RULES

Athletes must enter their CURRENT grade they are currently enrolled in. Wrestlers are NOT allowed to bump up or down in grade division. ALL grade protest MUST be done prior to the event starting. Athletes will be removed from the tournament with NO refund if they are caught in the wrong grade division. 

This is a GRADE BASED tournament.  You MUST register your wrestler for the grade they are in during the 2024-2025 school year.  We do have max ages a wrestler can be in each grade division.  If a wrestler is too old for a grade division, they MUST move up to the next grade division.  Athletes who are repeating may not compete in the lower grade division.  

Athletes MUST meet the at least one of the pre-qualifications listed below in order to enter the 2024 Boys National High School Recruiting Showcase, High School age athletes who do not meet the pre-qualifications below should  enter in the 9th-10th Grade, 11th-12th Grade divisions. *Girls National Recruiting Showcase will be held at the 2025 US Open in Las Vegas, NV in April. *

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Once an athlete enters the weigh-in area they have two (2) consecutive attempts to make weight.  ATHLETES ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE WEIGH-IN AREA OR RE-WEIGH LATER EVEN IF THERE IS ANOTHER WEIGH-IN TIME SCHEDULED. All wrestlers must be dressed in a COMPETITION SINGLET for weigh-ins and no weight allowance is given for the singlet.

2024-2025 Folkstyle Girls Rules: For Video Breakdown CLICK HERE

Step-out rule modifications for Girls Folkstyle Nationals and Tour of America Events

Step-out - Approved at 2023 USA Wrestling at Leaders’ Summit by the JOWC
Modification to Folkstyle Rules In the girls divisions at the Folkstyle Nationals and Folkstyle Tour of America events. Revisions to language approved by JOWC vote Oct1, 2024

Step-out rule - 1 point will be awarded if from a neutral position (with neither wrestler on the mat with one or two knees touching in a down position) the action goes out of bounds based on NFHS guidelines. All attempts by both wrestlers should be made to wrestle aggressively and in the center of the mat. The step-out point will be awarded to the opponent of the wrestler who first steps out with both feet. 

Clarifications:  

• This rule differs from the NFHS rules for being “inbounds”. Once the step-out criteria is met the opponent will be awarded 1 point. If there is a step-out by a wrestler and the opposing wrestler immediately completes a scoring action, that action will be scored the step-out point will NOT be scored. The official should not sound the whistle for the step-out and allow the offensive action to score. 

• Once a wrestler steps out of bounds with both feet while neutral, that wrestler cannot return from out of bounds to score points. The whistle will sound and 1 point is awarded to the opponent and wrestling will resume in the middle of the mat.

• If a wrestler leaves the mat under attack to avoid being scored on, the step-out point will be scored plus 1 point for fleeing the mat.

• If a wrestler uses a straight arm “push-out”, the opponent is NOT penalized. This is considered stalling under the NFHS rules and should be penalized accordingly. 

• If the defensive wrestler stands in an attempt to gain an escape point and is driven out of bounds, without gaining an escape point, there will NOT be a step-out point awarded. (Neutral wrestling was not established)
• If the defensive wrestler stands, is awarded the escape point, and then steps out of bounds, the step-out point will be awarded.
• Step-out points are recorded “SO-1” in a scorebook and will be a “+1” in Trackwrestling. Step-out points are not to be considered penalty points.
• The step out in girls' folkstyle is a 1-point offensive score. The signal for a step-out point in folkstyle will be the pointing of the appropriate index finger indicating the point. It would be followed with the signal of both hands in the air indicating both wrestlers return to the standing position, like when indicating the escape point. This is an additional way of signaling the step-out it is not a penalty but an offensive score.

Neutral Start rule modification for Girls Folkstyle Nationals and Tour of America Events

Neutral Start - Approved at 2024 USA Wrestling at Leaders’ Summit by the JOWC
Modification to Folkstyle Rules In the girls divisions at the Folkstyle Nationals and Folkstyle Tour of America events.

 In the girls divisions at the Folkstyle Nationals and Folkstyle Tour of America events, all periods, both regulation and overtime shall begin in the neutral position.

Clarification for Neutral Start:

-          Following the end of each period, the wrestlers will begin the subsequent period in the neutral position.

-           In the event of overtime, the first overtime period will begin in the neutral position, as in the current NFHS rule. Modification: If no scoring happens, the wrestlers will wrestle for 2, 30-second periods. These 30-second periods will be conducted similarly to the Freestyle “Activity period”. The coin is flipped, and the wrestler winning the coin flip chooses if she wishes to be “on the clock” first. If the wrestler being placed “on the clock” fails to score in the 30 seconds, their opponent will be awarded 1 point. In the 2nd 30-second period the other wrestler is put “on the clock”.  If the score is tied at the conclusion of wrestling, the wrestler “scoring last” will be declared the winner. This allows strategy to be used similarly to selecting the offense or defense wrestling position in the 1st 30 seconds.

-           EXAMPLE: In overtime, as in the NFHS rules, the first points scored of any type in Sudden Victory (1st, 1-minute period) terminates the match.

-           As in the NFHS rules, the entire 30 seconds in each 2nd and 3rd overtime period will be wrestled to completion unless there is a fall. If the wrestler "on the clock" does not score, 1 point will be awarded to their opponent regardless of any scoring by their opponent - stalling, step out, or takedown points will be awarded as earned.

Approved as of the  2023 USA Wrestling Board of Director’s  National Convention: 

• Participation at Regional & National Championships When both regional and/or national championships are offered to both genders in the same style(s) in Junior and 16U, wrestlers shall only be allowed to compete in the division of his/her gender.
   
• Participation at Regional & National Championships When both regional and/or national championships are offered to both genders in the same style(s) in 14U and below, wrestlers shall only be allowed to compete in the division of his/her gender. 

National High School Recruiting Showcase Automatic qualifiers:  

• High School State Champions – Any year  
• High School State Placers 
• National Prep Champions 

• USA Wrestling National All-American status Place 1st-8th: (Preseason Nationals, Boys and Girls National High School Recruiting Showcase, Women’s Freestyle Nationals, Girls and Boys Folkstyle Nationals, and 16U/ Junior Nationals)   
• U15 and U17 National Placer (Must be currently enrolled in High School) 
• NHSCA Virginia Beach Placer (9th –12th grade Divisions ONLY)

Bracketing

Double-elimination line-bracketing with complete wrestle-backs to eighth (8th) place for the ALL elementary, Middle School, and High School divisions. 

USA Wrestling Performance Index (PIN): Separation used for all brackets. Click here for more information about PIN 

• The USA Wrestling Performance Index (PIN) measures consistency over time and rates the probability of a person winning against an opponent based on their bodies of work.
• A person with a higher PIN is considered more likely to beat someone with a lower PIN and the closer the PINs are the closer the probability gets to 50/50 chances.
• This does not reward the one time win or head-to-head over an opponent; what it does is rewards consistency over time. If you consistently beat people with higher PINs, you will gain PIN points to surpass them in index given that you do not lose to lesser competition along the way.
• PIN score used is style specific 

Period Lengths

Full period lengths will be used for both events.  

• 1st & 2nd grade Boys/ 1st – 5th grade Girls/ 3rd & 4th grade Boys 
  Championship and Consolation: 1:00-1:00-1:00
   
• 5th & 6th grade Boys/ 7th & 8th grade Boys/ 6th – 8th grade Girls  
  Championship: 1:00-1:30-1:30; Consolation: 1:00-1:00-1:00 
   
• 9th & 10th grade Boys/ 11th & 12th Grade Boys/ 9th- 12th grade girls/ Boys High School Showcase 
  Championship: 2:00-2:00-2:00; Consolation: 1:00-2:00-2:00  
   
  Please refer to USA Wrestling Age Group & Weight Chart 

BRACKET CHANGES MUST BE MADE UP UNTIL 1 HOUR PRIOR TO THE START OF THE WRESTLING SESSION.  Please contact the tournament director with any issues (ie: wrestler missing from bracket or incorrect weight) by email at least 2 HOURS PRIOR to the start of the wrestling session or please come to the head table. 

National Federation of State High School Association scoring rules with USA Wrestling modifications will govern the competition. These USA Wrestling modifications include the following Rules:   

• National Federation of State High School Association scoring rules with USA Wrestling modifications will govern the competition. These USA Wrestling modifications include the following:  

• Headgear is not MANDATORY for all competitors but recommended  

• Mouth guards are not required for wrestlers (even wrestlers with braces)  

• Rest time in between matches is a minimum of 15 minutes  

• A match can be started when a wrestler does not have a coach 

USA Wrestling rules governing ages, weights and match time will take precedence where applicable.

Click Here for USA Wrestling Rulebook