachers unless they have a reason to be elsewhere. Leave all facilities in as good or better condition when we leave, as it was when we arrived. Remember, you are part of a team, and you are representing ALL of LYW.

Wrestlers must be present for at least one practice a week to attend that week’s tournament, unless excused by the Head Coach.

When a wrestler commits to the wrestling season, the parent’s commit to volunteering their time to ensure the LYW tournament is a success. If the parent volunteers to work the tournament, the wrestler’s tournament registration fee will be waived. If a parent cannot volunteer their time on the tournament date, the wrestler’s registration fee will be charged for the child to wrestle in the LYW tournament.

Headgear must be worn at all practices and during matches. If you come to practice or a match and do not have your headgear, under no circumstances will be allowed to participate.

Practices - Wrestlers should be on the mat, listening and following directions. Wrestlers and siblings should not be running in and out, on the stage or on school equipment. Practice is a time for learning; please do not allow spectators to be disruptive to the coach or the wrestlers. According to school policy, roaming the halls is not allowed.
At practices, no wrestler shall leave the facility before everything in the gym is clean, straightened up and put back in place unless you have made arrangements with the coaches prior to leaving. You are part of a team even when there is work to be done.

Good hygiene and health is essential to maintaining healthy athletes.
a. Wrestlers will have good hygiene before stepping on the mats during practice or a tournament. This includes your body being clean as well as you clothes. Anyone that does not meet these requirements will be asked to leave the mat by the head coach and will not be able to return until they have resolved the problem.
b. If a wrestler is ill, please do not come to practice or matches. Due to the close contact in wrestling, germs and illnesses spread quickly.
c. If you have any skin conditions such as open sores, ringworm, etc. please see the head coach before stepping on the mat to wrestle.



General House Keeping Topics:

Gear - Wrestling shoes should not be worn anywhere other than on the mat. No one will be allowed on the mat with any shoes other than wrestling shoes. Parents are encouraged to have an athletic bag at the tournaments, to carry headgear, shoes, tape etc. It is difficult to keep track of loose items in the bleachers at tournaments.

Cancellations – You will be notified if a practice or a tournament is cancelled due to the weather. It will be posted on our website or you will receive a call notifying you of any changes. If there is no school on the day of practice due to weather, we will still have practice unless you are notified otherwise.

Get Involved – Your club needs your help and support. We would like for all parents and wrestlers to be involved in any way possible. Volunteers run our club. It is your task as a wrestler and a parent to help keep our club successful. Our club is primarily funded through fundraisers. If you would like to get involved in our fundraising activities, please contact the coach or a board member.

Fees - The cost for the 2005 –2006 Youth Wrestling Season will be $60.00 plus a $10.00 singlet deposit per singlet issued. Included in the price is the wrestler’s singlet ($10.00 of the cost will be returned to the parent at the end of the season, providing the singlet is returned on time, clean and in the same condition it was issued) additionally, built into the fee for the season is the $40.00 fee required by Missouri USA for every wrestler to be issued a Missouri USA wrestler’s card. A small portion of each fee will be applied towards sanctioning the Lathrop Youth Wrestling Tournament that will be held on January 22, 2006.

Fee's Fun Wrestling: $55.00

E-Mail – In an attempt to save time and money for copies, LYW would like to have e-mail addresses.

Birth Certificates- If a wrestler is to participate at the District level, LYW must have a copy of his/her birth certificate. (Six and under are ineligible for State) This is a requirement of the Missouri USA Wrestling Association. The certificate will be returned at the end of the season, if desired or maintained in the files with the Wrestling Board.

Match/Record Keeping – The parents will be given a sheet to keep track of their wrestlers wins and losses. This includes getting the opponents name and club affiliation and actual score. This record will be very useful to the coaches when the wrestler is seeded for Districts. This record will allow your wrestler to be seeded at the best possible position. If you do not care how your wrestler is seeded at Districts, then the form is not necessary to maintain.

Brackets – At the tournaments, your wrestler will be placed in a bracket. This could be an 8-man bracket, 16-man bracket or a round robin bracket. Printable versions of these brackets will be available on our website.


Coaching Expectations –

Always set a good example for our wrestlers and our club.
Instruct wrestlers in proper sportsmanship and demand that they make this a priority.
Respect the judgment of the officials; abide by the rules and display proper behavior.

Assist our athletes in developing the desire to WIN, but also understand how lose.

To promote the sport of Wrestling in our community, which will help, ensure a competitive Middle School and High School program.

Any person wanting to obtain a coaching card and represent a Lathrop Youth Wrestler will need to obtain prior approval from the Head Coach.


Expectations of the wrestlers:

Treat fellow teammates and opponents with respect.

Treat coaches with respect

Respect the judgment of officials, and abide by the rules and display proper behavior.

Cooperate with officials, coaches, supervisors, and fellow wrestlers to conduct fair matches.

Demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times. If a wrestler demonstrates poor sportsmanship at a tournament, the board can require he/she to scratch the next tournament for poor representation of the club.




Expectations of the parents:

Wrestling can be demanding, not only for the youth wrestler, but also for the parent. Tournaments can be a good distance from home and usually require an early start and a long day. Most importantly, these wrestlers need support and encouragement.

Below are some dos and don’ts:
Don’t impose your ambitions or expectations on your wrestler. Remember, wrestling is your child’s activity. Improvements and progress occur at different rates for each individual. Don’t judge your wrestler’s progress based on the performance of other athletes.

Be supportive, no matter what. There is only one question to ask your wrestler… “Did you have fun?”

Don’t coach your child. Your job is to support, love and hug your child no matter what. Conflicting advice and criticism work against the coach’s efforts and only serve to confuse and de-motivate your child.

Keep in mind that attendance to practices, tournaments, etc is a privilege to observe the matches. It is not a license to verbally assault the others or to be obnoxious. Not only are the wrestlers and coaches representing the club, so are you.

Respect decisions made by the officials. Unless you have been there, you have no idea how challenging officiating can be. Expect that in some matches you child could lose as a result of an error on the part of an official or scorekeeper. That’s life. Help your child to understand that the official does their best to score the match fairly, and that it is important that we respect the ruling of the officials regardless of how we feel about the situation.

Acknowledge your child’s fear. Their opponents appear to be much more intimidating through their eyes than through the eye’s of a grown-up. Consider their perspective and don’t expect them to compete with the confidence and mental toughness of a seasoned expert.

Be a good role model by positively supporting all participants in every manner possible

Respect fans, coaches, supervisors and wrestlers

Problem solving should be done privately and resolved in a professional manner for the good of the entire team.
At tournaments, parents are required to remain in the stands. Parents are not allowed mat side

Remember - Coaches “Coach” and Parents “Cheer”

Winning is important but losing is a given. Win with class ~ lose with dignity.











After reading the above team goals and rules, the wrestler and parents or guardians must sign and return this form.

I, _______________________ (wrestler), have read the attached team goals and rules. I will abide by these rules and represent my team in an appropriate manner. If I do not, I realize that I may be asked to leave a practice, a tournament or possibly even be removed from the team.

Signature of the wrestler Date:



I, ______________________(parent or guardian of the wrestler), have read the attached team goals and rules. I will abide by the rules and represent our team in an appropriate manner. If I do not, I realize I may be asked to leave a practice, a tournament or not to attend any future wrestling events.


Signature of Wrestlers Parent/Guardian Date: