Unfortunatly wrestling like baseball has become a "rich man's" sport. Entry fees are still cheap enough. It's all the other things such as meals and gas and the Walmart stop at the end of the day that adds up.
When we were chasing around the state EVERY tournament was at least an hour away from home. Then at the end of his Kids seasons we were traveling an hour just to practice with some better kids. We car pooled with 2 other parents. Midway through the 2nd year we started packing lunches and drinks and didn't go to any stores or resturants on the way back home. Developed a budget, and basicaly managed or sons events better. Saved us a ton of cash. Wrestling is a journey and a huge parental commitment (time & money). The more miles you put on a kid early (under 10) the better he will be later.(opinion)
Another suggestion is to pick out the tournaments you realy want to compete in. You realy don't have to go to every tournament.
If you are better only go to the big tourneys. If you are starting out or not as good attend the smaller local tournaments and tell your kid that "If you do well here -then we will take you there". This will give your kid some insentive to progress to the larger tougher tournamnets. And allow you to cost effectivly manage your wrestler.
These are just some suggestions-hope they help!
