USFA Programs
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About the United States Fencing Association
The Amateur Sports Act of 1978 specifically
named the United States Olympic Committee
(USOC) as the coordinating body for amateur
athletic activity in the U.S. directly relating
to international Olympic athletic competition.
The Act included provisions for recognizing
National Governing Bodies (NGBs) for the sports
on the programs of the Olympic and Pan American
Games.
The United States Fencing Association (USFA) is
the recognized NGB for the sport of fencing in
the United States. The USFA was founded in 1891
as the Amateur Fencers League of America (AFLA)
by a group of New York fencers seeking
independence from the Amateur Athletic Union.
The AFLA changed its name to the United States
Fencing Association in 1981.
The USFA is affiliated with the Federation
Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the
International Federation for fencing founded in
Paris in 1913.
The USFA was incorporated as a non-profit
corporation in Pennsylvania in 1964 in
compliance with the Amateur Sports Act and
opened its national office at the Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. in
August of 1982. Carla-Mae Richards was hired as
the USFAO's first full-time Executive Director
in 1983 and served in that capacity until 1994.
The USFA is now incorporated in Colorado. A
Strategic Planning Commission met in 1992 to
charter a course for the USFAO's future. A
planning group then met in 1995 and re-examined
he organization's mission and goals.
Mission: The mission of the USFA is to develop
fencers to achieve international success and to
administer and promote the sport in the U.S.
Goals:
* earn international medals
* expand membership
* increase the number and quality of coaches
and integrate them into the USFA
* increase public interest in fencing
* make the USFA an effective and efficient
organization.
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USFA Programs
Team Selection
In keeping with its mission, the USFA sends
teams to the World Championships, the World
Under-20 Championships, the World Under-17
Championships, the Pan American Senior
Championships and the Pan American Junior
Championships. In addition, the USFA develops
programs to assist its top athletes towards
achieving international results. The USFA
selects teams to represent the U.S. at the
Olympic Games, Pan American Games and World
University Games.
Junior Olympics
USFA grassroots success in attracting young
people is evident at the annual Junior Olympic
Fencing Championships (JOs). The event started
in 1972 with 100 fencers in four events. In
1996, the event attracted 1,240 fencers in 26
events spread over five age categories:
Under-20, Under-17, Under-15, Under-13 and
Under-11. The event has become so large that it
has been restructured for 1997 and beyond.
Under-15, Under-13 and Under-11 events will be
held at the newly created Summer Nationals.
National Championships
The USFA also conducts annual National
Championships. In recent years this event, like
the JOs, has attracted more than 900 fencers.
The Nationals began in 1892 and were held in
New York City until 1939, when they were held
in San Francisco and began moving to other
cities. Today, they are held in locations
across the U.S.
For 1997 the Division I events were held in
April at the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs to allow an earlier World
Championship team selection. In 1997 an
expanded Summer National Championships was held
in early July to eliminate conflicts with the
end of the school year. In 1998 the Division I
events will combine with Division IA (1997
only) at the Summer National Championships.
National Championship Events
* Division I, Under-16, Under-14, Under-12,
Under-10: Men's Foil, Epee, Sabre &
Women's Foil, Epee
* Division IA, II & III, Under-19: Men's
Foil, Epee, Sabre & Women's Foil, Epee,
Sabre Team (Open & Under-19): Men's Foil,
Epee, Sabre & Women's Foil, Epee, Sabre
* Veterans (40 & over): Events are held in
various age categories for Men's Foil,
Epee, Sabre & Women's Foil, Epee, Sabre
* Wheelchair: Men's Foil, Epee, Sabre &
Women's Foil, Epee
Classifications
The USFA issues classifications of A, B, C, D
and E to its competitive fencers, with A being
the highest level. Fencers may earn
classifications through improved performance at
high-level events. Division II national events
are for fencers classified "C" and below, while
Division III events are for "D" and below.
North American Cups
The North American Cups (NACs) are the USFAO's
key national-level competitions throughout the
competitive season. Four are held for the Open
category, while there are two each season for
the Under-20, Under-17, Under-15, Under-13 and
Under-11 age groups.
Fencers are not restricted to one age category
-- they may compete above their age category.
The USFA started a Division II and Division III
NAC in 1995. This is intended to be a
developmental event, not just for fencers but
also for referees, armorers and other official
personnel.
Point Standings
The USFA compiles point standings, or national
rankings, throughout the season for the Open,
Under-20, Under-17, Under-15, Under-13 and
Under-11 categories. Fencers earn points based
on placement at national events and certain
international events. These standings are used
to select U.S. teams.
National Team
The USFA began naming a National Team in 1989.
Each year, the country's top fencers earn spots
on the team, based on the national point
standings.
Training Centers
The USFA has begun to designate National
Training Centers for each of the five Olympic
events. The Rochester Fencing Centre in
Rochester, N.Y., run by National Women's Foil
Coach Buckie Leach, is the training center for
women's foil. Five regional training centers
have been named for men's epee. National
Training Centers will be named for men's foil,
women's epee and men's sabre at a later date.
Coaches College
The annual Coaches College is conducted in
August at the Olympic Training Center in
Colorado Springs. The Coaches College began in
1983 as part of the USFAO's coaching
development program and has become the most
prestigious fencing coach education program in
the U.S. Coach participants in this program
generally become the USFA's nationwide leading
developmental coaches. The Coaches College
program expanded its progressive classification
system in 1996 to five levels. Levels One and
Two encompass all three weapons, while Levels
Three, Four and Five specialize in one weapon
and encompass a higher level of training and
more complex instructional materials. Coaches
receive a certificate upon completion when they
pass the appropriate written and practical
examinations.
Veterans
Events for Veterans (fencers 40 and over) are
becoming more common at both the national and
international levels. In 1995, the U.S. hosted
an international Veterans event in Florida.
Wheelchair Fencing
Since 1994, the USFA has actively developed and
nurtured a world-class national wheelchair
fencing program. This program allowed the USFA
to field the first USA fencing team at the
Paralympic Games in 1996. The program was
rewarded with a fourth-place finish by Terri
Cecil-Ramsey of Louisville, Ky. in women's
epee. Leszek Stawicki of the Louisville Fencing
Center is the USFA's first-ever Wheelchair
National Coach. Additionally, a number of
internationally-rated wheelchair officials have
been trained by the USFA and a section of
Coaches College is now devoted exclusively to
wheelchair teaching principles.
Women's Sabre
This event is fairly new on the national scene.
A Division II event began at the National
Championships in 1991 with 32 competitors. In
1995 women's sabre was added to the NAC
program.