National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- July 5, 1999

Fencing committee recommends changes in selection of officials

The NCAA Men's and Women's Fencing Committee recently reviewed how officiating assignments were made for the championships, implemented a strength-of-schedule evaluation tool to assist in championships selections and concentrated efforts on the notification process for championships selections.

The committee, which met June 13-16 in Indianapolis, decided that starting with the 2000 championships the head referee will be responsible for making officiating assignments for the tournament.

The committee will assist in this process by compiling a list of recommended officials for the head referee to consider.

Members of the committee felt there were gaps in the process for notifying which participants were (and were not) selected to compete in the national championships. In 2000, all institutions sponsoring fencing will be informed of the participants and alternates. The committee established deadlines for alternates' participation. In the women's championships, the host institution must be notified by 2 p.m. Eastern time March 21 if a selected student-athlete cannot compete due to illness or injury. For the men's championships, the host institution must be informed by 2 p.m. Eastern time March 23.

These deadlines will allow the committee time to contact institutions so that they may have ample time to get selected alternates to the site of the championships.

Other highlights

Men's and Women's Fencing Committee
June 13-16/Indianapolis

  • The committee prepared a recommended format for regional qualifying tournaments to make the regional competition more uniform across the country.

  • Committee members discussed the existing uniform and warm-up policy, ultimately deciding to enforce the rule that all warm-ups must be in the institution's colors or must be plain without any identifier or decoration. The committee will not permit student-athletes to wear another country's warm-up.

  • The committee will enforce the required armband and institutional identification rule either on the uniform, armband or socks. The committee has established a fine as a penalty for noncompliance with the uniform requirements during the championships.

  • The seasoned members of the committee trained the newer committee members on the role of the regional advisory committees, how to establish such committees and how to utilize these committees during the course of the competitive season.

  • The committee reviewed the 1999 Fencing Championships Handbook. Changes were made to the handbook for the 2000 edition that included updating existing information because of recent rules changes and eliminating duplication within the text.

  • The committee recommended to the Championships/Competition Cabinet that Denis Cochran-Fikes of the University of Pennsylvania should succeed outgoing chair Bill Shipman of Brandeis University.

  • Bids are still being accepted to host the 2000 National Collegiate Men's and Women's Fencing Championships. Bids are due into the national office by September 1 and need to be addressed to Amy J. Frankenstein, NCAA assistant director of championships.