I do not agree with getting rid of novice. actually, i wish there were more novice tourneys. my director says once they start placing 1st in 1 or 2 tournaments, its time to keep them in open. But then you have kids who never win a match in 2 yrs. what do you do with that. novice is for 1st and 2nd year kids. i took 1 of my kids out. he got to the point where he just went out and took his loss. it didnt matter anymore. and i was tired of spending money on a kid who really didnt want to wrestle. he was just going through the motions. my other kid doesnt wrestle novice anymore. Cause not like a fish in water but its time to start stepping up. my next move for him is wrestling up from 10 and under to 12 and under. he will probably get throttled for awhile but he will be fine in the long run.