Tournaments

Tournaments

Wrestlers of all ages can compete in weekly season tournaments available in most areas throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Tournament competition is organized by age and weight.

Most club-sponsored tournaments are held on Saturday or Sunday. Wrestling tournaments can last for 4 to 8 hours, and can involve as many as 200 to 800 participants. Depending on the schedule, there can be as many as 4 to 6 tournaments per weekend throughout the season. Although some can be as far as three hours away, a tournament is usually available closer to home.  

Although some tournaments offer registration in advance, most competitors register at the door Mandatory weigh-ins are most often held either the night before or the morning of the tournament approximately 1 to 2 hours before the first round of competition. At weigh-ins, wrestlers' must fill out a color-coded weigh-in card that indicates their age division. They must then proceed to weigh-ins where their actual weight and their pre-determined weight classis indicated on their card.

A completed bracket sheet or vertical pairing wall chart will show specific parings for each match. After each round, these sheets are updated to show parings for the following round. Winners continue to advance, while those that loose two times are usually eliminated. 

There is usually a 30 minute period before the tournament begins, when wrestlers can warm up and locate their wall chart. Wrestlers typically wrestle two to four matches in any one tournament.  However if the tournament is large, it's possible to wrestle more. 

Tournaments are organized in rounds, allowing wrestlers sufficient time to rest between matches. 

Before each round, pairings are determined, using result of the previous round, and wrestlers are called to a staging area where they are assigned to a mat as mat space becomes available. Some tournaments call wrestlers directly to the mat by name instead of using the staging method. 

Tournament regulations usually limit the number of coaches allowed to coach from the edge of the mat. A referee starts and stops the match, awarding points when appropriate. When the match is over, wrestlers shake hands and return to their coaches. Winners must sign the score card at the scoring table. 

Trophies or metals are awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and sometimes 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th, after all matches in their weight class have been completed. Awards are sometimes presented at the scoring table immediately after the match, or as announced from the head table. Wrestlers are free to leave after awards are presented.