Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

greenchick · 03-13-2006, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seak

Notice no mention by any grad students of sleep

Goodness no. That'd be a bigger pussy move than admitting to wearing a manplate.

greenchick · 03-13-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seak

Notice no mention by any grad students of sleep

Goodness no. That'd be a bigger pussy move than admitting to wearing a manplate.

glowstix · 03-13-2006, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smurfette

What kind of grad school were you in? Sign me up. As long as I can still get published, present at conferences, get grants for my research, and get an academic job.

actually what kind of grad school are you in??

i took 9 hours probably only twice and a couple of semesters with only one class but the whole time i did research and wrote my thesis..and fenced of course..

trazom · 03-14-2006, 10:53 AM

Could be worse. Do what I did:
Grad school part time (2 nights/week), work a real job full time, fence full time (3x per week plus competition at Div 1s and some local events).

I made it 1 year before my body broke down completely. My fencing was atrocious. My schoolwork was sub-par. My work was OK, but not as well as it could have been. My relationships with friends and (now husband) suffered greatly.

I was on the cusp of earning my B. Now I need to re-earn my C if I want to even think of going back into the Div1 world. And, I don't think its that important anymore. Which is why I ref now instead of compete most of the time.

jjefferies · 03-14-2006, 02:12 PM

Quick comment, Used to be that college/university clubs were the mainstay of fencing in the US. Not so any longer. At least not here in the SF Bay Area. There are some 40 recognized clubs in the BayCup with 18 of them having dedicated full time facilities. Only one university, Stanford, has full time dedicated to fencing only facilities. Cal has to share its facilities with dance and exercise classes.

Bottom line, fencing really starts after you leave university. Then you are in the larger world of the divisional, sectional, NAC's and hopefully international events. Guess the main thing is to choose a job location where you can continue in the fencing community or plan on starting your own.

Larrison · 03-14-2006, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trazom

Could be worse. Do what I did:
Grad school part time (2 nights/week), work a real job full time, fence full time (3x per week plus competition at Div 1s and some local events).

I made it 1 year before my body broke down completely. My fencing was atrocious. My schoolwork was sub-par. My work was OK, but not as well as it could have been. My relationships with friends and (now husband) suffered greatly. [ ... ]

Unforunately sounds familiar..

When I was really heavily into fencing the first time..

Work 7 am - 3;30, then get in the car to drive cross LA to grad school at UCLA (I worked on the border of Orange County). Then 2-3 nights a week, MBA school until 9:30. Then either back to Pasadena (about a 30-45 min drive) for private lessons in fencing until 10:30 or 11, and then back to Glendale to crash. If no fencing lessons and working a business proposal at work, then drive back from UCLA to work, and work until 12:30 or 1, then drive back to Glendale and crash. Get up and repeat...

Saturdays were spent doing homework and doing the required home chores and (if any) social life. Sundays were competition, homework and work-work, if we were working a proposal back into work after competition until 10 or so.

You only survive by being able to catch up on your sleep at least one full night -- in my case Friday night/ Saturday mornings when I would sleep 10 hours and wake up in the double digits.

I lasted about a year at this, and then ended up doing a lot of business travel which bolloxed up everything and it was a choice between grad school, work, and fencing. Fencing was put on hold "for a while..."

Army Fencer · 03-14-2006, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDG

I'll second what Smurfette said; grad school (or law school or med school) are tough to combine with any other competitive activities. Serious grad programs are full contact blood sports...

If you're completely nuts you can do it!

I'm not your average case, but I found a really good fencing program around my medical school and was able to gain a great deal my first two years. Fencing during third and fourth year would have been impossible, though, and I don't recommend trying it.

KD5MDK · 03-14-2006, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjefferies

Bottom line, fencing really starts after you leave university. Then you are in the larger world of the divisional, sectional, NAC's and hopefully international events. Guess the main thing is to choose a job location where you can continue in the fencing community or plan on starting your own.

Actually, looking by USFA membership numbers, where something like half are Junior members, it might be that for most people fencing ends when you enter University, or get a ways into it. Certainly I see at least as many people who can't legally drink at national events than those who can. Personally, I'd prefer to compete against people who also have to make a living in the "real world", but there isn't a Vet-22+ category yet.

smurfette · 03-14-2006, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

it might be that for most people fencing ends when you enter University, or get a ways into it.

So true in so many cases. For some, it may be a financial thing. And for some probably just burnout. So many excellent juniors have pretty much quit during college. Kate Rudkin, Jessie Burke, Arlene Stevens. Then again, Leslie Marx started IN college... But with the high levels that so many juniors and cadets compete at, the amount of traveling, burnout is a real danger.

jmk3 · 03-19-2006, 02:25 AM

I graduated from college 12 years ago. I have gotten married; have a little boy, a career and a side business. I also live in an area where fencing is not common so we have a rather small and poorly equipped club. The only time I stopped fencing during that time was because of a blown ACL/MCL from a bad lunge. If you want it badly enough, you will find a way to keep fencing.

VELISARIOS · 03-20-2006, 10:37 AM

Fencing after college sounds good to me!!!
I am fence just after my work. I finish work at 17:00 and I am 'running' to fencing hall. My lesson starts at 17:15 so I always lost some minutes from the begining of the lesson. I love to fence so I went to the hall even when I am too tired.