The final stretch leading up to USA Fencing Summer Nationals is here! Most of the qualifying tournaments are behind us, which means that most fencers know where they stand in the path to qualification. But there are a few qualifying events still left!
There are some general ways for fencers to qualify for the Summer Nationals or the July Challenge, and those boil down to qualification via National Points, Regional Points, or making it through a Divisional Qualifier.
However we find that there are a lot of parents who are still confused about what their children have qualified for and what the exact rules are. This post is here to outline what exactly you need to know to determine whether your child has qualified via the REGIONAL PATH.
Fencing Nationals Competition Details
USA Fencing 2018 National Championships will be held on June 28-July 7, 2018 in St. Louis, MO. The specific daily schedules are posted on USFA’s website, registration opens on March 7 and and regular fee registration deadline is May 16. That’s just around the corner!
Fencers or their parents should be aware of the qualification paths that determine eligibility for Summer Nationals. You can refer to our infographics to understand the full set of qualifications rules on USA Fencing’s website.
Qualifying through Regional Points
There are several possibilities for fencers to qualify for the National Championship, but we’re going to focus here on Regional Points. Once you read through this information, you’ll know whether you or your child is going to qualify for the Summer Nationals or the July Challenge via the Regional Points path! Note that when we talk about regional points standing, this refers specifically to points earned in the region in which you are registered for the season for all youth, cadet, and junior events. Senior division regional points are obtained anywhere in the country.
Y10: Fencer must be
- on the Y10 Regional Youth Point Standings in your region at the regular fee entry deadline, OR
- earn at least 60 Y12 Regional Points during the current season (Total points = an athlete’s top 3 point results).
Y12: Fencer must
- earn at least 60 Y12 Regional Points during the current season (Total points = an athlete’s top 3 point results), OR
- earn at least 150 Y14 Regional Points during the current season (Total points = an athlete’s top 3 point results).
Y14: Fencer must
- earn at least 150 Y14 Regional Points during the current season (Total points = an athlete’s top 3 point results)
Cadet: Fencer must
- earn at least 65 Cadet or Junior Regional Points during the current season (Total points = an athlete’s top 2 point results)
Junior: Fencer must
- earn at least 65 Junior Regional Points during the current season (Total points = an athlete’s top 2 point results)
Division 1A, 2, or 3: Fencer must
- Division 1A – be on the D1A or in the top 8 of D2 ROC Regional Point Standings
- Division 2 – be on the D1A or D2 ROC Regional Point Standings
- Division 3 – be on the D1A or D2 ROC Regional Point Standings
Find your Regional Current Points Standing
This year The USFA went the extra mile for fencers by sending an email out that summarizes the list of events that a fencer qualified for via regional competitions. If you received this email (and paid attention to it!), check to see which events are specified in it. If these are all the events you plan to participate in Nationals – congratulations! You made it! If, however, there are still a few events that you want to aim for, then read on.
Note that for Senior age divisions, the regional points are common across the whole country rather than being specific to a region. For Cadets and Juniors, the points are also region-specific and come from RJCCs. Div1A, Div2, and Veterans points come from ROCs.
- Go to USAFencing.org
- Activate the Main Menu by clicking ≡ in top left corner (in your browser it might look differently)
- Select Athletes -> Rankings -> Current Points Standing -> Regional
- Select Regional Points List 2017-2018
- Select weapon
- Select category (e.g., “Y14M” for Y14 Men’s event in selected weapon or “CDTM (Qualification for July Challenge)” if you want to check cadet men’s qualification for July Challenge in selected weapon.
- Select Region
- Click Allez!
An ordered list displays fencer names, their corresponding rank and total amount of qualifying points. You can find you or your child’s name and see whether the number of respective points you have meets the criteria.
To view the breakdown of you or your child’s points total, click on your child’s name to view the qualifying competitions, respective placements, and earned points. You will see a list of all the related competitions in the event you are checking and see which ones are the top three results.
Pay attention that points are specific for only that event you check. This means that if your child fences Y14, Cadet, and Junior events, the points should be checked separately as there is no correlation between them. Even more, if your child fences Y12 Epee and Y12 Foil, the points are different and should be checked separately for each weapon/event. Go one at a time! You don’t want to find yourself thinking that you’ve got everything that you need, only to later discover that you overestimated the points because you checked too many boxes.
What to do if you are still short on points
To find out what you need to know, check askFred or your Division for the remaining regional tournaments in your region (e.g., RYC for youth fencers). Consult with your coach to figure out which competitions would be best to attend to improve your results (if needed), also taking into consideration budget and time constraints that may limit your options. Your coach is the best resource to select potential competitions.
Do not forget that for Y14, Division 2, and Division 3 there is another option – Divisional qualifier.
Putting things into perspective. Keep checking
There is a wealth of public information available to you to check your child’ progress and their probability of qualifying for Fencing Summer Nationals. At the same time, nothing is guaranteed. In the end, you can only attend what competitions you can while supporting your child in fencing their best!
Do not get discouraged if you find that you or your child isn’t going to qualify for all of the events that they want to participate in at Nationals. It’s a wonderful goal to put out for yourself to do well, but it is only a goal. Qualifying for Fencing Summer Nationals and the July Challenge or not qualifying doesn’t have any reflection on self-worth, but rather it is the journey of dedication and hard work in fencing gives you the growth that you’re looking for.
Keep fencing, keep putting high goals for yourself, and no matter whether you will reach this goal or not this year – you are on your way to become a better fencer and learn invaluable lessons on the way.
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