Competition Information

Equipment
Tournament Info
Nutrition Article

We strongly encourage all club fencers to participate in the appropriate competitions.  Most competitions are in the LA area, but there are occasional tournaments at UCSB and in SLO as well. 

The tournaments often focus on one or two weapons, with men's, women's or mixed events.  Please check the Age Criteria to see which competitions you can compete in.

Refer to the Tournaments page to see what tournaments are scheduled for our area.  The sites on the Links page also list the tournaments and details for each event.

There is more good information for fencing parents at http://pcsfencing.com/parent/.
 

More competitive bouts
Extra care in footwork and blade speed

Chicken
Fish
Side of pasta (not whole meal)

Towel
Dried fruit, healthy snacks
Water (no Gatorade)
Club Sweats
Comp. Log (notebook)
Music player/Book/Homework (keep busy between rounds)
Chair for parents (just in case)
dry T-shirt, dry socks/shoes or flipflops for afterward

Check in at the registration table.
Find a spot to park equipment or find rest of the team.
Get mask and other equipment checked. (Don't bring your bag to the armorer's table!)
Find the coach.
Jog,stretch, footwork, fence to warm up.
Keep an eye/ear open for information being posted about your event.

Nutrition and the Young Fencer

Practicing good nutrition to optimize performance is a challenge for all athletes, but teenage fencers also need to eat for growth. A few days of “eating healthy” before a tournament can’t make up for months or years of nutritional neglect. Follow these guidelines before heading out to the strip.

Adequate amounts of all six classes of nutrients – protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water -- can be obtained by consistently consuming a variety of foods from all of the food groups. The USDA Food Pyramid site at http://www.mypyramid.gov provides individualized recommendations from each food group.

It’s best to resist the lure of fast foods, or sugary foods with mostly nutrient-free calories. These foods add a lot of calories without efficiently nourishing or fueling the body. According to The National Cancer Institute, 25 percent of all vegetables eaten by children and teenagers are French fries. By contrast, the potent anti-oxidant and vitamin content in most vegetables provides a high octane nutritional boost in a low calorie package.

Just a 2 percent drop in body weight due to dehydration can have a negative impact on exercise performance. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, “one should consume adequate fluids during the 24-hour period before an event and drink about 500 ml (about 17 oz) of fluid about two hours before exercise.” Don’t wait to feel thirsty before taking a drink. As for sports drinks and other beverages, these have their place, but for cost and efficacy, nothing beats water.

For activity lasting longer than an hour, in times of extreme intensity and when there is a large sweat loss, the body needs more than water. During these times a sports drink is more efficient than water. 16-32 oz of sports drink per hour is all you need keep yourself hydrated and fueled. If your training or competition doesn’t fall into that category – go for water. So, remember — water all day, carb/electrolyte in special times.

According to Suzanne Nelson Steen, DSc, RD, director of Sports Nutrition for the University of Washington, the pre-event meal serves to prevent athletes from feeling hungry and to maintain optimal levels of blood glucose for the exercising muscles during competition. It should include foods that are 1) high in carbohydrate, 2) low to moderate in protein, and 3) low in fat and fiber.
Breakfast is crucial to replace glycogen, or carbohydrates stored in the body, lost overnight. Carbohydrates like bagels, soft pretzels, non-sugary cereals with low-fat or skim milk provide quick sources of energy and are rapidly digested.

According to the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine division, eat as close as 30 minutes before or even during competition if you feel uncomfortably hungry, shaky or weak during the event. If you tend to lose your appetite, feel nauseous, or get diarrhea shortly before an event, consider eating three to four hours beforehand.

Quality performance depends on 1)rehydrating with two to three cups of fluid for every pound lost to sweat and 2) building up your glycogen supplies within the first two hours after exercise. Delaying carbohydrate intake for too long after exercise will reduce muscle glycogen storage and may impair recovery.

Good nutrition can pay off in performance benefits for the young fencer, as well as good health for life.