Help! Need to find tournaments for my college club!

[keeptellin]

I'm president of Marist College Fencing Club and we need to find more tournaments to attend. We recently just raised money to go to a tournament that we were snowed out of and the team is eager for another tournament to go to.

The thing is that it needs to be a tournament where our women and men can fence and for all three weapons. It also has to not be USFA only, because most of our members do not have USFA membership nor plan to get it.

We're also willing to travel outside of NY.

Can anyone think of anything?

THANK YOU!

[Cry_Me_A_River]

I'm president of Marist College Fencing Club and we need to find more tournaments to attend. We recently just raised money to go to a tournament that we were snowed out of and the team is eager for another tournament to go to.

The thing is that it needs to be a tournament where our women and men can fence and for all three weapons. It also has to not be USFA only, because most of our members do not have USFA membership nor plan to get it.

We're also willing to travel outside of NY.

Can anyone think of anything?

Was going to say www.askfred.net, but I haven't found many tournies that don''t requirea USFA membershihp.

[swordsen]

Contact other colleges and universities near you that have clubs and set up one on one team matches.
If you were in the southeast we would do it.....

[larkmaj]

Our team tourney (RPI's Frank Collins Team Tournament) is tentatively scheduled for 2/2. We don't require USFA for that tournament and you are on our mailing list so you'll get an email when we get the date set. Hopefully you can make it this year.

[Soberin]

I'm president of Marist College Fencing Club and we need to find more tournaments to attend. We recently just raised money to go to a tournament that we were snowed out of and the team is eager for another tournament to go to.

The thing is that it needs to be a tournament where our women and men can fence and for all three weapons. It also has to not be USFA only, because most of our members do not have USFA membership nor plan to get it.

We're also willing to travel outside of NY.

Can anyone think of anything?

THANK YOU!

Please don't do things half-assed
Everyone needs to join the USFA--the cost is nothing compared to college tuition, books and fencing equipment.
The club can then use FRED as suggested to find events to fence
Talk to the Chair of the Hudson-Berkshire Division of the USFA, which covers Poughkeepsie, for additional advice at http://www.hudsonberkshire.com
Consider finding a local club for practice bouting--you can probably pay a floor fee without buying full membership
If you don't do the above, you are seriously limiting your options for the enjoyment of the sport

[seak]

eh, to a point I agree with soberin, you are limiting your options as a fencer if you don't sign up for the USFA. That said most college students prefer college competition to USFA stuff, and honestly college competition, especially of the team variety is more fun.

At MD most of the students aren't USFA members, because honestly most weekends during the school year they are traveling to a college competition. On the rare off weekend, they need to do schoolwork

Conversely at UNC I think nearly everyone is a USFA member. At least in part (I think) because the school associated club hosts USFA tournaments which they are mostly required to attend. Tough many also do NAC's etc for which USFA membership is required.

[HDG]

Seriously; why would you deliberately refuse to join USFA?

[seak]

It's not deliberate it's just that paying 60 dollars at one time + the tournament entry fee is expensive to go fence 5/6 bouts and a DE, if you're a college student, especially one just learning to fence. Or, it's expensive if you only really want to do one or two competitions per year, because you have lots of other competitions you prefer to do that aren't USFA.

[HDG]

It's not deliberate it's just that paying 60 dollars at one time + the tournament entry fee is expensive to go fence 5/6 bouts and a DE, if you're a college student, especially one just learning to fence. Or, it's expensive if you only really want to do one or two competitions per year, because you have lots of other competitions you prefer to do that aren't USFA.

Yet they're willing to travel out-of-state?

[keeptellin]

i first want to say thank you for the helpful advice!

but... half-assed? We're in college! Not everyone is either that financially endowed, serious about fencing yet, or they're new and want to try something out before seriously investing.

Besides, there ARE tournaments that do not require USFA membership. From what I have seen, people who are serious about fencing do attend those events as well, what a noble occurrence.

Yes, we can pay for a bus. The college gives us money for things like that but they have stressed they will in no way buy all 50 odd members USFA membership. I agree with them, that would be ridiculous!


But I forgot about the RPI team tournament, we'll start preparing for that. Thank you!

In the mean time, I'm going to figure out how to bring the club to other college tournaments.

[seak]

School/club pays (and no in most cases the school/club cannot pay for USFA membership due to school funding rules), so the cost to the individual fencer is far less. Plus most college tournaments offer far more fencing then the typical USFA one to the average fencer, and they get to compete against their peers and other schools.

[Downtown]

Not only for your members, but for your club, you should take a look at joining the USFA.

One word: Insurance

[seak]

Generally college clubs are covered by the school.

Look, college club fencing is different then having a private USFA club. If you are running a normal club all members should have USFA insurance. When talking about college students its nice in that there are more tournaments available, but not nearly as necessary, and it's certainly not half - assed of them not to have it, because for college tournaments you don't need it.

[little_old_me]

I'm president of Marist College Fencing Club and we need to find more tournaments to attend. We recently just raised money to go to a tournament that we were snowed out of and the team is eager for another tournament to go to.

The thing is that it needs to be a tournament where our women and men can fence and for all three weapons. It also has to not be USFA only, because most of our members do not have USFA membership nor plan to get it.

We're also willing to travel outside of NY.

Can anyone think of anything?

THANK YOU!

If you had asked a few days ago, I would have suggested that your club join the USACFC and go to the national championships in April. Unfortunately, the membership deadline was yesterday. Sorry.

For future reference: http://www.usacfc.org

Here's a link to some discussion on f.net: USACFC 2008 Membership Form and announcements

[Soberin]

i first want to say thank you for the helpful advice!

but... half-assed? We're in college! Not everyone is either that financially endowed, serious about fencing yet, or they're new and want to try something out before seriously investing.

Besides, there ARE tournaments that do not require USFA membership. From what I have seen, people who are serious about fencing do attend those events as well, what a noble occurrence.

Yes, we can pay for a bus. The college gives us money for things like that but they have stressed they will in no way buy all 50 odd members USFA membership. I agree with them, that would be ridiculous!


But I forgot about the RPI team tournament, we'll start preparing for that. Thank you!

In the mean time, I'm going to figure out how to bring the club to other college tournaments.

Seriously, you really should join the USFA. You are all probably spending more on milkshakes at the Eveready than you would on USFA membership. It is penny-wise and pound-foolish ( if you prefer that cliche to half-assed) not to join, because you are limiting the amount of events you can attend. If you don't fence events, you will not get better. You still need to pay for fuel or bus rental, and you still need equipment. You can share weapons and masks, and you certainly don't need $200 fencing shoes, but in the long run, membership will be to your advantage.

[Fishkillfencers]

Woodstock's tournaments are 3-weapon, non-USFA and a lot of fun:

http://www.ashokan.com/fencing.html

It's scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2008. It's not on the HB schedule or askfred yet, but I'm sure it will be. Remind us to remind you.

How's the thumb?

[LordShout]

Please don't do things half-assed
Everyone needs to join the USFA--the cost is nothing compared to college tuition, books and fencing equipment.

Some of the most succesful club collegiate fencers I've seen either never fenced USFA or had a E/D from one tournament and never went back, and these are kids that regularly beat A/B fencers. USFA is fun, but quite frankly all the good local and midrange tournaments are scheduled so that it interferes with collegiate, and collegiate is way more fun.

For most club collegiate fencers that pick up fencing in college USFA is this weird thing to do in the off season, not the thing in and of itself, its a breath of fresh air to be out of the USFA format.

I don't know how far you're willing to travel I would suggest checking out http://www.usacfc.org/

[Fishkillfencers]

You may want to contact West Point - pretty cool location, and not far from you. It looks like they're hosting something on January 20th.

http://www.usma.edu/uscc/dca/clubs/fenc/Pages/index.htm

[oso97]

Hrmmm... this quote reminds me of why the USFA needs to work on its "perceived membership benefit" outreach program.

Oh wait, we don't have one.

[Soberin]

i first want to say thank you for the helpful advice!

but... half-assed? We're in college! Not everyone is either that financially endowed, serious about fencing yet, or they're new and want to try something out before seriously investing.

Besides, there ARE tournaments that do not require USFA membership. From what I have seen, people who are serious about fencing do attend those events as well, what a noble occurrence.

Yes, we can pay for a bus. The college gives us money for things like that but they have stressed they will in no way buy all 50 odd members USFA membership. I agree with them, that would be ridiculous!


But I forgot about the RPI team tournament, we'll start preparing for that. Thank you!

In the mean time, I'm going to figure out how to bring the club to other college tournaments.

Do you really have 50 members of a college club? That seems high to me, but what do I know? Anyway, if other members of f.net are willing to chip in, I will buy USFA membership for one member of your club. If the rest of f.net participates in this plan--just list an address and name and I will send you a money order--your entire club will be covered.