If I remember right....CC's Dad was one of the biggest complainers about our tournament a few years back. Some of his "constructed" criticism he had against our tournament was based not on truth but on assumptions made by him that were not true and therein lies the problem.

You may say it is only your opinion but do you really have all of the right facts? Do know all of the circumstances surrounding the tournament that may play a part in how it was run? And how can you honestly say you can judge which tournaments to go to based on ONE or TWO people's comments on a public talk forum? What if the majority of people thought the tournament was very well run but one guy just had a bone to pick so decided to make negative comments? Or maybe I just don't like a club and decide to just make up stuff about how bad their tournament was even if I didn't actually attend?

I have been involved with several tournaments....even helping to run my fair share and I can tell you it is no easy task at all. There is NO tournament where everyone leaves completely happy. There is NO tournament where everyone doesn't have suggestions on how it should have been done better. It just doesn't happen and to expect every tournament to be run completely to YOUR style is fool-headed.

Here are a few comments to add to the post that started this topic:

1. There are beginner refs who need experience to perfect their skills and learn by doing. How are these beginner refs ever going to be the experienced and highly qualified refs if they are never given any work? So instead of complaining about the refs, maybe try to understand that they are doing exactly the same thing as the kid....they are learning and getting experience. Instead of cutting them down, offer them constructive advice and help them out.

2. Understand that not every club has over 100 highly-qualified parents willing to volunteer to run the tournament. Every tournament will have volunteers who are "newbies" helping at a table, or working in the concession stand, or handing out the brackets. Again, it will be more beneficial to help these people out and realize that they are learning and getting experience than to cut them down.

3. Understand that there are many clubs that don't have the facilities that some of the bigger clubs enjoy so they must make do with what they have.

4. And no....not every club can afford to purchase those shiny new medals, provide a catered hospitality room, or give over 100 huge wall-size brackets made from sturdy card stock. The club may be hosting a tournament primarily to make sure kids have a tournament close by to wrestle and are just planning on breaking even or they may be trying to put as much profit as they can towards the club so there IS a club next year. If they go all out on the shiny, belt-buckle size medals...that means they will either have to increase their entry fees or not have money for every member to have a singlet the next year.

5. Not every tournament makes money. Many times people only see the money made by the entry fees and the concession stands but they don't see the expenses that are also incurred....like paying for the refs, paying for the food for the concession stand, renting the facilities, paying for the medals and brackets, ect. Our club had two years in a row where we LOST money hosting the tournaments.

6. And finally, whenever I hear someone openly complaining about a tournament....that just proves to me that they have never had to actually PUT ON a tournament themselves (and no, I don't mean just working...I mean they have never been the tournament DIRECTOR). For if they have, then they would know the huge amount of work necessary to run a tournament from start to finish. I, myself, will never publicly complain about any tournament I attend as I KNOW what is involved and I UNDERSTAND how hard it is to be the tournament director and to have a successful tournament for the MAJORITY of people.