Ratings:

[Army Fencer]

All things considered, it is essentially bell-shaped. Interesting.

[mrbiggs]

I think it's more of a slightly increasing line.

It shouldn't be a bell curve; a C isn't average.

If all the USFA members were graphed, it would probably be logarithmic.

As it is, the "public" part of this thread combined with the fact that most of the fencers who go onto a forum are significantly above average manage to straighten it considerably.

[Army Fencer]

It's a low bell, but a bell nonetheless. If you look earlier in the thread, you can see the numbers for all of USFA, and it's pretty close to a log scale.

But you suggest that fencers who participate in this forum are above average. Care to defend your view/convince us?

[mrbiggs]

Well, which is more likely to join a fencing forum:

A casual fencer who fences in school, only during the season, and has competed in a tournament once, for which he joined the USFA

OR

A fencing lunatic who fences for several hours every day and goes to national competitions, and whose work shows in his ranking.

[mrbiggs]

And you're right that if you ignore the "U" and "not from around here" categories, you get a bell curve (or something similar) around the C. I have no idea why that would occur.

[Mo]

Well, which is more likely to join a fencing forum:

A casual fencer who fences in school, only during the season, and has competed in a tournament once, for which he joined the USFA

OR

A fencing lunatic who fences for several hours every day and goes to national competitions, and whose work shows in his ranking.

Or the parent of fencers who dragged their family into the wild and wacky world.
I drive my kids to fencing at least once a day five days a week. There are those extra lessons and weekend competitions.
Remember, it takes a family to raise a fencer!

[oiuyt]

Remember, it takes a family to raise a fencer!

Some fencers start after they've effectively been raised in the real-world (normal-world?) sense of the word. While it still takes a family to raise a fencer, that family generally consists of coach(es), teammates, and other fencers.

My (biological) family has never driven me to practice, to at most a bare handful of competitions, and joining this forum probably hasn't occurred to any of them (although I could see my Dad doing so just to gain a better understand of what I spend my life doing).

Then again, my (fencing) family rarely drives me anywhere either (don't think "crazy" counts :) ). A number of them are here on fencing.net, a few as posters and a bunch of lurkers. Then again, they are all fencers in their own right.

-B :)

[D'Artag-NOT]

Well, which is more likely to join a fencing forum:

A casual fencer who fences in school, only during the season, and has competed in a tournament once, for which he joined the USFA

OR

A fencing lunatic who fences for several hours every day and goes to national competitions, and whose work shows in his ranking.

There's another factor in this equation: general familiarity, comfort, and affinity for online forums.

My coach is a much better, more dedicated fencer than I, but he doesn't like online forums and never participates in them. So I'm here, and he's not.

Just something to keep in mind.

[veeco]

Most of the over average to very good fencers are not on this board, because most of their free time is spent fencing and practicing, working to make more money to go to tournaments, or working to get good grades in order to make money to go to tournaments...

[Peach]

Remember, it takes a family to raise a fencer!

Some fencers. Don't forget, the kids aren't the only ones in this sport. I started when I was 43.

[Peach]

Well, which is more likely to join a fencing forum:

A casual fencer who fences in school, only during the season, and has competed in a tournament once, for which he joined the USFA

OR

A fencing lunatic who fences for several hours every day and goes to national competitions, and whose work shows in his ranking.

Or how about a person who trains regularly, goes to national competitions, has grown children, has an established career, and types REEEEAL fast . . .

[esskreemr]

I can't find that, could you post a link?

(I'll give you a rep point! )

I was referring to the map that breaks membership down by region.

But thanks anyways!

Oops, almost forgot about this:

July 31, 2003 data though:
http://www.usfencing.org/Misc/MembershipReport.asp

As an added bonus:
From July 2004 BOD minutes:

Number of competitors at different National Events
EVENT 2003/2004 location Competition 01-02 02-03 03-04
NAC A OVERLAND PARK, KS DIV 2/CADET/Y14 1056 1280 1412
NAC B PALM SPRINGS, CA DIV 1/VET/WC 993 986 896
NAC C SAN JOSE, CA DIV 1/JUNIOR 892 916 613
NAC D SAN JOSE, CA DIV1/JUNIOR 872 1215 654
JO’s CLEVELAND, OH CADET JUNIOR 1639 16O8 1893
NAC E ARLINGTON, TX II/III/VETERANS 1270 1137 1277
NAC G ATLANTA, GA DIV1/YOUTH 941 1323 1072/31


Summer Nationals Totals (2003):
Summer Nationals Day by Day Totals
Saturday, 6/28: 822
Sunday, 6/29: 961
Monday, 6/30: 832
Tuesday, 7/1: 655
Wednesday, 7/2: 847
Thursday, 7/3: 429 + 39 teams
Friday, 7/4: 358 + 55 teams
Saturday, 7/5: 368 + 57 teams
Sunday, 7/6: 211 + 58 teams
Event Totals: 5483 individual entries / 209 teams


Canadian ratings:
http://www.fencing.ca/cgi-bin/cff_class_search.cgi

[Victor]

I only visit this message board between surgeries. Lately more of my patients have been dying, which gives me more time to poke around here.

[oso97]

I only visit this message board between surgeries. Lately more of my patients have been dying, which gives me more time to poke around here.

For some reason, I'm visited with a faint sense of unease. OR maybe my humor detector is on the fritz and needs a fresh infusion of caffene?

[DJ Apostrophe]

oso, I think you need to break out the jolt.

-w

[gamerdork]

I am U but hopefully that will change in the next few months!

[Inquartata]

I am U

U are not me! I am me! U will have to be someone else!

[D'Artag-NOT]

U are not me! I am me! U will have to be someone else!

U are not me either! For I am Spartacus!

[Inquartata]

Yes, you are Spartacus! Take her away, centurion!

[KD5MDK]

Centuwion!