Elite or Challenger? My First Experience With USA Fencing's New NAC Format
This season, USA Fencing introduced a new competition format for Cadet, Junior, and Division I events.
Instead of putting everyone into one huge tournament, larger NAC events are now divided into two groups: Elite and Challenger.
October NAC was my first experience with this system.
I competed in Challenger, finished sixth, and earned my first Cadet medal under the new format.
And now I might be moving into Elite for November NAC.
So I guess the new system is already making a difference for me.
How does Elite vs. Challenger work?
Under the new rules, if a national event has 168 or fewer registered fencers, everyone competes together in one Elite event.
But when registration reaches 169 or more, the field splits into two separate competitions. Read more on this topic on my website
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The rules are:
Elite: Up to 112 fencers.
Challenger: The remaining fencers, up to 224.
Both events award national points, but Elite awards more.
The split is based on the new Unified Points List.
The rankings are locked 15 days before the first day of competition to determine the initial fields.
Fencers assigned to Challenger can request automatic promotion into Elite if a spot becomes available. The final deadline for moving up is 5 p.m. the day before the event.
You can read the official explanation here:
I was seeded first. But in Challenger.
When I checked the October NAC seeding, I was number one in Challenger.
Normally, being seeded first sounds great.
But this time, it also meant I was the highest-seeded fencer in the lower tier.
Most of my friends from other clubs, including people I've been competing against for years, were in Elite.
I was hoping I might get moved up if someone withdrew.
That didn't happen.
So I fenced Challenger.
Our event started Sunday at 8 a.m., while Elite was scheduled for 2 p.m.
I wasn't sure what to expect.
Sixth place and a Cadet medal
I finished sixth.
I was a little disappointed because I wanted to make the semifinals, especially after starting as the first seed.
But I was still happy to get a medal.
Cadet is a higher age category for me, and I've competed in some really difficult Cadet events over the past year.
At Summer Nationals and the Las Vegas SJCC, the fields were huge.
There were hundreds of fencers, long waits between bouts, and really big DE tables.
Sometimes it felt like the tournament lasted forever.
Challenger was different.
The smaller field made the event feel more manageable.
I still had to fence good opponents, but the whole experience was less overwhelming.
And getting a medal at a national Cadet event felt pretty good.
Even if it was Challenger.
Is Challenger a bad thing?
I've heard different opinions about the new format.
Some fencers don't like being placed in Challenger because they want to compete against the strongest people in the country.
I understand that.
If your goal is to fence the best Cadet fencers, you probably want to be in Elite.
And when most of your friends are competing in Elite, being in Challenger can feel a little strange.
But I also think there are some advantages.
I'm still a Y14 fencer competing in Cadet events.
Last season, I entered some huge Cadet tournaments where I was nowhere near the top seeds.
Those events were good experience, but they were also exhausting.
In Challenger, I had a chance to compete against fencers closer to my current level and fight for a medal.
I don't think that's a bad thing.
You still have to win your bouts.
And as I learned in Y14 at the same NAC, being seeded high doesn't guarantee anything.
The interesting part: National points
This is where the new system gets really interesting.
USA Fencing now uses a Unified Points List for Cadet, Junior, and Senior competitions.
Your ranking is based on your six best results, and you can earn points at local, regional, national, and certain international tournaments.
Elite and Challenger award different amounts of points.
For Cadet events:
Winning Elite is worth 600 points.
Winning Challenger is worth 120 points.
So the difference is pretty big.
But Challenger results still count toward your national ranking.
And that's exactly what happened to me.
My sixth-place finish earned me 61.2 points.
After October NAC, my Cadet national ranking moved up to 102nd.
That was pretty exciting to see.
Because Elite is capped at 112 fencers, being ranked 102nd puts me in a much better position to qualify for the Elite field at November NAC.
It's not guaranteed yet. The final split depends on the rankings and registrations when the fields are set.
But there's a good chance I'll be fencing Elite next month.
You can read more about how points work here:
So does the new system actually work?
At least from my experience, I think it makes sense.
I competed in Challenger, finished in the top eight, earned points, and moved up in the rankings.
Now I might have the opportunity to compete in Elite.
That's basically how the system is supposed to work.
Instead of having one huge tournament where everyone competes together, there are now different levels, and your results can help you move between them.
Of course, it's only the first NAC under the new format.
We'll have to see how things work throughout the season.
I'm also curious whether it's better to finish near the top of Challenger or near the bottom of Elite.
The points tables should help answer that.
And maybe that's something I can look at for Fencing Lab later.
What's next?
My goal for November NAC is to compete in Elite.
If that happens, I'll probably be seeded much lower than I was in Challenger.
And I definitely won't have the same chance of getting a medal.
But that's okay.
I want to see how I do against stronger Cadet fencers.
I also want to see whether I can keep improving my ranking throughout the season.
For now, I'm happy with sixth place and 61.2 points.
October NAC gave me a Cadet medal, a better ranking, and hopefully a chance to move up.
Not a bad result.
Now I just have to see what happens in November.
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