We’ve just rolled into January, so it’s time to think of… Summer Nationals?! Now is a good time, because there are only certain ways to get to US Fencing Summer Nationals, and it’s different for each age group. This article only covers the rules for 14 and under fencers. If your fencer is over 14 and is interested in Summer Nationals, there’s yet another set of rules, so have a chat with your coach.
2015 Summer Nationals will be held in San Jose CA, and runs from June 27 to July 6, 2015. Summer Nationals typically moves from year to year. In 2014 it was held in Columbus, OH. Even though this year is a “fly” rather than a “drive,” it’s quite an experience. US Summer Nationals is the largest single fencing event in the world. In fact, it’s gotten so big that there are now more requirements to qualify than before. The rules are different for Y10, Y12, and Y14, so each one is described separately below.
Before I get to the specific rules, let me quickly review “Regional Points” and “National Points.” In this article, I assume you know the difference between an RYC, an SYC, and a NAC tournament. This is covered in the Oct 2014 Parent’s Corner.
Regional Points / National Points
For youth fencers (14 and under), regional points are earned at RYCs in our US Fencing Region (we are part of Region 3, which includes PA, NJ, NY, and all New England states). All fencers at RYCs earn regional points, but how many points depends on the number of fencers and where you place. Regional point listings can be found at usfencing.org. Note: You only earn regional points at RYCs in our region! You can attend RYCs in other regions, but you do not earn regional points for these events.
National points are earned by finishing in the top 40% of competitors at an SYC or a Y14 NAC event (up to a max of 32nd place). These points can also be viewed at usfencing.org.
At the bottom of this article you will find the current way (as of Jan 2015) to find regional/national points at the usfencing.org web site.
Y10
To qualify for nationals, a Y10 fencer need only have fenced in an RYC this fencing year (Fall 2014-Spring 2015) by the deadline for registering for nationals. Technically the rule says they must have “regional points,” but simply fencing in an RYC gives the participant regional points. It’s also possible to qualify by finishing in the top 40% at an SYC, but the RYC path will be the most typical.
Y12
Due to the growth of the youth fencing, the Y12 qualifying path for nationals has been made more difficult for 2015. There are two possible qualification paths for Y12:
- Be on the national points list (points earned at SYCs by finishing in the top 40% of participants at that event)
- Be in the top 50% of regional points (points earned at RYCs in our region)
Y14
Y14 has many qualification paths (more likely ones are near the top of the list below). Regional Points are a new path to qualification in 2015:
- Finish in the top 25% (with a minimum of three qualifiers) at Y14 WNY division qualifier event (typically held in the early spring at RFC)
- Be in the top 25% of Y14 regional points
- Be in the top 8 for Y12 regional points
- Be on the Y14 national point list (meaning your fencer finished in the top 40% at Y14 event at an SYC or the top 32 in a Y14 NAC)
- Be in the top 16 on the national point list for Y12
Finding the Points Lists on usfencing.org
The national points lists are easy to find. Click on Rankings > Current Point Standings, and then select gender / weapon as shown below:
Then you’ll be shown a list of documents, just find the right age category and click, and you’ll be shown that point list.
The regional point lists are found at Rankings > Current Point Standings > Regional Points as shown below:
From here, fill in the form with Weapon, Ranking Group (Age/Gender), Region (RFC is in Region 3) as shown below, and press “Submit”. The example below is for Y12MS (Y12 Men’s Saber).
Further Reading:
There are other club websites that do a nice job of explaining the regional/national points and qualification process as well. Here a couple I leaned on when writing this article:
http://academyoffencingmasters.com/blog/summer-nationals-qualification-requirements-for-y14-fencers/
