Layman's Guide To American Fencing Ratings

Since some of you have congratulated me on my win, but really don't know what the hell I am talking about - here is a general guide to how fencing ratings work in the US.

First there are four general types of non-age discriminatory events - Division I/IA, Division II, Division III, and Opens. Division I/IA events offer the toughest and most competitive fencing in the US. To fence in these events you must be ranked C, B, or A (or have national or international points - meaning you are damned good). Division II is a lot easier given that entries are restricted to fencers who are rated C, D, E, or are just Unrated (U). Given that there are some very good Cs and Us who may only fence extremely tough events, Div IIs are by no means easy or cakewalks. You just don't have to worry about an American Olympian coming to beat you up. Division III events are also known as D and Unders. Cs aren't allowed, but if they are a certain size, the winner of such an event can earn a C, so the competition can be quite fierce further down the bracket. Lastly there are Opens where anyone can play (as long as they are 13 and older).

Now that we know the levels of competion, the ratings will make much sense. Ratings consist of a letter and a year. The newer the rating, the better seeding you get in a competition.

U - Can either be a straight beginner, someone who never picked up particular weapon before, someone who has only entered very tough Opens, or maybe they suck. Watch out for folks who are U in one weapon, but highly rated in another. I am a B07 in epee, but still U in foil and sabre. Doesn't mean I can't whip you in all three.

E - Means you have won a small Div III event, or did pretty well in a larger Div II or Open.

D - This is the first rating where you have a responsiblity and a reputation. As tournaments get tougher and it becomes possible to earn ratings - certain folks starting with the Ds have to make it past the Top 8 in order to give out ratings. If you start sucking after you get your D or better, a lot of folks (including up and coming fencers and event organizers) are going to hate you.

C - This rating is the sweet spot. It is the lowest rating you can have and still be eligible for Div I, but you can still beat up on Us in the Div IIs. It is also the hardest rating to get because of the stiff competition in a Div III. Chances are, by the time you are good enough to earn this rating, you might actually get a....

B - This is the no man's land rating. Div IIs are barred for you, and there isn't a lot of opportunity for total domination at this level. However, seeding is finally on your side in the Opens. This is where I am. Once you start dominating than you get an...

A - This is the top of the rating scale in the US. At the national and international level, points become more important and ratings really don't mean much. Although you can dominate at local and regional tournaments and often times tournament organizers will let you fence for free just to beef up the level of competition. Not a bad gig.

I hope all this makes some sense.