Hello parents!

First of all, yes, Max, Tiernan, Darius, and Mathias should be fencing foil.

Second, after all the inquiries, I researched the age requirements for the different categories at tournaments. This turned out to be much more difficult than I expected, as the USFA website is undergoing some sort of mutation and I couldn't get to the Athlete's Handbook, which has all these answers. Therefore, these are cribbed from other sources, but are accurate. And yes, Mehmet, you are correct. :)

Here is a description of SYC and RYC events:

The USFA has initiated a series of youth tournaments for the Y14, Y12, and Y10 age categories to provide more competitive opportunities for younger fencers.

Super Youth Circuit

Super Youth Circuit (SYC) events allow athletes a chance to earn national points. Fencers may participate in more than one SYC tournament, however, only the competition where the fencer earns the most points will be included in the point standings. These events are part of the qualification paths for both Summer Nationals and Youth 10 and 12 events at North American Cups.

Regional Youth Circuit

Regional Youth Circuit (RYC) tournaments are held throughout the season, similar to SYC events. There are no national points awarded, but participation in these competitions is required to qualify for both the Y10/Y12 competitions at Summer National Championships and Y10/Y12 events at North American Cups.

Next, an explanation of how old you need to be for the various age categories:

An important detail is what year the fencer is born, not how hold she is right now. It is a fencer's age on December 31st that the USFA counts, and everyone born in that year is the same age that day.

Because the Junior and Cadet season ends with Junior World Championships in the Spring, the age requirements after April reflect the upcoming season in those events. Thus the "Under 16" and "Under 19" events at Summer Nationals, which reflect the birth years of fencers who will be Cadet and Junior (respectively) in the upcoming season. These are the "first events" of the upcoming season for the purposes of our national points lists.

Here is the eligibility table from the Athlete's Handbook, for events this season (2008-9), before Summer Nationals:

Here is the eligibility table from the Athlete's Handbook, for events at this Summer Nationals, including qualifying events.:

Here is my eligibility table for fencers 20 and under:

This table is correct from August 1, 2008, to July 31, 2009. Add one to each year listed after that date, for the 2009-10 season.

In order to be eligible to compete in a Youth NAC, a fencer must first compete in a Regional Youth Circuit or a Super Regional Youth Circuit.

Once you have competed in a RYC or SRYC you can also compete in Youth events at Summer Nationals.

If you are fortunate enough to earn points at either a SRYC or the NAC, you can also fence up one age group, locally, regionally, and nationally. E.g, points in Youth 10 allow you to compete in Youth 12 even if you are not old enough. Points in Youth 12 allow you to compete in Youth 14 (even if you are only 7 or 8 years old).

Hope this helps!