About 3 minute read
Wrestling is close-contact by design
Wrestlers spend practice in constant close quarters: drilling with partners, wrestling live, sharing mat space and working face-to-face with teammates and coaches. That is part of the sport, but it also means illness can spread quickly when someone comes to practice sick.
If you are sick, stay home
If your wrestler is not feeling well, please keep them home from practice. Missing a practice is better than bringing an illness into a room full of wrestlers, coaches and families.
Jr Wildcats is not a team sport where every athlete must attend every practice so the group can rehearse a shared play or formation. Practice attendance is generally at the family's discretion. A wrestler who needs a night off because of illness should take it.
When a quick message can help
Families are not expected to file an absence report every time a wrestler misses practice. A quick message can still be useful when there is something coaches should know, especially when illness may affect a recent drilling partner or other wrestlers, or when advance notice helps coaches plan drilling partners.
Return when ready
Use good judgment about returning to practice after illness. The goal is simple: protect your wrestler while also protecting the people who share the mat with them.
For related habits involving clean practice gear, wrestling shoes, skin concerns and mat sanitation, see Wrestling Hygiene & Equipment Care.