I agree. Just this past weekend I took my 2 sons (both D wrestlers) to a novice tourney. Drove 2 hours, stayed in a hotel only to find out once we were there my 5 year old had a bracket full of A wrestlers, one actually placed last year at state, so much for novice wrestling.

My 8 year old was placed in the open tourney with A wrestlers. When I inquired about why he wasn't in the novice tourney I was told pretty much that I should of caught their mistake for them. I was asked if I was mainly upset because my boys weren't winning any matches. ????? We came there for mat time to build confidence and skills with kids of the same caliber. Instead my kids got their self-esteem knocked about 5 levels lower. What is going on here? I love watching good wrestling, love it! But, the only way to build an A wrestler is with practice and mat time.

Is it that important to win that clubs put their A wrestlers in D tourneys? I told a couple of coaches about the mix up on the side of the mat, I didn't ask for their wrestlers to go easy on him, I didn't ask for any special treatment for him, I just wanted them to know, instead I got headhunters looking at him for the quickest pin award, great sportsmanship guys.

I have no problem if my boys face an A wreslter in a regular tourney, that is life, that is fair, but when I take them to a novice event and they are in their bracket that is flat out wrong.

We stayed, we wrestled our matches even though we knew we were out classed, we accepted what was handed to us, we won't quit. It was a tough lesson to learn, but not one that was taken lightly.