Using AskFRED
What Is AskFRED?
AskFRED is where many clubs post tournaments and events and where parents/fencers can register for tournaments and view their results.
At the All-American Fencing Academy, many times we will have a sign in sheet during class for upcoming tournaments and the coaches will register the fencers for the tournament on AskFRED, but we encourage our families to familiarize themselves and register for tournaments on their own!
What Events Are On AskFRED?
There are National/Regional fencing tournaments like North American Cups, Regional Circuits, and National Championships. These events are listed on the USA Fencing website and you must register for these events on the USA Fencing website and fencers will require a USA Fencing Competitive Membership.
AskFRED lists local tournaments hosted by fencing clubs. Unless otherwise stated, any fencer from any club can participate at any event hosted on AskFRED. Sanctioned events on AskFRED require at least a USA Fencing Access Membership, while Unsanctioned events require at least a non-competitive membership.
Should I Register Early For The Tournament
We encourage our families and fencers to register as early as possible for tournaments. Tournament organizers plan based on the number of participants. If 20 fencers sign up the day before the event, the tournament organizers may not be prepared to handle 20 additional fencers. Also, it’s become a habit for participants to see how many people are also registered.
Most of the time, you don’t have to pay at the time of registration. Even if it is likely that you will participate in the event, go ahead and register. You can always remove yourself from the registration list with no penalty.
How To Use AskFRED
Assuming this is the first time registering for an event…
Step 1: Find the event you are registering for.
You can search for events by zip code, city, state/division, or club.
Step 2: View the information relevant to the event.
Each event has buttons for PREREGISTRATION, WHO IS COMING, MORE TOURNAMENT INFO, and EMAIL THE ORGANIZERS.
Always view the information. It will tell you how much the tournament fee is. If there is a deadline for registration. Some clubs have early registration, and additional fees if you register after a certain date. Some clubs may not allow you to register on the day of the event or on site. Like we mentioned before, you can always register early and not show up or remove yourself from the registration list with no penalty. Some clubs may have a max limit of fencers. Any information specific to the tournament will be on the MORE TOURNAMENT INFO button.
STEP 3: Preregister for the event.
AskFRED will first ask you for the last name of the fencer. It will first try to find if your fencer is already in the database (perhaps you or your fencer was listed on AskFRED from a previous event).
If you or your fencer is already on the database, select your name from the drop down list. Then you will see the Preregistration Form.
- Make sure you have the correct name
- Select the correct club the fencer belongs to (select a Secondary Club if applicable…if you fence at another club)
- Select your Division (All-American Fencing Academy fencers are in the North Carolina Division)
- Select your USA Foil/Epee/Saber Rating. Fencers can earn ratings from sanctioned events. Fencers that have earned a rating usually know they have a rating. Most beginner fencers won’t have a rating (rating will be U).
- Enter your e-mail. Make sure you check your spam folder if you don’t see an e-mail notification after registration.
- Enter the fencer’s birth year.
- Enter your USA Fencing Member Number. Not required, but helpful to have it in the system if you know what it is.
- If this is the first time you are on AskFRED, we encourage you to select the box labeled “Create FRED Membership Account”. This helps make things easier when registering for other events in the future.
- Select the events the fencer is participating in.
- The page will show up again, this time saying that a Username and Password is required. Under the “Create FRED Membership Account” will be new spaces to create your username and password. (Do not check the box that says “Need a Bout Committee account?”)
- Select the Preregister button again. You will see “Preregistration was successful” on the next page.
Now That You Have An AskFRED Account, What Else Can You Do With It?
You can search for other tournaments. You don’t have to just compete at the All-American Fencing Academy. Some of our fencers travel to other NC clubs to compete.
Even if the tournament is in another state, it is still a local event and you can typically participate in them (always double check the more info section of the tournament).
You can always view and share your tournament results from previous events!