Meanderings about Charlotte

[Peach]

I just got back--I fenced well, was happy to see that I had fixed all of my most worrisome bad habits, and now have a whole new crop of bad habits to fix, though I hope they're smaller.

The Adam's Mark, which was the official hotel, was a pleasant place. However, I had the feeling it was overdue for a renovation. The carpets had pale spots where noxious substances of some sort had been removed. The sink in the bathroom had a crack. The hotel was also due for some new management. I used my ice bucket and it wasn't cleaned out the next day; I dumped about six dollars into the soda machines with no soda to show for it; my coffee filter wasn't replaced after I used it, even after four days; and there were rarely towels at the outdoor pool and when I left a potato chip on the deck one day it was still there the next.

However, people were courteous and the pool itself was clean. I ate at Applebees, and while they had about three items on the menu and my selections arrived looking as if my mother had prepared them (this is not necessarily a compliment), they were edible and the waitstaff was courteous.

Friends stayed at other places and told me they were nicer and cheaper. I was happy enough there, and though I had a car the shuttle bus was very regular.

The Liberty Hall part of the Merchandise Mart was a stained, dark barn of a place and the venue was in a run-down area. The rooms where the meetings were held, on a different floor, felt like they were in an abandoned building. The alleys between the curtained-off fencing areas were jammed with bags, migrating folding chairs, and people. However, the food was edible and served promptly, there was the usual great selection of vendors, and there seemed to be more of those modular strips that don't require round-the-clock teams of armorers whacking away on them constantly.

The referees were stern about keeping everybody except the fencers out of the fencing areas, except when they weren't so stern There were many young persons refereeing, and numbers of FOC people running around organizing hand and foot judges with great dispatch and energy. My friends who were refereeing had the usual hours--insane--but managed to seem moderately cheerful in spite of it.

People told me events weren't running on time. You couldn't tell it by me. The I-A WS started right away, and in the Vet-50 WS all of us were checked in by about 7:15, I think, because they announced our pools on the dot of 8:00 and we began immediately.

The PA system worked and was audible, even in the bathrooms.

This was just my experience. Any others?

[edew]

Didn't stay at the Adams Mark, as mentioned in another thread.

I also mentioned the Merchandise Mart looked sorta like the horse barn in San Diego for the San Diego NAC 1.6 years ago.

The fencing seemed to run quite efficiently. Even though some events started well over an hour after the close of check-in, things progressed quickly from then on (except for those who were in the first flights of a multi-flight competition).

As a referee, I only had two days that ended after 7:30PM. And for those two days, they ended at 8:00PM and 9:00PM respectively. Aside from those two days, all my refereeing duties had me out the door by 6:00PM at the latest.

I'm guessing the fencing venue format from now on will be strips on carpets. There weren't too much room between the enclosures.

[greenchick]

A slightly different perspective, since this was my first Nationals: I have never seen that much fencing in one place in my life. I want to have another one, like, next week sometime. Preferably just as soon as I've caught up on sleep and my feet have stopped hurting from the concrete floors.

As everyone's noted, the venue was mobbed, and about half again too small for either the number of people or the number of strips.

My events started right on time whether the coffee had kicked in or not, but one foilist clubmate had long delays in both DII and DIIIWF -- in DIII, the new start time was posted fairly early in the day, but for DII, nobody seemed to know when things would start. Aside from that, my group (and there were a ton of us there) had everything run smoothly.

I came home with new toys, and all the vendors I talked to were great -- helpful, informative, even willing to deal.

I finally introduced myself to Peach, in an utterly goofy "Hi, you probably have no clue who I am!" sort of way; I saw edew absolutely everywhere all week but didn't say hello. So, uh, hello!

[KShan5[PrFC]]

lol I run into people all the time from the board but never introduce myself to them, cuz i think it's odd, although i don't know why.

The aisles were crowded way too much.

The LOC was a pain in the ***. They should have eithger enforced the rule of sitting inside or not, but when one final is going on the and the strip is crowded with ppeople sitting on the carpet, and an hour later another is going on and you are not even allowed to sit under the bar, it's annoying.

I didn't stay in the Adam's mark, I stayed at Studio Plus. Great place, although they overbooked and we didn't get the room we wanted, but there was a kitchen,m which was a major plus, and was only 7 minutes from the venue.

The area of Charlotte was kind of a dump.

The event times didn't make much since. For example, Div III MS starts at one, which is reality was four, ends at about 10...Div II MS starts at 7am, I don't get why they did it that way.

Not many practice strips, but that meant that the BC was using all strips and refs effectively.

Long food lines, but decent food.

Not many places near Adam's Mark for food, but after a 15 minute walk there was a ton of em.

[Peach]

I finally introduced myself to Peach, in an utterly goofy "Hi, you probably have no clue who I am!" sort of way; I saw edew absolutely everywhere all week but didn't say hello. So, uh, hello!

It was so nice to meet you! People are always telling me they saw me at some event but they didn't introduce themselves, which always makes me feel rather like a solitary goldfish in a bowl--everybody can see me but I don't know who they are! However, you and fencinman89 both said hello, so that made me happy.

[electricepeeist]

We ended up staying in the Hampton Inn. The staff were all nice, the room was very clean and well-furnished, and the rooms were cleaned practically as soon as we left for the day. The shuttle was a nice feature- you could call it to take you anywhere in a 5 mile radius and then come pick you up. This was my first big nationals, and while it was run fairly well, I had some trouble with a renegade ref, late start times (my 8 am event started quickly, but my 1 o clock event started at around 3, later for me because they shoved half the pools to yet another hour later, and ended past 9 PM), and the fact that it was pretty much impossible to get anywhere quickly because there were SO many people crammed in the little aisles, many of them thinking that their private conversations were important enough to be held in the middle of the aisles. But I guess that'd be anywhere.

[i'mnottelling]

Not many practice strips, but that meant that the BC was using all strips and refs effectively.

.

It would be nice if the LOC or USFA would designate an area for warm up or practice strips. Coaches and fencers are always being shuffled around the venue trying to find an open "legal" area to warm up.

i'mnt

[noodle]

i saw plenty of people i recognized off the top of my head from here and watched them fence (peach, edew, oiuyt, epeemike, to name a few) but i'm generally not the type to approach someone.

the venue was too small, not enough walking space. isles frequently closed up because of bags and crowds to the point that there was no passing through. events were pretty regularly delayed. past the first few days the start times were posted on the front door as pre-delayed from 1ish to 2:30. i know a men's epeeist who started a pool at 10, ended it at 11 and started his first DE at 4. the AC broke a few times and wasn't enough to really do the job for the number of people there (it was really cold in the morning from the AC on overdrive to try and help, but once fencing started up it heated up in there pretty good on busy days). the refs seemed overworked and spread thin; i personally watched quite a few calls botched that broke a bout in favour of someone else (for example, i watched someone never give ROW to one person ever even when it was blatantly theirs, i watched someone give the winning touch to someone who initiated and ended an attack completely off of the strip, countless cards that should've been applied but weren't and actually made a difference and many others (p.s.: i'm not including ones that were messed up on friends of mine, these are objective ones)) and quite a few refs that seemed like they had no business directing a row weapon.

on the bright side, i'm glad to know there were no problems with transportation or hotel arrangements or anything else that i've heard of outside the venue.

[whtouche]

Not many places near Adam's Mark for food, but after a 15 minute walk there was a ton of em.

15 minute walk up hill the whole way.
Echo others sentiments. The venue was infact too small, and one of my biggest complaints is there were no finals strips to speak of. A few years ago in greenville, there was a separate finals room, which was done brilliantly. Even last year in austin there were at least bleechers set up infront of a strip designated as the finals area.
Several people complained of the AC, which I agree wasnt quite sufficient, but when I was fencing I didn't really notice it and when I wasn't fencing there was enough of an intermitent gust to keep me chilled. Perhaps prior to nationals I'd gotten so used to fencing in a non-AC'd room at 90-ish degrees pretty regularly

Noodle, did perhaps you have on a black t-shirt with whatever your avatar is adorning it at some point during nationals?
If so, I may have seen you. I introduced myself to nobody this week (well, a cute girl from DC, but she isn't on here I don't think )

[mlr2fence]

I agree that the venue was too small. The aisles need to be at least wide enough so that people can watch the fencing while others can walk past. No wonder fencing is considered 'not spectator friendly'! Even if a non-fencer stopped by they would see the jumbled mass of people and turn around and walk out. The designated finals area with extra seating should definately be apart of every nationals. These are our national championships--lets showcase them! The AC also needed improvement. When the refs are told to remove their coats it means someone better crank up the AC! I dream of a designated warm up area where one doesn't get shooed out the minute they get hooked up.

[noodle]

Noodle, did perhaps you have on a black t-shirt with whatever your avatar is adorning it at some point during nationals?
If so, I may have seen you. I introduced myself to nobody this week (well, a cute girl from DC, but she isn't on here I don't think )

see my journal

[SupportCrew]

The center aisle was definitely awful. One day I had a y10ish boy sabreist stabbing me all the way up the venue. I let him pass, and then heard the next group of people complaining. Hmmm....maybe he had the most effective way to get through!
Women's Sabre seemed to run pretty much on time, which was nice. Women's Foil however, was another story altogether, at least from what I saw. As stated in an earlier post, the directing was sometimes horrid. On the other hand, when you got a good one, it was truly appreciated.
The Vendors were great. I didn't purchase from any of the food vendors except for one absolutely cherished Corona (My older child had a 7 am check-in, and the younger one had a 1-2 check in, but didn't start fencing until 5:30). All in all, we had a great time. I can't imagine having to plan an event like that! Although, I do wish the venue had been a touch nicer. Arlington was so much brighter and cleaner.

[darius]

I stayed in the Murder...ehrm...Masters Inn. Good location, across the street, and for a sleazy motel, the rooms were kept up and the staff was nice. Bummer about the size of the street, but we ended up renting a car anyways.

Hated the venue AC -- but I'm the type that would like to migrate north of the Arctic Circle during the summer. Thus, it took no more than 10 seconds of the Carolina lack-of-AC to send me scurrying back into the venue.

Venue wasn't that bad, but the pathways were too small and crowded. No food within walking distance.

Refs were mostly fine, there was b&m-ing by coaches about putting inexperienced refs in point events, which is completely understandable.

I liked Austin & Greenville. Don't remember enough about Sacramento to be sure. Not a big fan of Charlotte, although we found a great pizza place.

darius

[Inquartata]

Meh, in which direction were these many eating establishments to be found a mere 15 minute walk away? I went looking on Thursday evening and it took me half an hour of trudging to find anything. Even then half of the places I encountered were either closed ( at 6 p.m.! ) or boarded up...including a McDonald's, and I thought that those were indefatigable. Finally wound up having Chinese food in a strip mall storefront. Not bad, but by the time I hiked back to the hotel again I had probably burned off all the calories I'd eaten, so nothing much accomplished there.

The hotel was fine, if a bit dear for the amenities. The shuttle was what clinched the deal for me, as a rental car would have eaten up any savings on lodgings by staying elsewhere. So I was satisfied overall with the stay. The vending machine did consume some of MY money, too, and the water pressure in the shower was like being spit upon by hummingbirds until I hectored the hotel into sending up a plumber to replace the showerhead. Otherwise I had a better experience than did Peach. Or else, being a man, I was simply less apt to pay attention to whatever housekeeping lapses may have occurred.

The venue was dirty, crowded to a fare-thee-well and the A/C was clearly not able to cope with both the North Carolina summer AND all of those heat-generating bodies inside. And I'm from a hot climate myself, so it wasn't just my impression, I don't think. The concrete floors were also not appreciated, whatever padding they put down over them. The food was OK, though expensive. But administratively things seemed to hum along quite nicely. I didn't experience any undue delays or glitches with the fencing itself, apart from a late-starting pool in Div II MS, the referee for which was not prompt.

The trip there and back was made nightmarish by the presence of a shrieking infant in the row right behind me on all 4 legs of the flight, and a travelling companion who could not stop grumbling about it. ( Man, and I thought that I was an irascible old fussbudget! )


All in all I am glad that Nationals will be in Sacramento next year. This experience was OK, but not cheap...and all those trees freaked me out, man!

[Mergs]

Stayed at the Adam's Mark, too. Definately not worth what I paid for it. Peach is right, it is about 5 years past a well needed renovation. Elevators not working properly, worn carpet, loose door frames, holely curtains. but the biggest insult was NO DRAFT BEER in the bar!!!! And don't count CJ's as a bar, not when they are charging a cover to get in, even to guests! Anyway, we know where my priorities were.

Found a couple of nice resturants, one of which WAS within walking distance, event for a bunch of old broken down Vets. Cute town, but didn't get to wander around much. All in all I would say it was pretty good.

The venue was OK, given that there were 51 strips! Walkways were, as was pointed out earlier, crowded, but not impossible to get around.

[The0ne]

i think the FOC did a good job running the event. . . I remember hearing horror stories from last year of like 1 am finishes and stuff and we didn't have any of those this year. . .

[noodle]

i think the FOC did a good job running the event. . . I remember hearing horror stories from last year of like 1 am finishes and stuff and we didn't have any of those this year. . .

i understood fencing wednesday ended in the 10-11pm area at least.
i left the venue at 9ish.

[fixxmyweapon]

There were way more delays this year than last so it seemed. I just expected it whenever I went to fence or support teamates unless the event was an early registration. Still, minus the large number of Div 3 mens foil fencers from last year, I liked last years nationals better.

[demon_fencer]

Aside from my absolutely horrible fencing performance ... 1/2 my fault, and 1/2 the fault of my pools director not understanding what an attack in preparation was until half the pool was done

Pros: the people in Charlotte have got to be some of the nicest people I have ever met. Whatever drugs they are on should be put into the water system of every major city. I stayed in the Hilton Garden Inn (the one attached to the Hampton Inn) and the room was great for what I paid. The free shuttle not only took me to the venue & back, it also drove us to/picked us up from Walmart and several area restaurants.

Cons: The host hotel was a dump. My coach (and 25 other people) moved out after one night. Did anyone notice that the Adams Mark was the only hotel in the area with negative reviews on the net?
The venue was pretty bad too. Ditto on the complaints about the AC and lack of space between the strips.

My question for everyone is this: Where were the trash cans? Fencers can be pretty messy but at least when there are trash cans around, most of the garbage tends to end up in the same general area. At all the other NACs, there were cans located at most aisle intersections, but not in Charlotte.

[Allen Evans]

I understand that the small venue and number of strips required that a large number of strips were included in each enclosure. This made coaching (or even FOLLOWING) a bout very difficult, especially if you tried to behave and stay off the carpet. When this was coupled with a large number of new (and old) referees who did not use hand signals - even to show where the touch was awarded - my first question at the break was often: "Excuse me, what's the score?".

Once this radically changed the advice I was going to give at the break (a saber bout in which I discovered - by asking for the score - that the referee was awarding the attack in a quite unusual way), a change I made in the walk from the referee to my student's end of the strip. Tactical flexiability is the key to sucess, but I never thought I would be making a 180 degree change in my advice in less than 3 seconds! Right or wrong in the calls, referees have all been told to use hand signals, and the failure to do so in such a crowded environment is particularly irratating.

Some of the referees made good use of the new machines with the integrated clock and score displayed. Some, much to my confusion, started the bout using both accesories, and then stopped using one or both during the bout when they either couldn't figure out the controls or couldn't get the remote to work at either extreme of the strip. This too, made the job of coaching difficult.

There has been a lot of discussion about giving the USFA events the "look and feel" of the more polished FIE events, especially in terms of strip set up and the use of the machines with score and time displays. There has been some progress in this, but this Nationals fell far short.

I will agree with the previous posters. The Adam's Mark was a very shabby hotel, with numerous problems with my room, none major, but all annoying. I found the Appleby's to be well below standard, even for hotel food.

My overall feeling is that the Summer Nationals may be getting too large for the USFA to handle without either changing the approach to the tournament, or committing more reasources to it, or both. With increased growth in USFA membership, Summer Nationals is only going to get bigger.