BYC Qualifier Event at NI Junior Foil Series Round 3

BYC Qualifiers

You are invited to take part in the Northern Ireland Regional Qualifiers for the 2022 British Youth Championship. The National Finals of the British Youth Championships will take place at EIS Sheffield,  30 April to 02 May 2022.

You can apply if you are under 18 and you live or fence in the UK. Categories are Boys and Girls, Age Groups U12, U14 U16 and U18 in Foil, Epee and Sabre.

U12 – born 2010 or 2011
U14 – born 2008 or 2009
U16 – born 2006 or 2007
U18 – born 2004 or 2005

Foil

The foil event for U12, U14 and U16 will take place on Sunday 06 February at Queen’s Leisure Centre, Holywood, alongside Round 3 of the NI Junior Fencing Series. If you wish to apply for U18 foil and there are more than 8 applicants we will organise a separate qualification event, subject to the availability of a suitable venue.

Epée & Sabre

If more than 8 people apply in any age category for epée or sabre then we will organise a separate qualification event, subject to the availability of a suitable venue.

The top 8 fencers in each category will be eligible to compete at the National Finals in Sheffield.

Cost

For 2022 only, the usual Regional Qualifier Levy is not being charged. However, competitors attending the National Finals may need to pay British Fencing separately to compete in the National Finals.

Additional Info

If you are applying to the NI Junior Fencing Series Round 3 and do not wish to travel to the National Finals in Sheffield, you MUST let us know – if you qualify but do not want to go then we will allocate the spare place to the next ranked fencer.

Entries will close at Midnight Thursday 03 February 2022 in line with the NIJFS Round 3 entry.

The top 8 competitors in each of the U12, U14 and U16 foil qualifiers will be told of their qualification on Sunday 06 February.

Epee, Sabre and U18 foil qualifiers will be told by email or text on or shortly after Sunday 06 February 2022 whether they are automatically selected or whether they need a qualifying competition. The format will be identical to the foil qualifiers.

Please note that entrants to the NI Junior Foil Series Round 3 must also apply separately to the BYC Regional Qualifier.

Fencers may only enter the Regional event in the Region they have specified on their British Fencing Membership. Fencers may only fence in a qualifying event in one region in any season.

The competitions are run under BF Rules. For the Finals the formula is one round of pools without elimination, followed by Direct Elimination.

In the U12 & U14 Competitions, the maximum blade sizes are: Foil – size 3, Epée – size 2 and Sabre – size 2. In the U16 & U18 Foil Events size 5 blades will be used throughout, and lame bibs and mask wires will be required.

As per BF rules, it is a safety requirement that FIE/CEN2/800N Sabre gloves are to be worn at all times whilst competing (unless both fencers are using size 3 or size 0 blades). In the U12 events, DE Tableau fights are to 10 hits in 3 periods of 2 minutes with a gap of 1 minute.

You must have a valid UK address to qualify for the finals, being a place where you usually reside. You must be a member of British Fencing (NIF) and in good standing both at the time of the competition qualifiers and at the time of the actual competition. BFA ‘Compete’ level membership (will be checked online) will be required. It is recommended that fencers join the BFA online.  All fencing clothing and equipment must comply with BFA regulations (see guidelines).

A Parental Consent form will need to be filled in electronically prior to the finals event, and will be available on the BF website. This will also be sent to all qualifiers using the email address on a fencer’s membership profile nearer to the event. It may be wise to make sure your profile is up to date.

Fencers may only enter the Regional event in the Region they have specified on their British Fencing Membership. Fencers may only fence in a qualifying event in one region in any season.