Just because a first year kid (or second year, for that matter) places in an "open" tournament, that shouldn't, and doesn't, mean that the kid isn't a "novice"...When I first started wrestling Kansas Kids in the early 80s, I would go to both kinds of tournaments...Some weeks I would do well at an open, but not well at the novice, or vice versa...A lot of times it depends on the tournaments and the competition that is there...

Personally, I feel that a "novice" is ANY kid that has two or fewer years of experience, regardless of their so-called success...