Contents:
Unclassified Epee Meet
New York RYC Results
Club Meeting Times and Classes
Bettie Graham in World Championships
Safety First
National Point System
National Rating System

On Saturday, January 31, 2004, Chevy Chase Fencing Club will be hosting an unclassified mixed epee tournament. This tournament is for unrated fencers only, kids and adults, men and women. Entry fee is $15.00, payable to Chevy Chase Fencing Club. Last year we had 22 entries at this annual tournament.

Registration is from 9:00-9:15 am. You must show your USFA membership card or join the USFA when registering at the competition. If you joined recently and have not yet received your membership card, e-mail the USFA to get an e-mail reply with confirmation of membership. USFA membership forms will be available at the tournament. Pay for USFA membership with a separate check (or credit card).

CCFC travelled with 9 fencers to the New York City Regional Youth Circuit on November 1-2, 2003 and brought home 8 medals, a fourth of all the medals awarded in the events entered. The highlight of the weekend was the first place finish of James Kaull who was undefeated all day in the Youth-12 Men's Epee Competition. Also, Max Brumby earned his E03 rating in the Youth-14 Men's Epee by placing 6th. CCFC results are listed below (place/# of entries):

The winter semester starts February 3. All recreation fees should be paid by this date. The Chevy Chase Fencing Club will meet at the following times:

Tuesday	7:30-9:00pm	(6:30pm for Junior Epee Club)
Wednesday	7:30-9:00pm
Thursday	7:30-9:00pm
Saturday	2:00-3:30pm

Classes also begin the first week of February. On Tuesdays at 5:30pm a Wheelchair Fencing Class will be held. Wednesdays at 5:30pm is the Beginning Foil Class and 6:30pm is the Intermediate Foil Class. Even experienced foil fencers can benefit from the drills in the Intermediate Foil Class.

Our Youth Program is starting again in February as well. The Beginning Junior Epee Class is Saturdays at 11:00am, Intermediate Junior Epee at 12:00pm and 1:00pm. Junior Epee Club will meet twice a week on Tuesdays at 6:30pm and Saturdays at 2:00pm.

Ray will also be available for private lessons by appointment either before or after class or club.

CCFC is very proud of one of our veteran (over age 40) fencers. Bettie Graham represented the United States at the Veteran World Championships in Limoges, France this past summer. This was Bettie's third World Championship. She qualified for the team in both foil and epee.

Bettie finished 13 out of 15 competitors in the foil event and 11 out of 18 in the epee competition. Not too bad to be 11th and 13th in the WORLD!! Congratulations Bettie.


Bettie is in the center, behind the sabre fencer.

Everyone must be diligent when hooking and unhooking from the electrical scoring machines. There is a lot of tension in the wires so you should attach and detach from the wires only at the ends of the strip in case the socket should accidentally slip out of your hand. We've been lucky so far. Only one broken window when the cord shot back suddenly. It could easily injure someone should they be standing at the ends of the strips. If you hook up and unhook at the end of the strip, the cord could only shoot upwards towards the ceiling and not injure anyone. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS RULE ALWAYS!

The national point system is a way of ranking fencers in the US. It is important for several reasons. Certainly bragging rights is important. CCFC currently has the number 2 fencer in the US in Y-12 Men's Epee (James Kaull). But also, if youth fencers have points in one age group, they can then enter events in the next highest age group even if they don't meet the birth year requirements. The point system is also used to automatically qualify to some events. For example, all fencers with points in their age group as of January 1, 2004 automatically qualify to the Junior Olympics in their age group (Junior Olympics are for Cadets (under-17) and Juniors (under-20)) and they don't have to compete in their division's qualifying competition.

Points are awarded to the top 40% of the fencers at North American Circuits (NACs), Summer National Championships and Super RYCs but only to the top 32 finishers. Points are calculated on a rotating basis. As a tournament is added to the point computation, last year's tournament is removed. For youth fencers, points are calculated on their results in their age group, one age group above, and the best of one Super RYC result.

It is a little complicated. If you have any questions, contact David Sapery. He is in charge of posting the point totals on the USFA website and is a member of the Chevy Chase Fencing Club.

The national rating (or classification) system is separate from the national point system (see above). Points are based on results in certain national (or Super RYC) tournaments. Ratings are earned at any tournament that qualifies. Ratings are used primarily to seed the first round of a competition. Ratings are A, B, C, D, E, and U. A is best. U stands for unclassified and includes all fencers that don't have a rating. Ratings are specific by weapon. One can have an epee A rating and a foil C rating. Ratings also have the calendar year in which the rating was earned appended to the letter. If you earn an foil C rating in calendar year 2003, you have a C03 in foil. This is better than a C02. Ratings degrade automatically by one letter after four years if one has not re-earned it or a higher rating.

The rating earned depends on the number of fencers in the tournament, the number of rated fencers in the tournament and the number of rated fencers in the finals of the tournament. See the USFA ratings chart to determine the classification of a particular tournament. Note that the classification of a tournament often cannot be determined until the finals. A certain number of rated fencers must be in the finals.

If you think you may have earned a rating at a tournament, speak with the meet manager. Wait until the finals to be certain and have the meet manager change your USFA membership card to indicate the new rating (and initial the change). The meet manager also needs to notify the national office in Colorado Springs by submitting a Classification Change Report. Make sure you have the meet manager's contact information in case the report doesn't get filed with the national office. The national office will then reissue your USFA membership card indicating your new rating.