Ok here are the guidelines/rules that I think USAWKS should adopt as gospel.

A wrestler can compete in a novice tournament if:

1. They are a 1st or 2nd year wrestler ONLY.
2. They have not PLACED (1 thru 4) in an OPEN tournament in a bracket of 5 or more wrestlers.

I included this because a so called novice wrestler could be entered in an open tournament and place in a 4 man round robin without even winning a match.

With these rules in place, a coach/parent will have to decide whether they want to enter their wrestler in an open tournament knowing that if they place they can no longer wrestle in novice tournaments. I think this will keep novices together at tournaments and open wrestlers in their own tournaments. I know mat experience is important but I also realize that you can't have the best of both world. Like someone said earlier, if you are looking for ways to keep your wrestler a novice then they probably shouldn't be wrestling novice.