The 2020 Yellowjacket/Clash Wrestling Camp scheduled to take place August 3-6 in Rochester has been canceled. Camps and Training
COVID-19 pandemic
Contact sports face special challenges to restart in the COVID-19 era
The nature of some sports dictates that hard contact isn’t going to ease up, so it will be up to COVID-19 testers to be gatekeepers of sorts. And that might not be enough to keep seasons viable.
Football players ram into each other to begin a play and usually end it with a collision that brings a ball carrier to the ground.
Hockey players pin each other against the boards with body checks and use any physical means necessary to separate an opponent from the puck.
Wrestlers square off inches apart, then almost immediately grab arms, bump heads and exert themselves in face-to-face contact, often breathing the same air for six minutes or more.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials have stressed social distancing to combat the deadly virus, which is largely spread through infected droplets from coughing, sneezing and talking. But for contact sports, social distancing isn’t a workable option. Continue reading at startribune.com
Return to the Mat Guidelines updated to reflect how local health requirements are being instituted
USA Wrestling has updated its “Return to the Mat Guidelines” document, which are guidelines and recommendations for the wrestling community as it makes decisions on a local level regarding when and how to safely resume wrestling activity.
Updated USA Wrestling Return to the Mat Guidelines
The reason for the update is to make the guidelines better align with the ways that state and local governments and public health departments are implementing their requirements concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
The changes appear in the Phase 3 portion of the document (pages 10-14), a period when public health authorities allow small group activities.
USA Wrestling releases Return to Events Guidelines to help event organizers with planning and operations protocols
USA Wrestling has released the “Return to Events Guidelines” document, which are guidelines and recommendations for the wrestling community as it contemplates holding local- and state-level events, with extensive recommendations on event operations protocol in the current COVID-19 pandemic environment.
The document includes specific chapters on Venue Selection, Government and Medical Expert Adherence, Event Groups, Medical Plan, Infection Mitigation Procedures, Communication, Operational Plan and an Appendix of additional resources.
The Operational Plan is an extensive document that can be downloaded as a pdf, which includes a step-by-step checklist of specific actions that are recommended in a variety of event-related operations. USA Wrestling highly encourages potential event hosts to use both the Return to Events Guidelines and the downloadable Operation Plan during planning and when they are on-site at a wrestling competition.
USMC Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, N.D. cancelled, with focus turned to local, state and regional events
USA Wrestling has announced that the 2020 U.S. Marine Corps Junior and 16U National Championships at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D. has been cancelled.
The competition, recognized as the largest wrestling tournament in the world, had been scheduled for July 17-24.
With input from its state leadership as well as its COVID-19 Special Committees, USA Wrestling believes that this is the responsible thing to do in order to maintain the long term viability of the sport. As has been the case since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the health and safety of USA Wrestling members and the entire wrestling community remains the No. 1 priority for the organization.
USA Wrestling releases Return to the Mat Guidelines to assist wrestling community in making local decisions
USA Wrestling has released the “Return to the Mat Guidelines” document, which are guidelines and recommendations for the wrestling community as it makes decisions on a local level regarding when and how to safely resume wrestling activity.
The document was initially drafted by one of USA Wrestling’s special committees created during the pandemic, the Return to Practice and Competition Committee, which includes medical experts and event operations professionals. It has been reviewed by USA Wrestling’s COVID-19 Advisory Committee, a group of experts who advise the organization on medical, scientific and government matters pertaining to the novel coronavirus.
This document includes recommendations from the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and numerous other sources, including public health agencies and other sports organizations.
USA Wrestling forms four special committees to deal with specific issues caused by COVID-19 pandemic
USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, has formed four committees to deal with specific issues facing the organization and the sport caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
These committees include numerous experienced professionals in a variety of industries who have chosen to volunteer their time and expertise to assist USA Wrestling and the sport of wrestling as it navigates through these extraordinary times.
“USA Wrestling is tremendously grateful and blessed that these talented leaders are willing to step up for wrestling at this time. All have a passion for the sport and a commitment to help guide our organization in its decision-making process. With this assistance, our sport will have the best possible direction to help us get through the current situation and emerge successfully, with a clear vision for the future,” said USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender.