Format and Schedules

The 2006-07 season starts in September with three National competitons that are referred to as Elite tournaments, or CSC's. These tournaments are limited to the top 48 fencers in Canada and are worth the most in National Level points. The International season begins in January of 2007. Six Grande Prix events have been selected by the FIE (International Fencing Federation) which take place on three continents during the following six months. Grande Prix events are the toughest of all International tournaments, hence they count for double the International points which ultimately is how a fencer is ranked.

This year is known as the pre-Olympic season and most points are rolled over to the following season (which is cut short) due to the Olympics which are being held in Beijing in 2008. Qualifying for these games are typically very difficult and political with the selection being held to only 45 fencers including the three wild card spots. The FIE has always been struggling with making this a truly International field as most of the top ranked fencers in the world come from Europe. So, it goes by Zones, which are basically the continents. Eight Teams of four fencers are selected to compete plus the top two fencers ranked the highest per zone.

There are six of us in Canada...(known as the "Squad") who travel the world representing this fine country of ours. Four from Montreal, one from Ottawa and one from Toronto...ME!!! But, only four can be selected, and that is the challenge ahead, my friends. Take a look at my National and International Schedule of competitions below....

Sept. 2-4 Montreal, QC - CSC #1
Sept. 20-25 Belfast, Ireland - Commonwealth Championships
Dec. 2-4 Richmond, BC - National Championships
Jan. 12-13 Tehran, Iran - Grande Prix #1
Feb. 2-3 Athens, Greece - Grande Prix #2
Mar. 2-3 Sofia, Bulgaria - Grande Prix #3
May 16-20 Montreal, QC - CSC #2
May 25-26 Madrid, Spain - Grande Prix #4
June 1-2 Pardou, Italy - Grande Prix #5
July 20-21 Las Vegas, USA - Grande Prix #6

With two back to back tournaments (Grande Prix #4 and #5) and a break in the month of April the plan as of now for me is to live and train in Madrid with the Spanish team for about a month before. Arrangements can easily be made since I have become good friends with the Spaniards who have welcome my stay already. I will be tracking and telling stories from each of these tournaments, so make sure you tune in! Traveling by far is a major plus of this sport. That's why I enjoy it so much.