New Zealand National

Secondary Schools Championships

7 - 8 September 2024

Fencing North and Fencing New Zealand invite you to attend the NZ National Secondary Schools Championships 2024 to be held at Mount Albert Grammar School (Gyms 1&2), Mount Albert, Auckland starting on Saturday 7th September and finishing on Sunday 8th September 2024.

Eligibility

To fence in the championship events fencers must be in Year 9 to 13 (forms 3 to 7 inclusive) at a secondary school. If you are unsure whether the event is appropriate for you/your child, please check with your coach. All potential entrants from Year 8 (Form 2) or below must apply in writing to the competition organiser; Email: Fencingnorth.hot@gmail.com

Participants must be affiliated members of Fencing New Zealand for 2024. International fencers must have a current membership to their national Fencing Organisation.

If you are not yet a member or your membership is not current please click on the link AFFILIATION

Affiliations of all competitors (National and international) will be checked at time of entry

To see who has registered for this competition on Fencing Time Live click REGISTERED ENTRIES

Competition Format

National Secondary School Championship individual events: One round of poules (bouts to five points) followed by direct elimination (bouts to 15 points). Third place will not be fenced.

Separate gender events unless a minimum of six participants in a gender is not achieved, in which case a mixed event will be fenced.

Teams events: For each weapon and gender combination there is an allowance for two teams per region. Regional team nominations need to be sent to DT by 8pm Monday September 2nd. Please ensure team manager contact details are supplied. An information pack outlining Team Entry Processes will be sent to all Regional Presidents in August.

Awards

Medals: Gold, Silver and two Bronze medals will be awarded in each event.

Trophies: There are a number of National Trophies awarded at this competition. Weapon related trophies will be presented during the medal ceremony for that event. Other trophies will be presented after the last medal ceremony on 8th September.

Registrations

Standard registrations close on 29th August at 11.55pm. Late entries close on 5th September at 8:00pm. After this date entry is subject to availability and will be at the discretion of the DT and Referees representative.

Entry Fees

National Secondary Championship: $70 per weapon + booking and credit card fees

Team Events: $100.00 per team + booking and credit card fees

Late Entries, received after 11.55pm on August 29th will attract an additional fee of $50.

Spectators and Officials: Registration is free with no booking charges, and provides access to tournament emails sent via Humanitix.

Multiple Discipline Entry: if you are entered in multiple weapons and your next event starts prior to completion of the first, you will be scratched from the starting event and are expected to continue to compete in the first event. A refund will be provided for the event you are unable to start in these circumstances.

ENTRY CONDITIONS

By registering for this event, you agree to the following conditions;

- I am entering the competition at my own risk and agree to abide by the rules of fencing as set out by the FIE, Fencing New Zealand and any directions given by the organisers relating to the running of the tournament (for fencers UNDER 18 a parent or guardian must endorse the registration agreement)

- I agree to abide by the FeNZ Fencers Code of Conduct and Health & Safety Policy and agree to withdraw from the competition if I am feeling unwell on the day. (see Resources on FeNZ website)

Please click REGISTER (above) to enter the competition

EQUIPMENT STANDARDS

There will be gear testing as shown below at the National Championships. For foil and Epée, weights and gauges will be employed at the piste.

For the Nationals please ensure that your equipment conforms to the following standards:

All clothing must be in a good state of repair

Masks: https://www.fencing.org.nz/resources/documents/officiating-equipment-rule-clarification/191-fenz-masks-weapon-control-competititon-requirements-may-2021-1/file

Torso:		Minimum of 1150N protection. This can be made up of either a 350N Jacket with an 800N plastron or an 800N Jacket and a 350N plastron,
Breeches:		350N (CEN 1)
Masks:		All masks must fit well and be in good condition. The elastic strap shall be in good working order with elasticity and able to return to its original position after stretching without any deformation. The hook and loop securing the elastic shall be capable of retaining the elasticity and resisting removal. Leon Paul X-Change Masks must have a secondary strap or bar. Refer FeNZ document https://www.fencing.org.nz/res...
Gloves:		Must be in good condition and have no hole for body wires. 800N gloves are required for Sabre.
Chest Protector:		Compulsory for Women’s events. Optional for Men.
Foil Specific:		Lame Bibs are required. Curly mask wires are not permitted. FIE blades are required with either Bayonet or 2-pin body wires. FIE no.3 size blades are acceptable
Épée Specific:		FIE blades are required. Leon Paul SR-71 blades date stamped 08-2012 to 06-2015 have been banned by Fencing NZ. Leon Paul V blades dated 08-2012 to 06-2015 without a unique serial number have been banned by Fencing NZ.
Sabre Specific:		FIE blades S2000 or later are required. Curly mask wires are not permitted

For Reference : Link to current schedule of FIE approved Foil and Epee blades (March 2024)https://static.fie.org/uploads...

** MARAGING SABRE BLADES ** The Officiating Commission have decided that Maraging Sabre Blades will NOT be required for this competition. Of course if fencers wish to use Maraging blades they will be accepted.

Weapons Control:

Weapons, wires, masks, gloves, and conductive jackets (lames) will all be subject to a weapons control.

Weapons Control will be open at the venue on Friday evening (Time TBA) and for 1 hour prior to each event, when priority will be given to out of town fencers. Local fencers are expected to attend weapons control on Friday evening if possible.

Control Marks: It is the responsibility of the fencer to ensure all relevant equipment is correctly marked during the weapons check process, and that the correct marks are still present at the piste.

Competition Timetable

(NOTE: This is an Indication only as entrant numbers may mean adjustments to start times)

Additional Information

Video Refereeing: All finals may be video refereed, and additionally if resources allow, for the semifinals of each event. In every case, it will be used at the discretion of the Head Referee and D.T. Video footage will be used solely to review decisions and will not be released post competition.

Sportsmanship: We expect the highest standard of sportsmanship from all competitors and officials.

Drug Free Sport: by participating in this event, you agree that you have been warned of the potential to be selected for anti-doping testing and you will comply with anti-doping testing if required to do so. The testing process and your rights and responsibilities as an athlete are outlined on the Drug Free Sport NZ website https://drugfreesport.org.nz/

Piste Allocations and Results: Live results will be posted To FencingTimeLive.com and QR codes containing the link will be posted at the venue.

Podium Protocol: All Fencers must wear a School Tracksuit Jacket or official school top and either breeches or tracksuit pants together with Fencing Socks and Shoes while on the podium. No hats, sunglasses or other casual attire are to be worn on the podium during the presentation.

Armourer: Mainland Fencing will be on site for repairs and purchase of replacement equipment https://mlfencing.com

Food: Fencers from Tuatahi Fencing Club will be running a food stall at the venue.

Affiliation/Membership

To compete in FeNZ competitions you must be affiliated with Fencing New Zealand as a FULL COMPETITIVE MEMBER. The FeNZ membership starts on 01/JAN and lasts a calendar year. Please always sign up with the same name, to help us accredit ranking points.

FeNZ affiliation fees are additional to the competition entry.

You can affiliate to Fencing New Zealand HERE

Any questions re your FeNZ affiliation should be directed to

FeNZ Secretary General - Amanda Hopkins

secretary@fencing.org.nz