Frequently Asked Questions

Bensalem High School wrestling room.  The entrance is on the side of the building, near the main gym.  There will usually be a sign on the window that says something to the effect of "BYW enters here".

BYW will have it's core practices on Monday and Wednesday.  These practices will focus on  the fundamentals of wrestling and conditioning.  There may additional practices and collaborations with other clubs on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.  These additional practices will be communicated via TeamSnap to club members.

Wrestling is a combat sport that requires constant contact between two opponents.  Wrestling has a higher rate of injuries for things like bumps, cuts, and bruises.  Wrestling has a much lower rate of concussions when compared to other contact sports like football and ice hockey.  According to this study, even men's and women's soccer has a higher rate of concussions than wrestling.

A wrestling meet is an athletic event where several teams get together and compete against each other.   For BYW meets, anywhere between 3-5 teams will get together at a single location.   Points are kept for the individual matches, but team points are not kept.

Bensalem wrestles in the Inter County Wrestling League.   Which is a collection of over 40 individual wrestling clubs like BYW.

They will needs wrestling shoes, wrestling head gear, and a BYW  or Bensalem Middle School singlet.  

BYW will schedule 6-7 ICWL meets every winter.  If a meet is canceled, they typically do not get rescheduled.

BYW is committed to only having meets on Saturday morning.  A host team may change their time from morning to afternoon without consulting us.  But we will always strive to schedule meets on Saturday morning.

We try to get every kid 2-3 matches per meet.

We use age, weight, and skill as metrics for selecting opponents.  The skill number is assigned by a BYW coach.   Each child is weighed in twice during the season, once in December and once in January.  The weigh ins are done at the Bensalem High School during normal practice hours.

This term can differ from organization to organization.  But generally a novice wrestler is a first year wrestler who is new to the sport.  Some tournaments will have brackets for novices, to help first year wrestlers acclimate to the sport.  Some tournaments will allow second year wrestlers to enroll in novice brackets.

This can vary by the location and the number of kids wrestling.  Usually the meets start around 8:30 AM and they usually finish around noon.  However, there have been a few occasions where the meet has gone until 2:00 PM.

Your child should wear athletic shorts, t-shirts, wrestling shoes, and head gear.  During the free trial, wrestling shoes and head gear are not required.

Many meets sell greasy foods like hotdogs and pizza.  These are typically not recommended before and during meets.   Wrestlers should be eating light foods that have a good mix of simple and complex carbs.  Examples are pretzels, fruits, trail mix, bagels, PB and J sandwiches.  Once the meet is done the athlete can eat whatever they want.

BYW does not encourage the cutting of weight for competitions.   BYW does two weigh-ins during the season: once in December and once in January.  This is done to make sure that matches are competive and safe, not to create an unfair advantage.  

The mats in the Bensalem High School wrestling room are cleaned before and after each practice.  Wrestlers are instructed to shower after every practice and meet, and clean their gear regularly. 

Safety is our primary concern in the wrestling room.  There are all sorts of germs and fungi on the street and floors.  We don't want these potential contagions brought on our mats.  Wrestlers should put their shoes on in the hall before the wrestling room, clean them on the boot tray in front of the mats, and take them off in the halls directly outside the wrestling room.  

In addition, sand and small rocks from the outside can get stuck in the tread of the wrestling shoe and tear holes in the wrestling mats.

A meet is a small collection of teams usually 3-4 teams that wrestle against each other.   ICWL meets do not keep track of team points.  Just the individual matches are scored.  In competitive wrestling, such as middle school and high school, each team has strict weight classes, and teams are awarded points for the outcome of the matches.

A tournament is not usually a team event, although teams will often travel together.  Players are grouped into brackets and place winners are usually given a trophy, medal, or some other prize.

BYW's main fund raiser is the Tournament.    This is a one day event usually in February, that provides the funding necessary to keep BYW's fees low.  All BYW wrestlers get free admission to the tournament, and parents are asked to help run the various aspects of the tournament.

BYW doesn't stand outside Walmart with buckets, or make our members sell useless items.   We run a regionally well respected tournament that promotes the sport of wrestling and provides a service to the wrestlers in our area. 

Starting in 2023, every registration is charged a $100 volunteer fee.  This fee is refundable after volunteer hours are completed.      

We will need help in the following areas:

1. Concessions
2. Scoring table workers
3. Set up and tear down

The main BYW season is from the beginning of November to the end of February.  The majority of our wrestlers only wrestle during the winter season.  

However, some wrestlers train and compete year round.  You will find BYW wrestlers all year round  at SEPA, Misfits, MPR and Apache.    

In addition, BYW has year round practices, clinics and camps for all skill levels and interests.    Whether you are just dipping your toe in the wrestling pool, or going for states, BYW has your back.

Generally no.  BYW is not a daycare.  

At practice, we are responsible for your child while they are in the wrestling room.  The parents or guardians are still responsible for the child if they need to go to the bathroom, get a drink of water, or if they need to leave the wrestling room for any reason.

This is also true for meets and tournaments.  BYW provides coaches and staff to help your child while they are competing on the mat.  Once the child leaves the mat, the parent or guardian is responsible.