Long Term Retention

[oso97]

So, we've discussed on here (both in the Coaches Corner and in the main forum) methodologies for retention past the initial beginner class, and getting members to go to the initial year. How about further than that? Alright, warning, what follows is at least partially a cry of frustration and a desire to strangle someone.

Retention from my beginner classes into general membership is good (probably about 20% who start the beginner class are still fencing a year later). And I've a few students making the transition from general membership to competition. And a couple of serious competitors. But there is this one student I have...

Lots of innate talent. Capable of incredible focus. Has beaten (soundly on occasion) every other fencer who fences her weapon in the Section, except one (and to be fair, has also been beaten by them as well - there is no clear hierarchy) and won her share of gold medals at strong regional events. Has started fencing national events, and there is the seed of much possibility there, especially now that the shock of transitioning from competing in a gym with 10 strips to a convention center with 40+ is being overcome. Is extraordinarily "coachable" in almost every respect. Came with me from where I'd done my apprenticeship when I started my own club. Miracle of miracles, she's a 15 year old girl almost without body image issues and accompanying neurosis and enjoys being physically strong. In short, she's the kind of fencer who makes a coach look good, and is a true pleasure to work with. Give me three more seasons with her and she'll be a boon to some NCAA program!

So what's the problem? *sigh* She's moving to a new school, and the idea has been put into her head that she should attempt another specific activity (we'll leave aside for the moment the source of this idea, which is where the desire to strangle comes in). Something different, and more "girl like" so as to provide her with a "built in base of friends at her new school." Something like, oh... yea, I'll leave aside the activity for the moment. Lets just say that its an activity that will consume most of her free time. Pretty much every waking moment, as the person in charge of this group is bent and driven on accepting nothing less than a national first place (and since this group is in the contention for it, its a real possibility). And part of me just wants to say, "Hey! I made the athlete out of her, and now >you< are going to reap the rewards? Not fair at all!" She'll continue coming to fencing when she can, but competitions are pretty much out of the question.

Part of me just wants to give up, because if I can't keep my strongest competitor involved in the sport, what's the blasted point?

[Allen Evans]

Any successful coach has to be prepared for other coaches "poaching" their athletes. It is difficult to see someone leave your program, but if you have successful students, it's inevitable. If a coach or sponsor of another activity is making un-realistic promises ("I'll put you on the National team in a year!") it's probably worth stepping in and having a talk with the athlete. If that isn't happening, I find it difficult to intercede. I always try to make sure that my program speaks for itself, and that if the athlete does leave, they leave on good terms, and understand that -- except in unusual circumstances -- they will be welcome back if they want to return.

Junior High and High School athletes try a lot of different things, and sometimes will move from something they are good at to something they are not -- sometimes it's just the difference between an individual sport like fencing to a team sport where they have friends or a strong social connection. That's huge at their age.

A year or so ago, we lost a number of our better athletes (one of of them was in Cadet points) to their growing high school popularity. It's hard to see them go, but we aren't raising them to be automotons*. They make their decisions -- some good, and some bad. As hard as it is to see talent leave, I am not sure I would have it any other way.

AE



* I am, however, re-thinking that strategy myself.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by oso97

part of me just wants to say, "Hey! I made the athlete out of her, and now >you< are going to reap the rewards? Not fair at all!"

That's hopefully answered by the part of you that says, "My student really put in the work to make an athlete of herself, and she gave me the opportunity to work with her in that process. And now my student going to reap the reward in some other activity."

We have all been involved in many different things in our life. We enjoy some of them more than others. All of those experiences inform who we are as people. As a coach, all you can ask is that your students are honest with you and honest with themselves. Younger students will want to try different things while they have the opportunity. Older students will often get distracted by their careers or their family.

I don't want students to ignore my contributions or position, but if they show honesty and consideration and inform me ahead of time that they'll be competing less because they made the lead in the school play (to name one example), what can I do but congratulate them and hope that they enjoy that experience? For fencers in high school, I really believe that the single most important thing that they learn from competing at fencing is how to make their own choices about balancing their time and interests. There's nothing special about fencing that teaches them that, but for a lot of our high school students, fencing is the first thing that they wanted to do badly enough that they start to sacrifice other things for it. Once they understand that, there will probably be some point in their fencing career when they realize that they need to to sacrifice fencing for some other interest. If they choose to involve me in the discussions about their decision, I'll try to be honest with them while maintaining enough distance from the question that they understand that the decision is theirs.

Of course, easy for me to say, right? I just coach a little bit, so I'm not nearly so invested in fencing or in my students as the head coach. Still, it's the attitude I try to cultivate so that my students can maintain a healthy balance and control over their own lives.

[tbryan]

Originally Posted by oso97

Part of me just wants to give up, because if I can't keep my strongest competitor involved in the sport, what's the blasted point?

So, to the other question...basically, how to improve retention beyond the intro class. I admit to having very little experience with this issue, but I'll take a stab at it to get the discussion going:

1) I think it's easier to retain fencers who are in the "middle of the pack." It is sometimes hard to retain your best competitor if they don't have a group of similarly-experienced and ranked fencers to practice with. Practically speaking, it can be harder for them to get the bouting they need. Emotionally speaking, they're always supposed to be out there at the head of the pack. It's hard to maintain that standing competitively, and it can be hard to have that many other people looking at them (looking up to them/trying to beat them/etc.). BTW, I'd be very interested in hearing more about retaining your best fencer when that fencer is consistently or significantly better than the others in his weapon at your club.

Fencers in the middle of the pack can clearly see where they're going and that you can get them there. They can use the better fencers to get an idea of where they'd like to go, and they have confidence that you can get them there.

Fencers at the bottom of the pack are usually newbies who are trying to move into the middle of the pack. Folks who find themselves at the bottom of the pack for too long (for whatever reason) seem to fade out slowly and vanish from the club.

2) I think that it's easier to retain fencers if they have a social network at the club. That can be a blessing and a curse. It you have a group of fencers who know each other outside of fencing and socialize at tournaments, that social bond can reinforce their committment to fencing. But if many members of that social group leave, it may also pull members away. Social networks can also make it more difficult for new members to feel like they belong. It's difficult to alter the community at your club, but you can help set the tone and shape the way it develops.

3) I think that it's easier to retain fencers when they feel that they're part of a team. This point is slightly different from the previous one. Here, I'm talking about their relationship as fencers/a club/a team, not about their relationships as people outside of their fencing lives. Fencing is an individual sport, but fencers from a club can still feel like part of a competitive group. Try to get your fencers to stay and watch/cheer for their teammates after they are eliminated. Get them to warm each other up at tournaments.

4) I think that it's easier to retain fencers who feel invested in the club. Speaking from personal experience, it's more difficult to leave a club once I'm doing any assistant coaching. Now, I'm not just fencing because I like to fence, I'm fencing because I helped create this group of fencers (or, I helped build these strips, etc.). That feeling of investment outside of oneself can keep people coming to the club through times when they feel like drifting away.

Of course, fencers will still leave. Look on the bright side: that just gives you more time to spend with the others.