skip navigation

Register for the 2022 Summer Nationals by May 25

05/11/2022, 8:15am CDT
By Bryan Wendell

The regular-fee registration deadline is May 25, and event start times will be released about a week later. Here’s what else you need to know about this year’s tournament in Minneapolis.


Last year's Summer Nationals brought thousands of fencers and fans to Philadelphia. Photo by Camille Simmons

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Excitement is building across the country as we near the 50-day mark in our countdown to the 2022 USA Fencing National Championships and July Challenge.

This year’s Summer Nationals, USA Fencing’s biggest competition of the season, will be held from July 2-11 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

Another key date is approaching even sooner: May 25 is the last day to register for Summer Nationals at the regular price. Beginning May 26, the entry fee triples.

As these important dates near, here are a few answers to questions USA Fencing is hearing from our members.

When will event start times be announced?

We plan to share event start times on Wednesday, June 1*.

We shared the day schedule in March to give fencers and their families as much notice as possible about which events will be held during each of the tournament’s 10 days.

But we’ve heard from fencers asking for the exact time when their event (or events) will start.

As with all national tournaments, we don’t share start times until regular-fee registration closes (May 25 for this year’s Summer Nationals). The reason: Waiting until after the deadline allows us to have an accurate picture of entry numbers for each event.

Without this information, it’s difficult to efficiently schedule the tournament to ensure we keep the competition days shorter and end times as early as possible. This is for the benefit of not only the event participants but also the tournament officials. 

With more than 4,500 registrations as of May 11, our goal is to create a competition schedule that flows smoothly and keeps everyone fencing. Thanks for your patience as our team carefully builds this schedule.

What are the health protocols for Minneapolis?

We continue to monitor the ever-changing pandemic and will share final health protocols in June.

Please note that on May 10, USA Fencing announced that fencers are no longer required to wear face masks under their fencing masks during bouts. This change applies to local, regional and national tournaments — including Summer Nationals.

What else is happening at Summer Nationals and in Minneapolis while we’re there?

Hall of Fame induction: The USA Fencing Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for July 5. Tickets will go on sale May 23, and you can meet the impressive inductees here.

All-American and All-Academic certificate presentation: This year’s Summer Nationals will feature the return of a fan-favorite in-person event that recognizes those who have been selected to USA Fencing’s All-American Team and the Absolute Fencing Gear All-Academic Team. Stay tuned for more details!

Visit Minneapolis: Our friends at the Minneapolis Convention Center have put together a list of the best shopping, entertainment and dining options — with many located just a short distance from the competition venue. Go to this page and scroll to “Explore Minneapolis” to start planning.

Even more to come: We’ll have more fun surprises to announce soon — including a special downtown event space that will introduce more people to our sport. Be sure to follow our Facebook and Instagram channels so you don’t miss a thing.

--

*Update, May 13: Our original post listed this date as May 27, but we have since learned that this deadline would not give our team enough time to create the schedule. This new timeline (about a week after the close of registration) is in line with with our schedule-release timing from previous years and events. We apologize for the error.

Tag(s): Updates