Basic Information

Welcome to the USFA Western Washington Division! As a new member, we hope you enjoy your fencing experience here in the WWD. This page will provide you with some of the basic information you will need to know about fencing in the WWD.

USFA Membership

To be a WWD member, you must have a current membership in the USFA with the WWD listed as your home division. Joining the USFA is done by filling out the USFA membership form available at any club or online at www.usfencing.org. Note that the USFA membership fee is paid directly to the USFA national office, and is separate from any membership fees that may be charged by your club.

The USFA membership year runs from August 1st through July 31st. If you join the USFA toward the latter part of the season (usually April or later), the USFA will extend your membership through the next season for free.

WWD Communications

The primary means of communication about WWD events and happenings are via the WWD website and the WWD email list. There is also a WWD Facebook page.

The WWD website address is www.wwdfencing.org. This should be your first stop when looking for information on what is going on in the division. The website has a list of all of the clubs in the division, the season calendar, and links to other useful fencing websites

The WWD has an email list where general announcements are sent. This is the best way to receive notifications about upcoming events. To join the mailing list, send a blank email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The WWD Facebook page is used for announcements, usually pointers to the main web site. You can find the division at "WWD Fencing".

Tournaments

The WWD offers fencers the ability to compete in local tournaments virtually every week of the season. Most tournaments are hosted by the local clubs. The division organization itself runs several events over the course of the season, including the qualifying events for national-level competitions.

All tournaments in the WWD are posted on www.askfred.net. If you plan on attending a tournament, you can sign up for the event on AskFRED. Although this is not required for all tournaments (some do require registration in advance), you are strongly encouraged to pre-register for all tournaments because it helps the organizers plan for the number of attendees. In addition, some tournaments offer a discount on the entry fee if you pre-pay on the AskFRED website.

Major WWD Tournaments

Every season, the WWD runs several important events:

  • The Leon Auriol Open (early October) – This event draws fencers from all over the Pacific Northwest.
  • Junior Olympic Qualifiers (December) – This is the qualifier event for junior fencers that wish to compete at the national Junior Olympics.
  • The Battle in Seattle (late January/early February) – This large open event is one of the largest held in the Pacific Northwest and draws fencers from all over the country and Canada. This tournament is part of US Fencing's Regional Open Circuit and is a qualifying path for various events at Summer Nationals.
  • Divisional Qualifier (late April) – This is the Div2/3 qualifier event for all fencers that wish to compete at Summer Nationals who have not otherwise qualified.
  • Junior and Senior Division Championships – These events determine the division champion in each of the men’s and women’s weapons, as well as a division “three-weapon” champion.

WWD Membership Meeting

Every season, the WWD holds an annual membership meeting in May or June. At this meeting, members elect the division officers for the next season. All WWD members age 18 or over are eligible to vote.

WWD Officers

The division officers are a group of volunteers who fulfill the duties of the division governance each season. If you have any questions regarding fencing in the division, any of the officers should be able to help out. Contact information for the officers can be found on the WWD website.

The officers are elected at the annual membership meeting and WWD members age 18 or over are eligible to run for office.