NZ Secondary Schools Team Selection 2022

Document updated 12 Aug 2022 - Please read carefully

This article describes the process Fencing North will use to select teams for the upcoming National Secondary Schools Championship. 2-4th Sept 2022

Note: The Individual Competition is Open Entry. No selection is required.

Teams Event

The NZ National Secondary Schools Champs are being held in Auckland on 2-4th September 2022. For more information and the timetable, see the event page HERE.

Competition Format

There are 6 separate competitions

Mens & Womens x Sabre,Foil & Epee. (No mixed gender Teams)

Team Maximum 4 people.

 

Allocation of Teams

Maximum 8 Teams

2 Teams per Region - (North, Central, MidSouth and South).

 

Should any of the eight team slots remain unfilled, then teams are offered those slots from a wait list. Prioritised as follows:

The first empty slot is offered to the third ranked team from the HOST region (in this case the North region). Remaining slots are offered to teams from the wait list, on a first come, first served basis. The wait list is based on the date and time of receipt of team nominations. 

Selection Rules

Team Composition 

New Zealand Secondary Schools Sports Council rules state that in order to represent a school, a student must be a bona fide student in Y9 or above at the school of representation so a school can neither incorporate fencers from another school nor have someone enter into another school’s team. 

 

Composite teams are defined as having members from schools where neither school can form a team on their own. Composite teams cannot incorporate “spare” fencers left over after formation of legitimate representative school teams.

 

At National Championship level all events are gender separated, therefore no mixed gender teams can be nominated by schools.

 

(A possible exception to this rule may be that if there are resources available (time, pistes and referees) it may be possible to run a secondary non - championship “plate event”, where mixed  gender teams may be acceptable]

 

Creating a team

Fencing North has called for team nominations from schools and clubs. The teams that can enter are as follows:

  • Teams may be school teams, or composite teams (with members from more than one school).
  • If a school team cannot form a team (e.g. there are not enough fencers in the school to form a team), then a composite team may be created. 
  • If you can form a school team you must do so.
  • Once the first school team is formed, additional fencers may not be loaned to other schools.
  • Teams must be single gender.
  • All team members should be entered in at least one individual event.
  • The named teams may consist of up to four members. 
  • Fencers may be on more than one team (for different weapons) as long as they can schedule it in the timetable.
  • School coaches submitting more than one team per competition must advise the rankings. A,B or C teams.

If you would like to be in a team for Nationals, talk to your coach, captain or teacher-in-charge. They must email the team details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Sunday 21st August @ 23.00.

(If you would like to join a composite team but you do not have teammates yet, see further below.)

Fencing North Regional Team Selection

  • Fencing North will initially select 2 teams for each competition.
  • The results of Team placings at the Fencing North regional SS teams competitions will take precedence. The national rankings of individual fencers and the results at the North regional SS individual competitions may also be considered.
  • All teams nominated will be ranked. Firstly the A teams of each school, then composite teams, then additional school teams.

 

The 2 highest ranking teams will be offered the first 2 automatic slots.

Should additional slots become available because other regions are unable to fulfil their allocations then teams on the wait list will be offered entry to the competition.

 

Unfortunately, there is a limited number of teams who can compete in the competition. We hope that we can enter all of the teams who want to compete from Fencing North. However, there is a possibility that Fencing North will not be allowed to enter all of the teams that we want to include. 

 

The results of the selection will be reported to the coach/captain/teacher-in-charge by Friday 26th August.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to be selected to enter as an individual?
No! Go ahead and enter the competition.

What is the team entry fee?
The team entry fee is $90 per team. If it is a school team, this will be invoiced  to the school after the team has been officially selected.  If it is a composite, it will either be invoiced to the coach, or directly to each individual feq1ncer.

We will ask you to pay by internet banking, and if you have not paid you may not be permitted to enter Fencing North tournaments.

I don't have anyone to form a team with. How can I find a composite team?
In the first instance speak to your coach about this, but otherwise email Fiona at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we will do our best to help.

 

Why don’t you just use the national rankings to select?

Previously we have used national rankings to select teams but due to the Covid situation competitions have been disrupted over the past year. This means that the national rankings may not include all fencers and may not reflect the trust status of all fencers.

We have decided to use the results from the regional secondary school competitions to give us a better understanding of the levels of the individual fencers and teams this year.

Do I need to attend the regional competitions to be selected for a national team?
No, this is not necessary. We are just using the results from these competitions to get a better idea of your ranking. If you do not attend, we will have less data to work with, but you can still be selected for the national teams competition.

What are the rules for entering the North regional teams competition?
The rules for the regional teams competition are different. In this competition, you can enter composite teams (from more than one school) and mixed gender teams.

Who should I talk to about this?
If you want to join a team, talk to your coach, captain or teacher-in-charge. If you want more information about the process, email Fiona at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Why am I finding out about this so late?
 Fencing competitions in NZ have been affected by the ever changing Covid situation with changes in tournament dates and locations.

 

Peter Butler – President

Fiona Campbell – Head of Tournaments. 

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