I am in total agreement with "Mark" up to a certain point. My boy is an above average first year wrestler (he has been wrestling since October)and is doing a great job.So far, he has met the second year kid Mark is talking about twice and probably gave him the best matches he has had at novice tournaments. All the other wrestlers he spanks soundly or pins in the first or early second period. What help is that to him and what help is it to the kids that he wipes the mat with. My 14 and under son has been wrestling 4 years and does OK but usually does not get into the finals. When he was a novice, he placed regularly 3rd or 4th. He got beat a lot so we kept him at novice and he wrestled some open his second year. That was it. There will never be a hard and fast rule. You have to decide when your wrestler is ready for open and let him wrestle it. Are they going to get beat some? YES. But take our own advice Mark and let the kids that are truely novice that don't have all the "moves" that your kid does and give them a chance too. You are hiding behind the "he is a second year wrestler" phrase. You met me at Tonganoxie with his name and card number ready. Sounds like we might have a bit of a guilty conscience there. And if more than one person said something to you or to your wrestler (which is very wrong) other people are seeing the difference in your wrestler and novice wrestlers and you should probably step back and take a look and see if he should be wrestling on Saturday and losing some (and as you say, getting better) or wrestling on Sunday and just winning. There is a lot more to being a winner than having your name on the right line on the bracket.