New Fencer Parents Orienta on Agenda Ø Terminology, abbrevia ons, ra ngs Ø Fencing organiza ons – USFA, Divisions, The Bay Cup Ø Fencing equipment – What to buy, when to buy, costs Ø Fencing tournaments classifica ons and importance (House, Bay Cup, RYC, SYC, NACs, JOs, Summer Na onals, World Cups) Ø What is fencing tournament and event – Flow, dura on – Registra on (USFA, askFred) Ø Compe ons par cipa ons – When and why to par cipate and what to expect – Compe on cost (event fee, club fee, registra on fee) – What to bring (equipment, food) Ø Feeding your athlete (before, during and a er compe on) Ø Fencing resources Basic abbrevia ons • 3 weapons – Foil – F – Epee – E – Sabre – S • 3 Genders J – Men’s – M – Women’s – W – Mixed – X • Age Brackets – Youth (Y10, Y12, Y14) • Y10 – Born on 2003-2006 (for 2013-2014 fencing season) • Y12 – Born on 2001-2004 (for 2013-2014 fencing season) • Y14 – Born on 1999-2002 (for 2013-2014 fencing season) – Cadets (U17) – Born on 1996-2000 (for 2013-2014 fencing season) – Juniors (U19) – Born on 1994-2000 (for 2013-2014 fencing season) – Seniors ( older than 13 y.o.) – Born no later than 2000 (for 2013-2014 fencing season) – Veterans ( Combined, V40, V50, V60, V70) • US Fencing Ra ng and Divisions • U, E, D, C, B, A – U = Unrated, a fencer that have no ra ng – E – lowest official ra ng, A – highest – Ra ng = quality and consistency of a fencer
• Ra ng is earned in USFA sanc oned compe ons – Every compe on awards a new ra ng depending on number and quality of par cipants and their results – Youth compe ons are unrated unless they are C1
• Division I – Senior fencers rated A, B, C (i.e., C & Higher)
• Division II – Senior fencers rated C or Lower
• Division III – Senior fencers rated D or Lower
• Division IA – Senior fencers qualified for DivIA via ROCs or DivII Events abbrevia ons and meanings • Events abbrevia on - [Age][Ra ng][Gender][Weapon]
• If specific age missing = Senior’s event (>13 y.o.)
– Y10MF – Y10 Men’s Foil – VXE – Veterans (= combined all ages), Any Ra ng, Mixed (both genders) Epee – UMF – (Senior’s) Unrated Men’s Foil – JCHWS – Junior’s, C and Higher Ra ng, Women’s Sabre USFA Events Classifica on (par al) Major Fencing Organiza ons • FIE – Fédéra on Interna onale d'Escrime (Interna onal Fencing Federa on) – governing body of interna onal fencing, reports to IOC – www.fie.ch
• USFA (United States Fencing Associa on) – www.usfencing.org, reports to USOC and FIE
• USFA divided the country to regions and divisions. California has 4 divisions: – Southern CA – south of Sant Luis Obispo – Central CA – from Sant Luis Obispo ll Palo Alto – Northern CA – From Palo Alto (south) to Sonoma/Napa (north) and Livermore (east) – Mountain Valley – the rest – AFM belongs to Central California Division
• AFM is USFA club-member – Every AFM employee and affiliate are USFA professional members and passed scrupulous background check
• The Bay Cup – local Bay Area coopera ve – Organizes Bay Cup tournaments (Central, Northern, Mountain Valley) – No membership required USFA Membership Requirement • Every fencer must become a USFA member due to insurance requirement – mandatory
• USFA Membership levels (relevant to AFM fencers) – Yearly: USFA year = Aug/1 – Jul/31 – Non compe ve: $5/year – minimal required, must be done to con nue fencing in the club – Compe ve: • Yearly - $70/year – if you child would compete. Cannot par cipate in any USFA sanc oned event without • Single event: $25/day – one me for single compe on – Upgrade from non-compe ve to compe ve possible at any me Where to buy • 3 ways: – Physical store (only few in the Bay Area) – Victory Fencing in Millbrae ( h p://www.victoryfencinggear.com) and Alliance Fencing Equipment in SF ( h p://www.alliancefencingequipment.com/) • Plus – Instant gra fica on, see what you get, consult with salesperson • Minus – Distance and me – Online – many op ons (Absolute Fencing, The Fencing Post, Fencing.net, Alliance, etc.) • Plus – A lot to choose from, possibility to find a clearance • Minus – Too confusing for a new fencer, most probably will result in wrong decision – With the help of AFM • Plus – Exactly what you need • Minus – Wait me from order to receiving 7-10 days, We work only with few chosen suppliers Fencing equipment checklist ü Chest protector ü Underarm protector (aka plastron) ü Jacket ü Lame (for foil only) ü Mask ü Glove ü Bag ü Foil or epee (for compe on – must have at least two) ü Body cord (for compe on – must have at least two) ü Mask cord for foil only (for compe on – must have two) ü Knickers (must for compe on) ü Long socks (must for compe on) ü Fencing shoes – recommended but not mandatory Time to buy • Your child is commi ed! – It is a big expense – expect ~$500-$600 purchase – Typically passed 6 intro lessons – Loves fencing and AFM • Intermediate level fencer is expected to own their equipment – Owning = more commitment by itself – Pride to own – More hygienic and personal – Must own full equipment to compete – More me efficient to gear up during the training Reasons to par cipate in compe ons • 8 reasons to go to compe ons 1. Fun 2. Self-assessment and progress benchmarking 3. Experience and learning 4. Social and team experience 5. Great alterna ve for weekend 6. Results and achievement 7. Qualifica on path for na onal compe ons 8. Self-esteem • Par cipa on in any of the compe on is not mandatory – Desire – Budget – Time commitment
• There is no such thing as star ng too soon – Read AFM Blog post on that subject Fencing Compe ons
• Na onal Championships – Division I • Typically in April • Top finishers are represen ng US na onal team for world championship in July/ August • Invita onal only – top 64 US fencers in each weapon category – Junior Olympics Championship (Cadets and Juniors) • Presidents Day weekend (3rd weekend of February) • Top finishers are represen ng US na onal team for cadet/juniors championship in Spring • Must qualify (Divisional Jos qualifiers ) or be auto-qualified by na onal points – Summer Na onals • Other Divisions and age categories (e.g., veterans, Div II, etc.) • Typically – end of June/beginning of July for 2 weeks • Must qualify thru Divisional qualifica ons or be auto-qualified by na onal points • NACs (North American Cup) – 7 NACs during fencing season (October, November, December, January, March, April, July) – Covers all Divisions and ages ( Each NAC focuses on subset of some categories) – No qualifica on required, only eligibility (age, Division) Fencing Compe ons (con nue)
• ROC (Regional Open Circuit) – Open Senior and Veteran Regional compe ons throughout the country – Qualifying path for DivII/III/1A/Veteran championships • Top 8 for Div1A, 10% for Div II • SYC (Super Youth Circuit) – Na onal Events for Y10, Y12 and Y14 fencers – About once every month thru the whole country (last one was Dec 6-9 in Chandler, AZ) – Qualifying path for youth for Summer Na onals: Y10/Y12 – enough to par cipate in SYC or RYC to be eligible for Summer Na onals • RYC (Regional Youth Circuit) – Regional Events for Y10, Y12 and Y14 fencers – In Bay Area – 4 events this year; next one at Jan 4-5 – Qualifying path for youth for Summer Na onals: Y10/Y12 – enough to par cipate in SYC or RYC to be eligible for Summer Na onals • Bay Cups – Most popular and a ended Bay Area compe ons for all ages (Y to V), levels (U to A), genders (M,W,X), weapons – About 3-6 events in every category; – In 2013-14 total 79 tournaments, 176 events • Internal Compe ons Fencing Compe ons • November 2013 - North American Cup at the New Cleveland Fencing Tournament Info
• Tournament = 1 or more events – (e.g., RYC tournament = 3 weapons * 2 genders * 3 ages = 18 events) – Some events can be concurrent, organizers try to eliminate conflicts when possible – At single me fencer par cipates in 1 event only, need to priori ze one if concurrent – Event start me might be delayed if previous event did not finish • Events typical fees – Na onal - $50-70 per event – Bay Cups: $15/event – Bay Cup fee, $25/event – host club fee • Events posted on askFred.net (local, regional) and usfencing.org (na onal) – askFred: all local, RYCs, SYCs, ROCs – usfencing.org: NACs, JOs, Na onal Championships – thebaycup.net: live results and Bay Cup tournaments in one place – Register of check these resources according to the level of compe on Event Flow • Registra on – Fencer must check in with venue/event administra on (fees, eligibility check, etc.) called bout commi ee – Registra on close me – no more entries allowed a er this me, late fencers denied par cipa on – Event starts shortly a er registra on close – Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes earlier for local events (parking, registra on, gearing up, warming up) • Pools – 3-7 bouts in pool – Do not leave as compe on con nues in DE – Takes about 20-40 minutes to start DE’s a er all pools are done • A good me to grab a light meal a er the last bout in the pool • Direct Elimina on – At least 1 bout if defeated right away in first DE – A er defeat – can leave home (no check out) • Awards Ceremony – At local events – first 4 are awarded (1st, 2nd, 3rd X2 places) – At na onal events – first 8 are awarded; at local events – at least no ced – Ra ngs are awarded at the end of the USFA sanc oned compe ons
1. Preliminary seeding (algorithm varies for different tournaments Registration 2. Pools assignments closes
1. 4-8 people per pool depending on amount of competitors • Optimized around pool size of 6 or 7 people 2. Pools are balanced per seeding 3. Every fencer fences with everyone in the pool Pools • Bout = 5 touches up to 3 minutes net time • Rule of thumb – average length ~ x2 net time 4. Pools might take 2-4 hours depending on venue 5. In most events 100% advance to DE’s 6. 1 referee per pool
1. DE seeding per pool results (1 total list) 2. Olympic system of power of 2 tables • Table of 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4(semi-final), 2 (final) • Assignment from edges (high-low) DE (Direct • High seeded might get BYE in 1st round Eliminations) • Usually no fence-off for 3rd place 3. Bout - 15 touches, 3 periods of 3 min each, 1 min break • Y10 and Veterans – 10 touches, 2 periods • Rule of thumb – average length ~ x2-x3 net time Awards 1. Must have: camera w/ charged battery & enough memory Checklist of what to bring • Full fencing gear as described above
• 3 T-shirts – 1 - to wear at the beginning – 2 - might be needed to change a er pools – 3 – to take off wet shirt before departure
• Warm up jacket
• Water
• Food Proper diet during compe on • Last big meal – at least 6-7 hours before the event (i.e., dinner) – Try avoiding meat • Nothing new two days prior to compe on to not upset the stomach! • On tournament day – Goal: to stay light on feet yet energized, well balanced on essen al elements, properly hydrated – Breakfast: carbs (bagel, toast, cereal) - at least 2-3 hours before start of event – No meat during the tournament – Eat some carbs (cereal snack, bagel, pretzels, toast) – from me to me – Drink frequently (e.g., a er every bout), but not more that ½ cup at once to not create heaviness in the stomach – Take some very light chicken broth (or other veggie soup) in thermos cup to eat during a long break (controversial for many, but I personally found it to be good • A er – drink a lot, eat a lot of carbs and vitamins/minerals, celebrate!
Training Discipline • Like reading, learning, music - sport requires constant training • Cross-training during the fencing season – Swimming during summer/hot months – Running – Rope jumping • Fencing camps during school breaks – Condi oning – Fencing related prepara on for rest of the season or new season – AFM provides variety of full-day fencing camps on all levels Addi onal AFM Resources • AFM Blog – Weekly updates – Our posts about fencing, sport paren ng, spirit, major fencing events and AFM news – h p://AcademyFfFencingMasters.com/blog - sign up • AFM Newsle er – Monthly updates – Major source of news about club, compe ons schedules, club events and ini a ves, and achievements of our fencers – Send email to offi[email protected] to sign up • AFM Facebook page – Like us there J – h ps://www.facebook.com/AcademyOfFencingMasters – You might find some fun and important info there and ‘feel’ us Important fencing resources • Usfencing.org – USFA main site • Thebaycup.net – The Bay Cup site. Sign up for their newsle er • Fencing.net – both their blog and forum are great fencing info resources (and you can shop as well) • Fie.ch – FIE English site. Major world wide fencing news • Few other good fencing blogs are around: – The Fencing Coach - h p://thefencingcoach.com - Some mes Damien’s humor makes you wink (if you are not from Brooklyn), but otherwise excellent blog on all fencing related – The Fencing Athlete - h p://thefencingathlete.com - This is more advanced fencing blog from A-rated top US fencer. – Race Imboden - h p://thefencingathlete.com - This is a strange mix of fashion, travel and some fencing and sport musing. A new one and not developed yet About Academy of Fencing Masters • To learn more about AFM visit h p://AcademyOfFencingMasters.com • AFM contact info: – Address: 86 Railway Ave., Campbell, CA – Phone: 408-370-6419 – Email: offi[email protected]