This is our third tip of the week. We are interested in what you think about our tips of the week. Visit our message board and let us know what you think.

Last week I said I would discuss fundraising. We have found the best way to make money and provide athletes in your state a good wrestling tournament is to put one on yourself. Too scared to host your first tournament? Look to another team and discuss with them what they would do differently or what they would recommend you to do with your tournament.

The key is to get the kids (and parents) out of your tournament the first couple of years. Once your tournament gets a good reputation - you will have many wrestlers coming to your tournament year in and year out. If you host a bad tournament your first year, they may give you the benefit of the doubt that it was your first tournament, but why. The key is having enough mat space. Don't be afraid to cut your mats in half (instead of making circles on the mat). The coaches may complain about mat space, but they won't complain when they get out of the tournament early.

You can get a way with a lot of errors and mistakes if you have enough mats to catch up or maintain constant wrestling. Another key is to have enough referees. This should be one of your top priorities. By having enough refs, you will be able to wrestle the entire day non-stop.

I get upset when there is a stop in wrestling, because the ref's need a break. The ref's deserve a break, but make sure you have enough to rotate your ref's.

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