Van Kley: Wrestling’s better because weight cutting has improved

Photo: WIN Publisher Bryan Van Kley at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Editor’s Note: This story appeared in WIN’s Volume 31 Issue 11, which printed on August 22, 2025. Click here or call 641-792-4436 to subscribe to WIN Magazine. Buy a Digital or Combo Subscription to get immediate digital access to WIN’s Volume 31 Issue 11, which features the first NCAA DI Tournament Power Index (TPI) as well as Preseason Individual Rankings. 

By Bryan Van Kley

Do you ever think about how much wrestling has changed and improved over the years? Coming up on my 50th birthday soon, maybe I’m showing my age by starting a column like that! I’m incredibly proud of how our sport has grown and evolved in regards to overall participation numbers and respect in the at-large sports community. Attending USA Wrestling’s Junior Nationals and seeing over 8,500 participants, including 2,245 girls reinforced this.

However, there are moments I cringe when talking to non-wrestling people about the sport; they have that look of disgust and lack of respect when it is brought up, immediately referencing some wrestling friends in high school starving themselves and being miserable.

As wrestling people know, the sport has made huge jumps forward by a healthier approach towards weight management on the youth, high school, and college levels with one and two-hour weigh-ins as well as hydration testing that helps decrease the drastic last-minute cuts which used to be commonplace.

When I was wrestling in high school and college in the early to mid 1990s, weight cutting was a rite of passage. Actually, it seemed it was even a measuring stick as to your dedication and discipline. I weighed 162 pounds as a senior and cut 27 pounds down to 135 the first semester before Christmas. With the scales in our wrestling room located between the gym and the classroom area of our high school, my teammates and I would check weight several times throughout the day between classes. Weigh-ins then were at 7 a.m. for an evening meet, so you could rehydrate during the day of the dual, but of course you still didn’t feel strong that night.

We’d practice wearing a hoodie (or two), sweatpants, and a stocking hat. A majority of our focus was the scale instead of getting better. As you can imagine, by the time the end of the season came around, there was a part of us that couldn’t wait for it to be over.

As a senior, I made the 135-pound class six times before Christmas. Despite plans to go up to 145, I wanted the option to be able to try to make state at 135. The rule then was you needed a minimum of seven weigh-ins at the postseason weight you chose. So, that meant making weight one time after our Christmas-break vacation to California.

My brother who also wrestled and I worked out a number of times while on break and carefully watched what we ate. However, I ballooned back up to my normal weight of 162 over break. Getting back down to 135 in a little over a week after getting back was horrible. I made it, but not without 35 minutes in a very steamy hot tub with a stocking hat on the night before weigh-ins. And of course, I didn’t sleep much that night. I won my match the next night against our big rival, but that cut confirmed going up was the right move. I was much better and happier wrestler up two weights at 145 after that.

The point of the story and talking about changes that have happened to weight cutting is remind us all that there have been numerous areas where our sport has improved in the last 30-40 years. So, as a wrestling community, we need to continue to promote our sport to people who only remember it for weight cutting. Be ready to have discussions about how wrestling’s weight management is healthier now and respectfully address other topics like that.

What else still needs to change in our sport? I’d love to know your thoughts. Email me at Bryan@WIN-magazine.com.

(Bryan Van Kley has been the publisher of WIN since 1998.)