Summer Nationals

[SMSEpee]

One of the common undercurrents of the fencing community is how do we gain greater exposure for this great sport and help fencing grow.

Imagine my suprise to be perusing the Georgia World Congress Center web site, when I notice on their calendar of events that the summer nationals are NOT open to the public.

Wassup with that?

I've come up with several scenarios:

1. If its open to the public we must charge admission (by the GWCC rules?)
2. USFA didn't check a box on a form
3. USFA doesn't want the public to wander through
4. Someone at the GWCC messed up and didn't check "open to the public" on the website.

Anyone got any inside info on this? There's a national volleyball tournament going on about the same time and we could turn some of those athletes to the dark side.....

Our opportunity to educate the public is each and every time there is a competition. Also-I hope someone is doing some advance press work this year.

[KD5MDK]

My guess is #2 or #4. Certainly if NACs are open to the public (and they are) then Summer Nationals ought to as well.

[Sciurus-Rex]

The president will be blamed somehow.

[umbrella]

It's not the same as a University sport or Professional Sport where they have oodles of money to spend on security. It's a shame, but they have to control some of the flow, because there's people running around without any kind of protection except for themselves.

My own eperience in just Flying back to my homestate going through LA airport without a bunch of roadies helping me on the way was: 1. almost getting mugged; 2. Almost getting kidnapped; 3. Almost getting my gear stolen; 4. Missing my flight 5. Collapsing from hunger and no strength left in carrying my bag then being rescued by a great airline probably because I was hauling my American Fencing bag.

[KD5MDK]

Given they allowed Bagel throwers in once, I don't see how the general public can be much worse. In any event, I saw lots of General Public at Summer Nationals. I wonder if somebody could quantify how much ogling was going on between the Junior/Cadet fencers and volleyball visitors.