Brute Vs. Elem Duals???

Okay so i am trying to figure out which is best for my son. He has not been to a "national -type" tourney ever. He went to state last year and hopefully will again this year. Are there any parents out there with a suggestion as these are on the same weekend!!???

Brute is a good regional/national tournament for kids to get some matches against kids from other states - It was originally intended to showcase high school kids when it started back in Nebraska - it ha been in Kansas City for the past several years. It is based on your childs grade rather than age. 3rd graders wrestler 3rd graders an 10th graders wrestle 10th graders, etc.

So, how does this compare to the age/weight competition?

The elem duals last year was the best wrestling time we have had. My son enjoyed it more than Brute, State etc. Coach Eck and all the other coaches do a great job handling the kids and organizing everything. Awesome singlets--my son still wears his most of time-You'll get plenty of tough matches and he will make a bunch new friends. As we go across the state for various tourneys-he always see's someone from dual team hang out with. You'll get at most 3-4 matches brute--but 7-8 tough one at duals. Wish we could do it again this year-but to old-have to try and make the middle school team.

Have you checked prices of Brute. I dont know what Elem Duals cost but brute is high. You have to pay 60 for coach(90 if you want a jacket),entry is 45 and 35 per person for spectators.That is with out hotel and food.Must be real gold medals.

If you do a "little" volunteer time, you won't have to pay for your coaches pass. That would save you $90.00. Heck if your wife or husband would help with weigh-ins they wouldn't have to pay to get in either.

So when people, say that the coaches pass is expensive don't pay it, just volunteer. Doesn't take much.

Steve

Not everyone can volunteer and where did it say that on the flyer. You have to admit that the prices to Brute and most events are high.Aunts and uncles in the area cant just pop in and watch.

I hear ya Jerry. It is not on the flyer, but it is on their website. The lady who is in charge of the volunteers is very nice and understanding.

While the prices have been high in the past (Parking and Hotel), I think they will be cheaper with the move to independence. There will be no parking fees and lodging close to the arena will definately be cheaper.

Yeah things are expensive. Not only for this tournament, but all of them. Heck getting to these tournaments is getting more and more expensive with the price of gas going up.

My son has been to both and we would highly recommend the duals over Brute. The duals could cost a little more but value for the dollar is no comparison. Lots of friends and lots of fun at the duals. It seems to me that Liberty Nationals and Brute are good tournaments but are very expensive. Just my opinion. Good Luck!

G's Mom,
I read your post on the Dual Topic too. If I were you, I would also consider the number of kids that are signed up at your son's weight (I think there were already 5 of them). Dal and his coaching staff will put kids on the teams based on criteria that includes their placing at State. They will also tend to lean towards the older kid (pick a 12U kid who is a 6th grader over a 10U kid who is a 4th or 5th grader). I believe that Dal is trying to put together 3 teams this year. He will struggle to get enough kids at the lowest few weights and the highest weights so that putting together more than 3 teams may be pretty unlikely. I don't know your kids age or ability, but if he isn't put on one of the 3 teams and were to be an alternate, then his number of matches at Duals would be limited to less than the 7 or 8 that others would get. Therefore, you may want to make sure you don't miss the deadline for Brute because that could end up being the option that you want to go with. Since I don't know anything about your kid, I don't have any advice like you asked for, but since you won't know where your son falls on the team selection until a few days after the KS State tourney, I thought you would want to consider the Brute entry so that you leave both options open. Hope that helps you out.