Week of SERFO Update
Welcome to the 10th Anniversary of the South East Renaissance Fencing Open!
We are happy to have you come to compete at this year’s event. Let’s have some great bouts and a lot of fun.
This email shall go through the various important items and requirements for us to run SERFO 2024 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 about the various tournaments. It is easy to use on your phone, computer, etc. and has live updates so you can follow bouts and results as the event is ongoing.
Location:
KSU Marietta Campus Event Center - 635 Walter Kelly Rd, Marietta, GA 30060
https://maps.app.goo.gl/bGZhjXjGe41yusqU9
This is the same location as where the 2023 event was held. It is only about five minutes from the highway or the centre of Marietta city.
Parking shall be at the West Parking Lot of the Campus - 689 Polytechnic Ln, Marietta, GA 30060.
On Friday we have to park in the West Deck. On Saturday and Sunday we are in the Parking lot in front of the West Deck.
You can offload your gear at the Event Center and then go park your vehicle.
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.
You will also need to provide either proof of completed vaccine, or a negative COVID-19 test at the door.
Liability Waiver - https://forms.gle/3GDzVPBpSM6ZFimJA
Running of tournaments
SERFO 2024 is again the largest we have ever been with over 170 participants. Open Longsword is at 130 fencers total, both Conventional and First Blood Rapier are over 60 fencers, etc. So this is a hectic weekend we have coming up.
So we need your help to make it run smoothly.
Schedule as of now
For the following tournaments we need you to check in at the Bullpen 15 minutes before the start of the tournament. We shall check you in as the pool starts in the order of the pools.
Sabre
First Blood Rapier
Conventional Rapier
For the following tournaments we shall need you to follow the Bullpen guidelines laid out below.
Under Represented Genders 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.
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 in previous years at SERFO. The system itself is very simple and will be explained below.
The Bullpen System:
30 minutes before the start of your pool you can come up to the check in table to heck 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 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.
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. These start times can be found on HEMA Scorecard. Go to the Schedule section in HEMA Scorecard and click on the individual events to see information on start times for your pools etc.
Also on the day of the event we shall be calling out which pools need to come to the Bullpen next. So please pay attention to these announcements.
Example of the pools (not this year):
Rules and Safety Requirements:
These are all found here: https://fencingatl.com/tournament-rules-and-requirements
Please read over the rules as we will NOT be going over them before the tournaments. It is expected that you have read and know the rules before you step onto the rings.
Do make sure to read over the Safety Requirements to ensure your gear is compliant. Every year we have people need to scurry to fix something the day of when it could have been fixed the week before. As a reminder, this is a common one - No bare flesh is to be seen while you are fencing.
If you have any non-standard additions to your gear please clear it with the SERFO team before the day of your tournament. Remember any additions need to add to the protective elements of the gear, not add potential hazards for comfort.
Should you have any questions about the safety requirements or swords/equipment allowed 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.
Free Fencing
This year we have the back section of the parking lot associated with the Event Center booked for free fencing. So you may fence here throughout the weekend. It is outdoors so please keep that in mind and stay hydrated and cool off as you need.
Green Rectangle
Gear Storage
We shall have one set of bleachers out on the floor. You can store your gear at the top of these bleachers and the front section. As in previous years we shall be allowed to store gear overnight in the facility at our own risk.