Separation Criteria at Youth Tournaments "Beginners"

[DocWrestling]

Went to first tournament this past weekend and we brought kids where it was their first tournament ever.  They were all marked as "Beginners" as they truly are.. Was surprised to look up the track profiles of many of the wrestlers they had to wrestle and many of the "beginners" they wrestled had won tournaments in the past year.

Can't we make it a gentleman's rule that if a wrestler wins a tournament he can no longer enter as a "beginner"?  It would be pretty cool over the course of the season these beginners would have more chances for success as each tournament more kids win their first tournament and were eliminated from the "beginner" criteria.

I guess I just don't see a wrestler who has placed first in a prior tournament as a "beginner"?  Even if they are forced to select "average" they will still face "beginners" along the way.

Would be cool if track could have a system that after a wrestler wins a tournament it eliminates the choice of "beginner" from the drop down box.  Or even prevent a kid I saw this weekend that registered as "average" after taking 3rd at state last year and was place in a bracket with beginners.  Maybe kids that place at state would not have the option of registering as a "beginner" or "average"

Thoughts on parents calling kids that have won a tournament "beginners"?

[bigoil]

if they are a beginner and beat 3 other true beginners, probably no issue but when they have wrestled for multiple years and just not that successful against higher competition, they are not beginners.

If a true beginner begins tearing up the competition, you quickly need to reassess.

[DocWrestling]

Beginner to me has always been about talent and not whether they just "begun" wrestling.  I have no problem with a wrestler registering as a beginner if he has been wrestling 3 or 4 years but still takes 3rd and 4th place against "beginners".  No issue with that.  Just not sure if you should be considered a beginner if you have wrestled in many tournaments and have won at least one.

Maybe once you have won 5 tournaments you have to register as "good".  Some sort of guidelines

[Numbers]

Parents are going to do what parents do.

What you control for your wrestler is what tournaments you enter.  Are you entering your kid into a fundraiser tournament that brackets on just age/grade and weight?  Or do you enter your kid into a tournament that understands how to properly bracket and some dedicated person spends hours the night before looking at every bracket.

We could start ranking bracketing for youth tournaments on a scale of 1 to 5 on this message board and really offend some programs.  You have adults bracketing state place winners with kids that have never wrestled a match.  Also have high school kids that have no clue what potentially dangerous means officiate.

Some pick "tournaments" based on easy of travel or type of awards offered.  If you are smart enough to find this message board, you probably value WIAA referees and tournaments properly bracketed.

[babywhales]

A while back we switched to :

State Placer
State Qualifier
Usually takes 1st/2nd
Usually takes 2nd/3rd
Usually takes 3rd/4th
Beginner- First Yr Wrestler


All of this is quantifiable and can be easily checked if there is a question. 

Going with traditional quality based verbiage opens the door further for manipulation by the parents

[DocWrestling]

I am thinking many tournament directors do not know they can change the criteria choices.  Your listings make it easier for parents to determine the proper spot.