A couple of minor clarifications

[jjefferies]

t.28.1 Regarding crossing the lateral boundaries. The rules appear to mean that a fencer who is retreating and steps over the boundary is penalized by being moved back 1 meter from the point of infraction. But that an attacker is moved back 1 meter from where they began their attack. My question is In the case of the attack how does one interpret where the attack began from? Is it taken to mean from the point where the command "fence" is issued? What happens when both fencers have moved up and down the strip and one steps off while moving forward?

t.34.2
Referees may not combine their function with any other activity during the tournament such as member of the Bout Committee,.., official delegate..

The normal duties of a referee are called out in some detail in t.35.2. But in more technically run tournaments the entry of results is often on computer and even by way of an app which may report directly to a computer. What is the dividing line? For instance could a referee enter results into fencing time? Would an iPhone app be allowed?

thanks

[erik_blank]

Have you checked the FOC web site for an answer to t.28.1? They have a document that secifically clarifies the first issue for you: http://fencingofficials.org/document...Boundaries.pdf

[KD5MDK]

1) the attack is interpreted exactly as defined in t.7

2) The Bout Committee is defined in section 4.3.4 of the Operations Manual and does not include necessarily the volunteer staff who are supporting the operation of the tournament.

[jjefferies]

Referees may not combine their function with any other activity during the tournament such as member of the Bout Committee,.., official delegate..

The normal duties of a referee are called out in some detail in t.35.2. But in more technically run tournaments the entry of results is often on computer and even by way of an app which may report directly to a computer. What is the dividing line? For instance could a referee enter results into fencing time? Would an iPhone app be allowed?

The Bout Committee is defined in section 4.3.4 of the Operations Manual and does not include necessarily the volunteer staff who are supporting the operation of the tournament.

I don't believe this answers the question posed:

4.3.4 Composition of the Bout Committee
1. USFA National Tournaments
The Bout Committee for USFA tournaments shall consist of three members of the USFA in good
standing. The Bout Committee operations will be supported by volunteer staff who will record
results from each round of the competitions and will monitor the progress of the competitions.
Results will be transferred to electronic medium and rounds will be generated by specific
tournament software: for the 2011-2012 season, the USFA will be transitioning from XSeed to
Fencing Time.
The Bout Committee for each competition at a National tournament will include the Bout
Committee Chair, the FOC Head referee and the Tournament Committee representative. The
members of the Bout Committee for each competition at a National Tournament will be posted in
a prominent place at the venue prior to the start of each competition at the tournament. The Bout
Committee can request the presence of the Head Tech in matters dealing with apparent
equipment problems or questions regarding conformity of equipment.
An athlete representative, if present and not of the same club or school affiliation as the
protesting fencer nor involved in the same competition, will be requested, in a non-voting
capacity, to participate in the deliberations of the Bout Committee as an advocate for the athlete.
2. Local & Regional USFA Tournaments or Competitions
The Bout Committee for competitions other than National Tournaments will consist of at least
three persons: the Bout Committee Chair and two others familiar with the rules of fencing and the
conduct of USFA competitions. The persons serving on the Bout Committee for local or regional
tournaments should represent different clubs or divisions, respectively. These individuals shall be
named prior to the start of the tournament.
Any member of the Bout Committee who is a competitor or team captain may not participate in
the seeding of pools or details for the format for the competition in which he or she is involved.
3. Authority of the Bout Committee Chair
The chair of the Bout Committee for local and regional tournaments is responsible for review of
plans and programs set up by the organizing committee, the conduct of the competition,
assignment of referees (at National competitions, this is the responsibility of the FOC Head
referee), format of the competition, seeding of pools, and direct elimination operation and
maintenance of discipline. At local or regional tournaments a separate person may be named for
assignment of referees. This person should be a high-rated referee who is not a participant in any
of the competitions in the tournament.

So I allow me to rephrase the question, can the duties of a referee include entry of the results of bouts they have refereed into the tournament's data base?

[KD5MDK]

There is nothing in the rules that prohibit a referee from recording the score of the bouts in a computer as opposed to on paper.

Tournaments may have a specific division of labor, but that is not addressed by the rules.

[BOliver]

So I allow me to rephrase the question, can the duties of a referee include entry of the results of bouts they have refereed into the tournament's data base?

This is currently being done at select world cup competitions in Europe. AllStar has a scoring apparatus that incorporates a score sheet. Scores are directly transmitted to the database (though there is still a paper score sheet that has to be filled out.)

The purpose of the article you refer to is to ensure that a referee doesn't also serve as bout committee chair, head of officials, etc. This would constitute a conflict of interest.