[Mahler9th]

About 10 years ago I spent quite a bit of time learning about high school and college wrestling protocols and procedures related to safe weight loss. I started by extensively interviewing the lead person at the national wrestling coaches association. At the time (and perhaps still today) that organization was responsible for the procedures regarding the establishment of an individual's weight class and the process for getting that person down to weight.

I also did a lot of reading in the sports medicine literature and interviewed experts. One was the Ph.D that ran the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI, which was a serious research institution) who himself was a former NCAA wrestler.

The weight loss management program was created, at least in part, to address issues with some of the weight loss practices from earlier days in interscholastic and college wrestling. If I recall correctly, there were 2-3 deaths around the turn of the century, and the sport was in some jeopardy. These deaths were related to unsafe weight loss practices, perhaps including sitting in saunas with plastic suits, et cetera.

The idea of the program was to start out with plan based on the individual kid, and then safely bring them down to a safe competition weight established by physiology and medical experts.

I was a VP in a very small, super-early start-up raising money for a portable device to measure human hydration. In wrestling (at the time and likely still today), they measured urine specific gravity in addition to body fat % at the start of the season. The reason for the former was to ensure that kids did not show up improperly hydrated for their weight class assessment at the beginning of wrestling season.

The wrestling world was interested in our device concept since it would use a characteristic from a saliva sample instead of urine to measure hydration status. They offered to connect me with "several friends of wrestling" that might help us raise venture money. These included Ronnie Lott, Donald Rumsfeld and a gentleman named John Mumford.

Mumford was involved (and may still be) in venture capital at Crosspoint Ventures. Interestingly, one of his colleagues there was Seth Neiman, a driver/owner of the then de facto Porsche factory team in the US, the Flying Lizards. I had lots of connections to the Lizards...

The company I was with did not succeed in raising funds.

What I learned about wrestling was that just like many sports, advancements in our medical and physiology knowledge along with our legal system has caused many changes since I was a schoolboy in the 1960's. Back then I remember playing tackle football at 7-9 years old, with no head gear or pads of any type... preferably on grass or dirt but sometimes on blacktop. At recess, at school. With teachers watching.

I was one of the smaller kids all through elementary school and high school.

Likely I had more than a few concussions.

My high school and college sport was also affected by these types of changes.

These new types of restrictions, practices, policies and procedures can be challenging, but I think in most cases those involved in administration are doing the best they can.