Collage Fencing Info

[Sigma]

Recently I have been trying to find information on college fencing. I have found some very general things on what you should do but I still have some specific questions that I can't find answears too.

1. In contrast to my expereice should I join Division 1 or Division 2 fencing collage?

2. How do I know what certain collage require academically in addition to fencing expereince?

3. Is there any competion I should do that would get the attention of collages or just contacting them the best way?

If anybody has a website with this information or would like to write a little something about each question, that would be great.

[AndrewH]

Originally Posted by Sigma

1. In contrast to my expereice should I join Division 1 or Division 2 fencing collage?

Don't forget Div 3 either. It all depends on how much time and effort you're willing to put into your collegiate fencing career. A Div 1 school will be more selective with its athletes, and may engage in recruiting (esp. from other countries). These are difficult teams to join unless you are already at a high skill level. Often you may not start until your junior or senior year, if ever. On the plus side, Div I teams recieve the most money from the school's athletic depatment, so you can expect your equipment to be paid for, to have a "fencing room" or designated practice area w/ electric strips, and to go to more meets/tournaments than Div 2 or 3 schools. Div I schools (except Ivy League) are able to offer athletic scholarships/grants, and many will pay your entry fee/travel costs for going to NAC's. Div 2 and 3 teams recieve less money from the school and so they have a smaller budget. They usually do not offer athletic scholarships. These teams would be a good pick if you are not willing to sacrifice a large amount of time towards fencing. They are also less selective and do not engage in recruiting. Many other schools also have club teams, which compete against other schools and even in tournaments like the Temple Open, but are not officially recognized by the NCAA. Any Div 1, 2, or 3 fencer can qualify for NCAA's.

2. How do I know what certain collage require academically in addition to fencing expereince?

Fencing isn't like football where you can get into college based solely on your athletic abilities. The coach can lean on the admissions board in your favor, but in the end, you'll need to fit the "academic profile" of that college to be accepted. Obviously Ivy League schools will require much higher academic/extracurricular credentials than other Div I schools. Also keep in mind that if you are an out-of-state student applying to a state school, it will be more difficult to get in because of in-state quotas the school must fulfill. Call the coaches of the schools you're interested in and let them know you're applying, if they want you for the team, they can do their part to help you get in.

3. Is there any competion I should do that would get the attention of collages or just contacting them the best way?

Once again, fencing isn't football. There are no "scouts" who go to big competitions and recruit fencers (that practice is actually forbidden by the NCAA). You need to take the first action and contact the coach yourself. However, you also need to have noteworthy results to present to the coach, to make your case for getting in. Junior Olympics is the big tournament for people of high school age, a strong result from JO's carries a lot of weight. Also any of the various NAC's that are held around the country, as well as Summer Nationals are good to attend. Coaches don't expect you to compete at World Cups (though if you did, it's more power to you). But they do expect that you attend one or two national competitions a year, and place well (you don't have to win every one either) in order to show you are a competitive fencer.

Well, there you go. I'm sure there are many others who can also help you, that's just my experience in the situation. Good luck!

[rdinap]

We are going through the process right now and when AndrewH says it is not like football, he is correct.

From a competition standpoint I would not be too concerned with DivI, DivII or DivIII (there are very few DivII fencing programs). Because there are so few schools with fencing programs (as opposed to club fencing) DivI schools will often compete with Div III schools. DivIII schools can also send fencers to the NCAA shampionships.

Don't wait around waiting for a college coach to contact you: they won't. You MUST contact them, and even then sometimes they won't return an e-mail - very frustrating.

Pick the schools that you would like to attend and contact the coach. All have e-mails. Check out fenfool.com for the websites. The best way is by e-mail becuase there are no NCAA issues involved with e-mails.

If they are interested they will ask you to send a copy of your transcript and test scores. If you definately don't meet their academic profile they will (should) let you know. If you do, and they still want you then they will begin the recuiting process which will include an official visit, some type of report to the admissions department. They will also monitor your application process and let you know before hand if you need to do something.

Good luck.

[whtouche]

What kind of collage you want to be part of really depends on your artistic vision, I think..

[bjacobs]

There's a lot of good advice here. It actually is possible to get into school pretty much because of fencing, but the list of schools where this is possible can be counted off on one hand, and the list of fencers of your particular sex and weapon that this would apply to can be counted on the other.

I'm going to assume you're a junior, or possibly a sophomore. You can't actually have real correspondence with college coaches until the summer after your junior year, so e-mail the coaches at schools you're interested in, and arrange to meet with them when you visit schools after junior year or the fall of senior year.

The easiest way to get recruited is to be a top ranked fencer, or to have earned some good results at national tournaments. Local results won't mean too much, unless perhaps you win a state championship of some kind in the state the college is actually in, and the competition is reasonably stiff. If you're a fencer whose name coaches will recognize due to your results, you're basically assured of them giving you some help getting in.

If you're not a fencer whose name they will recognize (or can look up on the USFA points list), the best thing you can do is to attend a fencing summer camp where coaches from schools you're interested in will be teaching. Introduce yourself to them and make sure they see you fencing there, then near the end of the camp mention that you're interested in applying to college x and would love to talk to them about it some time. The Brandeis and U-Penn camps usually have a lot of college coaches at them, research them and see what other camps are available.

[fixxmyweapon]

As far as fencing div1 or div2 goes, it depends on the school and the team and if its really possible that you would even get to fence while at that school. It just depends on how good you are and what a coach is looking for and what you want to put into it commitment wise.

Academics- You can usually find online for whatever school you are looking at what their guidelines are as far as sports and academics. Or you can always ask the coach.

If you want to attend a school in your area that has div1, 2, or 3, fencing then going to their home meets or if they host local competitions is a way to meet a coach.You will have to be careful tho because there are some NCAA guidelines on when a coach can talk to you and when he/she cant. You can find all of that out on the NCAA website.

above all, make sure you pick a school that you will be happy at.fencing is just a huge bonus.

[AndrewH]

Also, another point to consider: would you be happy at the school you choose if you couldn't fence?

For example, my top choice last year was Penn State- i was accepted, had talked to the fencing coach and was on "the list" to start practice in the fall. At the last minute I changed to Rutgers (a cost issue) and I since realize that I probably wouldn't have made the team at PSU. Now I liked the school very much after touring it, but I'm not sure how happy I would have been without fencing. So keep that in mind if you're going to a Div 1 school, that you shouldn't choose a school based solely on its fencing merits, because you may not make the team (or you might get injured unexpectedly or something) and then you should still be happy with your choice.

[O_O #2]

dont bother fencing in college. you suck at it, and will only bring your team down.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Don't forget Club teams too.

My parents aren't into the whole "fencing thing" and didn't really want me considering it when i applied, so i didn't even apply to any of the better school for fencing reasons.

but when acceptance letters (and financial aid offers!) came in, i had two choices-

Wellesley (div 3) and Smith (club).

i visited both schools.

I happened to go out to dinner with the Smith coach (at that time) before i was even really finished deciding where i was thinking about applying. Knew several of their fencers. when i visited, fencers were present and exited and already recruiting us.

i got a form letter from the Wellesley coach.

Other than fencing, i would be miserable at Wellesley and happy at Smith.

knowing what i do of both fencing programs-- and me, i'm much happier at Smith than Wellesley.



so don't forget club teams. not really all that bad!!!