So You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star ...
Note!!!!. Many qualification rules were changed
in September 2006, and only reflected in the Athlete's Handbook
as of Feb. 7, 2007. Although I have attempted to make this
document as accurate as possible, it may not be completely up
to date. Please consult the REVISED Athlete's handbook for
definitive information.
How to Qualify for USFA National Events
Disclaimer:The information presented here is an un-official
distillation and simplification of the rules from the
"USFA Athletes Progams Handbook".
Neither the Long Island Division of the USFA nor the author
(Tony Aiuto) makes any claims as to the validity of this information.
It is provided as a convenience to fencers who
want to begin to understand the competitive qualification process.
It leaves out many details relevent to Veteran fencers and highly
successful youth fencers competing above their age group.
If you are old enough to be fencing Veteran, you either know the
rules or can decipher them. If you the parent of a child who
is going to World Cup events, then you should have read
USFA athletes handbook thoroughly.
There are many regional and national events you can attend.
Some are open to all USFA members, some require you to qualify.
Some are restricted by age, others by USFA classification.
Some are "open" to any fencer.
Our calendar of competitions
lists as many relevent events as we could find. This guide
describes how to qualify for the USFA National events.
[Practice! :-) ]
It is aimed towards the competitive fencer who is starting
their career.
Age, Classification, Division & Points
- Age Groups
-
The USFA divides fencers into different age groups and maintains
a rolling national point standing for fencers in each group.
There are also different sets of age groups for the Junior
Olympics and for the Summer Nationals. Note the distinction between
U20/U17 and U19/U16.
For the Junior Olympics's, they are
Age Group | Code | Birth Year (2007/2008 season) |
Veteran | VET | 1967 or earlier |
Senior | DIV1,DIV2,DIV3 | 1994 or earlier |
Junior | U20 | 1987 - 1994 |
Cadet | U17 | 1991 - 1994 |
Youth 14 | Y14 | 1993 - 1996 |
Youth 12 | Y12 | 1995 - 1998 |
Youth 10 | Y10 | 1997 - 2000 |
|
For the Summer nationals, they are
Age Group | Code | Birth Year (2007/2008 season) |
Veteran | VET | 1967 or earlier |
Senior | DIV1,DIV2,DIV3 | 1994 or earlier |
Junior | U19 | 1988 - 1995 |
Cadet | U16 | 1992 - 1995 |
Youth 14 | Y14 | 1993 - 1996 |
Youth 12 | Y12 | 1995 - 1998 |
Youth 10 | Y10 | 1997 - 2000 |
|
Since the fencing season in the U.S. runs from August 1 to July 31, the
years listed above are valid until July 31, 2007.
There is a
general exception to the age restrictions for highly successful fencers
who are too young for a bracket - if you are on the point standings for
any given group, you are usually allowed to compete in the next higher
age group. E.g. If you are on the Y14 standings, you can compete in U16
events, even if too young. Please see the Athlete's Handbook for more details.
- Classification
-
USFA fencers can earn a classification in each weapon. They
range from 'A' down to 'E', plus 'U' (for unrated fencers).
Classifications are used in two important ways
- for determining eligibility in senior competition divisions
- for seeding certain tournements
Classifications may be earned at virtually any
public competition, in accordance with the
Classification Reference Chart. Note that Youth and Cadet competitions at
the Division level must be C1 or better
(see chart)
before you can earn a letter,
which is why it's difficult to earn one at, for example, the Sophomore Circuit events.
- Competition Divisions
-
DIV I | Fencers with 'A', 'B' or 'C' classifications |
DIV II | Fencers with 'C', 'D' or 'E' classifications |
DIV III | Fencers with 'D', 'E' or 'U' classifications |
Don't confuse competition division with USFA geographic division.
I'll always refer to a competitions as DIV I, II or III. I'll
refer to geographic divisions as "USFA Division" or "the LI Division".
- Points
-
The top fencers (typically, the top 32) in each national event
(as well as in Super Regional Youth events) can earn points.
The USFA maintains
the "National Rolling Point Standings" (NRPS), and publishes
it on their web site.
See Appendix B of the Athlete's Handbook for point tables.
Points are used
- for seeding tournements
- for qualifying for some competitions
- for comparing yourself to other fencers in your peer group.
Points roll down to the lower age brackets. If you earn U19 points, they also count towards your U16 point standings.
Qualification Paths
Now let's see how you actually qualify for various competitions.
- NAC Events
- NAC events generally don't have qualifiers. You qualify strictly
on age group (for U17 and U20 events) or on classification
(for Div 1, 2 and 3 events). If you fence well, you can
earn letter classifications and national points at NAC
events. Don't let the 'U16' and 'U19' designations fool you. Many
of the best fencers in the nation are under 20, so U19
events are often far more challenging than DIV 2 and 3 events.
That said, they provide an excellent opportunity to fence
against really strong fencers. Who knows, you might face
an Olympian in pools.
Event | Ways to Qualify |
Youth 10 & 12 |
You must attend an RYC or SYC or be on the NRPS for your age group
prior to registering for the NAC
Note: this is a change from previous years. Please see the
USFA Youth site for more information.
|
Youth 14, Cadet and Junior |
Be in the right age group |
DIV I |
Have a "C" or higher classification |
DIV II |
Have a "C" or lower classification |
DIV III |
Have a "D" or lower classification |
- Regional Youth Circuit Events
- Like the NAC events, you don't have to qualify for these -
you just have to be the right age group. A few of these events
are designated "Super Youth Circuit" (formerly "Super Regional
Youth Circuit"). You can earn national youth points at the Super
events, but not at regular youth circuit events. Letter
classifications can be earned at either type.
As of 2006, RYC (and SYC) events are a qualifying path to Y-10 and Y-12
NACs.
- Junior Olympics
-
The Junior Olympics usually occur in February. Many college coaches use
this event to look at up and coming fencers. If you want to fence in
college, you probably want to be at the JOs in Junior year (or earlier)
of High School. These are great competitions, and an excellent way to
earn points or letters.
Each USFA division holds qualifiers (for division members only) in the fall to
determine eligibility.
Event | Ways to Qualify |
Division Qualifier* | or Points | or Other |
U20 |
Top 25% of Division Qualifier |
Be on the Junior NRPS after the January NACor
Be on the Junior NRPS at the time of the Division's JO qualifieror
Top 16 of the Cadet NRPS after the January NAC.
|
|
U17 |
Top 25% of Division Qualifier |
Be on the Cadet NRPS after the January NACor
Be on the Cadet NRPS at the time of the Division's JO qualifieror
Top 8 of the Y14 NRPS after the January NAC.
|
Qualify for U20 |
- Summer Nationals
-
Qualification to the Summer Nationals is done through
qualifying events, points or final standing in a previous
championship. Each USFA Division holds
qualifiers for National DIV II and DIV III Championships. Each
USFA Section (Long Island is in the North Atlantic
Section) holds Championships which act as qualifiers
for National DIV I-A and U19 Championships. Divisions
may hold local qualifiers to allow you to move on to the Sectional Championships.
The NAS no longer requires that, so if you are in the right age group,
you may enter the Junior or Senior sectionals directly. The applications
are available elsewhere on this web site.
Event | Ways to Qualify |
Division/Section Qualifier* | or Points | or Other |
DIV I Championships |
none |
Be on the senior NRPS as of May 1, 2007 or
Top 8 of Junior NRPS as of May 1, 2007 or
Top 4 of Cadet NRPS as of May 1, 2007 |
Place in top 8 at 2006 DIV I-A Nat. Championship or
Place in top 4 at 2006 DIV II Nat. Championship
|
DIV I-A Championships |
Top 25% of Senior NAS Sectional Championship (Minimum of 8) |
|
Top 8 at 2006 DIV I-A National Championship or
top 4 at 2006 DIV II National Championship or
be the current 2007 U19 Section Champion.
|
U19 Championships |
Top 25% of Junior (U19) NAS Sectional Championship |
Be on the Junior NRPS after the April NACor
Be on the Junior NRPS at the time of the Section's qualifying competition or
Be in the top 16 of Cadet NRPS after the April NAC or
Be in the top 16 of Cadet NRPS at the time of the Section's qualifying competition.
|
|
DIV II Championships |
Top 25% of LI Division Qualifier
Must be rated 'C', 'D', 'E' or 'U'
at time of qualifier |
|
|
U16 Championships |
Top 25% of LI Division Qualifier |
Be on the Cadet NRPS after the April NAC or
Be on the Cadet NRPS at the time of the Section's qualifying competition or
Top 8 of Y14 NRPS after the April NAC
|
Qualify for U19 |
Y14 Championships |
Top 25% of LI Division Y-14 Qualifier |
Earn Youth 14 points at a current season Super Youth Circuit Competition or
i Earn points at a current season Youth 14 NAC, Cadet NAC, or Cadet Summer National Championships or
Earn points at the previous season's Youth 14 Summer National Championships
|
|
Y12 Open |
Fence in one Regional, Super or NAC Y12 event in 2006-2007 season. |
Be on the Y12 NRPS after the April NAC |
|
Y10 Open |
Fence in one Regional, Super or NAC Y10 event in 2006-2006 season. |
Be on the Y10 NRPS after the April NAC |
|