Junior Olympics

[Kodiak Kid]

So. It looks like we are off to the J.O.'s

Anybody ever been there?
1) Am I going to have to deal with a bunch of pschologically impaired parents or do they have a cage for them down some darkened hallway?
2) It's being held in Columbus,OH. Anybody ever fenced there before?
3) How's the organizing commitee typically? Pretty squared away?
4) We are going down a day and a half early so we can relax and maybe help out with setting up chairs etc. Would love to hook up with any fellow chat boarders if you are going.

We haven't dreamed up a name for our new salle yet but it will probably have something to do with islands or beers or (oops I mean BEARS!) Almost forgot who I was going to be traveling with!

Never been to a big show like this before so, as always, any constructive advice you have will be appreciated.

[Peach]

1. There will be some very intense parents, a few of them there for the first time since you can qualify to the JOs without having national experience; it's the newbie parents who are the most trouble because they take everything personally rather than (as the more jaded ones do) realizing that it goes with the territory. Some of the experienced parents can be incredibly helpful to a fencer who is having problems with equipment. Newbie parents will leap in and try to strangle the referee or (even worse) try to get the referee to strangle you because you are hitting their child. Forgive them.

2. Never fenced in Columbus. Cincinnati, yes. Or maybe I did fence in Columbus. I forget. Was there an NAC in Columbus recently? No, that was Cleveland. They all look the same to me because basically you're going to be (a) in the hotel or (b) in the venue all the time. You will lose track of the time of day. Make friends with someone who has a car.

3. The bout committee will be the same bout committee as at all USFA national events. They are very experienced and very hard working; yes, some things will get screwed up but don't take it out on them. They work horrendous hours for no real reward whatsoever (the stipend & air fare are a joke and they are taking time off from their real jobs to do this). This is one of the reasons they get snippy from time to time. The other reason is outraged newbie parents. If they do you any favors (such as noticing when you hand them a DE slip on which, by mistake, the referee wrote D for you and V for your opponent), I suggest you buy them a present. Nice food is always popular. Chocolates work too. Whining does not. Make friends with them because you will be seeing them over and over and over again, and they will be seeing you at the same time so you want the memory to be a relatively pleasant one. Their feet don't hurt as much as those of the referees, but it's kind of like working at the complaint desk of the upper levels of Purgatory.

4. Won't be there. Thank god my kid is old enough (college) that she doesn't need me any more. This is her last one; the first one she went to was back when they combined with the kiddie events and she was in the under-13. So I was once a newbie parent myself. I remember it well, unfortunately.

Have fun!