Hosting an IFCSC TEAM Tournament

1. The host school is responsible for set-up and tear-down. This includes taping down the strips, arranging for tables and chairs, organizing a bout committee, etc. Try to set up early. Try to get it done the night before if at all possible.
   • Each visiting school should should have at least one complete strip (reels, floor cords, scoring machine, etc). If possible, visiting schools should bring more than one strip.
   • Visiting schools should bring extra weights and shims. The host school might need to remind everyone of this.
2. When taping strips, use painter’s tape and plan on at least half a roll per strip. Make sure the end lines, two-meter warning lines, and on-guard lines are obvious. Also, make sure the warning zone is delineated from the rest of the strip. For example, you could tape a giant “x” over the last two meters. Or make the two-meter line thicker or a different color. Also, make sure the side boundaries are recognizable. For more information on how to set up a fencing strip, consult the USFA rulebook.
   • Generally, the strips used by the IFCSC are 1.5 meters in width. The minimum width is 1.2 meters. Max width is 2 meters.
   • Make sure there is adequate power feeding each of the strips. It is generally advised to have a single table in between strips where scoring machines can be set. An extension cord should feed each table. If the extension cord does not have a splitter, then please provide power strips.
   • Leave adequate room (~3 ft) between the strip boundary and the table with the scoring machine.
   • Leave adequate run-off space at the end of strips, and make sure this space is clear of obstacles like scoring reels and fencing bags.
   • Leave room for referees in between strips. This is especially important for the saber referees who need to make calls “in the middle.”
3. Number of strips:
   • in a meet with all schools in attendance, the host should plan for a minimum of 14 strips.
     • MF – 4
     • ME – 4
     • WF – 2-4
     • WE – 2-4
     • MS/WS – 2-3
   • In a meet with half the schools, the host should plan on 8-10 strips.
     • MF – 2
     • ME – 2
     • WF – 1-2
     • WE – 1-2
     • MS/WS – 1-2
4. Orientation of strips: To the best of their ability, the host school should plan ahead for distractions like sunlight.
5. Host should plan for a table and chairs for bout committee, and a table and chairs for the armorer.
6. Food for the referees:
   • Host school should have coffee (at a minimum) for the referees, and will need to make arrangements for lunch.
   • As of this writing (Dec 2018), the Conference pays for referee lunches. The host school must submit a receipt.
7. Remember to get sharpened pencils, clipboards, and stop watches. Since most people will forget their weights and shims, you should probably bring all of yours to the tournament you’re hosting.
8. Have a round order ready and print all of the scoresheets in advance. You can download the current  NCAA team-format score sheets.
   • Score sheets exist as an editable PDF.
   • A best practice has been to color-coordinate the rounds to help organize them for tabulation.

As of 3 December 2018