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Fencing tournaments & events: how to find and enter them

Once your fencer has a few months in, tournaments are where it gets fun. Here's how the system works and exactly where to look for the next event.

Where to find tournaments

askFRED.net, the registration hub for almost every local and regional US tournament. Search by state and register here.
Your division calendar , Gulf Coast Division (greater Houston / SE Texas) and South Texas Division (Austin, San Antonio & south) post local events. Not sure which division you're in? See the Texas division map.
National events , USA Fencing runs the North American Cups (NACs), Junior Olympics and Summer Nationals.

The ladder of events

Local & Youth (Y10/Y12/Y14) , your first tournaments; no rating required, low pressure.
Regional (RYC / RJCC) , earn regional points toward national qualification.
National (NAC, Summer Nationals) , the big ones; feed rankings and the path to the national team.

Your first tournament: get there early, bring water and your gear (borrow anything you're missing from clubmates), and expect to fence a round of pools then a direct-elimination bracket. New to the format? Read how scoring works, and our full guide to what to expect on tournament day. Win or lose, you'll learn more in one day than a month of class.

Not competing yet? Find a club with a competitive program, or read about ratings.