If your kid is getting first every Sunday then its time to move him/her to Saturday.

What is your thoughts on a 2nd year kid that has had some success, letting him wrestling up an age division or weight class in novice?

If he's successful enough to wrestle up a weight class and division its time to take the binky out and let him wrestle OPEN's sorry.

Example: My son's second year many years ago, it was his 2nd season, he'd had some success in Novice and had one open 1st. Saying that that was in many tournaments, he had alot of 2 and outs, but his wrestling coach at the time saw him wrestle one tournament his 2nd season as novice and he won easily and said no more novices. I completely agreed with him. He went on to have a mediocre season in the OPEN division only making it to 5th at Regionals and not making state, but that made him better. You learn from your losses and you only get better by trying harder and putting in the time, effort, and practice to get better. If you stay novice to only succeed against novices, your only hurting yourself, and your hurting the kids who are truely novice that are trying to get better.

If your kid is not winning and not having "Success" novice on a 2nd year isnt a bad thing, but if you have to even ask about a 2nd year kid with "Success" wrestling up an age division or weight, its time to move to OPEN's period.

My Thoughts: Ridiculous, Idiotic, Moronic, Selfish, Ignorant, and the one that stands out the most....TROPHY HUNTER!!!

Wasn't there a Beeson at the Derby Novice Tournament?

Yes there was. There was actually 2. One of them is 4 and the other is 6. They are my brothers boys and I have talked to him and the 6 year old will not be wrestling novice anymore. Still not sure what the actions of one person has to do with the opinions of another. For the record, my boy wrestled novice his first year all the way up until Salina. He was 3 and I was new to the concept. If I had to do it again, we would not have wrestled novice. Any more questions D?

Ok, I've read all the posts, some good some, not so good. I've been coaching for 8yrs. Now, I have a 13 and 11yr. old. Are they the same NO!! They are just different (styles of wrestling). In my opinion, no matter what age, if you are new to the sport, try novice. If you are whipping everyone week in and week out its time to move on. You may not win very many or any at all in an open, but it gives you something to strive for. Even as good as mine are they still get beat here and there, and still keep working hard and coming back each week to get that win. Remember this people this is a one-on-one sport, your day will come. Medal hunting will get you know where in this sport. Wrestling the best the sport has to offer, will someday make you a champion!!

I'm going to put my 2 cent's in here even though I'm new and this thread has been dead for a bit.

Novice tournaments are not a bad thing. My 5 year old who is in his second year of wrestling but 1st year of actively participating in tournaments as he only did 1 tournament last year which was at his home club. But at the end of this year will have done 7 is still a novice. I have to say that since he has done novice tournaments he has improved. He went to the OCWKC Novice tournament and realized that his matches were suppose to be somewhat longer then a few seconds. He also has realized that he needs to push himself and try not just lay there on his back which he did at his open tournaments because he was against opponents that already had things click for him. Then last Sunday he went to Silver Lake Novice/Open and actually made his first pin.

Since he has such a hard time at opens, does this mean he won't be in open tournaments? No! He actually enjoys himself and comes off the mat smiling. I don't want to watch my son get whooped on every time he's in a tournament but I do know he needs that experience. If it was a fact that he didn't seem to enjoy himself then we would have to re look at his options and reevaluate the wrestling option for him. Novice tournaments are a great thing for our kids but does need a limit on when the kids can enter them.

In all honesty I'd love to see my son get into a novice tournament next year but then again he may not need it. I need to keep an eye on him and just see how he does these next two tournaments and what ever tournaments he does next year and talk to his coaches. But have a feeling the club will tell me no they won't allow him in a novice tournament, which is fine. And after next year if he decides he wants to wrestle and continue he won't be doing novice he will have 2 good years of experience under his belt besides practice under his belt. And in all honest if he had his way he'd do every tournament he could sign up for if we would let him but I don't want him to get burned out.

Please don't take me as a medal or trophy hunter because I'm not. I would rather see my son earn his medals and have something to be proud of then be given them just because he participated. And I have been know to say in front of him that he has earned a medal and trophy by default because he didn't win any of his matches. But when he won his 3rd place at his last tournament I told him he actually earned it. And I was very proud of him. Right now his reward for trying is a shirt which will be ending in a couple of years also because I want him to understand that he's there to try not just to get a shirt for participating. To some of you I probably spoil him that way but for now that is a way for him to at least not come home empty handed and he will still be able to have something from that tournament to look at later.

As far as those that want to go to a Novice so their kids can get 1st place or what ever then that's just not fair to the kids that actually need to be there to get some experience and be against someone that is on their own level. To me novice tournaments should be for kids that are against kids that are on their own level. If my son was known for getting 3rd or better on his own accord in an open tournament then I would have rethought entering him in novice tournaments. There would be no reason he would need the experience he gets from novice tournaments.

Sorry for my long response but I felt that since this is also my second year of dealing with wrestling that my opinion needed to be heard. In all honesty I feel that the 2 novice tournaments have helped things click for him. He has learned that one he needs to not give up just because he's on his back, two that a match is suppose to last longer then just a few seconds and last that yes he can win a match if he tries hard enough. And I have one more thing to add, my son's second match his opponent may have been at an unfair disadvantage but that was not my intentions but then again I've seen a new wrestler pin my son also so it all depends on the wrestler.