Is novice defined only by skill level or is there a chronological factor? Say a 1st or 2nd yr kid is picking it up faster after just a few matches, does he automatically lose his novice status or does his novice status end at the end of his 2nd yr. I know some 3rd and 4th yr wrestlers that would still struggle to place at a novice tourny so where do they fall? Do they stay novice status until they have begun to place or even win some novice events?

When my son started out, we did novice tournys (of course), but I put him in opens as well to get the "mat time" and to see how he was progressing against more salted wrestlers. Did I do wrong by using the opens as a wrestling "test". I stopped entering him in novice events after he completed his 2nd yr. He did well at both levels, but does 1 or 2 open 1st place finish mean that he is primed and ready or that maybe the caliber of the competion wasn't there that day.

Just a couple of my thoughts. We are excited to get season 4 underway. See you all on the mat.