Mandatory or Optional Use
Headgear is required to be worn in high school and college wrestling in the United States. In Canada, and in international competition (freestyle and Greco-Roman), headgear is allowed but not required.
In some cases, if a wrestler has face problems, like a history of broken noses or wrestles with stitches on the face, he or she may also have the option of wearing a face mask attached to the headgear. In the USA, a wrestler must have a note from a doctor saying the face mask is required. Since an opposing coach is able to ask for this documentation before each match, it is important for athletes to carry it with them regularly.
In the past in the Senior Level, Olympics, and World Championships, a wrestler could protest and their opponent would have to remove their headgear. This is no longer the case and a wrestler is allowed to wear a headgear even if their opponent protests.
Read more about this topic: Wrestling Headgear
Famous quotes containing the words mandatory and/or optional:
“Off south, the bison multiply so fast
a slaughter’s mandatory every spring
and every spring the creeks get fat
and Kicking Horse fills up.”
—Richard Hugo (1923–1982)
“Our father presents an optional set of rhythms and responses for us to connect to. As a second home base, he makes it safer to roam. With him as an ally—a love—it is safer, too, to show that we’re mad when we’re mad at our mother. We can hate and not be abandoned, hate and still love.”
—Judith Viorst (20th century)