For Penn State it would be their first meet for the 1957-58 wrestling season. For Colgate their second. Penn State had only two returning lettermen from the 1957 EIWA championship team. However, several very promising sophomores (freshmen were not eligible for varsity in those times) were battling for a chance to become starters. It should also be noted, in those days an eight- or nine-meet schedule was the norm. Penn State’s only dual meet in December this year was Colgate.
Coach Speidel seldom had a set line-up (at least in print and in the wrestling practice venue) during the week. It would be Saturday when weight class choices would narrow to maybe only a couple uncertainties by weigh-in time. “Doc” as he was affectionately known, often dressed an “army” of wrestlers in order to keep all options open as a result of weight adjustments by the opposition.
On a very cold and snowy day the Nittany Lion wrestlers loaded up in cars (the usual method of transportation in those days) and headed on the “long” journey to Hamilton, NY. After several hours the team arrived in enemy territory where it was colder and the snow deeper.
Wrestling was to start in the early afternoon. Thus, weigh-in, being five hours in advance of meet time, found the PSU wrestlers in the very cold and drafty Colgate gym locker room early in the a.m. For those who have not had the opportunity to make weight, especially in the winter months, it doesn’t take much cold weather to cause a weight-making wrestler to become very cold.
After checking weights, everyone was satisfactorily “on weight.” Coach Speidel, narrowing his decisions for a line-up, decided to wrestle a normal 157-pounder, sophomore Sam Minor, at 167. But “Doc” did not want the Colgate team nor their coach, Harvey Potter, to know that Sam was underweight. So it was now the responsibility of our trainer, Eddie Sulkowski, and our head manager, Phil Petter, to elevate Sam up to 167. This was accomplished by strapping locally-found barbell weights to Sam’s chest area and then have him wear a sweatshirt to conceal the clever added bulk weight.
Weigh-ins began: 123, 130, 137, all OK; 147, 157 followed the same. Then 167–Penn State—Sam Minor was called to the scales. As he stepped on the scale, the pointer hit the top signifying overweight. Coach Speidel now wanted to determine the amount that Sam was over. “Two pounds” was the answer upon further inspection.
No further problems, and the weigh-in was completed except for Penn State, 167. Coach Potter then inquired as to what Coach Speidel intended to do. “Why, we are going to have him make weight,” he said as he ushered Coach Potter out of the locker room. “Eddie, Phil, turn on the shower,” Doc shouted.
To heat up that locker room with that shower would have taken a month in June. And it was December in Hamilton.
Under his breath, after getting Coach Potter out of the room, Speidel said, “Eddie, Phil, get the scissors.” Our skillful trainer and manager quickly began to unload Minor of the two pounds of his artificial bulk. Then, they carefully checked Sam’s new weight to make sure he was OK! Coach Potter was called back for a re-check of Sam’s weight. He was now a legitimate 167. Actual time of this clandestine operation took about five minutes. The heat from the hot shower did create moisture on the windows but it did not raise the area temperature even one degree.
Upon Sam’s making weight, Coach Potter commented that he “never saw anyone lose two pounds so quickly.”
The rest of our team just sat around laughing, and we enjoyed the serious work of our trainer and manager and coach as they went about performing the comic action of the event before us. A typical Speidel game plan worked to our benefit as PSU won the meet [18–8] in an otherwise hectic season.
[The following memory, “Charlie’s scale,” also submitted by Johnny Johnston, ties in with his previous one.]
Scale: 42 lbs
Box: 30 lbs
Total: 72 lbs
Scale Height: 19 inches
Length: 22 ½ inches
Width: 11 ½ inches
Box height: 20.5 inches
Length: 24.5 inches
Width: 12.5 inches
Notice the balancing of the balance arm of the scale is, to this day, perfect. As well, the current certificate label on the scales stem attests to its current quality (after 50 + years of use).
This writer doesn’t know in what year it arrived on the Penn State wrestling scene nor when it was retired. However, the ingenious design of Coach Charlie “Doc” Speidel and the handiwork of the Penn State machine shop took a normal balance scale of the era, with the eye-level balancing features, shortened a large portion of the scale’s lengthy stem and turned its numerical reading arm 90 degrees. This turned the larger scale into a portable, low-cut model that traveled with the Nittany Lion team on all away meets and tournaments.
The scale with several small balancing weights weighs 42 pounds. The box for portability weighs 30 pounds. The scale’s height is 19 inches, length 22.2 inches and width 11.5 inches. The carrying box is 12.5 inches by 24.5 inches with a height of 20.5 inches. Who carried the scale? Since freshmen were not varsity-eligible in that era, this chore was designated to a sophomore. It was no easy mandated assignment, I can assure the reader. Especially so when the person responsible had his own equipment bag and overnight bag to manage as well. Only by the gracious courtesy of a teammate would the primary carrier have assistance. Of course, if there were more than one sophomore on the team, the duty was much less of a chore.
Upon arrival at our destination our portable scale would be adjusted to that of the official weigh-in scale. At the hotel it would be placed in either the room of the captain or someone saddled with the most serious weight problem. This was the captain’s decision. The advantage to having such an instrument allowed the wrestlers to eat accordingly and rest without worry of making weight. This was a desirous mental relief.
In today’s world, the technological substitute for earlier Penn State weigh-ins on the road would, of course, be much simpler. A one- or two-pound electronic-type scale certainly would fit in a laptop-style carrying case. However, the “love” attachment of the earlier model is more pronounced, its memories longer lasting, and its history and the humorous stories of transit most interesting.
