Last month we discussed the A through E letter rating system used to classify fencers and tournaments. This month we’ll talk about the types of tournaments available for different age levels.
Local Tournaments
For fencers 14 and under, most of the tournaments available are of the “local” variety. These events are typically run by local clubs and are excellent opportunities for your fencer to compete against fencers from other clubs and experience competing at other venues. RFC’s Mini-Musketeers and RFC Challenge are examples of this type of event, and many fencing clubs host similar events. These events may be mixed or single-gender. Events in this category are regularly held in Cleveland, Metro NYC, Boston, Toronto, and Montreal, and can make for a fun family weekend getaway. Most of these local tournaments are small to medium sized – less than 20 competitors per event. Some of them can be quite large, such as the Mr. Ma Cup in early June in New Jersey, with over 40 competitors per event. Other than the possibility of the event being letter-rated (see September 2014 Parent’s Corner), these are for experience and fun. Local events can be easily found on the website http://www.askFred.net. Next month’s Parent’s Corner will cover searching for tournaments on the askFred website.
Regional Tournaments – RYCs, RJCCs, and ROCs
USFA supports sanctioned regional events. The events in this category are RYCs (Regional Youth Circuit) which are for 14 and under, RJCCs (Regional Junior/Cadet Circuit) for 19 and under, and ROCs (Regional Open Circuit) for ages 13+ including adults. These events are usually, but not always, single gender.
These are very similar to the larger local events, with the exception that they are a qualification path to fence in either the US National Tournament (aka “Summer Nationals” – held in late June / early July) or the Junior Olympics tournament (aka “JOs” – held in February). These two national championship events and details about the qualifying process will be a future topic for Parent’s Corner (yes, sadly it’s complicated enough to warrant a separate column).
For most young fencers, these regional events are just larger local tournaments, drawing from a slightly larger area. If your fencer is 13+, then some ROC tournaments can be a good introduction to fencing older kids / adults. Some of these ROC tournaments are annual events and have a distinct “personality” (size/competitive level), so if your fencer has never competed in an event that includes adults, talk to your coach before going to one of these events.
National Tournaments for 14 and Under – SYCs
Each month, there’s one or two national-level under 14 youth events, called SYCs (Super Youth Circuit). These are held in cities around the country. Here’s where Iris will say “the SYCs are supposed to be regional events too!” I’m calling SYCs national events because these tournaments are where 14 and under fencers earn can national points, which is how fencers get nationally ranked for their weapon, gender, and age category. Fencers that place high enough in SYCs receive points based on where they finish. The top 50 to 100 fencers nationally in each age/gender/weapon are on the national point list for their category (for example, Y12 Men’s Saber). Since SYCs events drive national rankings, the top few dozen fencers in the country in each category tend to go to most SYCs.
Other National Tournaments – NACs, JOs, and Summer Nationals
Since this topic is primarily for parents of new or younger fencers, I’ll just say that there’s one very large fencing event each month that is run by the USFA. These are the North American Cup (NAC) series, which includes Junior Olympics and Summer Nationals. These events are held around the country. Other than JOs in February and Nationals in the early summer, these events are targeted to age 13+ and adult fencers. The top high school, college, and adult fencers in the country attend these events, and it’s common to have more than 100 fencers in a single event. These events are where older fencers get points for national ranking.
Summary
Attending local and regional events is encouraged; it’s a fun challenge and a can be a family travel experience. National events are large and have a variety of skill levels in attendance, from beginners to the best in the country. The size of national events can be both exciting and intimidating, and your coach will tell you when they think your fencer is ready for this type of event. As always, make sure fencing stays fun for your fencer! As inspiration, here’s a picture the venue for 2014 Summer Nationals in Columbus Ohio. It’s the largest fencing event in the world, and there were over 60 fencing strips going simultaneously.
