@saharafrog - Yes. The West and Midwest regionals tend to start/come down to a single pool. The South/Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have much larger fields and tend to start with an elimination round of lower-seeded fencers, into 3 or so round of pools with cuts at each level. Last year, for instance, the Northeast had an average of 40+ competitors in each gender/weapon. Good luck in South Bend!