Choose the right Snapdown event setup
Snapdown separates three decisions that are easy to mix together: where the event lives, how the competition is built, and how wrestlers enter. Choose each one based on how your event actually operates.
1. Choose a standalone tournament or a league
Section titled “1. Choose a standalone tournament or a league”Standalone tournament
Section titled “Standalone tournament”Choose a standalone tournament when you are running one event independently. This is usually the right choice for an open tournament, invitational, championship, or other one-time event.
A standalone tournament can collect wrestlers through Snapdown registration, import a roster supplied by the organizer, or combine imported data with individual additions.
League
Section titled “League”Choose a league when the same teams and wrestlers will participate across a season or series of events. The league holds the shared teams, rosters, divisions, administrators, and event defaults. Each competition is then created as an event inside the league.
League events can include full team rosters or a specific selection of wrestlers. This avoids rebuilding the same participant data for every event.
A league is the home for recurring participants. A standalone tournament is an independently managed event. Both can run individual competition or team duals.
2. Choose the event structure
Section titled “2. Choose the event structure”Choose Individual for any wrestler-versus-wrestler tournament. Choose Team duals when teams compete head to head through weight-class lineups. Create separate events when a meet includes both; Combined is retained only for older events that already use it.
For an Individual event, competition type is a separate choice on each division. One event can therefore use automatic matchups for its younger divisions and fixed weight classes for high school divisions.
Fixed weight classes
Section titled “Fixed weight classes”Use weight-class brackets when wrestlers compete in predefined divisions and weights, such as 106, 113, or 120. You assign wrestlers to divisions and weight classes, then build the appropriate bracket for each weight.
This is the standard choice for traditional individual tournaments with fixed weights.
Automatic matchups
Section titled “Automatic matchups”Use automatic matchups when groups should be built from the wrestlers who actually enter or weigh in. Snapdown can group wrestlers using weight, rank, age, grade, gender, and team-separation settings rather than requiring fixed weight classes.
Available matchmaking formats include:
- Individual Matchups: each wrestler receives a target number of independently generated matches, with no brackets or placements.
- Preset Match Groups: small groups with two or three matches assigned in advance, with no advancement or placements.
- Placement Mini-Brackets: small 3-4 wrestler brackets with advancement and official places.
- Placement Round Robins: everyone in each group wrestles everyone, with results determining places.
- Weight-Only Brackets (Madison): creates brackets primarily by weight, without considering rank or experience.
The first four formats use Ability-Based Matching and consider the available age, weight, rank, grade, team, and gender information. Madison uses Weight-Only Grouping and is intended for divisions already separated appropriately by age and experience. See Choose a matchmaking format and generate matchups for the tradeoffs and same-team behavior.
Team Duals
Section titled “Team Duals”Use Team Duals when teams compete head to head across a set of weight classes. This covers a single dual as well as tournaments made up of multiple dual teams.
The event still needs divisions, weight classes, teams, and eligible wrestlers, but the competition is built around team-versus-team duals instead of individual tournament brackets.
3. Choose how wrestlers enter
Section titled “3. Choose how wrestlers enter”Online registration
Section titled “Online registration”For a public standalone tournament, Snapdown registration can collect wrestler information and payment before the event. The tournament director configures registration, divisions, availability, pricing, and dates, then shares the registration link.
Use this path when parents, coaches, or team representatives should submit their own entries.
Roster import
Section titled “Roster import”Import a CSV or Excel roster when entries already exist in another system or are being supplied directly by teams. Imported data can create or match teams, wrestlers, and divisions for the tournament.
Use this path for invitationals, pre-entered events, or any tournament where the director controls the entry list.
See Add wrestlers to a standalone event for event-aware templates, team and division tabs, and the fields recommended for each competition format.
League roster selection
Section titled “League roster selection”For league events, choose either complete teams or specific wrestlers from the shared league roster. Full-team selection is useful for fluid auto-matchup events. Specific wrestler selection is useful for duals, fixed brackets, or events with a controlled lineup.
See Select wrestlers for a league event for current-weight Madison rosters, weight-class and dual exports, and event-only team assignments.
Common combinations
Section titled “Common combinations”| What you are running | Recommended setup |
|---|---|
| Public individual tournament with fixed weights | Standalone Individual tournament + fixed divisions + Online Registration |
| Invitational with a roster spreadsheet | Standalone tournament + chosen competition format + Roster Import |
| Younger automatic divisions plus high school fixed classes | Standalone Individual tournament + per-division competition types + Online Registration |
| Pre-separated Madison-style open event | Standalone Individual tournament + automatic divisions + Registration or Roster Import |
| Recurring youth league events | League + Auto Matchup + Full Team Rosters |
| League championship | League event + Weight-Class Brackets + Selected Eligible Wrestlers |
| Dual meet or dual tournament | Standalone or league event + Team Duals + Teams and fixed eligible rosters |
What happens after creation
Section titled “What happens after creation”Once the tournament or league event exists, the normal path is:
- Review the event details and competition format.
- Configure divisions and weight classes when the format uses them.
- Add wrestlers through registration, import, or league roster selection.
- Configure mats, staff permissions, weigh-in allowance, and team scoring.
- Weigh in or check in the wrestlers.
- Build weight-class brackets, generate automatic matchups, or build the dual competition.
- Review the schedule and use Snapdown’s automatic scheduling unless the event needs a custom plan.
- Publish matches, run the mat queues, score matches, and monitor tournament progress.
You do not need to configure every advanced option before beginning. Snapdown provides defaults for bracket formats, scheduling, and match assignment; customize them when the event has a specific operational requirement.