Summer Nationals 2026 in Portland is almost here. If you are a parent heading to your first national-level fencing competition, you are probably feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. After helping hundreds of families through their first nationals over the years, I want to share what makes this trip smooth, fun, and far less stressful than it looks from the outside.
Whether this is your first nationals or you are a veteran looking for Portland-specific intel, this guide will help you and your fencer show up ready for one of the best events in our sport.
What This Trip Is Really About
You already signed up. You already qualified. So this is not a pitch for whether to go. It is about getting ready for what is coming.
I want you to properly calibrate your expectations: if this is your fencer’s first nationals, they most likely will not win. Hundreds of the best fencers in the country show up in every event. And it does not matter at all, because there are tons of reasons beyond winning that your child attends this annual event. By the way, Summer Nationals is the LARGEST fencing competition in the world, attracting many thousands of fencers over the course of ten days. Nothing in the world comes close to this unique fencing tournament.
Summer Nationals is bigger than anything your child has done in fencing so far. The size of the hall, the number of strips, the level of the competition, the noise and energy in the room. Nothing at a local or regional event prepares you for the scale of it. That is the gift. Your fencer gets to test themselves on the largest stage in American fencing, see where they stand, and come home having grown.
Go in with that state of mind. Not can we medal, but let us take in everything this event has to offer. Your fencer will:
- Compete against the best in the country and see exactly where the bar is
- Build real confidence by rising to a bigger stage
- Make friendships inside the fencing community that last for years
- Soak in the atmosphere of the largest fencing event in the United States
For many kids I’ve coached, attending Summer Nationals is a life changing event. When a child sees what it is, how big his or her sport is, can meet with world and even Olympic champions that attend this competition, see the local TV station with big video capturing equipment, listen to the US anthem in the morning of the competition (and I hope this year it will be a special edition of it due to the country anniversary) – all this and more boosts motivation, puts a path forward, and fills the child’s heart with excitement. That is what happened with my kids after their first nationals, and this is what happens to me every time I attend.
What Is Different This Year: Points Now Count
Something real is changing in our sport, and Portland sits right at the line.
USA Fencing announced a new points and events structure. Officially it takes effect next season, not at this Summer Nationals, and the Elite and National divisions are not in play in Portland yet. But this is the first Summer Nationals we walk into already knowing the change is locked in and coming. That makes it worth understanding now. I wrote the full breakdown in my recent post on the change (read it here). The short version for parents:
The new system rewards a much wider range of fencers in Cadet, Junior and Division 1 groups. Under the old setup, points clustered at the top 40% of the finishers in the national tournament (NAC or Championship). The new unified points list spreads the reward across competitive levels, so going forward more results will move the needle on a fencer’s national ranking.
A few things that follow from that:
- National ranking is becoming the main currency in the sport, more than it has ever been
- Seeding is shifting toward national ranking and away from old ratings. The number that follows your fencer around is increasingly their ranking, not their letter
- It is a two-year trial, so expect details to keep moving. The fine print for championship eligibility will live in the 2026-27 Athlete Handbook
None of this should add pressure on your kid in Portland, especially if they are still in the Youth categories. The job is the same as it has always been: warm up well, fence each touch, compete. But you, the parent, should walk in knowing the ground is shifting under the sport, and this event sits right on the threshold.
Portland Travel and Getting Around
The venue: Summer Nationals runs at the Oregon Convention Center (OCC), 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, in Portland’s Lloyd district, just across the Willamette River from downtown. It is a big, modern, air-conditioned space with its own light rail stop out front.
Getting around: If you are flying in, Portland makes it easy. The MAX Red Line runs from Portland International Airport (PDX) straight into the city and stops a short walk from the convention center. For a lot of families that means you can skip the rental car. Grab a TriMet Hop pass and ride the light rail, streetcar, and buses all week. Wherever you are staying, the Lloyd district is walkable to the OCC and downtown is a quick ride across the river.
In-venue bag storage: USA Fencing is offering secure bag storage at the venue for the whole tournament for a flat fee. If you are tired of dragging a full fencing bag back and forth to the hotel every day, it is worth a look. One word of caution though: while this is a logistically “easy” decision, the uniform will be wet after a whole day of fencing, and leaving it in a tightly locked space for 24 hours might be something to think about.
What to Pack
What I pack and recommend: Beyond the fencing gear itself, bring enough t-shirts to change through the day. My rule of thumb is three per competition day: one to start, one to change into after pools, one for after the event is done. Don’t forget your club jacket too. Don’t think that a club jacket is only for those who medal. A club jacket is part of your fencing identity and belonging. Add a towel, electrolyte powder or tablets (NUUN or similar), a thermos you can keep refilling, and your own snacks. Power bars at the venue are wildly overpriced, so pack them from home. Bring small bills, ones and fives, for tipping the armorers on quick repairs.
Stenciling: If this is your first time and your fencer’s jacket does not have a name on it yet, bring the jacket to the venue on the day you arrive. Several vendors do stenciling on site. It usually does not take long, so you can pick it up the same day an hour or so later, or the next morning before your event.
Equipment for weapon check:
- Epee: mask, body cord, glove. When the line is long, the armory often caps how many items you can check at once to keep things moving, usually two gloves and three body cords. Bring your best ones. Once the line dies down later, come back and check the rest.
- Foil and sabre: add the mask cord and lame.
A word on shopping: Summer Nationals, with all its vendors, is a paradise for fencing gear, and Oregon’s lack of sales tax makes it even better. Think ahead to next season’s equipment and buy it here. One important catch: if you buy something you plan to use in this event (a new cord, mask, or glove), bring it straight to equipment check for stamping. New fencers buy a replacement cord when theirs breaks, carry it to the strip in the plastic bag, and pick up a penalty for unchecked gear. The “but it is brand new, I bought it a minute ago” argument does not work.
Competition day essentials:
- 2 to 3 weapons and spare body cords kept at your strip, nearby, not back at your club’s base station
- Towel and water
- Healthy snacks (do not rely on venue food vendors)
- Phone charger for checking results
One Portland note: Early summer in the Pacific Northwest is usually warm and dry, but it can spike genuinely hot. Pack a layer for cool mornings and plan for heat in the afternoon. The venue is air conditioned, but the walk to and from your hotel may not be. Hydrate more than you think you need to, and watch the forecast the week before you fly.
Competition Day
Arrive early. Get to the venue one hour before your event start time.
Scout the venue first. USA Fencing sends an athlete blast before the event with important details about strips and check-in times. Read it. But the sheer size of this event is hard to convey on paper, and for first-timers it is mind-blowing. The schematics do not capture it. If you can, come to the venue on the day you arrive, walk among the strips, breathe in the atmosphere, and let yourself and your child get used to the scale of the place. If there are events the day before yours, walk the floor and find:
- Check-in area
- Bout Committee
- Your club’s base camp
- Weapon check station
- The real strip layout and the walking distances between sections
- Restrooms near the strips
- Display monitors
- Water fountains and refill stations, and the food vendors
The flow of the day:
- Check in at the self-service kiosks (bring your USA Fencing membership card)
- Equipment check, and get your gear marked before you compete if you did not do it the day before
- Pool play, where you fence everyone in your pool once. Pools and strip assignments post around 6 p.m. the day before, so know your strip and start time before you go. Some events run double flights, so check whether you are in the first or second flight. If you are in the second flight, you do not need to be there for the early start, only in time to register, warm up, and get to your strip for your pool’s start time.
- Direct elimination, single bracket
Live results: Strip assignments, seeding, and results all post to FencingTime Live. It requires an account, so create one before you travel. It is free right now.
One detail that matters: Always check your pool sheet before you sign it. Referees make mistakes, and once you sign, the result is final.
Strip Coaching: What to Expect
Your coach may not make it to every bout. At an event this size, that is normal. When they are there:
- They can only coach between Halt and Fence
- Quality beats quantity. Often the best coaching is a single word
- Tell your coach when you are up so they can prioritize your bouts
- Parents should not coach. That is the coach’s job, for a lot of good reasons
Portland Family Time
You flew across the country, so build in time to enjoy the city. Portland is walkable, food-obsessed, and easy on visitors.
Around the venue and downtown:
- The food carts. Portland’s cart scene is legendary, with hundreds of options by cuisine. This alone is worth a few lunches.
- Powell’s City of Books, an entire city block of books downtown. They claim to be the largest independent bookstore in the world, and even if you are not much of a reader, it is worth seeing. You do not often get to walk through something that calls itself the biggest of anything on earth.
- OMSI, the science museum on the east bank of the river, great for kids
- Tom McCall Waterfront Park and the bridges along the Willamette
It is the City of Roses, and you are visiting at peak bloom:
- The International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park is at its best in late June and early July
- The Portland Japanese Garden, right next door, is one of the finest outside Japan
Day trips if you get a free day:
- Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River Gorge, about 30 minutes east
- Willamette Valley wine country, under an hour southwest
- The Oregon Coast and Cannon Beach, around 90 minutes west
A holiday in the middle of it all: July 4 lands right in the tournament window, and 2026 is the country’s 250th anniversary, which Portland is folding into the celebrations. Expect fireworks and festivities downtown. Plan for crowds and some road closures that evening, and remember the competition rolls on around it.
Final Prep Checklist
- Pack gear, spare cords, and three shirts per competition day
- Know your strip and start time (posted around 6 p.m. the day before)
- Bring your USA Fencing membership card
- Create your FencingTime Live account
- Pack electrolytes, a refillable thermos, and your own snacks
- Plan a venue scouting walk for the day you arrive
- Charge every device the night before
After Your Event: Win or Lose, You Succeeded
Competing at Summer Nationals is itself an achievement. Whether your fencer runs deep through the DE bracket or goes out early, they showed up at the highest level of the sport and fenced. That counts.
One strong recommendation: stay to cheer for teammates and watch the finals, even after your own event is done. It builds club culture, and it gives your fencer a chance to study high-level fencing up close.
Have questions about preparing for Portland? Reach out anytime. These trips create memories that last a lifetime, and we are happy to help make yours a great one.
Image by: Fcb981 under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Thank you for a great overview of what to expect and insight on the location. We look forward to finding the gardens. Another hint – remember that you are not alone – there are other parents out there from your club and even other clubs who are happy to help out and point you in the direction of the weapons repair (maybe even help replace a tip screw on the spot) or give you a word of encouragement. Fencing has some of the kindest supporters around. Connect!