The best thing for oyu to do is try asking your local game shop to run a casual type 1 tourney...
If you're looking for sanctioned tournaments - they exist, but are rare... The best place to find these is on the DCI home page... I don't have a link to it but you can get there through Wizards' site.
They will have a list of all sanctioned tourneys. There is a place in Albuquerque that runs type 1 tourneys, but I only know this through a friend who used to live there... Believe me, his notebokk of moxen and lotii is enough to let me know the prizes are worth playing for!!!...
That's the best I can do for you...