Announcement
USA Wrestling New Jersey State Championships
Every year "USA Wrestling" organizes and runs a series of open tournaments that lead to a state championship tournament for youth wrestlers. These are not part of our regular schedule and are not covered by your registration with RJW.
We have found, however, that our more competitve wrestlers enjoy testing themselves against the best wrestlers in the state, and have actually improved their wrestling by seeking the tougher competition that these tournaments provide. In addition, each year a number of Ridgewood wrestlers qualify for, and even earn medals, at the state championship tournament. This accomplishment is a source of pride that they carry with them for years to come.
For those of you who are interested, here is information that you may find useful:
Format:
Throughout the winter, a total of eight "qualifer" tournaments are held at various locations around the state. These are single-elimination tournaments, and the top-3 finishers qualify to attend the state tournament held in March. Note that there is no limit to the number of qualifiers that a wrestler may attend. If you fail to qualify at your first attempt, you can continue to try at the next qualifier tournament.
Ages/Weight:
Age and weight categories are available on the registration form, available at this link: USA States Registration and Information
To register for a qualifier tournament
To register for a qualifier tournament, you must first purchase a "USA Wrestling" membership. These are $41 and are good until 8/31 of this year. See "Obtaining a USA Wrestling Card" in the next section.
Next, use the link above to print the registration information. Fill-out the form as directed and mail it to the address indicated on the form. Important notices:
- Registration check should be made to the club described (ex: Union Wrestling Booster Club for the Union qualifier)
- For "Club / Town / Team" you'll probably want to simply enter "Ridgewood". If you attend a private club that requires you to wear their singlet and use their coaches, you'll need to discuss with them.
Obtaining a USA Wrestling Card:
In order to wrestle in a qualifier tournament, you must have a USA Wrestling membership card, which are $41/year. You can either apply for a card with your registration at your first qualifier, or you can use this link to print one online:
Note: When you register for a USA Wrestling Card you must specify a sponsering club. Most Ridgewood wrestlers pick "Florian Techniques Wrestling Club" for Olympic Wrestling; but if you attend a different private club you can choose it. DO NOT USE THIS as "Town or Club" name when you register for a qualifier.
Coaching:
While you are free to attend any of the eight state qualifiers, it is important to know that because this is not part of the Ridgewood Junior Program you need to arrange your own coaching. We do, however, always try to have members o our own coaching staff attend some of the qualifiers. For 2011, the tournaments at which we will have coaches on-site include:
-
Union
-
Randolph
-
Fair Lawn
If you have other questions, please feel free to discuss them with Coach Tavoso.
