| Hey there Lefty. A lot of people get nervous before a tourney, the key is to figure out how to get that nervous energy on your side.
The best (and hardest) thing to do is simply not put pressure on yourself. Athletes perform the best when acting on a "work to win" rather than a "try not to lose" mindset. If you are acting out of fear of failure, then you'll be second guessing yourself and getting upset and frustrated. If you are working to win, then you have a positive channel going for your energy.
Before the tourney starts, get moving and put that extra energy to work. Do some extra laps around the gym and extra footwork to get you in the mindset of performing well. Then get some blade work in. I prefer to start with some blade drills with a partner or on the strip before bouting to get technique and hand placement down before worrying about scoring touches. Once you are warm, then get a couple of practice bouts in. During your practice bouts go through all the actions you know and see how they are feeling for you - that way, you'll know what's going to work for you in the very first bout.
During your bouts, get your breathing under control and keep steady. If you start to get frustrated and can feel yourself about to lose it, then take your mask off between touches - or walk to the end of the strip and back. All this time, breathe slowly and get yourself refocused as you put your mask back on.
Best of luck to you. Fence well, and the results will follow.
Craig | 
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