Hi! Could you help me?

[SittingOnTheFence]

Hi, I'm mother to a 12 year old boy who has just started fencing.
He absolutely loves it & seems to have natural feel for it.
Could someone talk me through the grade system?
Does he have to do competitions to get graded?

What level can he expect to be when he leaves school?
Can he continue fencing through university?

Many thanks

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by SittingOnTheFence

What level can he expect to be when he leaves school?

(See what I mean, Ravlik? )



Congrats on bringing us a new fencer! I hope your son will like the sport, and hopefully stay with it past his teens.

I'm not from the US so I couldn't tell you about ranking systems etc. (I'm sure someone else will come here very soon and inform you) but I would suggest you take a look at the 'Front Page' http://www.fencing.net. There's a lot of useful information for you there.

Cheers.

[RebelFencer]

Originally Posted by SittingOnTheFence

Hi, I'm mother to a 12 year old boy who has just started fencing.
He absolutely loves it & seems to have natural feel for it.
Could someone talk me through the grade system?
Does he have to do competitions to get graded?

What level can he expect to be when he leaves school?
Can he continue fencing through university?

Many thanks

Ratings: In order to receive a rating he has to compete in tournaments and place highly enough in them. How highly depends on the strength of the tournament. For instance: say he fences in an A1 tournament. This tournament has at least 15 people and 2As 2Bs and 2Cs with 2As and 2Bs making the top 8. 1: A 2-4: B 5-6:C 7-8: D 9-10: E.
Anything lower than 10th place doesn't get anything with that particular event rating.

After school (I'm assuming you mean out of high school) there is really no telling what rating he will be. It depends on the level of coaching, his level of commitment, natural ability, how much he competes, etc. For the most part you'll get out of it what you put in...but having a good coach is very important as well, possibly moreso than in most other sports.

Yes, there are many opportunities to fence in College...but for the most part he's going to need to have very good national results to have them scouting for him.

Hope this helps, good luck.

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by SittingOnTheFence

[ ... ] What level can he expect to be when he leaves school? Can he continue fencing through university?

Many thanks

He is going to have to go to competitions to get a letter ranking. That means electric equipment.

A lot of universities have fencing clubs or teams. Plus there are a lot of local clubs and sallees where he can continue to fence throughout college if he desires as well. (And what priority and effort needs to be put in academics as well as fencing, I should point out.)

I will note that this is a sport that one can continue with through life -- I'm well past college (like for decades... ) and I still fence at least an hour a week. The club I go to has at least 6 father-son "teams" which fence, and at least 2 mother-daughter teams, and at least one mother-daughter-son team.

[noodle]

How does the USFA Classification/Rating System work?


A classification is a letter, A to E, which indicates the relative skill of a fencer. The classification is accompanied by a two digit number which indicates the year in which the classification was earned. Classifications are valid for four years, after which they revert down to the next lowest classification, or a "U" for an unclassified fencer, if the classification has not been re-earned in the four year period.

Classifications can be earned by participating and doing well in USFA sanctioned tournaments. Here is a chart which shows the system for determining the strength of a tournament and which classifications are given out based on this strength.

In addition to the classification, the USFA has a points system. In order to earn points, a fencer has to place in the top 40% of the field in a tournament which will give points (Division 1, Veteran, Junior, Cadet, Y14, Y12, Y10 NACs; U20, U17 Junior Olympic Championships; Division 1, Veterans, U19, U16, U14, Y12, Y10 Summer National Championships; Y14, Y12, Y10 Super Regional Youth Tournaments; and International Senior "A" Tournaments of sufficient strength factor [see the Athlete's Handbook, section 3.5] ), to a maximum of the top 32 fencers. If the top 40% of the field is a fraction, the fraction is dropped and points are awarded. The number of points awarded depends on the place earned and the strength factor of the tournament if applicable. These points are used to seed fencers in USFA national competitions, to qualify for the National Championships and the Junior Olympic Championships, to determine the group of athletes who can consider entry into World Cup and Cadet "B" tournaments, and to select athletes for other international tournaments.

source: Fencing.net FAQ v1.1

[keropie]

A lot of answers also depend on where you are (obviously you've gotten answers for the US). Additionally, if you have a coach that you/your son is working with, he or she should know most of these answers, or (if you/your son is interested in ratings and such) you should look for a more competitive coach. If you let us know where you are located, I'm sure you'll get some advice about where to look for other/additional clubs/instruction in the area.

[noodle]

Originally Posted by keropie

A lot of answers also depend on where you are (obviously you've gotten answers for the US). Additionally, if you have a coach that you/your son is working with, he or she should know most of these answers, or (if you/your son is interested in ratings and such) you should look for a more competitive coach. If you let us know where you are located, I'm sure you'll get some advice about where to look for other/additional clubs/instruction in the area.

ah, forgot to mention the nationality thing; i was thinking about it.


to answer the other questions left unanswered earlier:
- yes, you have to compete in USFA sanctioned events to earn classifications.
- no, you can not expect him to be at a certian level after school. people progress differently.
- yes, he can fence at college. there are lots of wonderful varsity and club teams.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by SittingOnTheFence

What level can he expect to be when he leaves school?

It depends a huge amount on how much he works and who his coach is. Some of the best fencers in the country started at 12 or so, but some mediocre fencers started that young as well.

[sjpfencer220]

You can go to the USFA website and if you go to a results page from any event it will have the rating of the tournament, for example A1, at the top, as that is a link, if you click on that it will take you to a chart showing which rated tournaments give you ratings based on where you place. As the actualy rating system has already been explained, all that is left to say is that he can continue fencing in college, even if he is not scouted out for a team, as many have clubs as well, and the only limit to how good he gets are the variables of himself and around him. Good luck too and welcome to the forums.

[Daniel Silvernail]

Sitting, rating system can be found at: http://www.usfencing.org/do/filePreview?id=1182

re: your son's potential, yes, he can continue to fence thru university and well beyond, and he will continue to grow in it if he maintains the right mindset.

I recently fenced Don Appling, at 92, the world's oldest fencer of three weapons, in Honolulu HI. He never quits, just charges directly into the fray. A great role model.

Daniel

[WordRider]

Give ear SittingOnTheFence:In that May God make come to pass God blocked it He would not let it be so in thy fencingLIFE.

espiritusaberTerrance