Joanna,

There have been various "guidelines" that identify Novice wrestlers. They are subjective in a micro sense but obvious on a macro level. If a wrestler wins more than 2 Novice tournaments or wins 1 Open tournament, they should be considered an Open wrestler. The subjectivity comes in with the details. If the tournaments had just a few opponents or there were defaults involved, it could alter the decision.

There will always be exceptions. The gap between Open and Novice can be very wide at particular weights. For the most part, certified Kid's coaches can tell you pretty quickly where your child fits in.