Blake Novice Tournament 2025

IMPORTANT: SPA and Holy Family fencers should NOT pay at the end of registration. Please click "save and pay later" and your school will pay for you. Your registration will show as "pending."

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Overview

This event starts with a presentation about how fencing tournaments work to help orient new fencers (and family and friends) before we head downstairs for the tournament. The tournament will involve only fencers who have never competed in a tournament before; see below for eligibility information.

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Eligibility

You are fully eligible for this tournament if all of the following are true:

1. You live in Minnesota or fence with a club or school located in Minnesota
2. You are in grades 7-12
3. You have never competed in any fencing tournament in any weapon (which means you do not have a USA Fencing rating)
4. You did not start fencing prior to June 1, 2025 (exception: participation in up to two one-week summer camps prior to June 1, 2025, allowed)

You are partially eligible for this tournament if all of the following are true:

1. You live in Minnesota or fence with a club or school located in Minnesota
2. You are in grades 7-12
3. You started fencing prior to June 1, 2025
4. You have never competed in any fencing tournament in any weapon (which means you do not have a USA Fencing rating)

Partially eligible fencers will be allowed to fence the pool round but will be removed before the direct elimination round (and so will not be eligible for medals). However, we will make an effort to get partially eligible fencers a 15-touch bout against another partially eligible fencer in order to give them a fuller tournament experience. AskFRED does not allow you to specify "fully eligible" or "partially eligible" when registering; we will ask partially eligible fencers to self-identify by email when registration closes, so please reply immediately when you get that email.

This tournament is intended to help brand-new fencers get started with tournaments by fencing against other people in the same boat. If you aren’t sure whether you are eligible or partially eligible, feel free to email using the "Message the Organizer" link on this page to ask. You can also ask your coach for guidance. However, the criteria above will be applied to all fencers with no exceptions. All fencers, parents, and friends are welcome to come to the presentation regardless of experience level.

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Schedule

The schedule will be:

1. 8:00—Doors open, and check-in, payment, and equipment check begins (west entrance)
2. 9:00—Critically acclaimed presentation about fencing and tournaments for fencers and parents (auditorium)
3. 10:00—Check-in closes for people not attending the presentation
4. 10:30–Move to gym for tournament
5. 11:00—Fencing begins
6. TBD—Awards (medals for the top 4 finishers in each event)

We won’t know start times for individual events until we see how many people register. 

Note: There will be no food provided and no concessions. Feel free to bring food, as there will be no lunch break.

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Location

The event will be held at The Blake School Minneapolis Campus at 511 Kenwood Pkwy Minneapolis, MN 55403 (near Parade Ice Arena; note this is not at the Hopkins Campus, which many people are more familiar with). You can park in the Blake parking lots on the east and west sides of the building, but you will need to enter through the west doors. Allow plenty of time to find legal parking and then to walk to the school in case the Blake lots are full.

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Registration and payment

You must register via AskFRED (this website) prior to 11:00 PM on 12/8/25 (check the “Who’s coming?” page to make sure your registration went through properly)

Please be aware of the following:

1. The individual prepaid (online payment) entry fee for competitors is $50.00 for those paying online and for school programs that pay for their teams with a single payment.
2. SPA and Holy Family fencers should NOT pay online or in person; your school will cover your entry fees.
3. If you do not prepay online and are not a SPA or Holy Family fencer, you can pay $60 by cash or check on the day of the event by cash or check only (no credit cards or electronic payments, and there is no ATM on site). 
4. You must be pre-registered via AskFRED (no on-site registration is permitted).
5. If you don’t check-in by the close of check-in (10:00 a.m.), you will not be allowed to compete.
6. Each fencer may only compete in one event. 
7. Checks can be made out to “The Blake School.” Note that if your school or team pays for its team members, you will not need to pay at the door, but you still need to check in upon arrival; check with your coach if you aren't sure.
8. Parents, family, and friends are welcome to attend the educational portion at 9:00, and they need not pay or register.

Please make sure you are registering under the correct AskFRED-listed high school team or club. Check with your coach if you are not sure which one is yours. In addition, make sure the email listed on your AskFRED account is current and checked regularly; there will be an announcement email sent out a few days prior to the tournament.

In general, there will be no refunds for people who pay in advance and do not show up. However, extenuating circumstances may be taken into account (e.g., snowstorms) and full or partial refunds may be issued after accounting for fixed costs such as awards.

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Equipment rules

All fencers must have

1. knickers
2. socks that overlap the knickers
3. a jacket
4. an underarm protector
5. a fencing glove (for saber, 800 NW FIE gloves are required; a metal cuff or overglove is also required)
6. for foil and epee, a weapon that passes weights and shims.

Uniform items must be in good condition and free of holes.

All weapons will be fenced electric, so each fencer will need a working weapon and a body cord as well as a lamé and mask cord for foil and saber. Teams should also have spare weapons and body cords for their fencers.

All women must have chest protectors; any chest protectors used by men or women in foil must have neoprene padding.

Masks will be inspected. They must (1) be free of dents and defects (2) pass a punch test (3) have a working back strap (the new-style Velcro strap system is not required, but there must be a strap in good working condition, tight enough to secure the mask to the back of the head).

Note: weights and shims will be inspected for foil and epee.

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COVID policy

As of this posting, masks and vaccinations are not required to participate or attend. However, if you are ill or have a fever, you are asked not to attend. If you have tested positive for COVID, please do not attend unless you have a negative test or have been fever-free for at least 5 full days.