Cadet and Junior British Championships

For the 2015/16 season, the Cadet & Junior British Championships will be held on 6^th (Cadet) and 7^th (Junior) February 2016 at SportsDock, UEL.

This means there will be two Championships events in the same calendar year but falling in different seasons – so for the July event the age groups for the new season (as per the nominated events in July this year) will be used. 

This decision to move the Championships from February was made with the Talent Coaches after several months of discussion and many factors were taken into account when making this decision, including:

1.     Single vs Multi-Weapon Events

The possibility of splitting the event into single weapon events was discussed, however the preference is to retain one significant Championship experience.

2.     The EFC and FIE Calendars

The international season is now starting earlier, and the new system of running weapons on alternating weekends means that from early September through until February there are no weekends suitable for a 6 weapon cadet & junior event. 

3. Rankings and Selection

Ranking events need to be held early enough to allow for timely selection for international events. February is currently too late to count towards the rankings used to select teams for the Cadet & Junior European Championships, and only just counts towards the World Championships. A National Championships in July will allow the event to count towards the ranking lists used to select for both of these major championships.

4.     Exams

School exams affect different age groups in different Home Nations at different times and this was considered in some detail. From a performance perspective, British Fencing do not expect the top Junior and Cadet fencers seeking to represent GB at Europeans and Worlds to give up training completely during their entire exam period. The expectation is that the fencers (with the support of their coaches) plan and manage their time efficiently; this is one reason why we have given as much notice as possible about this date change.

4.     School Holidays 

As well as fencers going on holiday, moving the event further into the school holidays affects availability of venues and officials.

In conclusion, there are not enough weekends in the year to hold a 6 weapon ranking event which does not fall in either exam periods or holiday periods for all of the fencers that wish to compete. This weekend was considered the best compromise, taking into account all the relevant factors and information available to us at this time.

If you have any queries, please contact Katie Rhodes.