When does the season start? The beginning of November starts USA Wrestling season. It ends with a state series in March. At TWA, we practice year round though! April through October is considered off season training.

What is the likelihood my child will get hurt? I find wrestling to be one of the safest sports actually. It is one on one and there is an official who stops action when moves become potential dangerous. Their number one job is the safety of the wrestler. Your wrestler will wrestle people the same weight and close to the same age.

What is the gear required to practice and to compete in tournaments? At TWA, we require headgear during advanced practice. Other than that, we recommend mouth pieces and athletic cups. During completion, wrestlers will be required to have wrestling shoes, headgear, and a singlet.

Does my son have to wear a cup? No but it is recommended.

What about a mouth guard? No but Coach Wait highly recommends it.

When are the tournaments? Mainly on Saturdays and Sundays during November through March. We also participate in many summer tournaments.

How does the point system work? See handout of referee signals and awarding of points.

What is a tech fall? When a wrestler gets a certain amount of points head of the other wrestler, it is considered a technical decision. It is currently 15 in folkstyle, 10 in freestyle, and 8 in Greco Roman.

What happens if one of the children gets too hurt to finish the match? Who wins? If a wrestler is unable to continue, the other wrestler wins. Unless, the wrestler was injured by an illegal move. In that case, the injured wrestler wins.

What is takedown tournament? It is a tournament where the points are only awarded for takedowns. Some allow a small amount of wrestling after the takedown but not for very long.

What is the difference between wrestling styles? Folkstyle: schools use this style and the scoring happens differently than the other styles. Freestyle and Greco Roman: These are the international and Olympic styles of wrestling. In Greco Roman, the wrestler cannot use their legs nor attack other wrestler’s. These styles are rewarded via points highly for throws.

What style does TWA teach? We teach all styles. November through March is folkstyle season, April through July is Freestyle and Greco Roman, then again July through October is folkstyle.

What is the difference between a novice and an open tournament? A novice tournament generally means first year of experience or the wrestler lost 50% of matches the year prior.  An Open tournament is any level of wrestler.

Does my wrestler have to compete in every tournament? No. Coach Wait will always steer the wrestler towards the correct level of competition.

Why does each tournament cost money to enter? Is there a fee at the door? The tournaments cost money because there are many costs associated with hosting a tournament such as medals, referees, facilities, etc. Tournaments are also a good fundraiser for clubs to raise money to fund their program needs. There is typically an entry fee at the door ranging from $3-5.

Why can’t I be mat side? Parents, unless they are part of the 2 coaches allowed matside, are not allowed matside for a few reasons. Safety, space constraints, added stress and confusion for the wrestler.

Who will be mat side? Certified team coaches or parents that hold a coach’s card.

Will there be a coach from TWA at every tournament? Generally yes. TWA also has many talented and experienced parents who hold a coach’s card.

What happens if there isn’t a coach from TWA at the tournament? Anyone with a USA Wrestling coach’s card can coach.

How can I get my coach’s card? In order to obtain a coach’s card, one has to complete a background check and pay the annual membership fee.

What is a bronze card? A bronze certification shows the coach has completed a certain criteria and passed a test on the knowledge required for coaching wrestling. This certification is required to coach at the state series level tournaments.

Why does my child have to sign up for a new card every year? USA Wrestling requires an annual membership renewal.

Is it the same for every state? Yes.

Why is my child not affiliated with TWA on their wrestling card? Affiliation is only necessary when registering wrestlers for the state series tournaments. Coach Wait will assess the team roster prior to that time and handle affiliation issues at his discretion.

Can he/she wrestle anywhere? Yes. All tournaments have different criteria to meet for registration.

How it is determined who my child will wrestle? Your wrestler will be put in groups by age and weight. You can locate a bracket at any tournament and find your mat and match assignments, along with who the opponents will be.

Will my daughter only wrestle girls? At some tournaments yes, sometimes not. Some tournaments are specifically listed as girls only.

What happens if there is no other child in my child’s weight class/division? The tournament director will either offer you a refund or to combine brackets placing your wrestler in a group that is closest to their size.

What is a round robin? A style of bracket in which the wrestlers all get a match against one another from the same age/weight.

Will my wrestler always get a medal? All tournaments are different. At most novice tournaments, yes. Open tournaments usually medal 1st through 3rd and some medal 1st through 6th, even offering trophies.

What is track wrestling? This is a software program/website that keeps live brackets and records. It is a widely used website and offers many features.

What are the divisions? Division I=4-6 year olds, Division II=7-8 year olds, Division III=9-10 year olds, Division IV=11-12 year olds, and Division V=13-14 year olds. The wrestler’s division is based on their DOB and how it falls during the calendar year.

How do I sign my child up for the tournaments? You will fill out the sign-up sheet located on the display case each week with your wrestlers correct weight class and division. You also pay that day for the tournament by writing on an envelope what the tournament is and who it is for and dropping it in Coach’s safe at the payment center.

What are remote weigh ins? This is typically when we conduct a group weigh in at the gym prior to the tournament as opposed to having to weigh your wrestler in on site at the location they will be competing. We cannot always guarantee to host a remote weigh in but we do attempt to do so as frequently as possible.

Will you post a schedule of what is coming up? We try to stay current with upcoming events on the white boards at the gym, our facebook page, and via group text.

How do state qualifications work? If your wrestler qualifies in the top 6 places at the District tournament, they proceed to Regionals. If not, they are finished for the USA Wrestling season. Once they compete in Regionals, they will need to qualify top 4 in order to become a state qualifier.

What is “Rookie State” and “6 and Under State”? These are USA Wrestling sanctioned tournaments offered for 1st year card holders or wrestlers that are 6 years and younger.

Where is the state tournament? Rookie State and 6U State is typically held in Sedalia, MO and the Missouri USA Wrestling state tournament held in St. Louis.

What does my child get if they win state? A championship bracket, medal, their name printed on our team banners at the gym, and typically a gift from TWA.

Is there a national tournament? There is a USA Wrestling Kids Folkstyle tournament held every year. There are other national tournaments as well throughout, just keep an eye out for tournaments that pop up.

How much do tournaments cost? Local tournaments range from $15-$20. National tournaments range from $25-$50.

What is the weigh in procedure? All tournaments have their own weigh in procedures. We request remote way ends that is where we weigh in at our gym and it is accepted at the tournament we are participating in. They are not always granted. I'll be ready to make weight at the tournaments desired time and location.

Where do I make payments? There is a small safe located in the payment center. There are envelopes with some information to be filled out located there also. Place your payment in the envelope in the safe.

Do you take credit cards? We do accept credit cards. There are credit card forms located in the payment center. Fill out the information needed and place in an envelope, in the safe.

Do I have to sign a contract? No contracts are required.

Who will coach my wrestler at tournaments? All coaches are Bronze certified through USA Wrestling. TWA coaches attend all the tournaments possible. With that being said we have to rely heavily upon parents who are coaches. USA WRESTLING promotes this as it wants families to work together.

How will we know what tournaments coaches will be at? Generally TWA coaches will attend the tournament listed at the gym.

Where do I find who and where my wrestler is going to wrestle on days of the tournament? There are brackets generally located in the hallways of the schools. You will find your wrestlers age and weight division it should list who they wrestle, what mat number and that what match number they will wrestle. Some tournaments rely on track wrestling.com to host the brackets.

Will I need to keep records? Keep your wrestlers record throughout the season for use during district seeding and awards time. Track who they wrestled and from where. Also track the score and whether it was a pin, tech fall, major decision, or a regular decision.

No wrestling shoes outside.

There is no putting money on the books for the snack bar.