Team FAB Tournament Reference
Fencers and parents new to competition – start here! We hope we can make it easier for you to navigate what’s what in Competitive Fencing – where to register, how to qualify, etc. For more complete information, the ultimate source is USA Fencing.
2022-2023 USA Fencing Regional Events Schedule
2022-2023 USA Fencing National Events Schedule
The 2022-2023 season begins August 1, 2022. Fencers born in 2008 and 2009 are age-eligible to fence in Y14, Cadet, Junior, and Senior events. Please check all events that apply to your/your child’s age group. A USA Fencing Membership at the Competitive Level (or higher) is required to compete in all USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments. Upgrade at your USA Fencing Member profile.
2022-2023 Age Class Eligibility Rules apply to all USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments through July 31, 2023.
USA Fencing Athlete Handbook | USA Fencing Rulebook
Regional Tournaments are a Qualifying Path to National-level Fencing Competitions, using the Regional Ranking Point System. Fencers born in 2015 and earlier are eligible to compete in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments, and most fencers can compete in more than one category by age or rating. See the Point Standings FAQ at usafencing.org for an introduction, and refer to the Age Class Eligibility table to find which tournament events you or your young fencer are eligible to compete in.
Tip: Look up the National-level Tournament you want to compete in, and read the Eligibility tab to see what qualifications (if any) must be met for each event.
For the most complete and comprehensive information, refer to the USA Fencing Athlete’s Handbook.
Glossary:
Region – Fencing Academy of Boston is in Region 3 (sometimes written as III). Region 3 included 9 states in the North-Atlantic US – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Register for Regional events at your or your child’s USA Fencing profile and read each tournament’s info carefully.
Division –
1. Regions are further broken down into divisions, and some tournaments are restricted to fencers in the division. FAB’s Division of USA Fencing is New England, or NEUSFA, which covers Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Fencers’ divisions are based on their residence, school, and/or the location of the club with which they are affiliated. Some NEUSFA tournaments are qualifiers for national-level tournaments, but many are not. Division qualifying tournaments will be added to the page when they are scheduled and listed on askfred.net.
2. Division can also refer to a fencer’s classification eligibility. A “Senior” fencer is classified as any fencer born 2009 or earlier (in the 2022-2023 season). Divisions 1, 1A, 2, and 3 are tournaments that can be restricted to fencers depending on their classification or rating. (See also: Classification)
Classification – also called Rating – A, B, C, D, and E are ratings fencers can earn at Senior and Veteran events they compete in, depending on the number of fencers competing and their ratings, with A being the highest achievable. ‘U’ means unrated. Ratings can be earned at many tournaments, not only at qualifying tournaments. Because of the Age Eligibility for Senior events, fencers at Y14, Cadet, and Junior events may be rated. See also: USA Fencing Classification Chart.
Points – Fencers earn Regional Points in Regional Tournaments, and National Points in National Tournaments and those designated for Youth (SYC and March NAC) as serving their National Rolling Points Standing, and are not interchangeable. Either regionally or nationally, a fencer’s points are determined by how well they place in their events, and compared to all fencers in the same weapon and age/classification. The fencer’s point standing is by percentage, where they fall on the list for each category they compete in. Regional or National Point Standings can determine a fencer’s eligibility to qualify for Summer Nationals, and National Point Standings can allow younger fencers to “fence up”, i.e. compete in events they are otherwise too young to be eligible for, according to the Age/Class Eligibility chart. Point Standing also determines preliminary seeding in many tournaments, not only at qualifying tournaments. See also: Current Point Standings.
RYC – Regional Youth Circuit – a qualifying path for Y10, Y12, and Y14 fencers. Fencers only receive regional points at RYCs held in their region. Fencers may compete at RYCs outside their region, but do not receive regional points at tournaments in their region that are not RYCs or at RYCs outside of their region. Registration is through your child’s USA Fencing profile.
SYC – Super Youth Circuit – a qualifying path for Y10, Y12, and Y14 fencers. Fencers can receive national points at SYCs held anywhere in the United States. SYC Tournaments listed here are in Region 3 only. Registration for SYCs and other qualifying tournaments is through your child’s USA Fencing Member Profile.
RJCC – Regional Junior and Cadet Circuit – a qualifying path for Junior and Cadet fencers. Fencers only receive regional points at RJCCs held in their region. Fencers may compete at RJCCs outside their region, but do not receive regional points at Cadet or Junior tournaments in their region that are not RJCCs, or at RJCCs outside of their region. Registration is through your child’s USA Fencing profile.
ROC – Regional Open Circuit – a qualifying path for Senior (Div 2, Div 1A, and Veteran) fencers. Fencers can receive points at ROCs in or out of their region if they finish in the top 40% of the event they’re competing in. Registration is through the fencer’s USA Fencing profile.
NAC – North-American Cup – The NAC is a series of national-level tournaments held each month from October-April each fencing season, in different cities all over the United States. Each NAC held during the fencing season offers several events at a time. See the National Tournaments tab to see which one(s) you should plan to attend. NAC is a qualifying path for Y14, Junior, Cadet, Senior, and Veteran fencers. Y10 and Y12 fencers must qualify for NAC by competing in one or more RYC or SYC prior to the March NAC. Y14, Junior, Cadet, Senior and Veteran fencers do not need to qualify prior to entering a NAC. The NAC schedule and other national tournaments are posted at National Events Schedule and registered through your USA Fencing Profile, or follow links at the National Tournaments tab on this page.
JO – Junior Olympics – a National-level event. Junior, Cadet, and Junior Team events scheduled. Cadet and Junior Fencers need to qualify to enter this event.
Summer Nationals – in general, the culmination of the fencing season; what fencers are competing over the season to qualify for. USA Fencing National Championships (Y10, Y12, Y14, D1A, DV2, DV3, & Veterans) and July Challenge (Div I, Junior, Cadet & Open Senior Team). Elite fencers can qualify to go on to International events.