Meeting Minutes - 2/1/2021

NC Wrestling Coaches Association - Board Meeting Minutes - 2/1/2021

All Members Present: Billy Baker, David Perry, Eddy Clark, Butch Ross, Heang Uy, Mark Harris, Mike Carey, Ben Watson, Chase Holleman, and Jamie Belk.

Note: Due to concerns about the season, agenda items about OPC testing, growth allowance, regional tournament, state tournament, girls wrestling, and regional seeding are being moved to a later meeting.

• The Board agreed that the focus should involve proactive efforts to ensure that 1. We have a season 2. We have a complete season that ends with a championship event. 3. We address concerns about safety to prevent disruption over the course of the season.

• The Board addressed the need to work with the NCHSAA and other North Carolina coaches to be strategic and minimize risk during the upcoming season.

• Coach Clark contacted high school coaches from Tennessee (Science Hill) and South Carolina (Rock Hill) to learn about the wrestling seasons happening in other states. He reported about the challenges and best practices from the two teams. There was a wide range of challenges, limitations, and strategies employed with mixed success. Rock Hill had only had 3 matches while Science Hill’s wrestlers had 30+ matches. Harris offered to share additional strategies from the NWCA and other articles that suggested outdoor practices and matches in addition to other protocols (assigned practice partners, limited locker room use, etc.)

• The Board unanimously agreed on the need to meet with the NCHSAA to review strategies that will contribute to having a safe and successful wrestling season. Concerns about completing a season and taking proactive steps to prevent disruptions / cancellations are the Board’s top priority. Coach Belk suggested that we wait until after the start of the football season (Feb. 8) before meeting with Tra Waters at the NCHSAA. Baker volunteered to reach out to Tra and work to set up a meeting with the Board.

• Specific strategies were discussed to have a safe season: assigned practice partners, minimizing use of locker rooms, holding outdoor practices and competitions, mask wearing during instruction and warmups, social distancing during competitions (bench areas, weigh-ins, etc.) In the event of threats to the season, the Board agreed that reducing the number of matches is an option they would support.

• Coach Carey suggested moving the regional tournament back to at least 10 days prior to the state tournament due to the risk of close contact quarantines or cases prior to the state tournament. Coach Uy suggested that conference tournaments could also be moved to at least 10 days before the regional tournament.

• Coach Baker reported on the challenges that basketball and volleyball have faced this year and cited specific examples of teams having to quarantine. Coach Holleman, who is coaching football, reported about protocols used in pre-season football workouts.

• The Board unanimously agreed to identify best practices and suggestions to be presented to Tra Waters at the NCHSAA at our upcoming meeting.