March, 2010 USWOA officials, As we enter 2010 and get started with our competitions, there seems to be some confusion as to the intent and meaning of certain rules. 1. While in the standing position, the foot of a wrestler must be COMPLETELY out of bounds in order for a point to be given. the old rule was that the foot had to touch the line to initiate the point. 2. The mat chairman cannot initiate a fall situation but he MUST confirm the fall. if the referee and judge call the fall and the mat chairman disagrees, the referee must not stop the match. therefore, eye contact with the mat chairman is imperative. 3. In a Freestyle match, if the score is 0-0 and time is counting down, the official must look for center mat position and who is maintaining it. As the early European tours have indicated, FILA, the international governing body of wrestling is looking for more scoring. In this case if one wrestler is backing up and blocking or hanging on the wrist or hand, a caution and a point will be called for fleeing the hold. (remember, we no longer have a passivity call).  This situation usually occurs in scoreless periods near the time completion. 4. In Greco-Roman wrestling, the same situation occurs but more tolerance is needed by the official because of the shorter time in the period. Also, in Greco, in a clinch situation when there is no score, do not bring the wrestlers to their feet with 10-15 seconds left in the clinch if one wrestler is aggressively working to score. There will be, I am sure, more situations that need looking into. Check the FILA website for the current rules and I will inform all of you of any other situations that may occur. I will be involved in the European Championships in Baku, AZE prior to the nationals. I will inform everyone in Cleveland at the nationals of any other "modifications." Good luck, Rick Tucci, USWOA President