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General Information

The 2008 Public Schools' Fencing Championships will be held at the
University of Nottingham Sports Centre, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD
on Tuesday 18th, Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th March 2008.

Event order
Please note that we have changed the order of girl's foil and epée events to that of previous years.

Wednesday 19th March

Thursday 20th March

Entry pages will open on 26th November 2007.
Closing date: midnight 18th January 2008. Late entries will not be accepted.

Due to the enforced change of venue we will have fewer fencing pistes available at this year's Championships. The PSFC Committee have decided to bring forward the closing date so that an assessment can be made in good time of our ability to cope with the numbers of entries in a safe manner. The Committee reserve the right for this year to impose a cap on numbers of entries should we feel it necessary to do so. This will be applied in as fair a way as possible to all schools.

Eligibility
All competitors must be at a school represented on the Head Masters' Conference or the Girls' Schools' Association during the term in which the Championships are held. (A school that ceases to be so represented may continue to enter pupils as long as it competes each year).
All competitors must be individual members of the British Fencing Association (BFA). Competitors who are unable to prove their membership at the check-in will not be allowed to compete.

Age Limits

Weapons
All events will be fenced with electric weapons throughout. The following blade sizes will apply to the “Mount- Haes ” events: Foil : Size 3, Epée & Sabre : Size 2.

Team Events
Eligibity for team events is to be found on the trophy page.

Registration
Schools are required to register with us to confirm their eligibility.
This may be done before the entry pages open.
If you have not done so in previous years, the Teacher i /c Fencing should go to the registration page and complete all details required. After submitting the details you will receive a password that will allow access to the entry pages when they open. If you have forgotten your password, please do not re-register, a password reminder can be requested. This will be sent to the previously registered e-mail address. If this has changed please use the contact page to let us know the new e-mail address.

Entry Fee
The entry fee for the 2008 Championships is £14.00 per fencer per event.

Entry Pages
To help you prepare your entry a sheet is available to print off. This will allow you to collate all the necessary information about your fencers to help you with the entry process when the entry pages open. The information required is their name, gender, date of birth, weapon(s), BFA membership number, emergency telephone number and whether accommodations will be required. Could you please pay particular attention to obtaining the fencer's correct date of birth as this automatically puts the fencer in to the correct age group event when you enter their details on the entry page.

Accommodation
We have arranged for full-board accommodation to be available on the University campus in a hall of residence adjacent to the sports centre. The cost includes dinner on the evening of arrival, standard single bedroom, breakfast and a packed lunch for the following day. Please book through the entry pages on the PSFC web site.

A responsible adult must accompany all fencers staying in the hall. The responsible adult must be over 18 years of age and may not be a pupil of the school. The responsible adult must be present in the hall at all times their charges are occupying their rooms.

Adults: £51.00pp/pn. Fencers: £42.00 pp/pn.

Rules
The Championships will be held in accordance with the BFA rules with a mixture of Pools and Direct Elimination, but the Committee reserves the right to make such changes it thinks necessary for the smooth running of the competition. The BFA guidelines and regulations concerning safe clothing and equipment are brought to the attention of competitors and Teachers-in-Charge; they will be strictly enforced. In particular, masks must have back-straps and the wearing of long socks is compulsory in all events.

. The following table explains the minimum kit and clothing strengths we require fencers to wear during the 2008 Championships.

*the BFA do not require fencers using size 2/3 weapons to wear breeches. However we can ask for all Mount-Haes fencers to wear breeches and long socks as part of our entry requirement. We would prefer the breeches to be 350N minimum but cannot insist on it.

** the BFA requires fencers using size2/3 weapons to wear 350N (CEN 1) plastrons. The PSFC committee would recommend that all fencers wear 800N (CEN 2) plastrons but cannot insist on it.

Any competitor whose equipment is deemed unsafe (in the view of the Committee, whose decision shall be final) will not be permitted to compete.

Referees
It is a requirement for those schools with more than 5 entries on any one day to provide someone to referee or assist the organisers. To help the Committee plan appropriately, would you please fill in the section on "Referees / Supervisors" on the Entry Summary form.

As in previous years the PSFC are prepared to pay £50.00 per day plus reasonable travel expenses to referees who are students in higher education. We will also arrange accommodation for those referees who are prepared to spend more than one day with us. However, this will only apply to those who register with us beforehand. Please use the contact page on the PSFC web site, giving your name, refereeing experience, the days you can referee, whether you require accommodation and the approximate value of your travel costs.

Schools' Responsibilities
The Committee and organisers of the Championships attempt to ensure that they take place in a safe and secure way and can confirm to schools that they do have arrangements in place for first aid. However schools are reminded that the safety and welfare of young fencers remains with them and the nominated responsible adult who is acting “in loco parentis ”.