skip navigation

2021-22 Points and Qualifying: What Fencers Need to Know for Summer Nationals and Beyond

04/13/2022, 8:45am CDT
By Bryan Wendell

Who can compete in Minneapolis? That starts with knowing where you rank in the current point standings and then reviewing the qualification tables.


Fencers square off during the 2021 Summer Nationals in Philadelphia. Photo by Camille Simmons

You’ve been competing hard all season. This summer, you’ll put that work to the test at the USA Fencing National Championships & July Challenge, also known as Summer Nationals.

This year’s event, held in Minneapolis, Minn., will conclude the 2021-22 national season in dramatic fashion as we crown national champions in the Division IA, Division II, Division III, Y14, Y12, Y10 and Veteran (V40, V50, V60, V70, V80+) classifications. 

The tournament will feature non-championship competition in Division I, Junior, Cadet, Senior Team and Veteran Team classifications.

So who can compete in Minneapolis? That starts with knowing where you rank in the current point standings and then reviewing the qualification tables. It also helps to be familiar with Chapter 3 of the Athlete Handbook.

When reviewing the tables, please note that meeting any criteria across your classification’s row will count as qualifying. For example, take a look at the path to the 2022 National Championships for Y14 fencers. 

 

A Y14 fencer could qualifying by meeting any one of the following criteria:

So what’s different about 2022? We know the pandemic has caused many adjustments to qualification pathways and windows across all age categories, so we wanted to provide an update on the points roll-off schedules and qualification pathways for Summer Nationals.

Roll-Off Schedules for National Events

At the conclusion of each USA Fencing national event, points from a previous national event roll off — meaning they no longer count toward qualification. For example, after the April 2022 National Championships and NAC in Charlotte, Juniors and Cadets will see their points roll off from the 2021 July Challenge, which was held in Salt Lake City. 

  • See the complete rolling points schedule for national events at this link.  

  • Note: Because of the shortened season in 2021-22 and modifications to the typical national events schedule, points may not remain on the standings for a full 12 months after they were earned.

Regional Point Schedules

  • Junior and Cadet regional points: These are accumulated during an annual window starting immediately after the close of the regular entry fee deadline for the current season’s Junior Olympic Championships and ending at the close of the regular entry fee deadline for the Junior Olympic Championships the following season. For the 2023 Junior Olympics, the period for earning regional points is Jan. 12, 2022 to Jan. 11, 2023.

  • Other regional point categories (Youth, DV1A, DV2, VET): Points are accumulated starting on Aug. 1 of the current season through the regular entry fee deadline for the National Championships and July Challenge. For the 2022 National Championships, the window is Aug. 1, 2021 to May 25, 2022. Points then reset to zero on Aug. 1, 2022.

Qualification Pathways

  • For the 2021-22 season, qualification pathways were also adjusted from the previous season, more closely resembling the pathways used for the 2019-20 season.

  • Adjustments for the 2022 National Championships and July Challenge include:

    • Results from division qualifier tournaments from the previous season are no longer considered for qualification.

    • Points or rankings accrued in the previous season are no longer considered for qualification, unless otherwise specified in the criteria listed in Chapter 2 of the Athlete Handbook.

    • Y14 division qualifier tournaments for the National Championships have been added back in as a pathway for qualification.

  • Summary information regarding qualification full pathways can also be found in our qualification tables at this link.

Tag(s): Updates