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WE HERE AT WWV IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF AND ANY THEY COME IN CONTACT WITH ARE IN THE PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTING A VERY VISIBLE VERSION OF OUR HYGIENE PROTOCOL. FIRST OF ALL, THE GREAT THING ABOUT THE WRESTLING  COMMUNITY ON THE SUBJECT OF HYGIENE IS THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN EXTREMELY AWARE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF ALL AROUND HYGIENE. ALL AROUND HYGIENE INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO PERSONAL HYGIENE, CLOTHING HYGIENE, EQUIPMENT HYGIENE, AND OF COURSE MAT HYGIENE. 

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1. PERSONAL HYGIENE:

It is expected that everyone who enters our mat room is showered from any previous activity. It is highly suggested to shower immediately following any practice involving skin to skin contact such as ours. 

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Upon entering the mat room everyone must sanitize their hands either by washing them with soap and water or using hand sanitizer. 

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Finger nails should be trimmed to be no longer than the end of the finger.

 

Anyone that has any kind of illness should not be on the mat. 

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2. CLOTHING HYGIENE:

It is expected that everyone who enters our mat room is wearing a fresh set of proper workout clothes not worn to any other activity. It is highly suggested that any clothes worn to any practice involving skin to skin contact such as ours are immediately laundered. 

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Proper workout clothes are any soft material athletic clothing with no zippers or abrasive surfaces(i prefer long sleeve shirts and sweatpants as an extra barrier).

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3. EQUIPMENT HYGIENE:

It is expected that everyone who enters our mat room has properly maintained their wrestling equipment.

 

Wrestling shoes should only be worn on wrestling mats and the shoes should be disinfected very often(i spray mine down with lysol often).

 

Headgear should be disinfected daily(much to my wife's disdain, i put mine into the dishwasher on superhot temp to kill germs, also wiping down with rubbing alcohol and laundering helps).

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Any kneepads or elbow pads or non throw away wraps should be laundered daily like the clothes (i always tell my wrestlers treat their knee pad like their underwear).

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Wrestlers with braces should wear a mouthpiece to minimize the gums bleeding.

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4. MAT HYGIENE:

Absolutely no shoes worn outside of the mat room are allowed onto our mats. 

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Our mats and all workout surfaces as always will be cleansed daily using this product.

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WWV as always will have soap dispensers and a wash basin, hand sanitizer, and a shower available.

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Wrestling Health and Hygiene Tips from USA Wrestling:

• Use a product before wrestling that provides a barrier against infection.

• Change shirts frequently during practice and wipe off before putting on new shirt.

• Wipe off after practice or competition with anti-bacterial wipes.

• Shower immediately after practice or competition. The best way to prevent wrestling skin diseases is by taking a shower immediately after wrestling practice. If a wrestler doesn’t shower right after practice, they should as soon as the get home.

• Do not share soap or towels with your teammates.

• Keep finger nails trimmed. Having your fingernails untrimmed is a quick way to spread skin infections. You can pass skin infections by scratching other people with long nails. Long nails allow you to harbor skin infections under your nails and break the skin of your workout partner or an opponent. An open wound is a quick way to get MRSA, ringworm, or any skin-related infection.

• Do not wear your wrestling shoes on the street. Wearing your shoes on the dirt or the street can transmit diseases from your shoes to the mat. The best wrestling shoes can be expensive, wearing them off the mat can cause them to wear out quicker.

• Wash wrestling workout clothes frequently. Do not leave workout clothes in lockers. Take them home and wash them.

• Disinfect wrestling equipment. Disinfect wrestling shoes, headgear, and wrestling bags frequently.

• Sick? Stay off the mat.

• Know when to see a doctor: Wrestling coaches and parents should be extra vigilant when looking for signs of a skin infection. If a wrestler is showing any symptoms of a skin disease, have him/her go to a doctor and get cleared by the doctor before returning to the wrestling room.

Adam offers these additional, evidence-based recommendations for personal and team hygiene:

• Coaches and athletic staff should be informed of the infection-control policies and procedures.

• All practice and match gear should be laundered daily.

• Correct and frequent hand-washing should be performed whenever hands are visibly soiled.

• Shower with hot water and soap after all practices and competitions. Wear flip flops in public showers.

• Discourage body shaving as it can predispose to infection and folliculitis.

• Affected athletes should avoid whirlpools, cold tubs, and pools to prevent spread of infection.

• Affected athletes should inform coaches and medical staff promptly of any illnesses and skin lesions. Athletes should be excluded from competition until they have met return to play guidelines for the specific condition.

Remember, prevention and common sense can go a long way towards preventing skin infections.

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"Direct skin-to-skin contact is the most common means of spreading of infectious diseases in athletes," says Jessalynn Adam, M.D., a fellowship-trained, board-certified sports medicine physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. "In a sport like wrestling in which there is significant skin-to-skin contact, athletes are at a risk for these infections and the proper precautions must be taken to protect them."

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Finally, in researching some info for this i came across this from the Australian Dept of Health:

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