Gulf Coast Tournaments

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2008-2009 Gulf Coast Division Fencing Season

 

As always, subject to change...

WEEKENDTOURNAMENTLOCNOTES
14-15 Feb. 2009no local tournament Junior Olympics - N Mx
    
21-22 Feb. 2009Gulf Coast SSCC & RYCYoung ElitesHAFC
    
28 Feb. 2009no local tournament  
1 Mar. 2009Alliance Four Seasons CupAlliance  
    
7-8 Mar. 2009Youth TournamentSalle Mauro 
7-8 Mar. 2009Houston Cup, Youth Battle #7Alliance 
    
14-15 Mar. 2009SUPER YOUTH CIRCUITBCFAActual dates 13-15 Mar.
    
21 Mar. 2009Clear Lake OpenCLFCDIVISION EXCLUSIVE
22 Mar. 2009no local tournament  
    
28-29 Mar. 2009Van Buskirk Memorial & RYCSalle Mauro/Rice USSCC #4
    
4-5 Apr. 2009Gulf Coast Divisional QualifiersKaty BladesHAFC
    
11 Apr. 2009Houston Cup, Youth Battle #8Alliance 
12 Apr. 2009no local tournament  
    
18-19 Apr. 2009SW Sectional Qualifiers UH Wellness Center
    
25 Apr. 2009Jean Laffite ClassicGalveston FC 
26 Apr. 2009no local tournament  
    
2-3 May 2009Academy of Fencing TournamentAoFDIVISION EXCLUSIVE
    
9 May. 2009Schools Championship. HoustonAlliancenon-USFA
9-10 May 2009Katy Blades TournamentKaty BladesDIVISION EXCLUSIVE
    
16-17 May 2009Young Elites TournamentYoung ElitesDIVISION EXCLUSIVE
    
23-24 May 2009no local tournament  
    
30-31 May 2009no local tournament  
    
6-7 Jun. 2009Academy of Fencing TournamentAoF 
    
13-14 Jun. 2009no local tournament  
    
20 Jun. 2009Houston Cup, Youth Battle #10Alliance 
21 Jun. 2009Alliance Four Season Cup, SummerAlliance 
    
27-28 Jun. 2009no local tournament  
    
4-5 Jul. 2009SUMMER NATIONALS Dallas
11-12 Jul. 2009SUMMER NATIONALS Dallas
    
18-19 Jul. 2009no local tournament  
    
25-26 Jul. 2009no local tournament  

Rules of the Tournament Game

Any group or organization may hold as many tournaments as they wish; however, for a tournament to be sanctioned by the United States Fencing Association (USFA), there are criteria to be met. The criteria below represents that established by the Gulf Coast Division of the USFA. To be a sanctioned event (allowing letter classification changes) the host club, also known as the LOC (local organizing committee), must have been a USFA member-club for at least six months during the previous season. It must also have been a member club for at least the six weeks prior to the proposed tournament date and, of course, be a USFA member club at the time of the tournament.

The tournament format must also be in some format recognized by the USFA.

There must be adequate prior advertisement of the event so that all fencers may have an equal opportunity to compete. (The most common form of "adequate prior advertisement" is 6 weeks notice on AskFRED.net) Any possible competition or format changes must be included in the announcement/advertisement.

The Fencing Season runs from August 1st through July 31st. At the beginning of each season, the Gulf Coast Division holds a meeting for representatives of all the USFA member-clubs within the division. Most years there are anywhere from 12-18 clubs who are members. The calendar is reviewed and tournament dates allotted.

Certain weekends are "blacked out," that is, no local tournament scheduled on these weekends will get sanctioned. The blacked out weekends are those of: our local divisional qualifiers for the national championships; our local qualifiers to the Junior Olympics; our Section's qualifiers to the nationals; those with a national-level tournament held within our division (North American Cups, Super Youth Circuits or Nationals); and those with a Southwest Section Circuit Cup tournament. Most years this amounts to about nine weekends.

After allowing for the blacked out weekends, each USFA member-club in the division is allotted one "Divisional Exclusive" weekend. On that weekend, only that club may hold a sanctioned tournament. Among other things, this is to encourage turnout at tournaments held by clubs that are small and/or outside the population core of the Gulf Coast Division (Houston).

Most seasons there are about 15 member clubs, each being granted an exclusive weekend. So 24 (15 exclusives + 9 blackouts) of 52 weekends are allotted. The remainder are divided among such clubs as wish to host more than one tournament per year. These are not "exclusive" and more than one tournament may be held on a given weekend, with much effort made to make them distinct events from each other (for example: on the same weekend, one club holds a tournament on Saturday, one on Sunday; or one holds an epee tournament while the other is all-sabre; or one is for youth and one holds a veterans event... you get the idea).