Courtesy of Reno Tournament of Champions

RENO, NV — For the first time in its illustrious history, the Reno Tournament of Champions is adding a youth division to its tournament, which will feature elementary and middle school divisions. The youth tournament will take place on Thursday, Dec. 14, followed by two days of high school competition. The tournament concludes on Sunday, Dec. 17, with college and open wrestling. 

"We are extremely excited to add the youth tournament this year," said Jack Dolan, president of the Reno Tournament of Champions. "This will only add to the value in which we work to bring to the coaches, athletes and fans every year. 

The elementary division will consist of athletes up to fifth grade, while the middle school division will feature sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders. 

For this first year of competition, the youth tournament will have a maximum capacity of 700 athletes. The cost to enter the tournament is $40 and all registrations are through FloWrestling (arena.flowrestling.org). There is no on-site registration. 

Weight classes for each division are as follows: 

Elementary School (fifth grade and under) — 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 87, 95, 103, 112, 120, and 140 

Middle School (sixth grade to eighth grade) — 70, 77, 84, 91, 98, 105, 112, 120, 128, 136, 144, 152, 160, 175, 190, 210, and 265

As the tournament has done in years past, all matches can be seen live on FloWrestling. This includes the youth, high school, and college tournaments. 

"Since its inception, FloWrestling has been a huge partner for us," Dolan said. "When Flo came to us about some live streaming, we were all in as we knew we had wrestlers from all over the U.S. competing in our tournament. By partnering with Flo, we can offer fans and parents from coast to coast the ability to watch our tournament." 

The Reno Tournament of Champions enters its 23rd year of competition and will take place at the Reno Events Center. The RTOC has also partnered with the host hotels of the Eldorado, Silver Legacy, and Circus Circus to offer the lowest rates in tournament history. All information regarding hotels is on the RTOC website (www.rtoc.net).