Palisade’s first duel is coming up this Saturday, December 1 and the wrestlers all have their official weights. All wrestlers agree that maintaining the same weight for multiple weeks can be one of the hardest things during the wrestling season. What wrestlers eat is one of many things to watch out for because wrestlers will also have hydration checks. A useful type to keep up your hydration is to drink at least 8-10-ounce glasses of fluids during the day Also remember, water has no calories. Drink an additional 16 ounces of water for each pound you may have lost that day during a sports practice. Avoid foods high in fat and with high numbers of calories, these can cause an increase in weight. Nationwide Children’s explains how the test is done. “The proper level of hydration is important to provide an accurate measurement of body fat percentage. Dehydration will concentrate urine and thereby increase the urine’s specific gravity. Accurate determination of minimum wrestling weight from total body fat requires the wrestler to be properly hydrated. The specific gravity of a hydrated individual will be 1.025 or lower. If the wrestler is dehydrated (i.e. specific gravity of the urine is over 1.025) measurements will not be taken. Testing must be rescheduled for a different time when the wrestler is properly hydrated.” I interviewed senior Trevin Brannon, whose main sport is wrestling and who has been wrestling for upwards of 5 years. “ The hydration test is not new and I remember doing it in any of my last years as a wrestler. I know a lot of people do not like the test because it just feels like another thing that wrestlers need to  make sure they stay hydrated and don’t get below a certain level.” Be sure to show your support for the team this Saturday and for the rest of the season.