“Wrestlers have their hair nails and skin checked prior to wrestling. Ridgewood has had wrestlers with hair, the solution or options are 1 – where a hair net (which some wrestlers choose) or 2-cut it to legal length. If a wrestler’s hair in its natural state extends below the earlobe on the sides or touches the top of a normal shirt, it’s required to be secured in a legal hair cover, according to rules set by the National Federation of State High School Associations. In addition, if the hair is longer than allowed, it must be contained in a legal hair cover that is attached to the ear guards.
My son who wrestled for RHS has no sympathy for the kid and finds it hard to believe he was not told way way earlier to get his hair compliant to regulations, being that one of his friends did wrestle with a legal hair net for RHS. Also, they cut your nails on the spot if they are too long. Coach failed the kid. Solution to cut it is a reasonable solution at the time. But seems the coach and the kid both should have known the rules. It seems unlikely they did not. His hair will grow back.”
I’m carded in 4 sports. Some NJSIAA officials enforce the hair and uniform apparel rules and some don’t.
Buena HS ran into an official that night that enforces the hair rule(s).
If that is the rule why is this a big deal? The problem seems to be Officials in earlier Matches did not enforce the rule. The coach of the school should know the rule and have made sure the athlete had hair that was legal length or a hair net. If you want to blame someone, blame the coach. Before a Game the coach will let the Officials know that all of his or her atlelets are legal to participate. The coach failed the athlete! Did he not know the rules? Did he not review the rules with the team? It seems the athlete was given an option to get a hair net but choose to cut his hair.
Don’t blame an Official for enforcing a rule that you do not like. Change the rule. You do not want Officials or coaches picking which rules they are going to enforce this meet and not the next one.
I’m sorry I don’t agree, I’ve been seeing coaches and officials argue till they’re blue in the face about law’s . And at times they are in bed together. Oh yes .
Re: “If that is the rule why is this a big deal? “
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A: The athlete is black and the referee is white.
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Any other questions?
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The rule is the rule. End of the story : I think everyone should have a crewcut we think about that. What is Next. No haircuts when you going to the military.
As a former coach and now an Official. I know both sides of the issue. As a coach I was always proactive with my athletes to make sure they were in compliance. As an Offical you try and catch violations before there is a problem.
For someone to say “A: athlete is black the referee is white” misses the point. Hair did not meet the rule. As an Offical I don’t pick and choose which rules I am going to enforce. They are applied the same to everyone. Race or gender should not be considered. There was another option, the athlete could have used an approved hair net. From what was written one of his teammates used this option. It falls to the coach and athletes to know and follow the rules. In this instance the athletes hair was not in compliance of the rule. The Official made a call according to the rule on hair length.
The athlete was allowed the option of a hair covering but was not granted that choice by the ref who gave him 90 seconds to make up has mind on having his hair hacked off or forfeit the match. The ref has since been released. I for one am glad. His pst racial remarks didn’t help. By the way, this young man won the match and his hair was not all that long.
The ref followed the rules.
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The ref has been released because he was white and the athlete was black. (or more accurately because the NJSIAA didn’t want bad press from the militant liberal racist hordes)
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The ref would not have been released if the player was white (this would not even be a news story – at best it would be a local story with no legs)
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If the athlete had correct hair length to start with or a cover there would not be an issue. Why blam the Referee when the athlete was breaking the rule?
I believe the story indicated the student athlete had a hair cover but the referee would not accept it. So this was not about the rule or lack of knowledge regarding the rule. So what was the “real issue”.
I’m surprised Al Sharpton didn’t show up at the kid’s next match…
I was not there but was the hair cover legal? (I am not a wrestling ref) The ref did allow another athlete to use one from what was written. That would leave one to think he would let this athlete use one if it was legal to use. Was it the rule that he was enforcing or race? Some are going to call it a race issue and others a rule issue. We know from what was written his hair did not meet the the rule.
I go back to the point the coach did fail the athlete because his hair did not meet the rule. Why be mad at the ref for enforcing the rule? I know in my state (Ohio) every coach and official goes to a rules meeting every year to review the rules for their sport.
The athlete had a non-regulation hair cover.
The referee gave the athlete the option to get his hair cut or forfeit the match.
The athlete decided to get his hair cut and compete in the match.
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For clarity, the hair cover specifications have changed over time and now the regulation hair cover needs to be attached to the wrestlers ear protection.
This wrestler DID NOT have a proper hair cover.
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This wrestler KNEW he was out of compliance with the hair cover rule for AT LEAST 1 week and neither he nor his coach or team/school elected to get it corrected.
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“During a tournament last weekend at Southern High School in Manahawkin, Ocean County, Buena wrestling coaches and Johnson complained about the new hair covering, and Johnson was allowed to compete with a version that did not comply with the guidelines, O’Neill said.”
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Just because the ref LAST WEEKEND decided to NOT enforce the regulations, does NOT make the current ref wrong (nor a racist).
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Again:
1. Wrestler NOT in compliance
2. Wrestler CHOOSES to get hair cut rather than forfeit.
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ALSO, these rules are in place for the safety of BOTH wrestlers. I can imagine the outrage if this wrestler got injured because the ref allowed him to compete with a non-regulation hair cover (for example the other wrestler accidentally holds hair and this wrestler gets his neck injured or gets paralyzed in a freak accident) .
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The hair cover was not regulation. Prior referees probably never bother to check; this one did and wouldn’t accept it. His coach probably should have looked at it at the beginning of the season and made sure it was compliant. My son has been sent off the mat for all sorts of things that should have been identified in skin checks including skin, nails, facial air stubble,hair and shoe laces . . . you get two minutes to fix it or forfeit. That’s why most experiences wrestlers have back-up headgear, shoes. nail clippers, razor, laces, body wipes, etc readily available in their bags.