WWD Divisional Qualifier - Div II/III Events

FRED Announces the WWD Divisional Qualifier - Div II/III Events April 4-5, 2009 at Salle Auriol Seattle This event is the qualifier for the Division II and Division III events at Summer Nationals in July. All fencers who wish to fence these events at Summer Nationals must qualify through this event. The qualifier for the Y-14 and U-16 events will be held as a separate tournament on April 18th, 2009. In prior years, we tried to cram these events into the same weekend as the Div II/III events, but that has proven to be too much of a hassle for everyone. This tournament is only open to members of the USFA Western Washington Division. Even if you do not plan on attending Summer Nationals, you are encouraged to come and fence. If you usually attend the local tournaments, you should attend this event! The fact that it is a qualifier does not make it any different than any other local tournament. The more fencers that show up, the more people qualify! ----- Qualification Info ----- This season, there are two ways to qualify for Division II and Division III events: 1. Fence at this qualifier event and place in the top 25% 2. Fence at Sectionals (in Alaska in May) and qualify for Division I-A. In prior years, qualifying for Under-16 automatically qualified you for Div II/III. THIS IS NO LONGER THE CASE. The top 25% of fencers in each event will qualify (with a minimum of 3). If 3 or fewer fencers are present on the day of the event, it will not be fenced (and no fee will be charged) since everyone will qualify. However, you MUST be present at the venue at the close of registration in order to qualify! Veteran fencers that fence in the Div II/III event will automatically qualify for the corresponding Veteran event at Summer Nationals (regardless of finishing place.) ----- Event Schedule ----- Saturday 4/4/09 10:00 am -- Division II/III Men's Foil -- Division II/III Women's Epee 1:00 pm -- Division II/III Women's Saber Sunday 4/5/09 10:00 am -- Division II/III Men's Epee -- Division II/III Women's Foil 1:00 pm -- Division II/III Men's Saber All times are close of registration. ----- Registration Information ----- The registration fee is $10 plus $10 per event entered. Tournament fees can be pre-paid online on AskFRED when you register, or by cash or check on the day of the event. Pre-registration on AskFRED is REQUIRED by 11:59pm on Wednesday April 1st. If you do not pre-register by the deadline, you will be charged DOUBLE fees on the day of the event. Follow this link to pre-register online with AskFRED: http://askfred.net/Events/Prereg/prereg.php?tournament_id=8158 ----- Event Format ----- ALL events will be run as two rounds of pools followed by a direct elimination. The combined results from the two pool rounds will be used to seed the DE tableau. Depending on how many fencers attend, we may do a cut after the second round of pools. This two-rounds-of-pools format has proven to be popular with the fencers since it gives everyone a lot of fencing. It also tends to "smooth out" the seeding - if you fence poorly in the first round of pools, you can redeem yourself by fencing well in the second round. ----- Tournament Rules ----- All fencers must be current competitive members of the USFA Western Washington Division. You may join or renew your USFA membership at the door. Full USFA regulation uniform is required, including plastron, knickers, and knee-length socks. No jeans or sweatpants allowed. ----- Age Eligibility ----- All fencers must have been born in 1995 or earlier to fence in this event. ----- Equipment Check ----- Please arrive early to allow time for equipment checks. We will be checking masks, lames, and bodycords. ----- Petitions ----- If you are unable to attend the qualifier event, you may file a petition with the USFA requesting entry. In general, petitions are appropriate for people who were unable to attend due to illness or a schedule conflict (such as being out of town on business.) Contact chair@wwdfencing.org for more info on petitions.