Approved for the World Class Athlete Program!!

[Army Fencer]

I forgot another reason: to reward athletically strong soldiers. What a great motivation to get fit and stay fit!

If you'd like you can see the official brochure.

If I were a soldier, I would prefer General Hooker as a moral officer to whoever decided that fencing will inspire the US ARMY. That's just me.

Hehehe. I think a lot of soldiers share your point of view. I still think that it makes a difference when you root for somebody that you know or came from your unit, regardless of what sport it is. Call me an optimist.

How many people today would be willing to join the Military with hopes of becoming an international fencer?

I'll be fair and guess maybe 500 out of 80million?

That's a horrible marketing plan.

Is it worth a few hundred thousand dollars a year for the program?

You know, if each of those 500 people got the current recruiting bonus of $30,000, that would add up to $15 million. What's a few hundred thousand, especially when the Army is having difficulty recruiting?

If you don't like it, PLEASE click here.

The Academies already have full NCAA programs.

• US Air Force Academy: Div 1 Varsity Team
• US Military Academy: Competitive club team (and a mighty fine one at that)
• US Naval Academy: Extracurricular club team (rarely leaves campus for tournaments)

It is my goal to see cadets and midshipmen go to the NCAA champs in fencing; I wasn't able to.

The participants are students, AND athletes. That makes more sense to the average person, than a sponsoring students through the US Military Academies (expensive) and instead of utilizing that education, they become professional athletes - WHILE drawing a full officers salary...

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying because the grammar is kind of weird. I think you're saying that graduates of the academies who don't serve as a platoon leader or an Ensign throw their education away.

You know, football players from the Air Force Academy are allowed to go straight to the NFL if they're good enough. Cadets and midshipmen from all three academies are allowed to go straight into medical school if they're smart enough. Both of these policies keep graduates away from line duty, but they're important in improving moral for the students and graduates, and they're important in improving the student body by attracting smarter and more physically fit applicants. I don't think that what I'm doing is much different.

I think your concerns are legitimate, even if I disagree with them. If you wish to act on them, please write your congressman.

[Mergs]

Actually, in the years between the World Wars (and before then) many atheletes got their start in the military, Ty Cobb being one of the most notable. And almost every post had their teams (football, baseball, fencing, equestrian, etc) in which troops were provided equipment, training facilities and exempted from normal duties so they could concentrate on their sport.

And why shouldn't fencing be one of the sports supported by the World Class Athlete program? Seems to me, there is a bit of a historical link there! GEN GSP, if I recall, was an olympian in the 1912 games. And I'm pretty sure he didn't go on his own nickel.

[LUDICROUS]

Go Army!


Gotta join the US military....

[Black Jeebus]

I got a chance to do some drinking with some of the WCAPs while I was out at Coach's College this summer and I learned they're scallywags all of them . Have fun!

[Mergs]

I got a chance to do some drinking with some of the WCAPs while I was out at Coach's College this summer and I learned they're scallywags all of them . Have fun!

And your point????? Of course they are! Hell, a female track star used to dance at a 'gentleman's club' in Austin while she was on the program, just for kicks. Or so I hear (not that I would know by personal experience....you know, guys talk, you hear things.....)

[voi3ad]

Given that we are sending troops to fight people who behead civilians, fencing makes sense to me for all ground troops.

Check out 2Lt. George Patton's saber manual or the analysis here.

[jspierre]

This is huge! Congrats! Use every moment! Take it day by day! Learn to love the things you don't like, and get better at them!!

Wow...

[pacer]

Congratulations!

Janusz is a great coach and you'll like working with him. I had a few lessons for him and they were valuable sessions. I think I know some of the other coaches there and it's good and enthusiastic group.

Maybe I'll run into you at some of the Colo div events.

[Mr Epee]

I forgot another reason: to reward athletically strong soldiers. What a great motivation to get fit and stay fit!

Doesn't the army already have mandatory fitness evaluations?

If you'd like you can see the official brochure.

Thanks, I was also able to find a few more websites on the programs.

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying because the grammar is kind of weird. I think you're saying that graduates of the academies who don't serve as a platoon leader or an Ensign throw their education away.

Obviously there are more duties in the Military than being on the front lines, and it's easy to draw the connection between things like medicine and logistics... but supporting full time professional athletic programs doesn't seem to fall under the scope of the Department of Defense.

You know, football players from the Air Force Academy are allowed to go straight to the NFL if they're good enough. Cadets and midshipmen from all three academies are allowed to go straight into medical school if they're smart enough. Both of these policies keep graduates away from line duty, but they're important in improving moral for the students and graduates, and they're important in improving the student body by attracting smarter and more physically fit applicants. I don't think that what I'm doing is much different.

The waiving the traditional service requirements for graduates who sign pro contracts is fairly new for the army (2004,right?), and aren't they still required to spend a few years in the reserves? - And they aren't drawing a full officer's salary during that time.

Medical School makes perfect sense, but after graduation aren't graduates still required to fulfill their service requirements? There is an obvious need for doctors in the Army. There also is a need for engineers, programmers, scientists, ministers, linguists, and business specialists. These can all be advanced degrees, and each one is vital to the functioning of the military.

I think your concerns are legitimate, even if I disagree with them. If you wish to act on them, please write your congressman.

I'm not sure we disagree.

You would be silly not to take advantage of this opportunity.

I'm just a little saddened to see the US Military sponsoring professional athletes and funding this program during a time of war.

Who makes the decisions to purchase FIE Uniforms and Blades for Olympic Hopefuls when communities across the country are holding "bake sales for body armour" to purchase flak jackets, side arms, and vehicle armour for our soldiers who were deployed to fight without the protection they needed?

Not to mention that these professional athletes are in direct competition with civilian amature athletes.

I'm not sure that this is a step forward for our sport.

That said, I do wish you the best of luck with the program.
Obviously, this is a great opportunity for you.

[Zelda]

CONGRATS!!!!! (says she who just stuffed up for teh third time this year at the AFF circut.)

[mackillian]

Huzzah! Nice job.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Now you are professional fencing soldier, just like the Germans.

...and many others...


Way to go, Isaac -- congrats!

[Army Fencer]

...and many others...


Way to go, Isaac -- congrats!

Hopefully this means that I'll have the opportunity to go to the CISM games with all those other professional military athletes.

Unfortunately, the rumor is that the US has cooled to the idea of going.

[KD5MDK]

Sounds good. Go dominate.