We get it: going to your first tournament can be scary. There’s a lot of pressure on a newer fencer to perform and prove to themselves that it’s worth continuing to travel and fence. On top of performance pressure, there are a lot of rules and small details you’ll have trouble picking up on before you get there. We’re here to help alleviate your stress.

In this guide, we give a barebones description of everything you should expect going into your first few tournaments, including an overview of rankings, how to know whether you’ll get points, and a few general rules for qualification.

How are fencers ranked in US?

Fencers are ranked within their points standings by the number of points they have. The fencers with the most points are the highest ranked. These rankings determine who is the best of the best in the USA within their particular category. Fencers earn points by traveling to national or international tournaments and performing well - the higher a fencer finishes, the more points they’ll get for that tournament.

We’ll be discussing how to qualify for national tournaments, and what to expect when you go to a youth, cadet, junior, or senior national tournament. In a subsequent article we will talk in more detail about the regional, veterans and wheelchair paths to National Rankings in those events, as well as letter ratings and how to earn them.

What are the US points standings categories?

USA Fencing maintains a few different point standings*, so even those fencers that are not (yet!) Olympic caliber are able to compete against one another.

Here are the general categories:

Regional Youth Standings

These standings rank fencers according to their region. There are six regions in fencing that split the continental US relatively evenly. Regions are sometimes referred to as sections. Regional points can also qualify a fencer to participate in national tournaments.

(maintained for Youth, Cadet and Junior age categories - see below for explanation)

Regional Open Circuit Standings

These standings are identical to the regional youth tournaments, except they are for adult fencers and have a different name.

(maintained for Open/Div IA. Div II, Veteran [multiple age categories] have other competitive opportunities in ROC tournaments - see below for explanation)

National Rolling Point Standings

These points determine who is the best fencer in the country for each category at any given time. This is a culmination of a fencer’s best scores in national and international events.

(maintained for Youth, Cadet, Junior, Senior, Veteran [multiple age categories] - see explanation below)

National Team Point Standings

These points determine who has the most points towards participating in World Championships. Check out this article if you’re interested in learning how a fencer qualifies for World Championships.

(maintained for Cadet, Junior, Senior; Veterans don’t use team points, but they do have World Championships in multiple age categories - see explanation below)