Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

Inquartata · 03-01-2006, 10:35 PM

There is no option for "The poll is flawed, I am Inq." Therefore, even the flaw...is flawed. Which makes the poll perfect. Or even MORE flawed. Or something.

Army Fencer · 03-01-2006, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inquartata

There is no option for "The poll is flawed, I am Inq." Therefore, even the flaw...is flawed. Which makes the poll perfect. Or even MORE flawed. Or something.

If you object to the "I wanna be Inq" choice, does that mean you don't want to be yourself?

Inquartata · 03-01-2006, 10:47 PM

Does the Sultan of Brunei wish he could be a rich, powerful man? Does DeNiro wish he could be an actor? Does ZZ wish she could be Queen?

I am Inq, and I feel no existential crisis looming.

XBallardite · 03-02-2006, 12:55 PM

Haven't fenced competitively since 1999, so my D95 has wilted like a violet in the desert. Does this mean I qualify for novice tournaments now?

trfcrx7 · 03-02-2006, 01:48 PM

Just joined after reading for several months. Alas, the demands of family have kept me away from competition for a few years (I guess more than 5 because those USFA people sent me a new USFA Card with the wrong letter - B!). Oh well, glad to be here!

JEC · 03-02-2006, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XBallardite

Haven't fenced competitively since 1999, so my D95 has wilted like a violet in the desert. Does this mean I qualify for novice tournaments now?

Yes, indeed. Your are a U now. Each rating letter, but U, lasts only 4 years, from D->E->U.

XBallardite · 03-03-2006, 02:31 AM

Sounds like a legal/ethical issue. You're right -- legally, I COULD fence in novice tournaments, but I don't think ethically, someone who fenced pretty seriously for five years before taking a long sabbatical could ever be considered a "novice" again. Unless I was just angling for an easy "E," which, in the twisted universe we live in, would never happen.

KD5MDK · 03-03-2006, 02:45 AM

Very few tournaments are for "novices" in my experience, but are rather described as "unrated" or "E & Under". There are still some, but not as many as you might think.

Valerio Versace · 03-03-2006, 11:14 AM

21 As and only 12 Es?
Is it a flaw of the USFA rating system? A flaw of the pool? The audience's lack of sincerity? Or is it that only elite fencers can post on fencing.net? I doubt that... since I'm currently writing this reply.
By the way... I don't compete in the USA.

KD5MDK · 03-03-2006, 02:07 PM

The more involved in fencing you are, the more likely you are to post to fnet. The lower your rating, the less likely you are to make it a matter of record here.

JEC · 03-03-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerio Versace

21 As and only 12 Es?
Is it a flaw of the USFA rating system? A flaw of the pool? The audience's lack of sincerity? Or is it that only elite fencers can post on fencing.net? I doubt that... since I'm currently writing this reply.
By the way... I don't compete in the USA.

There might be some of all of this, but I think that the most important aspect is that frequent FNet posters are more committed to their fencing, and thus, overtime, have improved ratings as compared to the fencer population.

In the weapon with the most alleged overrated fencers, we still have 97% of US fencers are not A. The Southwest section, a region traditionally very strong in Epee, comprises about 10% of all fencing members in the nation.

The rating list as of 2-3 wks ago showed:

Saber: 4 A's, 14 B's, and a total of 164 rated fencers.
Foil: 10 A's, 33 B's, and a total of 356 rated fencers.
Epee: 51 A's, 69 B's and a total of 408 rated fencers.

Clearly, there are more rated fencers that are NOT A's or B's. According to the data provided by oiuyt (fencing growth spreadsheet), in 2005, the Southwest section has 2200 members out of the 20962 USFA members.

Thus:
Saber: 0.82% are A's or B's, and 7.46% of section members are rated fencers.
Foil: 1.95% are A's or B's, and 16.18% are rated fencers.
Epee: 5.46% are A's or B's, and 18.55% are rated fencers.

Selective audience or lying are the only two explanations. I heavily lean toward the first.

Poulet · 03-03-2006, 03:37 PM

Looking at the usernames, virtually all of the A's and B's are verifiably true ratings.

KD5MDK · 03-03-2006, 04:04 PM

Who are the other 3 Sabre As besides Joe Wysocki?

JEC · 03-03-2006, 05:25 PM

http://www.southwestfencing.org/Ratings/sabre.htm

Three A03 - two fencers who are away in college and Spencer-El

Ahn, Steve J - A03 - NORTH TEXAS - DALLAS FENCERS CLUB / HARVARD UNIVERSITY FENCERS
Parkins, Zachary R - A03 - GULF COAST TEXAS - SALLE MAURO / OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Spencer-El, Akhnaten A - A03 - GULF COAST TEXAS - PETER WESTBROOK FOUNDATION YOUNG ELITES OF HOUSTON

KD5MDK · 03-03-2006, 06:13 PM

Ah. Thanks.

Valerio Versace · 03-04-2006, 09:31 AM

So here of the 65 A rated US fencers, 22 voted in the pool: that's about 33%.
Considering that the pool was opened on the 28th of February, we can assume that at least 1/3 of the top US fencers visit fencing.net once a week minimum.

Valerio Versace · 03-04-2006, 09:53 AM

Oh, my bad... I don't know very much about the USFA rating system and I didn't have a precise idea about the number of fencers in the USA. I thought that there were actually a few As in the whole country.

JEC · 03-04-2006, 10:27 AM

There should be about 600 A's in the US out of 21000 fencers.

yeoldearmourer · 03-04-2006, 04:36 PM

I no longer compete due to injurys but was a A in sabre c in foil and c in epee

little_old_me · 03-07-2006, 01:28 AM

you would know that as soon as I vote in as a U, i earned my E this weekend. Oh well, I can't change it now, but I'm an E06 Epee.