Fencing after college?

[Araznal]

Now, this doesn't apply to me yet, since I'm just a freshman, but I'm wondering how hard it is to keep fencing after college. Although graduation's still a long way away, I think I'd still like to fence afterwards (hell, I've gotten this far, why not keep it going?). However, constraints concerning money, time, and various other things seem to be overwhelming and fencing would just take up too much time.

Please share your stories, opinions, and suggestions about post-collegiate fencing.

[RebelFencer]

Go to grad school.

[keith]

Originally Posted by RebelFencer

Go to grad school.

seconded.

[slowgraffiti515]

if you love something enough, you will be able to make the time and money for it it just might take some sacrifice.

[Dr. Bob]

After I left UCLA for grad school at Cornell I didn't touch a foil for six or seven years. Once I started working I found a small club and started fencing again, but only within the club. No competitions, just small-time club fencing for the fun of it (what other reason is there to fence - certainly not for the money). After I changed jobs and moved back to the West Coast I started teaching beginners at the local Parks and Rec. Then I stopped again for about 10 years. I have recently picked it up again now that I have retired and am having a blast. It is possible to fence after college if you live somewhere that has an active fencing scene and you are willing to make the time for it. There are certainly a lot of distractions - job, wife, kids - that make it difficult to find the time, but even if you find yourself out of fencing for a while, you can go home again.

[smurfette]

Originally Posted by RebelFencer

Go to grad school.

Not such a good idea. Not unless you want to get anywhere in grad school. I have not done well competitively on a national level since I went to grad school. It's the combination of having less time to train and much more stress -- i don't have the drive to be competitive and focused because I am always so exhausted. Not unless you take forever to graduate (Elizabeth Spilman -- fenced on world teams, but took awhile in grad school). Also, money is a major issue.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by Araznal

Now, this doesn't apply to me yet, since I'm just a freshman, but I'm wondering how hard it is to keep fencing after college. Although graduation's still a long way away, I think I'd still like to fence afterwards (hell, I've gotten this far, why not keep it going?). However, constraints concerning money, time, and various other things seem to be overwhelming and fencing would just take up too much time.

Please share your stories, opinions, and suggestions about post-collegiate fencing.

Opinions: If you really love fencing, you'll eventually keep coming back to the sport no matter how long you have to "quit" because you want to spend resources (time, money, etc.) on other things (work, family, other sports, etc.).

Stories: personally, I started fencing at a parks and rec. center when I was a senior in high school. At my university, there was only a club. I fenced with them for a couple of years, but I started to slack off as classes got tougher. I would have made the time, but the club seemed more focused on hanging out and chatting than on really training, and I didn't have the time to try to change that. In grad. school, I tried to keep going to practice at least once a week. I usually made it to class for my lesson, but I often had to leave early because I was absolutely buried by the workload. After grad school, I had much more time and fenced a lot for about a year and a half. Moved. Changed jobs. Decided to buy a house. Took about 3 years off from fencing. I finally started fencing again a couple of years ago. A lot of adult fencers that I know have similar stories. One of the assistant coaches at my club took about 10 years off while she was in grad school and while she had a baby. If you really love it, you'll be back.

Suggestions:

• Goals. Be realistic about your goals. Depending on how much time you have, sometimes you'll make no "progress" and spend all of your training time trying to maintain whatever level you're at. You may see fencers start as Y14 fencers who have no idea what they're doing grow into U19 fencers who can beat you with their eyes closed. On the other hand, there are plenty of adults fencing in Div I and Div 1A events.
• Money. You have to decide how to spend your money, but you will probably find that you have more disposable income after college. If you have the time and you want to spent the money, then you might be able to shoot for "National Champion" types of goals because you may be able to afford to go to club, take lessons a couple of times per week, fly to NACs, etc.
• Fun. Try to keep fencing fun. After working all day, fencing will be your "relaxation" time, so don't get stressed out about it. It's best if you can find a club where you enjoy the people/community so that practice is more like playing with your friends.
• Perspective. Fencing is more than competitions. If you are fortunate enough to fence in a club with a mix of different people (ages, backgrounds, etc.), you can learn a lot from the other students. You might also have something to offer. Help run the club, organize group trips to tournaments, etc. See the end of this thread for some more chatter from older fencers. If you don't have time to compete, you may find that fencing practice is a fun way to exercise once a week. Enjoy the practice and the competitions for the experience itself...not just as a point along the road to a goal.
• Age. Fencing is a lifelong sport, and there are plenty of people in the 40+ age events who also make the top 8 of Div 1A events. There are also plenty of people on the national points list who are in their twenties and thirties. Just because you're out of school doesn't mean that you're on a downhill slide. On the flip side, as you get older, you will probably find that you are more susceptible to injury and take longer to "bounce back." Pay attention to what your body is telling you. You can leave and return to fencing many times if needed, but you only get one body.
• Experience. Understand that you're playing a sport where experience really does matter. There are a lot of very sneaky and dangerous older fencers. They have a lot of experience on the strip. It's hard to surprise them with anything or put them in a situation they haven't fenced out of before. As you get older, learn to use your years of experience to your advantage.
• Decisions. Always try to decide to start or stop fencing. Don't let yourself be pushed in or out of it. If you're fencing but don't feel like you have enough time, don't just start missing practices. Just step back and look at your schedule. Decide how much fencing you can realistically do. Then decide whether you'll still enjoy fencing with those constraints. If you can only find time to do it once a week, can you enjoy fencing and the progress you can make with only going once a week? If not, maybe it's time to take a break, focus on other things in your life, and return later when you feel that you have more time (or that you can't stand being away anymore). That way, you are deciding what to do with your life, and you don't feel like circumstances beyond your control are forcing your decision one way or another.
• Balance. It's okay to do other things than fencing. It's okay to quit fencing for a while: you can always return later. There are other things to enjoy and experience in life other than fencing.

See you in Vetrans in about 20 years.

[Larrison]

Let me add another one here..

I didn't start fencing in college or grad school, but only when I started working and actually had some spare time and money... Started in a local parks & rec league, moved up to a local club, and ended up taking private lessons and competing in local/ regional tournaments.

Then life got more complicated -- including getting another degree, substantial changes in my personal life, moving (multiple times, to several states), and being extremely busy at work.

Now, 20+ years later I'm back fencing. Love it, and starting to compete again.

This is a sport that you can do all your life..

[HDG]

Originally Posted by smurfette

Not such a good idea. Not unless you want to get anywhere in grad school. I have not done well competitively on a national level since I went to grad school. It's the combination of having less time to train and much more stress -- i don't have the drive to be competitive and focused because I am always so exhausted. Not unless you take forever to graduate (Elizabeth Spilman -- fenced on world teams, but took awhile in grad school). Also, money is a major issue.

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...

[reawl]

Once I realized I'd be graduating and leaving the only club I knew I went out and fenced at several other places, none of which had the same atmosphere as the college club I loved. So what did I do? I opened a club of my own. That was 2 years ago, now my full time job is fencing.

This is one solution, it is not for everyone.

[swordsen]

It is my sad experience over the years with our college club that 90%+ of the fencers quit fencing within a year of graduation. Getting out into the big world and having to start PAYING for fencing while trying to get established in jobs etc tends to be too much for them.

[keith]

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...

I guess grad school isn't what it used to be. Must be declining standards. Used to be the folks they let in were smart enough to multitask .

[seak]

I recently graduated from college and started working. I have been able to keep up with my fencing, though there are times when my job interferes.

Then again I am less likely to have a paper I need to do over the weekend for class

If you want to fence after college, many jobs will let you go to salles in the evenings, though you may have more of a problem getting time off to go to NAC's etc. Then again you'll prob have more money to afford lessons.

Once you have a family though that's when I think it gets really tough

As many people have already said, if its something you really want to do you'll find a way to make it happen

[smurfette]

Originally Posted by keith

I guess grad school isn't what it used to be. Must be declining standards. Used to be the folks they let in were smart enough to multitask .

Ouch! Just what I need to hear when taking a break (on f.net) from preparing for my qualifying exams and grading.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

When alot of people graduate, they just don't have the energy after work to make it to the salle.... its sad. I plan on making fencing a very large part of my career, because I want to continue after I graduate.

[keith]

Originally Posted by smurfette

Ouch! Just what I need to hear when taking a break (on f.net) from preparing for my qualifying exams and grading.

Ah well just remember; don't let the ******** get you down.

.... and when you get what you think must be an incredibly subtle insight disguised to look like an utterly idiotic question - it is probably just an idiotic question. Just answer it politely.

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by smurfette

Not such a good idea. Not unless you want to get anywhere in grad school. I have not done well competitively on a national level since I went to grad school. It's the combination of having less time to train and much more stress -- i don't have the drive to be competitive and focused because I am always so exhausted. Not unless you take forever to graduate (Elizabeth Spilman -- fenced on world teams, but took awhile in grad school). Also, money is a major issue.

not necessarily true..i started fencing in grad school and i majored in engineering. i found the time. i worked doing research, went to classes, wrote a thesis, partied 2-4 times per week and STILL found time for fencing. if you want to fence, you can.

having said that, now i'm done with grad school, my fencing ended, but only temporarily. i'll be moving within the next several months and where i'm going has fencing for sure, . this will make my "downtime" about 10-12 months. i'm still practicing my footwork and bladework so i don't expect to lose much in that department, my distance and timing..hmmm..it'll take a while to come back, .

i'll make it back to EPEE!!

[HDG]

Originally Posted by keith

I guess grad school isn't what it used to be. Must be declining standards. Used to be the folks they let in were smart enough to multitask .

The attitude in my program was that if you had time for hobbies (or a love life) you weren't publishing enough. I'll chalk it up to rising standards.

[smurfette]

Originally Posted by glowstix

not necessarily true..i started fencing in grad school and i majored in engineering. i found the time. i worked doing research, went to classes, wrote a thesis, partied 2-4 times per week and STILL found time for fencing. if you want to fence, you can.

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.

[seak]

Notice no mention by any grad students of sleep