ok here is the deal. my son wrestles at 6 and under 58lbs. he is one of the better kids at that age. there is no way he can compete with those 8 year olds in that weight. he practices against one every day and its not even close. at that age there is a major difference. you are right in one thing. they have the chance to move up and wrestle 8 year olds but majority of them will not be able to compete with those 8 year olds. a few will. Like i said i dont have all the answers but i just want my son to have the chance. he is also very good in basketball. heck he may not even wrestle after this year. you know how kids are they change their minds all the time. at the same time im not going to force him to do anything. he will make those decisions on his own.