You keep seeing mention of Novice and Open, but what does that mean?

PA Youth Wrestling is broken into two classifications to help younger wrestlers compete against like-skilled and experienced competition. Wrestlers of either group can be of any age accepted by the program. Groups are based on experience, not age.

Novice

A wrestler is considered a Novice wrestler if they have 0-2 years of experience competing in a match night or tournament. The program introduces the wrestlers to the basic foundation of the sport and teaches the fundamentals of the mat.

It's important to note that there are some tournaments that are Novice-Only which is a great way for a newer wrestler to get more experience in competitions. There are even some tournaments that are classified as a Super-Novice which usually extends the experience from 0-3 years. These super novice meets and tournaments are a great way for your wrestler to work their way up and test themselves against more experienced competition.

Open

If your wrestler is entering their 3nd full year of tournament competition, then they are now considered an Open wrestler. Open wrestlers have 3+ years of experience. Most wrestlers will remain in this group until they reach the middle school level. The focus of this group expands on the fundamental building blocks learned as part of the novice program.

Please let us know if you have any questions about where your wrestler should be registering and we'd be glad to help you out.