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The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has allowed the use of a two-piece uniform for the 2017-18 wrestling season at a meeting held earlier this week.

The revision to rule 4-1-1 allows wrestlers to wear school-issued, compression shorts or shorts designed for wrestling, and a form-fitted compression shirt while competing.

The shorts must have a minimum four-inch inseam that does not extend below the knee. The form-fitted compression shirt shall not cover or extend below the elbow and shall have a minimum three-inch tail. The shirt may be worn under a singlet or with compression shorts or shorts designed for wrestling. The NFHS hopes the rule change will spark more interest in the sport.

Wrestlers will still be able to wear singlets for the upcoming season. Now, they will just have other options as well.

Wyoming Seminary is currently the only local team to have these uniforms for the wrestling team. The Blue Knights participated last year with the compression-style outfits participating on the prep level.

In another rule change at the meeting, the straight-back salto, a move in which a wrestler in the rear-standing position brings the defensive wrestler straight back with feet in the air and is intended to have the defensive wrestler’s head, neck or shoulder(s) hit the mat first, is now an illegal move.

The committee also approved two changes related to falls and near falls. The shoulders or scapula of the offensive wrestler no longer must be inbounds to earn a fall.

The committee agreed that wrestling should continue if the offensive wrestler’s supporting parts remain inbounds and no body part of the defensive wrestler goes off the mat. If wrestling is continuing during a match, near falls and falls will be earned regardless of the out-of-bounds line.

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By Dave Rosengrant

For Times Leader