I have said it before, but I will say it again. The early (Oct-Dec) season is great. Then your wrestler can jump right into the Kids' Federation season ready to go. They really don't miss anything unless they are going out of state during that time. I would have hated to have the season after the first of the year, because then you would have to miss some very good Kids' Federation wrestling tournaments. If we had to do it in the late season, we would have done it because I believe in getting these wrestlers used to the team concept. For my son, it was a great experience.