Before any specifics can be discussed too deeply, we need to distinguish the difference between "making a world team" vs. doing well at the world championships. In addition, all teams are not created equal. Different age groups and different weapons require different things. For instance, the resources, time, money, and training for making the sr. w. saber team are significantly different than those required for making a cadet w.epee team. I also suspect that making a sr. world championship team next year (ie, the year after the Olympics) will be significantly easier (in most categories) and cheaper than it was this year or last year.
Before we can intelligently narrow down what it takes to make a world championship team, we first need to narrow down which team it is you want to make the team in...
For the sake of argument, let's say the men's foil team...
OK, are you playing the part of David Willette, or Miles Chamley-Watson?
'cuz apparently it makes a difference...
There's a lot more than just money to making a National Team, although make no mistake, you can't do it with a buck fifty in your pocket for the whole season. You've got to have some superior skill, a lot of drive and definately the will to win.
And once you get there, you've got to be able to summon up a good day of fencing against the world's best when it counts, and that's not always as easy as you'd think.
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"Fraud is the creation of trust. And then: its betrayal."
William Black, Ph.D.
Since you said cadet/junior, I will assume you are eligible for the cadet team next year or perhaps have a student who is.
First, a reality check...let’s talk expenses. Without travel money, all of the training and skill in the world will not likely land you on a world team (unless, perhaps, you are part of Peter Westbrook’s foundation).
Without exception, making the cadet team is going to be cheaper than making a junior team if you do it in the most efficient way (although, you better make it next year because supposedly, it will be the last one – but I’ll believe it when the final schedule is out). That is because the Div 1 events that you will be going to will count as Group II scores. For next year’s cadet m.foil team, you can use 2 Div 1 events to count as 2 of the 4 Group II scores.
If you are capable of doing well in the Div 1s, your expenses and traveling time commitment (for you and your parent) will be considerably less. This year, you could have, theoretically, made the m. foil cadet team without ever leaving the country. If you averaged a top 3 place in 4 junior events (510 x 3) you would have 1530 Group I points. Then, if you could also average 2 x top 19 finishes of the 2 Div 1 events (204x2) you could have made the team without ever leaving the country. So, assuming history repeats itself (and this is a significant assumption but one that usually holds), this is a mathematical possibility.
The odds of this scenario happening, however, are not very high and you would be putting all of your eggs in the results of the Jr. JO event in Feb (ie, the 4th junior event of the season).
So, probably, you won’t have the results discussed above. In reality, this means that you will need to go to at least 2 cadet international events.
Of the cadet boys that qualified this year, WIllette is the only one aging out. I also assume that Massialas will have the resources and the management/coaching structure to make the team (of course, anything can happen but I am talking about probabilities). But that still leaves 2 spots. This year, it appears that it was pretty close for 4th place and below (ie, those that didn’t make the team). Because of this relative evenness among the remaining cadet boys, for next year, it will be a close battle and it appears that you will probably need to go to at least 2 cadet events and do well (at least top 16 in both). If you go to one and don’t make the top 16, you will probably need to go to the third one. One really good result (top 3) could do it IF you do well in four domestic junior events and score reasonably well (top 32) in both Div 1 events (which should be easier next year than they were this past year or the year before but then again, they will be easier for all of the cadet boys).
How much will this cost? It depends on where you live but an average trip to Europe for the (long) weekend will cost you about $1300 each trip (and if you go with your parent, you can add another $800 for airfare to that price). So, the minimum cost for just you to go to the 2 cadet events will be about $2600 (perhaps a little less because airfares are cheaper in the winter and you might be able to find a hotel cheaper than $100/night even with the terrible exchange rate if you share a room). Add this expense on to the price of going to at least 5 NACs/summer nationals (which will be at least $600/each), your minimum travel expenses will be around $5600 plus any additional airfare for your parent. And this definitely does not include travel and salary for a coach to go with you.
So, if you are really talented and independent from your parent, you could make the team for $3000 with no international travel. Other wise, it will take at least $5600 of travel money (and this is a very conservative estimate).
These are the minimum travel expenses and that is where the discussion starts (and this price does not even begin to touch the monthly fees you already incur for floor fees and lessons or new equipment which could easily reach an additional $10,000/year). The USFA sometimes will reimburse kids at the top of the point standings some money for travel but you can’t depend on it. Some performance enhancement reimbursement for good results is also a possibility. However, in this game, the USFA reimbursements are always a bonus but should never be counted on. And you must always remember, this amount is how much it will cost to have a CHANCE to make the team. It definitely does not ensure you of making the team.
So, the next question becomes – what are the opportunity costs for this $5600+ (or $15000+ if you count monthly floor fees, lessons, and equipment)? For some people, $15,000 is not a huge deal; for others, it is a new car or a year’s worth of tuition at a state university.
And the third question is – if you determine that you can afford to try to make a world team, how can you maximize your performance in preparation for the season?
Sad but true, both of these questions are secondary to the money issue. At this time, if you cannot afford to travel, you will not make a world team.
As you progress up the age-group ladder, the travel expenses become significantly higher. When you couple this with college expenses and the realities of college graduation, the opportunity costs become steep as well.
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Tracy
www.usfencersforchange.com An Alternate Slate for the Executive Committee of the USFA Board of Directors
T - thank you very much for this response. This is extremely helpful information.
As a follow up, did you have any thoughts on sponsorship approaches for talented fencers outside of (as a primary example) the Westbrook Foundation?
As you will most likely hear from others, sponsorships for fencing are few and far between. Even the best fencers have a tough time. You also need to be careful about NCAA eligibility rules on sponsorships if you plan on going to college. The best place is someone you know or where a parent works perhaps. I wouldn't get your hopes up too high on trying to land anything significant. Vaule-in-kind (VIK) is a little easier to get sometimes so if you want to find a local burger king or mcdonald's to try and get them to support you with some food coupon books. We got this once for about $100 that we used at NACs for a season (well, it didn't last a whole season). It will be very difficult to get anything from anyone that is not local. If you can get some publicity in the newspaper or local tv that will help your cause a bit perhaps.
One thing I always wanted my girls to try (but they would never do it) was to stand on a busy street corner in their fencing uniform with a sign asking for support to go to the jr. olympics or national championships or something. Collect money in your mask. I have seen little league teams, softball teams, gymnastic teams, etc. do this and I always give them a dollar or two and I definitely see many other people giving to the cause. It is not the same plea as someone who is homeless and from my experience a good Saturday morning looks like it could be profitable if you pick the right corner by a busy shopping mall. It would also be best to enlist a friend or 2 (in a fencing uniform) to get a second corner at the same busy intersection so you get people coming and going. DON'T GET HIT BY A CAR! I don't know if you would need a permit or something to do it but you better check into that first. Every city has different requirements.
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Tracy
www.usfencersforchange.com An Alternate Slate for the Executive Committee of the USFA Board of Directors
Another expense offset, if your club situation permits this, is teaching. A cadet can easily lead a couple of youth classes a week. Starting your own sattelite program at the local YMCA or church can work. The key is not to get greedy or try and push the beginners like they are competitive fencers.
If you are on a limited budget, another thing to consider is which and how to attend international tournaments.
Do you send your child to every possible jr world cup and cadet designated but with no chaperone, flying in the day before and out the day after, no coach and the cheapest air and hotels possible?
Or do you send your child with one parent to a select number flying in one or two days before to get used to jet lag and pay your own coaches expenses to coach them?
If you are on a limited budget, another thing to consider is which and how to attend international tournaments.
Do you send your child to every possible jr world cup and cadet designated but with no chaperone, flying in the day before and out the day after, no coach and the cheapest air and hotels possible?
Or do you send your child with one parent to a select number flying in one or two days before to get used to jet lag and pay your own coaches expenses to coach them?
Agreed. As I mentioned above, those were the minimum cost expenses and it is where the discussion begins. That is not necessarily the ideal way to go about it with respect to timing of traveling, with/without a parent, etc. but it is the minimum way to go about it. There are many other factors too...
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Tracy
www.usfencersforchange.com An Alternate Slate for the Executive Committee of the USFA Board of Directors
One thing I always wanted my girls to try (but they would never do it) was to stand on a busy street corner in their fencing uniform with a sign asking for support to go to the jr. olympics or national championships or something.
They should have a sign that says "Will fence for food."
Sometimes humor works in marketing.
Rick
__________________ "Some people are born great fencers, some people achieve fencing greatness, and some people have it thrust upon them."
Agreed. As I mentioned above, those were the minimum cost expenses and it is where the discussion begins. That is not necessarily the ideal way to go about it with respect to timing of traveling, with/without a parent, etc. but it is the minimum way to go about it. There are many other factors too...
Yes, and there are many combinations in between. Those are the two extreme strategies. All with no help, or minimum number with lots of support.
Time missed from school and work is another factor.
Here is my impression - tell me if I am way off base:
In addition to being talented, in order to get on the National Team for say the World Championships, you have to have a parent or benefactor with disposable capital and lots of vacation time, say about $40-50K per year (and maybe 6-8 weeks of time off), to pay for coaches, clubs, influence, international and national travel, and equipment.
The answer to the original question is: yes.
It isn't a conspiracy by any group... it is simply a reality given the conditions. Life isn't fair.
BTW this doesn't take away from those with resources that make the team... they train really, really hard to get there and aren't guaranteed anything regardless.
What is the possibility of making the nat'l team by just *living* in Europe and training/going to the WCs there, but repping US?
If the only goal is to simply make a cadet or even junior world team, then it probably is not worth it on multiple levels (IMHO). This is where the goal jumps from trying to make the team to trying to do really well at the world championships.
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Tracy
www.usfencersforchange.com An Alternate Slate for the Executive Committee of the USFA Board of Directors
Also, isn't there a difference in the age restriction for Cadets in the United States v. Europe?
For all USFA Cadet Competitions: athlete must be between ages of 13 and 16 years as of January 1 of the fencing season.
In Europe, doesn't the fencer remain a Cadet for the entire year of his/her 17th birthday?
Is this correct?
The cadet age group is the same everywhere. The fencer cannot turn 17 until Jan 1 of the year he/she will compete (or want to compete) in the world championships. The minimum is 13. This means that there are plenty of 17 year old (potentially) that will compete as cadets in Jan-April. The best birthday to have in this respect is to be born on Jan 1 and the worst is Dec 31. So, if you are still 16 at (midnight) on Jan 1 of next year, you are eligible for the cadet world championships.
In the US, we make a distinction for the summer nationals where the 'cadet' event is U-16. That is because they do not want anyone to compete as a 'cadet' if they will not be eligible to be on the cadet team for the next world championships (in April).
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Tracy
www.usfencersforchange.com An Alternate Slate for the Executive Committee of the USFA Board of Directors
The cadet age group is the same everywhere. The fencer cannot turn 17 until Jan 1 of the year he/she will compete (or want to compete) in the world championships. The minimum is 13. This means that there are plenty of 17 year old (potentially) that will compete as cadets in Jan-April. The best birthday to have in this respect is to be born on Jan 1 and the worst is Dec 31. So, if you are still 16 at (midnight) on Jan 1 of next year, you are eligible for the cadet world championships.
In the US, we make a distinction for the summer nationals where the 'cadet' event is U-16. That is because they do not want anyone to compete as a 'cadet' if they will not be eligible to be on the cadet team for the next world championships (in April).
So to fence in the SN Cadet, you must be under 16 years of age on the day of the event itself, or simply under 16 on the first day of the year (i.e., 2008 in this case)?
So to fence in the SN Cadet, you must be under 16 years of age on the day of the event itself, or simply under 16 on the first day of the year (i.e., 2008 in this case)?
I assume that it is the latter.
The birth years eligible to fence in the 2008 Summer National cadet events are 1992 - 1995. So as T stated, those born Jan - June 1992, will be 16 already. (Fencers born in Aug. - Dec. will never be 16 and fence at a cadet summer national event.)
It is the same for the Summer National Junior events, birth years 1989 - 1995. Those born in the first half of the year will be 19. (This is why sometimes you will see U20 and U17 rather than U19 and U16.)
Summer Nationals are the START of the season for Junior and Cadets and the END of the season for Y10, Y12 & Y14.
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