Southwest Section Qualifying Championship

Welcome to the Tournament Information for the 2009 Southwest Section Championship! Preregistration is NOW OPEN! I'd like you to note that prepayment is required for preregistration - if you do not prepay and do not contact your section officers to make arrangements, you ARE NOT preregistered and will be charged the at-the-door fee on the day of your event(s). In order to manage costs effectively, we must have an accurate idea of attendance, and prepayment is a part of this process. Check back often to see updates regarding the tournament! Please direct inquiries in the meantime to secretary@southwestfencing.org and Jaimie will get back to you as soon as possible. THIS IS A QUALIFYING EVENT. Division IA - TOP 25% minimum of 8 qualify to fence Division IA at Summer Nationals 2009. Junior - TOP 25% minimum of 3 In determining the number of qualifiers, the number of competitors is the total number of fencers who competed in the qualifying competition who are eligible to fence in the Championships. Once the number of qualifiers is determined, those who have already qualified to the Championships in that weapon and category are skipped in determining those who have become qualifiers in that competition. For example, if there are 20 competitors in the qualifying competition, of which four have already qualified for that particular championships event, and if those four are among the group who would qualify, those four are skipped in determining the five qualifiers from that competition. The chart will be posted in the venue for your convenience. A list of autoqualified fencers for the 2009 Summer Nationals can be found here: http://fencing.teamusa.org/content/index/5782 REGARDING THE AUTOQUAL LIST: Several errors have been found in the Autoqualifier list in most event categories - PLEASE do not rely on this list to make your decision whether or not to fence Sectionals. We've reported the issue to the National Office, and we have not yet been advised whether they are going to use the published list, or audit it to only autoqualify fencers who meet the criteria established in the Athlete's Handbook. According to that same document, petitions are only available for medical or academic absence from the qualifiers, and so I really, really don't want anyone not to qualify based on an error beyond their control. Please FENCE if there is or may be any doubt regarding qualification eligibility. Information regarding who qualifies for what and how can be found in the Athlete's Handbook, here: http://assets.teamusa.org/assets/documents/attached_file/filename/8827/0809_Athlete_Handbook_-_Final__updated_2-25-09_.pdf HOTEL: Sheraton Suites Galleria 2400 West Loop South Houston, TX 77027 713.586.2444 Please ask for the rate for the "Fencing Tournament," and it is expected to be $79 per night. It's a few miles from the venue, but they've been wonderful for a range of tournaments in the past. VENUE: University of Houston Recreation and Wellness Center 4800 Calhoun Drive Houston, TX 77004 The Annual Meeting for the Membership of the Southwest Section will be held Saturday, April 19th, at 17:30 or the end of fencing, whichever is LATER, at the Venue for the event. Please email Jaimie at secretary@southwestfencing.org for a copy of the 2009 proxy voter form. Schedule of Events: Close of registration is in bold and projected finish time in (parenthesis). Projected finish will change based on event size and circumstance. Check in opens one hour prior to close. On Saturday, 18 April 2009: 08:00 Div IA Senior Men's Epee (14:10) 08:00 Junior (U19) Women's Saber (10:45) 11:00 Junior (U19) Men's Foil (14:10) 12:00 Junior (U19) Women's Foil (15:25) 12:00 Div IA Senior Women's Epee (16:25) 14:00 Div IA Senior Men's Saber (17:40) Meeting: 5:30 or close of fencing, whichever is later. On Sunday, 19 April 2009: 8:00 Div IA Senior Men's Foil (12:55) 8:00 Junior (U19) Men's Saber (11:25) 10:00 Junior (U19) Women's Epee (14:35) 12:00 Junior (U19) Men's Epee (17:10) 12:00 Div IA Senior Women's Foil (16:10) 13:00 Div IA Senior Women's Saber (16:10) Fencing will begin as soon as possible after the close of registration and is dependent upon the number of strips available and the number of referees. Fee Structure: Registration Fee: $35 Registration Fee AFTER MONDAY, 6 APRIL: $75 Registration Fee AFTER SATURDAY, 11 APRIL: $95 Per-Event Fee: $15 (no matter when you register, $15 per event) You may add an additional event at the door, and you will not be charged an additional fee to do so, as long as you have already paid the appropriate registration fee. PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP and WAIVER OF LIABILITY AND CONSENT FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT forms are required for this tournament. The Waiver form will be available online in the near future; please print it, fill it out (and have it signed by parents if under 18, NOT Coach), and bring it with you to Check-in. MEMBERSHIP ISSUES: Fencers must be current competitive USFA members of the SOUTHWEST SECTION in good standing to compete in this qualifier. Please check the Section Website at www.southwestfencing.org IN ADVANCE to verify that the USFA has your membership correct. Please DO NOT register for a USFA membership online during the two weeks immediately preceeding the tournament - it may not be processed correctly in time. USFA membership forms are available at the door. ELIGIBILTY: Fencers must be U.S. citizens OR permanent residents of the United States and current competitive members of the USFA. Any fencer who is a citizen or permanent resident who has represented another country in the last three years and who has not yet been granted permission to represent the USA is not eligible for any USFA National Championship competition, individual or team, including Division and Section qualifying competitions. A foreign fencer who is in the US on a visa is NOT eligible to fence in any National Championships, individual or team, or associated Division or Section qualifying competitions. If there is a discrepancy, membership data provided by the USFA will be used. BIRTH YEAR CONSIDERATIONS: DIVISION IA - Birth year 1995 or earlier JUNIOR - Birth year 1990 - 1996 Exceptions to the age eligibility criteria: Junior (U20) – A fencer born after 1995 can fence in Junior (U20), NAC Cadet and Junior Olympic U20 Championships qualifying round, IF the fencer is on the National Cadet (U17) point standings at the time of the entry deadline for that tournament. Div. I, IA, II, III – For the 2009 Summer National Championships and qualifying competitions those born after 1994 must be on the National Junior point standings. Referee Cadre (Tentative) Aaron Clements Adam Brewer Amgad Badawi Andrew Lambdin-Abraham Brad Baker Bradley Westerwelle Brian Day Curtis Hardy Daniel Lancaster David Sierra Delfina Perka Derek Cotton Jerry Benson John Trojanowski Justin Meehan Kelly Johnson Mark Stasinos Paul Schimelman Rachel El-Saleh Sabina Bazarbayeva Sasha Zucker Head Referee Michael Ross Technical Committee Jaimie Ailshire Matt Delevoryas Terry Harkey Armoury Staff Susie Grace Jerry Dunaway Ovy Waddoups