Welcome to SERFO 2022
Welcome to SERFO 2022!
We are happy to have you come to learn and compete at this year’s event. It has been too long since we were able to hold SERFO. It is great to be able to do so once again.
This post shall go through the various important items and requirements for us to run SERFO 2022 smoothly for all involved. Should you have any questions then please do let us know. We are more than happy to answer them for you.
Information on Schedule, Tournaments, Participants, etc:
This is all found at - http://www.hemascorecard.com
Please use this resource for all updates on that. It is easy to use on your phone, computer, etc. The website also has live updates and so you can follow bouts and results as the event is ongoing.
Pools shall be released before the tournament as they are made. These are up to be changed but we will do our best to keep this as minimal as possible after they are made.
The rules can be found here: https://dscoblen.gitlab.io/serfo/
Location:
KSU Marietta Campus Event Center - 1100 S Hornet Dr, Marietta, GA 30060
www.kennesaw.edu/maps/docs/022822_Marietta_KSU_Campus-Maps.pdf (gymnasium s2 on pdf. Grid Q15)
This is the same location as the 2019 event was held. It is only about five minutes from the highway or the centre of Marietta city.
There is plenty of parking next to the gym itself so hopefully this shall not be an issue.
Liability waiver and COVID - 19 requirements:
This year we are using an online form for the Liability waiver. Please fill this in as soon as possible. You will not be allowed to compete or free fence without having this filled in first.
We also are doing the following regarding COVID-19 requirements. You will need to provide either proof of completed vaccine, or a negative COVID-19 test. The requirements for the test are listed on the form. The form is HIPAA compliant and your information will be safely stored under those rules.
Also If you are choosing to go the route of the negative COVID-19 test then you will be asked to wear a facemask at all times while in the building, this includes while fencing. If you have your mask off longer than just to take a drink of water or eat something 3 times you will be DQed from the entire event. We will be strict on enforcement of this requirement. There shall be several people too young for vaccinations, or who are immunocompromised attending and this shall be an added protection to help prevent them possibly getting infected. We thank you for your help with this requirement.
Should you feel that this is something that you cannot do for whatever reason, we do understand and shall refund your registration fee for SERFO 2022. Hopefully come 2023 we will not need to be so stringent and we look forward to seeing you then.
Even should you be vaccinated it is recommended to wear a facemask, but it is your choice in the matter here.
Liability Waiver - https://hipaa.jotform.com/221255718295056
Judging Assistance
Depending on the event we may require participants to help with judging. As is always the case SERFO puts the heavy load on the main Director with any assistance being there for guidance. The following events shall be using the Director plus Assistant model:
Women’s Longsword
Open Longsword
Sabre Invitational
Sword and Buckler
The following events shall be using the Director plus 4 judges model:
Conventional Rapier
First Blood Rapier
The following event shall be Director plus self call model:
Franco Belgian Rapier
We shall pick and assign Fencers to what pools they are helping in as we get closer to the event. You shall only be asked to judge one pool per event, and it is possible that you may not be asked at all to help.
This assignment will be emailed and posted before the tournament as well. So you will have plenty of time to know when and where you should be.
Running of tournaments
SERFO 2022 is the largest we have ever been with over 135 participants. Open Longsword is at 100 fencers, both Conventional and First Blood Rapier are over 50 fencers, etc. So this is a hectic weekend we have coming up.
So we need your help to make it run smoothly.
For the following tournaments we need you to show up 15 minutes before the start of the tournament. We shall check you in as the pool starts.
Franco Belgian Rapier
Sabre
First Blood Rapier
Conventional Rapier
For the following tournaments we shall need you to follow the Bullpen guidelines laid out below.
Women’s Longsword
Open Longsword
Sword and Buckler
No matter the tournament if your pool is announced and you are not present without prior notification to staff then you shall be DQed. There is no leniency on this as we have an extremely large amount of bouts to get through over three days. It is on you as the fencer to be ready to compete.
We shall be posting closer to the event the potential start times of the pools using this system so you will know when to get ready.
Bullpen Guidelines
Bullpen - A waiting area for all competitors to gather in preparation for their pools to begin.
This is a system used in many other martial arts and events to ensure that the turn over between each set of pools is smooth and without any hiccups. We used it previously at Longpoint but it is being used for the first time at SERFO. The system itself is very simple and will be explained below.
This system is being used mainly to ensure that Open Longsword is able to start and end in the alloted time. We shall be using it with the Women’s Longsword to help the person in charge of the Bullpen get experience doing it. And we shall be using it in Sword and Buckler as well to allow for promptness there also as it is the last event.
The Rapier events historically have run smoothly and so unless said otherwise we shall not be using it there.
The Bullpen System:
30 minutes before the start of your pool you can come up to the check in table to check in for your pool
15 minutes before the start of your pool you bring your gear to the safety inspector to get your gear checked. You have between then and the time your pool is called to get your gear corrected should there be any issues.
After your gear is checked you will wait with the other fencers from your pool in the Bullpen.
Please do not leave this area unless there is an emergency. It is possible that your pool will start a few minutes early.
When your pool is called you will go to your ring to begin your pool.
If you are not at your ring when your first bout is called then you are instantly DQed unless you had already informed the Table Staff as to why you are absent. There is no leeway on this as you have 30 minutes to be ready.
This system allows us to rapidly turn over pools with minimal stress to you as the Fencer and us as the Organiser.It also allows you the knowledge of knowing when you need to be ready for your Longsword pool. So you do not have to arrive super early and then be waiting for 2 hours until we are ready for you. This way as well the only people that should be concerned about the set lunch times are the staff and not the fencers. You will know when you are starting and where you should be.
Safety Requirements:
These are all found here: https://dscoblen.gitlab.io/serfo/
If you have any questions about them please let us know. Especially if you have an item of equipment that we do not have listed. Most times it is simply an oversight on our part as equipment continuously is released.