Letter to the Sports Editor
Baltimore SUN Newspaper
Bruce Gabrielson
January 28, 1999
The Sun's January 21st sports article "Wrestlers sweat making weight" by Lem Statterfield, verged on sensationalism and didn't portray the whole story on wrestling and weight cutting. Speaking as a former sports writer and editor at a respectable major Southern California newspaper, the Orange County Daily Pilot, I was sorry to see that the Sun didn't state all the facts about the collegiate wrestling deaths, or even some background about how much "extra weight" Mount St. Joseph wrestler Ryan Herwig gained over the summer months. If you're going to cover a story, tell the whole story.
Regarding the deaths, these the first due to weight loss in collegiate wrestling history. They were investigated by the NCAA and found to have been due to the combination of a number of factors, some related to the improper use of dietary supplements, and not the result of traditional wrestling weight cutting measures.
I should also give you a little background on Ryan. I have been Ryan's club coach for many years. Of course Ryan's doctor didn't have a problem with Ryan loosing some weight. This past summer Ryan didn't work out much and put on quite a few excess pounds. It wasn't a long-term effort to make his current weight and it certainly didn't hurt him the get his body back into proper conditioning.
Common sense dieting is healthy for anyone. Most wrestlers, my own sons included, still practice a sensible approach to get to a competitive weight class. The large number of weight classes only a few pounds apart allows for everyone to find an easy weight class which suits their frame and ability.
Bruce Gabrielson
Head Coach
Southern Maryland Wrestling Club