Fencers are ranked during each tournament and by their cumulative results regionally, nationally, and internationally.
All fencers that fence in a regional tournament within our region (Region 6) will earn regional points and placement on the regional points list. The total points for Y10, Y12, and Y14 fencers consist of their best 3 results; for cadet and junior fencers, the best two results form the ranking.
Points are based on where you finish in the tournament and the total number of fencers. The winning fencer in a regional tournament always gets 100 points so the maximum points for a season (based on 3 best results) is 300. For other fencers, the points are calculated as follows:
((#fencers-place+1)/#fencers)*100
So if you finished 3rd in a 10 person event, you get
((10-3+1)/10)*100=8/10*100=80 points! The 5th place finisher (no 4th place in fencing) will get 60 points so finishing 3rdis always a relative boost for rankings.
Regional points are a mechanism that enables you to qualify for national events including Summer Nationals, JO’s and the July Challenge. You can also earn regional recognition with an award patch for finishing in the overall Top 3 at the end of the season. As they say, always look out for fencers with patches when you face them in your competitions as they usually have significant competitive experience.
Qualifications
Summer Nationals
Y10: Any Y10 points (you get points just for competing in any tournament in your region)
Y12: 70 Y12 points (earned from your best 3 finishes; so 3 finishes in about the top 75-80%)
Y14: 150 Y14 points (3 finishes averaging in the top half of the field)
July Challenge:
Cadet: 65 Cadet Points (from best 2 finishes)
Junior: 65 Junior Points
Junior Olympics
Cadet: 110 Cadet Points (from best 2 finishes)
Junior: 110 Junior Points
These events also have “trickle down” so that if you qualify for a higher age group, you automatically qualify for the lower age groups. There is also generally a qualifying tournament, and you can also qualify by being on the national points list.
Regional point listing can be found here:
https://member.usafencing.org/regional/points
National Points: SYC
For youth fencers, national points can be earned through competition in SYC tournaments held throughout the country. In these tournaments, points are awarded to the Top 40% of finishers to a maximum of 64. For example, if there are 22 participants, then 9 fencers (22*0.4=8.8) will get points (they always round up). The following point tables show how points are awarded at SYCs. For any given age group, you can collect national points from your results in your age group and the next one up. At the Cadet/JR level, you can earn points from any point awarding event in which you fence including Div I and even international events.
The Super Youth Circuit is a great way to gain national experience and get started in the rankings and is open to everyone including non-US citizens.
The most elite fencing experience domestically is competition in the North American Cup (NAC) circuit, Junior Olympics, and Summer Nationals. At the premier national events, points are awarded based on the Table in which you finish and generally to the Table (Round) of 32. This means anyone finishing in the Top 32 earns points (provided there are at least 43 fencers; if fewer fencers then points are awarded to smaller tables). If the field is very large (160 or more), then the Table of 64 will earn points.
The national points table for the Top 32 for various events can be seen here:
Additional information about points including international points, adjusting for strength factors, and other highly advanced questions can always be found in the Athlete Handbook.
https://www.usafencing.org/athlete-handbook
National points and rankings can be found here: