Coaches College - who's going?

[Bokken]

Out of my typically morbid sense of curiosity, is anyone here heading to Colorado Springs for the CC? If so, what session and weapon level are you doing?

For me, Session 2 - Saber 1. I won't be hard to miss, likely being the only person there with Robocop knee braces.

[ESPX]

I'll be going, Session 3 Level One Foil.

[Mergs]

Armorer's College, session 3

[oiuyt]

Session 2, Saber 3.

-B :)

[KD5MDK]

This is as opposed to regular knee braces that everyone else will wear?

My coach is going, not sure for what.

[Bokken]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

This is as opposed to regular knee braces that everyone else will wear?

My coach is going, not sure for what.

Yes. Mine have steel lateral supports and are of sufficient diameter that I had to spring for custom knickers. And like Robocop, I set off every metal detector I pass near (great fun where I work, believe me ). I could also probably store a weapon in one.

[striker]

Unfortunately I am not able to go this year. I hope you all learn
and have a great experience there. I have a request though.
Just do me and others who have an interest in these things a favor
and please let us know how it went after you get back.

From what I have heard from some of you on this forum and an
old, preliminary draft of the group lessons for foil training manual that I have
seen, the USFA camp is definitely worth it. Have a nice trip.

[haroldbuck]

Originally Posted by striker

Unfortunately I am not able to go this year. I hope you all learn
and have a great experience there. I have a request though.
Just do me and others who have an interest in these things a favor
and please let us know how it went after you get back.

From what I have heard from some of you on this forum and an
old, preliminary draft of the group lessons for foil training manual that I have
seen, the USFA camp is definitely worth it. Have a nice trip.

I had a fantastic experience with foil, and okay one with saber, and not so great with epee. I think some of this has to do with the relative ease with which you can construct a logical plan for teaching each weapon with respect to right of way.

With foil, it's obvious: first you teach direct attack, then parry riposte, then disengage attack and parry-counter-riposte in some order, and so on. It was also completely obvious to me how to add in actions that they didn't cover to the overall program.

With epee, it's not so clear. I guess you start with direct attack still, but then pretty much anything else you'd like to teach next, some of the options will involve stuff you haven't taught yet. And I guess I didn't come out of the epee coaches college feeling like I had any better handle on how to teach epee than I did going in. That was almost 10 years ago, though, so it may be very different now.

[wflaschka]

Whenever coach's college rolls around, I look at my schedule and see I'll never be able to make it.

My question is, how are other people able to make it? Using up vacation days from work -- I get that. Using vacation days on something excluding the spouse and kids -- a longer stretch. I will never have seven work-free days that aren't claimed by my family. I know one coach who attends sometimes, he's a tenured professor with a very open summer schedule. But what about everybody else?

How do you do it!? Or maybe, How do you convince others it's worth you doing? I feel like I'm missing something critical. Or I need to change my career.

[El Chucko]

I'm a school teacher: I have summers off!
(although I usually teach in the summer, too. This year I am takin' it easy.)

[haroldbuck]

Originally Posted by wflaschka

My question is, how are other people able to make it? Using up vacation days from work -- I get that. Using vacation days on something excluding the spouse and kids -- a longer stretch. I will never have seven work-free days that aren't claimed by my family. I know one coach who attends sometimes, he's a tenured professor with a very open summer schedule. But what about everybody else?

When I went, I was self-employed. I ran a private tutoring business during the school year, plus coached high-school fencing in the winter and refereed lacrosse in the spring. In the summer, I went to NJ and ocean lifeguarded, and occasionally took a week off (unpaid) and went to coaches college.

Now, I can't lifeguard because I stay at home with my kids--it's hard to get summmers off from that--but when the kids are older we'll all go lifeguard for the summer, and maybe I'll do another coaches college!

[GGK]

Originally Posted by wflaschka

How do you do it!?

I work weekends and build up comp-time.

[fencinman89]

Im going session 1 Armourers College Level 3. I can go cus im a kid, lucky me.
-Tre'

[Allen Evans]

Originally Posted by wflaschka

How do you do it!? Or maybe, How do you convince others it's worth you doing? I feel like I'm missing something critical. Or I need to change my career.

I attended the program at Coaches College several times when I was "under-employed" at a clerk's job. This often proved to be difficult, since the timing of CC usually meant I was gone for Nationals, home for a few weeks, and then left for Colorado.

If I didn't have enough time off of work, I would usually ask for time off without pay. If there was still resistance, I'd usually shrug and tell them that I would quit and find a new job when I got back. It wasn't hard to be good at a clerk's job, and the Seattle economy was doing well enough that I was confident that I could get hired someplace else (I even joked once that in the space of the week in Colorado, I could come back and re-apply for my old job).

That usually convinced my bosses (who were quite wonderful, I should point out) that I was serious about this.

Since my move to Virginia, my job is not quite so "disposable". But when I return to Coach's College, I'll probably use the same tactic.

[Schiavona]

Is there any chance that the Coaches' College will ever have a Winter session? After the first of the new year is a slack time for many business and time off may be easier to find. I'm not able to go this year due to family commitments, though I was hoping........

[Schiavona]

Allen, is there any people can view the course materials without attending the College? I'm sure people like Walter and myself could benefit from going over the course materials.

[Allen Evans]

John:

They tend not to offer the College during the winter, because the coaches are all active coaches (involved in running clubs or working programs at Universities) . Getting a week off in the middle of the season from their respective clubs would prove to be pretty difficult. I know that at least one Black Star program was offered in December/January, but I think that was a special circumstance.

I've raised the question before about publishing the course materials for Coaches College to the general public. Most of the material is in "workbook" form, however, and is just an outline of the exercises done in class. The material wouldn't be too helpful as a stand alone product without the coach along with it.

Definately something the USFA should work towards, however. Some of the materials I have brought home I still reference years after the fact.

[VorpalCat]

I'll also be at Session 3, Level 1 Foil. I'm married but not a parent and my husband also fences so the family thing isn't a hurdle to my attending. (In fact, we'd talked about him going this year too but then he was offered a chance to teach a university course this summer so it's just me.) No kids might also have something to do with being able to take a week off a couple of times during the year since I don't have school (and other) events to attend throughout the year.

[mercurialblue]

I'll be attending for all three sessions this summer: Epee 1, Saber 1, Foil 1. I've been wanting to go for the past two years, so I'm pretty excited. I just received my coaching vest, sleeve, and leg/foot yesterday.

Getting the time off has been a problem for other coaches at my club and in my division. Most people just can't swing it, especially those with kids. I'm a student and freelance writer, so getting the time in the summers isn't too much trouble. Although, with going to Nationals and then three weeks of coaches college, I'll pretty much say goodbye to my summer and won't be doing any camping, hiking, etc. But, hey, you make sacrifices.

From what I've heard from people who've been there, it'll be worth it.

[Mergs]

Allen,

The other reason is that they are also targeting Phys Ed and other teachers to come and learn how to teach fencing and they all have the time in the summer to go to the OTC for the course.