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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is youth wrestling just for boys?
A: No, it's a co-ed sport!

Q: What equipment does my child need?
A: Headgear and wrestling shoes.  The club provides singlets.

Q: What should my child wear to practices?
A: T-shirt, shorts and wrestling shoes. Headgear is optional at practice.

Q: How many teams are in the league?
A: The Pierce County Junior Wrestling League (PCJWL) includes twenty-two teams split into four sub-divisions and two divisions. 

Q: How are wrestlers paired up for matches?
A: Wrestlers are paired up first by age and weight. A secondary consideration is experience level and aggressiveness.

Q: What are the age groups?
A:  Kids age 5-8 years wrestle one another within their weight class and kids age 9-12 years wrestle one another within their weight class.

Q: What are the weight classes?
A: For the 8 and under group the weight classes are 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 63, 69, 78, 90, and 110.
      For the 9 and over group the weight classes are 57, 60, 63, 66 ,69, 73, 77, 81, 86, 91, 96, 103, 110, 120, 145, and 175.

Q: What is a round robin?
A: A round robin is a competitive tournament that places wrestlers into groups of four.  They wrestle each other once, getting three matches with no elimination. The match ends when time runs out after the third period or when there is a pin.

Q: How are the groups formed at round robins?
A: Wrestlers are grouped by age (8 and under or 9 and over), weight class and experience.  Coaches make every effort to make the groups equitable.

Q: What is an official weigh-in vs. a non-official weigh-in?
A: An official weigh-in is at league sanctioned events. All round robins and duals count. Holiday tournaments are not official weigh-ins. It becomes important at the end of the season when post season tournaments start. You must have 3 official weigh-ins at your weight class.

Q: What else do I need to know about round robin tournaments?
A: You should plan to arrive early for the official weigh-in. Wrestlers weigh-in before breakfast wearing only their singlet so they are at their lightest possible weight.  Your child MUST be at weigh-ins to wrestle!  Officials will check the wrestlers' skin and nails so make sure the nails are trimmed!  After weigh-in, go have breakfast and relax until it's time for staging (around 9 am).  Staging is generally a separate area where kids are put into their groups.  Coaches will write the wrestler's group number on his/her arm.  You will need to listen for announcements calling your child's age and group number.  When your child's age and group number are called s/he will return to the staging area in preparation to go out to the mats and wrestle.  Make sure they are wearing their singlet, wrestling shoes and headgear and ONLY these items.  Wrestlers are not to go out on the mat without a coach present.

Each match has three periods in which wrestlers will attempt to pin each other.  For 8- each period is one minute.  For 9+ periods are 90 sec / 1 min / 1 min.  If there is no pin, the match is decided on points.  Points are awarded and lost based on Folkstyle Wrestling Rules and Scoring. After the match wrestlers may return to parents in the bleachers to await the next round of matches.  After the third match you may stay to support your team or take your wrestler and go home.

Weigh-ins are generally from 7 am to 9 am. Staging and warm-ups are generally 9 am to 10 am. Wrestling generally starts around 10 am. Depending on the number of wrestlers and the number of matches running concurrently, a round-robin tournament could last anywhere from 3 to 5 five hours from the time wrestling actually starts. That means the tournament might be over anywhere from 1 pm to 5 pm. Plan to bring plenty of food and beverages with you (breakfast, lunch and snacks).  Concessions are always set up at tournaments but they sometimes run out of items.  If you arrive early enough to weigh-ins you can leave the building and go out to breakfast.  DO NOT leave the building to take your wrestler out to lunch. If you are gone when it's your child's turn to wrestle your child will forfeit. 

Q: What is a dual? What is JV/V(arsity) Team?
A: Duals differ from round robins.  Duals are a team event and teams earn points based on the performance of their JV and Varsity wrestlers. Each team has one JV and one Varsity wrestler per weight-class and age group (8 and under & 9 and over).  The JV and Varsity spots are earned on Challenge Nights (see below). Sometimes the team hosting the dual will also set up for exhibition matches.  If so, wrestlers who are NOT JV or Varsity may wrestle one another.  Exhibition matches are usually first, followed by JV and then Varsity. JV and Varsity matches are solo on the mat. JV and Varsity matches have referees and scoring. Exhibition matches are refereed by coaches with no scoring.

A serious commitment is expected of JV and Varsity Team Members. JV/Varsity Team Members are expected to compete at all three dual events. JV/Varsity Team Members must make their weight to compete at duals. Results from dual matches establish seeding points for the Sub-Division Tournament.

At duals, weigh-ins are generally only one hour with wrestling immediately after so there is no time to go out for breakfast. Bring breakfast with you or plan to buy breakfast from concessions. Duals generally last about four hours. 

Q: What are Challenge Nights?
A: Challenge Nights are intra-squad matches that determine the rankings of wrestlers in each weight class. The result: best wrestler in each weight class gets the Varsity spot, second best gets the JV spot.  All other wrestlers will wrestle Exhibition.  Coaches rank wrestlers based on the wrestlers' season results and the coaches' assessments during practices. To compete for a JV or Varsity spot, wrestlers MUST attend Challenge Nights. Challenge Nights will be announced in advance at practice, via e-mail and on the website.

Lowest ranked wrestlers challenge first. If there are three wrestlers in a given weight class, #3 wrestles #2.  The winner of that match then challenges wrestler #1. There are no coaches during challenges. A coach will serve as referee.

Wrestlers must have three official weigh-ins to challenge because the league requires all JV and Varsity wrestlers to have three official weigh-ins. 

Q: Who qualifies for Sub-Division/Division/League tournaments?
A: These tournaments are open only to the club's JV and Varsity wrestlers. Top four Sub-division winners in each weight class go on to Division. Top four Division winners in each weight class go on to League. Our season ends after League. Wrestlers are seeded based on their season results. These tournaments are double-elimination. For wrestlers who do not earn a JV or Varsity position there is an end of season round robin-style tournament called "Rising Star."

Q: Who qualifies for the State Championships?
A: State championships are open to any wrestler.  Seeding points will be used for the first time at the 2015 WSWA Folkstyle State Championships. PCJWL wrestlers will earn seeding points at league dual meets and post-season tournaments. Click here for information about seeding points for the State Championships.