Quote:
Originally Posted by Craig  That's a good one - care to give a couple of bullets? |
I think these are some good questions for the student to ask themselves. I think they are also good questions for parents to consider, in their role as supporters of fencing. These are just the few I would use:
1.
Why am I fencing? Because I hate team sports? Because I really love to fence? Because fencing gives me something nothing else does? None of these answers are right or wrong, but knowing why you're doing something helps you make decisions. And of course, there are wrong answers to this question, such as: "It will get into the college I want".
2. Am I use to being good at everything? Fencing is very hard -- much harder than most people think -- and if you are use to being good at everything, you might find that fencing is the first thing that challenges you. It could be that fencing is the one thing in your life that you don't do well, no matter how much you enjoy it. That can be good for some people, but not so good for others.
3. Are results more important to me than learning a new skill, or learning about myself? It was years before I won my first tournament. If I had to justify my fencing with medals, I might not be fencing today. Fortunately, I got so much from fencing without winning tournaments, it was easy to be patient until I did start to post results.
4. Do I learn things on my own? Fencing -- even at a club with a good coach -- demands a lot of introspection and self-analysis. The fencers who do the best seem to be the ones that are self-motivated and have a certain level of introspection, as well as the ability to be self-correcting.
5. Am I willing to take direction? This is a complementary question to the one above. If you aren't "coachable" you aren't likely to have a good relationship with your coach. And you need to have a good relationship with your coach, even if you are a "natural" at the sport.
6. Am I honest with myself? With others? Fencing is a small sport, even at a national level. Cheats, frauds, and bad sports quickly get a reputation that can not be escaped or avoided.
For parents:
1. Just how busy is my child? If this is their fifth or sixth outside activity, you might consider another sport. Fencing requires a large investment of time, and shoe-horning fencing into the 30 minutes between debate practice and a violin lesson is not going to make it any easier to learn a difficult sport. The fact that fencing no longer has a "season" doesn't help.
2. Is the child fencing because he or she thinks its cool, or because you think it's cool? Some kids have to be prodded a little bit to try new things. But fencing isn't broccoli. Not having fencing in your life isn't going to do you any serious, long term harm. If your child doesn't think fencing is for them, don't push them into it because YOU think they would find it fun.
3. Am I patient? Watching your child struggle with learning a skill you may not understand yourself can be a trial. It can take years to master fencing skills. If your child wants to fence, be prepared for a long haul while they learn the sport.
4. Can I let my child fence without competiting with other parents? I have overheard conversations at NAC's between parents about the unfairness of another child earning a ranking of a certain type before their child's. These conversations haven't been in the tone of friendly banter, trust me. For the most part, fencing has remarkably few stage parents. It would be nice if it stayed that way.
5. Can I pay the bills with a smile on my face, or better yet, without saying anything at all? Fencing can be expensive (though it is still cheaper than some of the other sports I see practiced here in N. Virginia). It's only going to get MORE expensive as your child gets better at it, and needs FIE gear, lessons from a more qualified coach, and travel to distant venues to get competition appropriate to their skills. Especially as they reach Jr. High and High School age, kids are very aware of how much things cost, and reminding them, even jokingly can put a lot pressure on them. A few years ago, one of my fencers melted down after just failing to make it out of pools at a Div 1 NAC. Why? Not because he had failed to qualify to the next round, but because he was acutely aware of how much had been spent on this trip, and how little fencing he had done, even though it was his first Div 1 NAC, and he fenced very well, for all that.
These are a few of the questions I would use, if I was making a checklist for students and parents for fencing. I'm sure there are others....
AE
Shhhh, don't tell-we must lure them to our dark side...
