CEFC Sabre Developmental Practice Tournament

Cutting Edge Fencing Center is pleased to announce a series of special Developmental Practice Tournaments. During these practice tournaments, students will be divided into Novice (1 year of fencing experience or less) and Intermediate (3 years of fencing experience or less) categories with Youth (Birth Years 2004-2009) and Senior (2003 and earlier) age divisions. These are PRACTICE tournaments, not USA Fencing Sanctioned tournaments. Members of other clubs are welcome to take part. USA Fencing Membership is required (either competitive or non-competitive). Since we are limiting registrations for these practice tournaments, IT IS VITAL that you attend if you pre-register. We want to keep these practice tournaments small so we can give attention and advice to every fencer. It is acceptable for a Novice to also "fence up" into the Intermediate Division. CEFC reserves the right to place fencers into the category we deem appropriate. All tournaments will follow the same format (1 round of pools, 100% promotion to a single elimination DE bracket). Novice Level events will be seeded at Random. Intermediate events will be seeded utilizing the Intermediate Series Points list. Close of Check-in Times for all events will be as follows: 12:30 PM - Youth Novice (limit of 12 attendees) 3:00 PM - Senior Novice (limit of 12 attendees) 3:30 PM - Youth Intermediate (limit of 18 attendees) 6:00 PM - Senior Intermediate (limit of 18 attendees) The purpose of the Novice level tournaments is to: Demonstrate how to prepare for a tournament, signing up for a tournament on AskFRED, what to bring to a tournament Introduce fencers and their families to basic tournament protocols registration, the importance of warming up, saluting opponents and referees, keeping score on a pool sheet how fencers get seeded for the Direct Elimination round good sportsmanship (it’s ok to be upset when you lose, but you must stay to the end and cheer for teammates) shaking hands during the awards ceremony not using a flash while taking pictures appropriate behavior—can parents cheer/clap for their fencer? Teach basic right-of-way to fencers and their families Show basic referee hand signals Train new referees and bout committee The purpose of the Intermediate level tournaments is to: Reinforce and practice all of the information from the Novice level tournaments Train new referees, armourers, and bout committee Introduce fencers to complete armoury inspection Explain how to properly maintain one’s equipment Provide a bridge between bouting/competing at the club level to taking the risk of participating in more challenging competitions We will hold six of these tournaments between August 2016 and February 2017. Each event costs $20, payable at the door (preferably in cash). For more information, please contact coachkate@cuttingedgefencing.com or call 817-428-5599.