I also feel that if a kid is placing week after week at the open level, then he should be moved up. But you have to look at the whole picture. Did he place third with only three people in his bracket? Did he place second in a four man bracket with two other novice wrestlers in the open bracket with him? You just can't look at the results on the internet and see the whole picture! Our coaches really have the best intrest of our children at heart. Novice, we feel is for getting kids ready for the next level. That means trying new moves that they learn to see if they work. If they try and fail to execute a particular move correctly in a novice tournament, then they still have time to recover. In an open they will be pinned. If you truly feel that our kids are more advanced than your kids, then maybe you should join our club. I am sure our coaches would love to have them. Our kids are truly first year wrestlers. Please remember, it's all about the kids.