This rule will change wrestling this way........each team that does the normal run onto the mat, run in circles around the mat, and do warm ups will now have to stop, clean shoes, then enter the mat area or clean the mat between warm ups of each team  and then at the end of them.   Suggestions on fixing this situations?

Regulation 106.7 section 3 page 5 states: "Home team management is required to provide a bottle of disinfecting product so that the wrestlers and referee's spray the bottom of thier shoes, wipe them off with a towel, and then step on the mat. Disinfecting product will be located at the Score's table of each mat."

Now i wasnt able to attend this years field clinic but i did ask this to our association president and i hope he passed it along. To me it means anytime you step on the mat and off. So does this include out of bounds situations? Prior to warmups? Medical personel who help a kid must do this prior to servicing the kid? If not does the mat now have to be recleaned?

Just imagine the time delay at IBT's and daul Tournaments? Everytime we as ref's come off the mat do we do this? Before each match this is to be done?

Don't forget this doesn't include the normal blood cleanup solutions that is required.

Bob Whittaker is helping with our local association field clinic this Sunday and i plan on asking him but i would also suggest asking Gary Pigott.

I understand the intent of the rule, but it's gonna be tough to inforce at tournaments. Just imagine weigh ins when they bring all the wrestlers on to the mat at once, and at the beginning of a new session, or before the finals hoopla? Probley won't last.

quick fix to accomplish cleaning other than a spray bottle and a rag which in my mind transfers the germs from shoes to hands is:

buy a plastic tray that goes underneath a hot water heater (this will stop floor from getting wet)

place a towel soaked with disenfectent in it or you can find a rubermat with nubs or even the outdoor carpeting.

then have a dry towel or something for them to step on after stepping in the tray to dry the shoes before getting on the mat.

im going to get four of these type of set-ups for each mat at our tournament to place at the scoring tables.

mats have to be cleaned after they are used for staging areas. I admit this rule is not going to help anything unless everyone trains theemselves to follow it, we are doing it for protection against skin infections.

for me i will follow it and make my kids do it, we have this setup in our room and they also sanitize hands everytime they come in the room and shower afterwards. it helps.

im for anything especially after i contracted impetigo from a tournament that i was coaching at. I would shake kids hands when they came over, the bad thing was when i would yell during the matches i would rub my hands together and cup them around my mouth like a megaphone. in 3 days i had a perfect impetigo outline from where i put my hands. it sucked absolute worst place to get that stuff.

I think you can get by at duals with a "sole-mat" or some other type of cleaning system at the head table. Step on the cleaning system before you step on the mat. I called Gary Pigott to verify this, but haven't heard back from him yet. As for tournaments, it will just mean having the mats cleared in time to do a quick run with a mop or towel prior to wrestling started. We usually do this already.

The rule needs to be changed immediately. New rule, wrestling shoes can only be worn in the gym. If a wrestler goes out, he must wear other shoes. Especially in bathrooms. No rule will ever keep those mats clean so get rig of them. If we can at least minimize where those wrestling shoes go without wasting tournament or match time, then it will be a start.

Some resourceful person should take advantage of this need for greater saitation in the sport and develop some kind of sandal or slipper specifically made to fit over wrestling shoes.  Slip them off when you step on the mat and hand them to your coach with the rest of your warm up and then slip them back on after your match.

Our booster club buys sandals with velcro tops for all the wrestlers. They are expected to wear them over thier wrestling shoes anytime they are not on a mat, both at practice and at meets.

Spend $300

http://www.resilite.com/Produc...-Mat__KDY2.aspx

It looks as if the tray you gave us will definately cut down on dirt and debris but it defeats the sanitation aspect of the new rule. Not sure the FHSAA will go for it.   But would love to hear if they do.

YES, the tray WILL work!  A sole mat has disinfectant solution on the mat that sits in the tray. Had one at WSHS and Oviedo.

I just got off the phone with Gary Pigott at the FHSAA and he confirmed that a sole mat to disinfect and a dry towel to step on to dry the shoes WILL suffice. If you don't want to spend the $300 for a sole mat, you can make one of your own, cheap. Get a restaurant bus tray and put a towel saturated with mat disinfectant in it, then put a dry towel on the floor next to it. If you have a tournament, you'll need one for every mat.

It has a fluid in it.  It sanitizes then you step on a dry mat.  Its a tray that has a cleaning chemical in it

Tribit wrote:

YES, the tray WILL work!  A sole mat has disinfectant solution on the mat that sits in the tray. Had one at WSHS and Oviedo.

 

I just got off the phone with Gary Pigott at the FHSAA and he confirmed that a sole mat to disinfect and a dry towel to step on to dry the shoes WILL suffice. If you don't want to spend the $300 for a sole mat, you can make one of your own, cheap. Get a restaurant bus tray and put a towel saturated with mat disinfectant in it, then put a dry towel on the floor next to it. If you have a tournament, you'll need one for every mat.

Could you not put 1 between 2 mats and use that as an entry point?

Gary said one at each mat, but you might be able to get away with that. I am sure Cozart's checked into it.

Every time a coach comes on for an injury time he has to wipe down his shoes and make sure you stay off the mat if the opposing wrestler comes across after the match to shake hands.  Out of bounds and off the mat wrestlers you got to go wash your shoes again.

and refs at tournaments. Clean those shoes every time you go sign the bout sheet as most likely you are stepping off the mat.

I'm waiting to see how many coaches don't have a clue of the new rule... or officials.

One of the stupidest rules I've ever seen. Anyone who thought of this or voted for it should immediately resign from their position. Luckily, 106.07 does not specify any penalty if the rule is not followed, so you can pretty much do whatever you want to do. 

ValkyrieWrestling wrote:

Our booster club buys sandals with velcro tops for all the wrestlers. They are expected to wear them over thier wrestling shoes anytime they are not on a mat, both at practice and at meets.

That is a very good idea!  Would save alot of headaches.

bodylock wrote:

One of the stupidest rules I've ever seen. Anyone who thought of this or voted for it should immediately resign from their position. Luckily, 106.07 does not specify any penalty if the rule is not followed, so you can pretty much do whatever you want to do. 

Why would keeping the mats clean be a bad rule? I have been to many, many tournaments the past 3 years and I can tell you this.

1. Probably over half of the wrestlers dont wash their hands after touching their junk in the bathroom.

2. People (fans and wrestlers) urinate all over the bathroom floors and then step on the mat.with their shoes.

Thats fine that you think it's stupid, but it works. Both Oviedo and Winter Springs (I know for sure) already use a similiar system of a towel with some kind of bleach or cleaner prior to entering the practice room, and it works. What's wrong with it at tournaments? 

How do you know it works? Please cite the results of any controlled study that proves that such a system significantly reduces the amount of microbes on a wrestling mat. I would also be interested in the results of your hand washing and floor pee pee studies.

Just because germs are bad does not mean this is the correct solution. As written, the rule is stupid because it is unlikely that it will significantly reduce the amount of microbes on the mat, it can lead to some of the ridiculous interpretations listed earlier in this thread, and it has no penalty associated with it if it is not followed.