Getting club members out to tournaments

[ThatReallyHurt]

Hello everyone,

What methods does your club use for getting people (both younger and older fencers) interested in or prepared for entering tournaments? I know that there are a lot of people who are simply not interested in competing, but for those who are sitting on the fence, how do you interest or convince them to give it a shot?

Thanks!

[Amadeus]

bug them until they go

[MyrddinsPrecint]

tell them just to visit a tournament. they don't have to fence, it's busy and confusing, but it's a lot of fun just to see it. support a friend or two that's there.

and then you check in on them all day-- explain things, get them cheering for teammates, have them keep score for a bout....... and suddenly, it seems like a lot of fun, and they'd like to try it..........

[Schiavona]

Lead by example. I noticed in clubs where the coach doesn't attend tournaments the club members usually don't.

[HDG]

Do a one day, properly ref'd, fully electric tournament just for your club with (token) prizes and a minimal entry fee (free if possible). Give them a taste in a familiar, un-intimidating setting, but make it real. Get them fencing each other and the more competitive members; one event for everybody, one for the beginners.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

The key is transition.

Host in house tournaments, then tournaments in the city, then drag them to local deals, not too far away.

[eac]

Lead by example. I noticed in clubs where the coach doesn't attend tournaments the club members usually don't.

Definitely. The degree to which the coach is focused on tournaments almost completely determines the degree to which his students are. This has been true in three of three clubs I've been a member of myself, and seems to extend to most clubs I've observed. So if you're a fencer who wants to focus on tournaments and your coach isn't coming to tournaments, you might as well switch clubs.

[Inquartata]

A perennial problem.

I send out hortatory emails to every sabre fencer in my club and some from other clubs before tournaments. I inform the club Prsident, who then sends out an email to everyone in the club. I offer a ride to anyone who doesn't have transportation. Short of paying them to go, I do not see what more is feasible.

98% of the time, the emails go unanswered. If they get read at all, of which I am by no means sure.

To be fair, though, it's a college club, and in addition to the usual plethora of demands on their time and shortages of money for students they go to a lot of out-of-state intercollegiate tournaments and opens, and I think that a lot of them get a bit burnt out on competing. Plus I suspect that they catch a bit of the coach's disinterest in local tournaments held at perceived rival clubs, and indeed "little" local tournaments altogether. It's a lesser version of the "I fence at World Cups, why should I bother with Divisional meets?" syndrome...

[RoninX]

Well my new club is short on very experienced fencers and to my knowledge only one person there besides myself is active in the local tourney scene. Most have fenced for a couple of years and never fenced outside the club at all. This is really beginning to show in their fencing as well as there are some very insestuous habits that I am noticing.

I've tried to get people to go out to tourneys with little success. However club is likely to host a USFA tourney in the next month or so, so maybe that will be the ticket too. As once you pony up the $50 then $10 for an afternoon at a tourney is much more reasonable than $60...

We'll see though...

[mar2372]

Lead by example. I noticed in clubs where the coach doesn't attend tournaments the club members usually don't.

I agree - where the coach is encouraging and attends the tournaments the Fencers follow. I was really nervous about my first tourny and my coach set for me a realistic goal - one hit on every opponent. My goal wasn't to win but to show up, Fence & learn. I have since competed many times setting different goals each time (use new parry, stop counter-attakcing, win, etc.). I may not win every time but I feel good about my results.

I also think that as newer Fencers see other club memebers Fence at and enjoy tournaments they will follow. I don't think going back to the club and complaining about organization, reffing etc, encourages others to join tournamnets - instead discuss issues and ways to work with the community for imporvement. Also - Coaches & clubs that push too much for the big win may be scaring Fencers away from local tournaments.

Another important part is including tournaments in coaching development. The Fencer is not the only one who can learn from attending tournaments.

[Chafunkta]

We've established a point system to get everybody to compete in tournaments. You get points for helping out with a tournament (or just going to one and not fencing), fencing in a tournament, placing well in a tournament, etc. Then at the end of that fencing class, we give out awards (medals and fencing coupons) to those with the most points. We've seen some pretty good results from it.

[Tomas N]

Our club has been active for about 5 years, and up until this year I had very little success in getting folks to tournaments. One or two people would occassionally attend, but it was very intermittent. We hosted a USFA tournament this fall in order to get people interested in competing. Since then, I've gotten people to go to several USFA events. As others have said, the key is to get them to show up to a tournament, keep bugging them about how important competing is to improving their own games, and to make it as easy as possible.

Tomas

[RoninX]

We've established a point system to get everybody to compete in tournaments. You get points for helping out with a tournament (or just going to one and not fencing), fencing in a tournament, placing well in a tournament, etc. Then at the end of that fencing class, we give out awards (medals and fencing coupons) to those with the most points. We've seen some pretty good results from it.

That is a great idea, what size club are you working with?

[ThatReallyHurt]

Hey, thanks for all the info everyone - I appreciate it!

[Inquartata]

I agree - where the coach is encouraging and attends the tournaments the Fencers follow.

What do you do when you have a coach or coaches who for one reason or another are apathetic toward local tournaments, and who cannot see any point in supporting the Division? What arguments would you use to change their minds?

[epeeisky]

That is a great idea, what size club are you working with?

Depending on the size of our begginer class the cub size could be anywhere from 30 to 45.

The system is great. I won a $25 gift certiciate to BG last year.

[Schiavona]

What do you do when you have a coach or coaches who for one reason or another are apathetic toward local tournaments, and who cannot see any point in supporting the Division? What arguments would you use to change their minds?

"Hey, Coach X! That's a nice; car, wife, dog, house you've got there. You know, a coach like you with such a nice; car, wife, dog, house should really come to the division's tournaments. And bring your club."

Nothing else I've tried ever worked.

[Schiavona]

I always thought threats were supposed to be at least understandable.

It was a multiple choice threat........

Jeez, Poulet. And to think people say you don't have a sense of humor!

[Derstern]

I always thought threats were supposed to be at least understandable.

Yeah, but the best threats are those that are gentle enough to slip under the radar screen but at the end, grab you hard by the (insert vital body part here).