Money Money Money

[Niceguy4186]

I heard about a new fencing club starting up around my area. (dayton ohio)I didn't make it to the first day but one of my friends went and he said that it cost 40 bucks for the summer to go and an extra 20 to rent equipment. I just got into fencing a few months ago and have only done it threw my college. Is this the normal amount for clubs? More? Less? any info would be helpfull.
Thanxs

[latenight]

forty bucks for the entire summer is cheap.

I pay 55 a month and that is cheaper than many

[KC]

Our club is $30 for the beginner's class and after that if you join the club its $25 per month.

But it all comes down to what services you get. How many nights a week you get to fence. Is equipment availible for the novices. Is the coach experienced. These kinda things.

I think we have a great deal. Some places I have seen run over $80 per month... Who can really afford that price?

Our club also offers a training scholarship for those that can't afford the cost of the club.

[Mr. Foilist]

My club meets twice a week and charges $5 a day for the floor (no monthly charge). Group lessons are cheap (something like $3 a head). I'm not sure how much they charge for individual lessons.

$40 bucks for the summer is cheap. And, you get to rent the necessary (I'm assuming basic, non-electric) equipment for $20? That's cool, too.

[Chris Aher]

Our club charges $125 per quarter. Various discounts (family, student etc) may apply. Fencing is every weeknight & all day Saturday. Beginner & intermediate classes and individual lessons are available at reasonable rates also. All participants must be USFA members. We include a "Fence for Fun" membership in our beginner class program.

[135711]

a small private clubs ususally don't cost as much as larger college affiliated clubs, clubs that draw in international competitions and international instructors will cost more, local clubs that just want to run a small organization in order to keep a sport alive and well but still maintain affiliations with the usfa and encourage membership in the parent organization with some emphasis on competitions strike the right balance. some clubs 'imitate' the college schedule by charging tuition fees on a semester or quarterly basis. the rental of equipment is interestinly always posted by clubs but never enforced. begging, borrowing and stealing is sometimes recognized by hardly matters. all fencers must arrive on time, at the edge of the strip with three weapons a change of sneakers and their mothers, or they will be green carded.

[achilleus]

[quote]Originally posted by 135711:
<strong>a small private clubs ususally don't cost as much as larger college affiliated clubs, clubs that draw in international competitions and international instructors will cost more, local clubs that just want to run a small organization in order to keep a sport alive and well but still maintain affiliations with the usfa and encourage membership in the parent organization with some emphasis on competitions strike the right balance.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I've always thought the fees had more to do with paying rent. For example clubs in San Francisco, LA, and New York have higher rent and therefore charge more. Those clubs also tend to be larger and have competitors.

Either way, $40 for the summer is cheap.

[edew]

Of course, depending on your financial circumstances and where you live,$40/summer can be expensive or very cheap. Since $40 is about 2.5 tanks of gas for me, which is about three weeks' worth, I'd say it's cheap.

Here in the Bay Area, if you're getting individual lessons, you would be lucky (or stuck with some schmuck) to be paying about $2000/year. And that's just for lessons, twice a week. Club fee will be extra, going from anywhere from $60 to $150 per month (so add another $600-1000 per year).

Professional private clubs generally charge more because
a) The club owner survives on this income
b) There's rent to pay
c) There's equipment to buy, etc.

College affiliated clubs are sometimes cheaper because
a) Coach is already paid by college/university; using club to supplement income
b) Facility is owned and paid for by college/university
c) Equipment is already there, paid for by university.

Of course, some colleges aren't cheap, depending on the financial agreement between the sport and the school.

The third type, a group of people getting together to fence, is not really considered a club, other than that it pays the $99 annual club fee to USFA (or whatever that amount is). In these cases, the fees could be minimal as the facility could be someone's backyard. Expect little value from such clubs.

[135711]

well, overhead does enter into the equation, but you don't need fancy stuff, really, just an old barn with good ventilation works just as well, the floor is the trick you need big space with a good wooden floor, knock down the walls, and viola, you got a salle!

[Link14]

[quote]Originally posted by edew:
<strong>The third type, a group of people getting together to fence, is not really considered a club, other than that it pays the $99 annual club fee to USFA (or whatever that amount is). In these cases, the fees could be minimal as the facility could be someone's backyard. Expect little value from such clubs.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I think that's being a little harsh on us non-professional, non-university clubs. Our club started 6 years ago with 6 fencers and one foil mainly because the local university said that they couldn't have a club that included non-student members. Now we have around 30 members and usually keep three electric strips going most practice nights, on space that the club rents.

As far as value.....you get what you put into it. Several of us have had coaching experience or have gone to coaches college so if someone wants to do drills or refine their techniques...great. If they want to sit on their tails all night...that's their choice.

Would you progress faster or get more "value" from a club with a dedicated coach....most likely. That doesn't mean the rest of us aren't clubs!!

[ 05-30-2002: Message edited by: Link14 ]</p>

[achilleus]

[quote]Originally posted by 135711:
<strong>well, overhead does enter into the equation, but you don't need fancy stuff, really, just an old barn with good ventilation works just as well, the floor is the trick you need big space with a good wooden floor, knock down the walls, and viola, you got a salle!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Maybe where you're from. In San Francisco, New York and LA, not only can you not find a barn, but you wouldn't be able to compete against the other clubs using a barn.

Also, in those cities, a big space is very expensive.

[135711]

well, it says you're from greece, i thought maybe in athens they may have barns, speaking of greece, 2004 get ready for sparta.

but seriously, why would you not be able to compete in a renovated barn? and some really great teams are located outside of city boundaries like upstate new york, where all the barns are!

[achilleus]

[quote]Originally posted by 135711:
<strong>well, it says you're from greece, i thought maybe in athens they may have barns, speaking of greece, 2004 get ready for sparta.

but seriously, why would you not be able to compete in a renovated barn? and some really great teams are located outside of city boundaries like upstate new york, where all the barns are!</strong><hr></blockquote>

By compete I mean draw in members. Who wants to fence in a barn, when you have large modern facilities available?

[Inquartata]

Perhaps it would cow your opponents...

[135711]

we would just have to get them to moo over and milk them for all they've got.

[135711]

I also refer you to the Barn Journal, check your website, under <a href="http://www.barnjournal.com" target="_blank">www.barnjournal.com</a>

[edew]

Then we'd be talking about moo-lah and not money.
But then, I always thought having a fencing club
in a barn would be a cash cow. Would one fence AROUND the barn, or in the barn?

It epees to me that fencing should not be done inside a barn, as that seems rather redundant. A repost, in a way. But hay, to each his own, right?

(Ok, that was the last straw. I'll steer to the straight and narrow now. No bull.)

[ 05-30-2002: Message edited by: edew ]</p>

[135711]

that was good, thanks.
[by the way, my reference to greece was not gratuitus my uncle, rest his soul was born in greece, his name was kariokus savakapopalapus-which he americanized to charles savakus]

mooo ooooooooooooo

[Inquartata]

This thread has become udderly ridiculous...

[shyHeidi]

Wow, "OMG" no more cow jokes, I can't stand it anymore.
Jeeze, man, that's so cheap, I'm kinda jealous, around here there's only really 1 club to choose from unless I wanna go all the way to SF or something, and even the 1 club is 3, almost 4 towns away, and it's absolute cheapest is $85/mo. or something and that doesn't include any individual instruction, equipment rental, and only is good for 1 night/week. Ugh!
On the other hand, fencing at a school that has classes but no club really only gets you so far because you end up taking the second class over and over and over again and if there were a club, well, maybe there would be lots of really aggressive, serious people there who would kick your butt more efficiently, thus teaching you more quickly and efficiently, and etcetera etcetera etcetera, and you'd gain better reflexes than by fencing other beginners and what-not, that's my problem and I don't know how long this sentence has been running on but I tend to do that these days and I think I will end it. Goodbye. <img src="graemlins/blah.gif" border="0" alt="[Blah]" />