We’re halfway through the 2021-2022 season, meaning that fencing’s biggest tournament of the year is rapidly approaching. Whether you’re planning on attending or just curious what all the buzz is about, here’s our rundown on the 2022 Summer National Championships & July Challenge.
What is Summer Nationals?
The Summer National Championships & July Challenge is the biggest fencing tournament in the world, drawing in thousands of fencers each year. It hosts a combination of national championships and North American Cup (NAC) events across every age and classification category.
Dates
Summer Nationals is later than usual this year, with the event running from July 2-11, 2022. The full event schedule can be found on USA Fencing’s schedule announcement.
Location
The 2022 Summer Nationals is being held at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fencers making the trip from Maryland are looking at a 3 hour flight or an 18 hour drive. The location of Summer Nationals rotates every year, bouncing between the east coast, the central US, and the west coast. It won’t be coming back to the east coast until 2024, so Minneapolis is the closest we’ll see for awhile.
Events
Summer Nationals has every age and competitive category that USA Fencing has to offer. Most are national championship events, while a few are considered “July Challenge” events, meaning that they’re national-level, non-championship events.
Summer Nationals has championship events for:
- Div IA (Ages 13+, all ratings)
- Div II (Ages 13+, ratings C & under)
- Div III (Ages 13+, ratings D & under)
- Y10 (Ages 8-10)
- Y12 (Ages 10-12)
- Y14 (Ages 12-14)
- Vet-40 (Ages 40-49)
- Vet-50 (Ages 50-59)
- Vet-60 (Ages 60-69)
- Vet-70 (Ages 70+)
- Vet-80 (Ages 80+)
And July Challenge (non-championship) events for:
- Div I (Ages 13+, ratings C & above)
- Cadet (Ages 13-16)
- Junior (Ages 13-19)
- Vet Open (Ages 40+)
- Senior Team (Ages 13+)
- Veteran Team (Ages 40+)
Qualification & EliGibility
All but a few events at Summer Nationals require fencers to qualify. Qualification is mostly done through regional (ROC/RYC/RJCC) and national (NAC/SYC) tournaments, but some events (Div II and Y14) have specific local-level qualifying tournaments that fencers can attend.
All qualification and eligibility information comes from the 2021-2022 Athlete Handbook. In case of any discrepancies, refer back to the Athlete Handbook for more information.
Division IA (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Born 2008 or earlier
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Be on the current Div IA Regional Points list
- Be in the top 8 of the current Div II Regional points list
Division II (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Born 2008 or earlier
Classification Requirement: Ratings C, D, E, or U
Ways to Qualify:
- Place in the top 25% of your division’s Div II qualifier event
- Be on the current Div 1A Regional Points list
- Be on the current Div II Regional Points list
- Place in the top 40% of a Div II NAC
Division III (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Born 2008 or earlier
Classification Requirement: Ratings D, E, or U
Ways to Qualify:
- Place in the top 25% of the D, E, and U rated fencers at your division’s Div II qualifier event
- Be on the current Div 1A Regional Points list
- Be on the current Div II Regional Points list
- Qualify for Div II
Y10 (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Born 2011 – 2014
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Be on the current Y10 National Points list
- Be on the current Y10 Regional Points list in your region
- Have 60 or more Y12 Regional Points
Y12 (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Born 2009 – 2012
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Place in the top 25% of your division’s Y14 qualifier event
- Be on the current Y12 National Points list
- Have 70 or more Y12 Regional Points
- Have 150 or more Y14 Regional Points
Y14 (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Born 2007 – 2010
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Place in the top 25% of your division’s Y14 qualifier event
- Be on the current Y14 National Points list
- Have 150 or more Y14 Regional Points
VET Age (40, 50, 60, 70 & 80) (CHampionships)
Age Requirement: Varies based on age category
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Compete in your division’s Div II qualifier event
- Compete in a Regional Open Circuit (ROC) event
- Compete in a North American Cup (NAC) event
Division I (July Challenge)
Age Requirement: Born 2008 or earlier
Classification Requirement: Ratings A, B, or C
Ways to Qualify:
- Be on the current Div I National Points list
- Be on the current Junior National Points list
- Be in the top 24 of the Cadet National Points list
- Be in the top 16 of the Div IA Regional Points list
- Be in the top 4 of the Div II Regional Points list
- Compete in the NCAA Individual National Championships
Junior (July Challenge)
Age Requirement: Born 2003 – 2009
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Be on the current Junior National Points list
- Be on the current Cadet National Points list
- Have 65 or more Junior Regional Points
- Be in the top 25% of the Y14 National Points list
Cadet (July Challenge)
Age Requirement: Born 2006 – 2009
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- Be on the current Cadet National Points list
- Have 65 or more Cadet Regional Points
- Have 65 or more Junior Regional Points
- Be in the top 50% of the Y14 National Points list
VET Open (July Challenge)
Age Requirement: Born 1982 or later
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- No qualification required
Senior Team (July Challenge)
Age Requirement: Born 2008 or later
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- No qualification required
VET Team (July Challenge)
Age Requirement: Born 1982 or later
Classification Requirement: N/A
Ways to Qualify:
- No qualification required
Registration
Fencers can register for Summer Nationals on USA Fencing’s website here. Open registration runs from April 6 – May 25, and late registration runs until June 30. Unsure of how to register? Check out our guide on registering for regional & national tournaments.
