En Garde!

Events

Check your eligibility for these events here.

In a dual meet each team has a three-member squad for each weapon. Each fencer on a team's weapon squad fences every member of the opposing team's weapon squad, for a total of 9 bouts. The winner of the match in the weapon is the team to win at least 5 of the 9 bouts. The overall winner of the match is the team to win at least 14 of the 27 bouts across all three weapons.

Chaos
Chaos is an individual tournament targeted toward less experienced fencers. We host it in early fall, usually October, and it is attended mainly by colleges from Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Alumni Meet
The Alumni Meet is an informal event that we host in early fall. Past fencers from UMD return to socialize and fence with the current members.

Temple Open
The Temple Open is an individual tournament hosted by Temple University, usually on the first weekend of November. It attracts strong collegiate fencers from all over the East Coast, and it lasts two days.

BWCFC
The Baltimore-Washington Collegiate Fencing Conference is a co-ed conference of club teams divided into two divisions, North and South. We are in the North Division. At the Fall Meet, each team fences a dual meet against all other teams in the same division. At the Spring Meet, each team fencers a dual meet against all teams in the other division. The team standings are determined by the results of these meets. At the Championships, any fencers who have fenced a BWCFC bout during the regular season can compete to determine the individual standings.

MACFA
The Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Fencing Association is our men's NCAA conference. The regular season consist of three meets, in which each team fences a dual meet against each of the other teams. Some meets have women's teams fence as well. To qualify for the championships, a team must have fenced all other teams in the conference during the regular season. The team standings, however, are determined exclusively by the championships, at which each team designates an A strip, B strip, and C strip in each weapon. All A strips fence each other, all B strips fence each other, and all C strips fence each other. The best-performing fencers can then compete for individual standings.

NIWFA
The National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association is our women-only conference. It holds the Christmas Invitational, which is an individual tournament, in December, and championships, at which teams compete in three-bout matches to determine team standings and fencers compete for individual standings, in March.

Cherry Blossom Open
The Cherry Blossom Open is a USFA tournament that we host, usually in early April. It is not limited to college students, and it attracts many strong fencers from throughout the region.

USACFC
The United States Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs holds a national championship every year in April. The two-day event has separate men's and women's dual-meet-based events to determine team standings, as well as individual results.

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We Are

A group of people with a love for fencing. Whether you've never even seen a sword or have been fencing competitively for years this team is right for you. If you simply want to come fence for the great workout it provides or you want to hone your skills fencing other collegiate teams, we welcome all types to come and practice with us. So why don't you check out our calendar and come to the next practice?

We Welcome

All University of Maryland students, staff, and registered alumni who have an interest in fencing or want to continue their training. We do not have cut off dates for joining practices so it is never too late in the year to start fencing! All you need is comfortable workout clothes and sneakers. Not a University of Maryland student, staff, or registered alumnus? Then check out our links page to find other clubs in the area! Still have questions? Feel free to contact us.