Path to national veterans team?

[BugabooX]

So this 37-year-old is setting some long-term goals, and he's thinking about trying to make a veterans team of some sort one of these days. What are the possibilities open to him, and what path should he take? Are there particular events that he must win, or some number of points that he must win? (And, yes, it's assumed that he'll train train train practice practice practice and improve as much as he can on the way.)

[Capt. Slo-mo]

The path to the national veteran's team passes right by a really big bottle of Ibuprofen.

[Peach]

At this point there is no national team in the age 40-49 category, since the Veteran Worlds are for fencers aged 50 and over. We hope that will change one of these days.

A fencer in the 40-49 category can certainly earn points in that category, and there is a certain charm to being on the top of the Veteran-40 points list. It doesn't get you anything except bragging rights, right now.

In order to make the national veterans team, he must finish on either the 50-59 or the 60+ national points list in the top 4. These lists use his best two out of three results in the two Veterans competitions at the NACs and the age-group championships in Summer Nationals. The age group championships do not count as much as the Open Veteran competitions because they are not considered as strong as competitions in which he must compete against people who are aged 40-49 as well as in his own age category.

Any USFA member of the correct age may compete in the NAC Veteran competitions, and to qualify for the Summer Nationals age group competitions he can (a) compete in any of the NAC Veteran competitions or (b) qualify by showing up at other qualifiers in his division and section. The USFA site is down right now, so I'm doing this from memory. Anybody who knows better than me can feel free to add/correct the information.

As I understand it, another criterion for making the national team is being able to free up the time to go to Veteran Worlds.

[Peach]

Originally posted by Capt. Slo-mo
The path to the national veteran's team passes right by a really big bottle of Ibuprofen.

No, the path leads INTO the bottle.

They do conduct drug tests at the Veteran Worlds, which is pretty funny when you think about it. Most of us own at least one of those SMWTuWThFS pill boxes, if not two or three.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

Ok, after being flippant, I was going to come back and outline what I remembered, but Peach beat me to it!

My recollection coincides with hers...there is no vet "team" until you're 50, even tho there is a 40-49 category. The points and national standings are calculated just like any other category: based on performances at NACs and selected other events (as outlined in the "How the points are calculated" section of the National Rolling Points Lists.