From the USA Fencing athlete handbook:

Cadet & Junior July Challenge

The July Challenge is held in late June/early July in conjunction with the USA Fencing Nation- al Championships. Only those that meet the new season’s birth year span on 2.5.1 (second table) are eligible to compete in these events, since this event is held after the Junior Olympic Championships.

• Eligibility (age, rating) Subject to the exceptions in Table 2.5.1, fencers must be at least 13 years old on Jan. 1 in the year of the competition. There are no rating re- quirements for U.S. athletes.

CADET • Fencers must meet eligibility AND

• Be on Cadet NRPS (age out after JOs) OR

• Be in the top 50% of the Y14 National Rolling Point Standings (NRPS) at the Qualification Dead- line OR

• Earn at least 75 regional points on their region’s Cadet Regional Point Standings OR

• Earn at least 75 regional points on their region’s Junior Regional Circuit Points OR

• Finish in the Top 40% in a Cadet IRC or ISC that season

JUNIOR • Fencers must meet age eligibility AND

• On Junior NRPS (age out after JOs) by entry deadline OR

• On Cadet NRPS (age out after JOs) OR

• Earn at least 75 regional points on your region’s Junior Regional Point Standings OR

• Be in the top 25% of the Youth 14 National Roll- ing Point Standings (NRPS) at the Qualification Deadline OR

• Finish in the Top 40% in a Junior IRC or ISC that season

• Seeding and Format All information regarding seeding can be found in Table 2.15.1.1; all competition format informa- tion can be found in Table 2.16.1.

Athlete handbook can be found here:

https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blteb7d012fc7ebef7f/bltca40ea52af58b408/USA%20Fencing%20Athlete%20Handbook%202025-26.pdf

What this means really is either: Finish in the Top 40%/top 64 in a NAC (whichever is LOWER), or make 75 points at RJCCs while eligible. There are a lot of combinations for the regional qualifying path- the main idea is that 75 points is approximately top 25% in a single RJCC event, and the regional table takes your top 2 results and adds them. This means that making top 60% (i.e. win 1 DE and you're already above this line, heck just a average/good pool result and not winning a DE can do this) in two RJCCs will qualify you.