How to Sign Up for a TMFC In-House Tournament
Competing in a TMFC in-house tournament is a great way to gain experience and test your skills in a competitive setting! These tournaments are great for both beginners looking to gain competition experience, and for intermediates who want to brush up on their skills before heading to regional tournaments. We recommend signing up after you’ve taken lessons and classes for a few months, but everyone is welcome and everyone can gain something valuable from participating!
Follow these simple steps to sign up:
Step 1: Purchase a Competitive USA Fencing Membership
Before registering for the tournament, you must have a Competitive Membership with USA Fencing. This is required for all sanctioned events. To purchase or upgrade your membership:
Select the Competitive Membership option ($99 per season). Important: Access Memberships are not valid for TMFC Youth Cups.
Complete the registration process and receive your USA Fencing membership number.
Step 2: Register on AskFRED
Once your USA Fencing membership is active, you can sign up for the TMFC in-house tournament on AskFRED:
Go to AskFRED.net.
Search for the TMFC tournament you want to enter. If you type “TMFC Youth” you will see all of our in-house tournaments for the rest of the season.
Click on the event and follow the registration instructions. This will involve entering the membership number you received from USA Fencing.
Step 3: Pay the Registration and Event Fees
Each TMFC in-house tournament has:
A general registration fee that covers tournament participation.
An additional (lower) fee for each event you enter (e.g., Y10 Men’s Saber, Y12 Men’s Saber if you are eligible for both events).
2024-2025 season fees: The registration fee typically starts at $65 and then turns to $85 after the early deadline. Day-of registration fee is $105 so it’s always best to sign up early! Event fees are always $20. Be on the lookout for each tournament’s early deadline!
Step 5: Confirm Age Category Eligibility
Fencers must register for events based on their birth year. TMFC follows USA Fencing’s strict age category guidelines for the 2024-2025 season:
Y8 (2016-2018)
Y10 (2014-2017)
Y12 (2012-2015)
E & Under (Open to fencers born in 2011 or earlier who have an E rating or are unrated) Note: Only sign up for this event if you are 13 or up! TMFC Youth Cups do not offer a Y14 event at this time so this would be the correct event for someone who participates in Y14.
You can sign up for multiple events if your birth year overlaps between two events. For example, If you were born in 2015, you are eligible to compete in both Y10 and Y12 if you would like. Y10 will have kids mostly your age, while Y12 will be a bit of a challenge against mostly older kids. You are encouraged to do whatever is most comfortable for you!
Step 4: Check Event Times on AskFRED
All event start times are posted on AskFRED. Make sure to check the schedule so you arrive with enough time to warm up and check in before your event begins. If we ever update an event time, an email will automatically go out to all registrants.
Step 6: Bring Full Equipment
Each fencer must have their own full set of saber equipment to compete. We ask that each fencer purchase their own set as participating in a tournament marks your first step to committing to fencing. This includes:
Saber mask
Jacket and glove
Lame
Saber
Body cord and mask cord
Fencing pants and knee-high socks
Make sure all equipment is in working condition before the tournament.
Step 7: Arrive Early on Tournament Day
Fencers should arrive 45 minutes to an hour before their event starts. This allows time to:
Check in at the registration desk
Warm up and stretch
Fence practice bouts before the competition begins
That’s it! You’re all set to compete. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@timmorehousefencing.com. See you on the strip!