i remember having to pay 5 dollars for a plastic looking medal back in the 80's. thats how old i am. i really didnt know any better. i was just told to wrestle so i did. i look at it this way. love tulsa nationals and joc. i do think it costs too much but the competition there is like no other. many of these clubs that hold the bling tournaments are bringing kids in from out of state. they will not come just for the competition as they feel they have enough competition. we travel just for the simple fact that if we stay in the same district we will wrestle the same kids over and over. heck i can just go to open gym if thats what i want. i take my kids to the competition if they fail to come to us. early on you will find a couple small tournaments in oklahoma that are cheap and find good competition. later on its all about the bigger bling tournaments. thats where all the competition will be. you get to see kids from different states.