Western Regional Eligibility

During the past Western Regional tournament there was a general outcry regarding the method by which we outfitted the Team Washington wrestlers. The policy was that we provided a t-shirt and hat to those athletes who qualified for the team by placing 1-6 at the Washington State Kids Freestyle Championship tournament. Those who petitioned into the tournament did not receive the "uniform".

Last year there were a large number of petitions. These petitions were categorized four ways. 1) An athlete who attended the state championship but did not place. 2) An athlete who did not attend the championship because of injury or some other commitment. 3) An athlete who petitioned directly to the tournament director in Pocatello in advance of the tournament. 4) An athlete who showed up at the tournament site and petitioned into the tournament on the spot.

This year we would like to ensure that every wrestler who is on Team Washington either through having earned the place via our state tournament or having been accepted via a legitimate petition is provided with Team Washington gear. To that end we have established the following rules for being accepted onto the team. All are subject to the entry deadlines as published by the State Kids Directors.

Team Washington Western Regional Participation Eligibility

  1. A wrestler who places 1-6 in the Kids or Cadet State Championships for Freestyle and or Greco-Roman and submits a complete and legal entry*.
  2. A wrestler who, having attended the appropriate state tournament, does not place in the top six but because our state allotment (6) is not full, moves up into one of the 6 places having submitted a complete and legal petition* plus a $5 petition fee.
  3. A wrestler who does not attend the appropriate state tournament because of a medical condition and submits a timely, complete, and legal petition* accompanied by a doctor's diagnosis of the preventing condition and the state tournament entry fee of $15 plus the Western Regional entry fee and a $5 petition fee. The doctor's note on the doctor's letterhead must include the dates during which competition was prohibited.
  4. A wrestler who does not attend the appropriate state tournament because of a competing school activity and submits a timely, complete, and legal petition* accompanied by a note on school letterhead signed by the school principle which documents the competing event. The state tournament entry fee of $15 plus the Western Regional tournament entry fees and a $5 petition fee must accompany this petition.

*For the purposes of these requirements a complete and legal entry/petition is considered one that is submitted on time, to the Western Washington State Kids Director, with an entry form that is complete. The submitted entry must be accompanied by the requisite birth certificate copy and any petition substantiating documentation (see 3 and 4 above).

There will be no "on the spot" petitions supported by the Washington State Kids Directors this year. Additionally, if a wrestler wishes to wrestle multiple styles at W. Regionals, they must either wrestle in both qualifiers (freestyle and Greco-Roman) or follow the petition procedure for the tournament that was missed (e.g. if the wrestler competes and qualifies in the kids or cadet freestyle tournament but does not compete in the Greco tournament, the petition rules apply for entry into the Greco tournament at W. Regionals).