Harvard's fourth-year Head Coach Jay Weiss and his athletes had much to say on the new regulations.

Speaking out in favor of the later weigh-in time, Weiss said, "The closer we get to competition now, the less weight will be cut. This should not be an overnight process."

"The United States is the only remaining country in the world that cuts as much weight as it does," said Weiss.

Weiss went on to cite the experience of Assistant Coach Granit Taropin, formerly a wrestler in the Soviet Union. Taropin often reminds Weiss that the weight being lost is "too much," and that he is amazed at this almost exclusively American practice.

"It is the incidents with the three kids that have caused us to reevaluate coaching procedures that were common until now, not the rule changes," Weiss said.

Weiss also noted that he is "extremely excited" about the NCAA's trying to "remove the black eye" given to wrestling by the recent deaths.

Harvard's grapplers are somewhat split on the effects of the new policies. Volpe heavily favors the new mandates.

"Personally, I've wrestled at the same weight the whole time I've been here," Volpe said. "The new weigh-in rules definitely help the level of competition in the matches. On the whole, you're going to see much better wrestling. The last two or three pounds are the hardest to lose. They seem to take a lot out of you."

Freshman Adam Truitt, another 177 pound Crimson wrestler, noted, "I liked the way it used to be. It gives you more time to recover for your match."

When asked whether wrestlers will begin to reevaluate their weight-loss tactics. Truitt added, "Everyone has his own technique and does what he feels is right. Those deaths were absolutely tragic."

Now that the new rules are in place, the Crimson wrestling squad will adapt accordingly to their ever-evolving sport. That means, without a doubt, more safety.

"We're moving toward staying in year-round shape," Weiss said. "With the prevalence of weight lifting, a 150-pound wrestler who puts on a lot of muscle weight still sees himself as a 150-Ib wrestler and tries to reach that weight again.

"I think that instituting some kind of body-fat testing in September would give us a gauge to tell where a wrestler should fall into a weight class."

This idea has recently emerged as a new possibility put forth by the NCAA.

"Controlled diet is the answer. I have been telling my kids that they can't binge after a match on Saturday. When they eat, they have to work out," Weiss responded.