Top Secret: Matt Hite's money grabbing scheme.

[Mr Epee]

This just occured to me.

Matt is making big stink about this sectional circuit business, and is even claiming to have some power in the organizational process.

Here's a couple things to keep in mind.

1) Successful tournaments make money for their hosts.

2) Without a plan for revenue sharing then poorer clubs are left on the out in the cold.

3) By organizing a Sectional Circuit, and then licensing one of the tournaments to his own club, he is using the USFA as a mechanism for bringing money into his own fencing club....

So this is my question.

Matt,

Are you willing to organize the RMS circuit if your club is excluded from the event bidding process?

[RITFencing]

3) By organizing a Sectional Circuit, and then licensing one of the tournaments to his own club, he is using the USFA as a mechanism for bringing money into his own fencing club....

Because stuff like that never happens anywhere else in the USFA...

I fence in a div in which funds have more or less been used to buy stuff for the chairman's club. That's not nearly as bad as making sure one's own club gets increased numbers at a tournament. Honestly, after fencing in the Crown in 04 (and getting my ass kicked ) I'd say that at least the epee is a fine event to share in the RMS Circuit. So long as Matt doesn't do things like this at the expense of the section and does a good job elsewhere, I think this isn't a huge deal.

EDIT: Ok, I totally misunderstood your post there, sorry. Using sectional funds to benefit ones own club at the expense of others is a pretty low thing to do. However, having met Matt on a few occasions, I don't think he would stoop to it.

[hpfencing]

Matt,

Are you willing to organize the RMS circuit if your club is excluded from the event bidding process?

Yes, in fact the one big event that I host, the Crown of Texas will probably NOT be part of the RMSC because it is in June and the RMSC will most likely start in Aug and end at sectionals in the future years.

I did help orgainize the cup as we see it now and I am the one that set-up the cureent web-site. I do believe that most of the original framework that we set up will be completely overhauled at the section meeting this year. I hope people like Mr Epee here will be in attendance and contribute to the discussion there.

The past three years we have barely broken even at The Crown because we fly in and hire referees, have ALL metal strips and a FOC, and at least 2 FOC reps for observers.

It has nothing to do with money. The sport is not about money. To date I have not collected a single pay check for my coaching and I ussually donate a big portion of my real paycheck to the fencing club I work for each month.

I did NOT see a major change in numbers from previous years when hosting The Crown under RMSC and not.

And one of my suggestions to the RMSC committee is actually going to be to ask the host orgianizations to give $5 per fencer from those events to the section to pay for the awards and expenses that might be found and made.

[Mr Epee]

The past three years we have barely broken even at The Crown because we fly in and hire referees, have ALL metal strips and a FOC, and at least 2 FOC reps for observers.

Just because you chose to break even on a specific event doesn't mean that the event isn't an asset - and it certainly doesn't preclude the potentiallity of future earnings.

It has nothing to do with money. The sport is not about money. To date I have not collected a single pay check for my coaching and I usually donate a big portion of my real paycheck to the fencing club I work for each month.

Welcome to the smallville attitude that kills sport. Try explaining that position to any successful major/mid-major club in the world.

Sport isn't about money? That's absurd. The fact that you want to make fencing about your own benevolence doesn't change anything.

I did NOT see a major change in numbers from previous years when hosting The Crown under RMSC and not.

There currently is no RMSC! And if being a licensed Sectional Event doesn't encourage higher participation in more tournaments - then what is the freakin' point.

[Morion]

Mr. Epee: This thing you have against hpfencing is beginning to look like a vendetta. Why don't you just let it go?

[pacer]

Poulet,

You've got to be cold and wet today. (assuming your location at 13th and Broadway is in Denver.) It's bad enought that the boiler is out at my office at 19th and Grant.

Now back to the thread....

[Parry Prime]

3) By organizing a Sectional Circuit, and then licensing one of the tournaments to his own club, he is using the USFA as a mechanism for bringing money into his own fencing club....

This isn't anything new. Just ask the coordinator of this year's RMS sectionals, Pia Douglass. To my knowledge, the money from sectionals is going to the hosting club and NOT the section.

[hpfencing]

The sections funds are in no way invovled in the RMSC. It takes all the sections funding to host the Sectional event each year and do the mail out for the event.

Club cooridators always runtheir own tournaments and take care of the events and the profits. The is the way the Hearthland circuit, SW Section Curicuit and all other circuits that I have EVER worked with does it.

In spite of that fact the Crown (only big event I run) will most likely NOT be part of the circuit in the future and I will still be as involved with the circuit as the section would like me to be, without any pay or compensation at all.

I really tired of defending myslef againist your baseless attacks and slams; you are just trying to stir up things instead of help, regardless of what you claim.

[Parry Prime]

So "it's the status quo" is an acceptable defense to a bad policy?

I'm not defending it (and I completely agree with you), I'm just saying that all that has been brought to hpfencing are allogations. There are people around now that are ACTUALLY doing it. Instead of going on a vendetta and attacking what someone MIGHT to, go after those that are doing it now. Change starts now, not just tomorrow.