Are you a "rating" hound?

[parrythis]

Some folks fence and even compete for fun or to measure their progress. Others seem to be on an ongoing quest for tournaments in which they can improve their rating. Apparently, a good rating is important to some fencers, but not to others. Which camp do you fall into?

[Ordway]

I'm not a real weenie about it, because I know very well how much variation there is in real ability level that's not accounted for by ratings, but yes, I do take an interest in trying to improve my rating. In terms of measuring my own progress and setting goals for myself, it's one of several convenient things to act as signposts (along with my places at Nationals and NACs, and how well I do in local tournaments) and motivational tools.

A few years ago I would have cared more about the rating-as-rating, but since then I've become a little more sensible I just slipped down from a C01 to a D05 since I wasn't able to renew it (sabre ratings are not so easy to get), but it isn't causing me any angst, since I know I'm fencing *better* in the past few months. In fact, I am rubbing my hands with glee at the thought of causing mayhem in Div III. Mwhahahaahaha.

[prototoast]

I'd say as an NCAA fencer, it's not particularly important to me. My primary competition does not involve them. For usfa competitions, sure it would be nice to seed better some time, but all I have to do is fence like I know I can and it's not an issue.

So, No.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

I've been using them as training goals.

[kalivor]

Hmmm ... on one hand, I don't particularly care what my rating is. I actually more-or-less "allowed" my Canadian rating to drop from a C to a D last season, by not attending events I normally would have, and missing out on the relatively few points I needed to be a C card this year.

On the other hand, this has brought some angst -- after looking at the USFA schedule, I intend to go to one of the NACs ... which now means I'm going to have to cross the border in search of a C card sometime this fall.

Also, generally speaking, ratings determine the number of points given out for a given tournament in Canada, hence the better my rating, the stronger the tournaments are considered to be, based on my presence. Better fencers like to go to the stronger tournaments, and I like fencing the better fencers -- so a better rating is "good" in that sense.

Is a good rating important? Yes.
Is it what's important about fencing, to me? No. It just helps to achieve a few things that I like.

[glowstix]

yes!! i am a "rating hound"!!! i admit!!! i think about it. i haven't gone to tournaments this year apart from the one that i won but its still no excuse for being on the low end. i tank, i choke..aaaaagghhh!!!

i convince myself that at lower rating takes pressure off you to succeed at tournaments as a device for making myself feel better for not being higher. i'm such an underachiever... yeah, i'll take the violin now instead of later...

[telkanuru]

I want the next step up as a goal to accomplish, etc. I'm a C, I want my B and then my A, and then I want points. so, yeah.

[Boo Boo]

I am a "ranking hound" - I chase rankings, but not ratings (since we don't have them in my country).

It gets rather addictive

Boo

[fencerchica]

Awareness that there's variation in strength within a rating aside, yeah, I'm definitely a ratings hound. But as others have stated, my primary reason for this is that it's a nice, clear-cut training goal (and with all the tiers, it's a goal that can at once be encouragingly attainable and yet remain elusive and motivational).

Also, when I get my "C" (someday! oh, let it be someday soon! LOL), although I'll lose DivIII competition, DivI competition will open up to me. I find that really exciting, even though I know very well how badly I'll get my butt kicked in there for a while.

[Peach]

I really only chased a classification once--I had a sabre B'99 and I was all-too-aware that I was not going to gain speed, strength and reaction time as I aged, so I set the goal of earning an A in the I-A, and managed to do it in 2001 (though there was that 15-14 DE on the way up which was a real nail-biter). Since then I have occasionally wistfully yearned to renew it, but my real goal has been earning Veteran national points, which for my purposes are more important.

[counterattack]

Originally Posted by parrythis

Some folks fence and even compete for fun or to measure their progress. Others seem to be on an ongoing quest for tournaments in which they can improve their rating. Apparently, a good rating is important to some fencers, but not to others. Which camp do you fall into?

For me a rating is very important. At large tourneys like DITD and PCS Championships the fact that your rating helps determine how hard your pool is going to be (of course it isn't an exact thing) is my reason to want a high rating. Going from a B to an A made my pool results more likely to be good, which lead to better seeding, which often postpones your first tough DE by a round or two, and sometimes gives you a bye.

[Asphalt]

100% Hound.
Must have taken part in 20+ comps last season.
Even missed a friends weekend stag do to go to one.

As Boo says...It's addictive.
So addictive I'll do a 600 mile round trip with a comp in the middle just to get some points.

Sad but true.

[Coup de Grace]

I earned my first rating this year: from "U" to "D", but I was not planning to do so. But now that I have a rating now I think about what I need to improve upon to earn a "C" rating. That means I need a frame of reference to measure improvements or setbacks.

The way that I have been fencing lately, a "C" rating my take longer than I thought.

[whtouche]

I'm not really a ratings hound. There was a period of time when I was, around 02 I believe. There was a string of local tournaments that were D, C, and open tournaments that never awarded above a 'D' rating, so after I earned my 'D' the first time I won a string of like 4 or so tournaments more or less consecutively and kept earning my 'D'. Once I got my 'C' I stopped worrying about it for a while and stayed a 'C' for a while, tho eventually became a pretty under-rated 'C'. Then I got my 'B'.
I compete in pretty much every tournament that I am able to, not to earn or re-earn ratings, at this point there are very few at least local tournaments that will give out an 'A' rating. Rather I compete because it's fun and it's good practice. I would really like my 'A' tho, and to get it all over with.

[mrbiggs]

I'm extremely a ratings hound, to the point where it's kind of a bad habit. I mean, it's good to have a goal, both before and during a tournament, but I think I do better when I'm concentrating on the fencing and not whether 15 people showed up for what could be an A event.

[yeoldearmourer]

I set goals in the days I was fencing the old circuit event like making Mike Marx in foil to take longer than mintue to to beat me. Or the time i got hot against George Mason in epee and took him to labell twice and won one of them. Then back to my true love armourer work.
But my greatest bout was against Doug Varney in Cleveland I had never been able to beat him in local comp. He need to beat me to make sure of going up to the next round sroce 4 to 4 and I did the last thing he except I flech attack one light my favor 5 to 4 the only bout I won that day. But I still rember going past him and heard the machine go off knowing I won I jump three feet off the floor. Rating didnt matterm to me but the little things and goals I set for myself.

[SmokeyTheCat263]

In spite of all this enthusiasm for ratings, I find only three major promotions:

1) Getting your "C" rating. This is the first major escalation. It allows you to do Div 1 NACs, without disqualifying you from Div 2.

2) Getting national points (in your respective category). This will qualify you for championship events, or other special events (Example: Louisville jnr wc).

3) Being ranked within top 16 (in your respective category). This qualifies you for world cups in Europe.

The other promotions (E, D, B, A) only affect initial seeding, which is rather little, compared to the three major ones I enumerated. Really, the strongest fencer should come out top of the pool anyways, ya?

However, seeing such enthusiasm leads me to believe, that in most cases, the hunt is worth more than the kill.

[Be_Like_Water]

No; I'm more concerned with how my fencing matures technically and tactically rather than happening to have a good day to earn another rating. I don't think ratings are an accurate measure of who is the better fencer--only who is "on fire" that day in those circumstances. Plus, I know (and fence with) a LOT of fencers with unbelievably inflated ratings, so they really have lost any meaning within my section.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheCat263

3) Being ranked within top 16 (in your respective category). This qualifies you for world cups in Europe.

Depends on the weapon, for some it's top 24.

-B :)

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Originally Posted by SmokeyTheCat263

However, seeing such enthusiasm leads me to believe, that in most cases, the hunt is worth more than the kill.

Absolutely, the training and dedication to get the rating can bring fencers to new levels.