Becca Ward coming to NC (Duke)?

[noodle]

Originally Posted by fencerbill

Methinks someone changed their post. However, both were e-mailed to the other posters.

only if thats set up to do so. that doesn't happen for me.

[yeoldearmourer]

Oh Becca is fine I just can't stand pushes parents.

[Mo]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

We all have our opinions, but none of us have the same up-close inside perspective of that club that Mo has had...or that Ed has had. Probably neither one of them are 100% right, and the truth of things lies in between somewhere. Why it needs constantly to be aired in public is what I do not understand.

Inq,
Let me ask you a question. Why do you harp constantly on your "screaming is tacky and bad" platform in here?
Why do you bring it up so often? What is the point of it?
Everyone knows what you think.
Well?
It is the same thing for us. We feel very strongly about the experience that our daughter had with her coach. It has been pretty bad since April 1, 2007. We have been trapped with a coach that no longer worked with my daughter.
Why aren't other people entitled to do whatever they can to help their kids when they are being treated unfairly? Who will listen but an audience of folks who fence?
We are not alone at all in the group of parents who have been pushed around by the hush hush worship of fencing coaches.
The coaches have all the power. The parents who love their kids and pay the coaches services have none. That has to change.
Just because a person can have a fencer who can win gold medals, does that make him a great coach? What about all the other issues that are involved in coaching? What about their humanity?
There is a really strong shoot the messenger mentality in here.
Know what? We don't have to be quiet anymore. Our child is safe in a school. There is nothing else that can be done to her.
There is something that can be done however for US fencing. That is a bit of control over the coaches. They cannot be allowed to mess up kid's lives like they do.
The system needs to change.
This board was a platform for change when Tracy ran for president. She came in here and took her punches and praise. She explained herself. Although I knew there would be a conflict of interest, remember that? I still admire her for getting it out there. Big Time!!
There was actual posting done by the candidates in here. She did something, she accomplished something for Fencing.
It is time for parents to have a voice too.
When it comes down to it, the parent is the only one in most cases who has the child's interest at heart.
They need a voice.
The Momster

[Jason]

I agree with Mo.
We need to institute some kind of system whereby parents can have a say in their kid's coaching.
Something like capitalism. If only we had that.

[Mo]

Originally Posted by Jason

I agree with Mo.
We need to institute some kind of system whereby parents can have a say in their kid's coaching.
Something like capitalism. If only we had that.

Jason dear,
Don't you realize that if your kid gets to a certain level you are basically trapped in a location?
It is not easy to change clubs, it is almost impossible. If you need to change clubs and the National Coach is the person you had to leave, they are still in charge of your destiny and YOU ARE STILL SCREWED.
In NYC there are several really top notch places to fence. Some are not willing to move there.
The question is, is fencing worth enough to uproot your family?
You can treat situations as tritely as you wish, but it just shows your lack of understanding on the underlying issues.
If you have a really talented kid, you choice is to put up with the crap or leave. Do you let the coach and club drive you out of the possibilities for your kid or do you just hunker down and deal with it?
Be serious for a change and think about it.
One other thing. Becca and Sada were trying so hard to get Dagmara in that final bout for team. The coaches E&A had some unreasonable ratio that had be in place for Daga to have a chance. Daga was not from Georgia or OFA. They US team was far enough ahead that there was no reason for Dagmara not to fence and every reason for her to do so.
It didn't happen, she didn't get a medal like BOTH of the other teams did in the finals. China and Ukraine both had four girls on the medal stand, not the US. Ed and Arkady both let the chance go by for Dags to also have a medal which she surely deserved with all the work and travel she put into the team. There was no one but the fencers themselves to get her in the bout and they of course are not coaches and don't know a darned thing.
That is the kind of thing that having a more even representation for all fencers on a team would cure.
Too much power? What do you think?
The Momster

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Mo

Jason dear,
Don't you realize that if your kid gets to a certain level you are basically trapped in a location?
It is not easy to change clubs, it is almost impossible. If you need to change clubs and the National Coach is the person you had to leave, they are still in charge of your destiny and YOU ARE STILL SCREWED.
In NYC there are several really top notch places to fence. Some are not willing to move there.
The question is, is fencing worth enough to uproot your family?
You can treat situations as tritely as you wish, but it just shows your lack of understanding on the underlying issues.
If you have a really talented kid, you choice is to put up with the crap or leave. Do you let the coach and club drive you out of the possibilities for your kid?
Be serious for a change and think about it.
The Momster

I guess I should apologize upfront: unlike most people who like to waste time on the internet, I generally prefer to use logic as a basis of my reasoning. I know it's considered bad form, but I'm old-fashioned.

Someone concerned about the influence a coach might have on their child's future--so concerned that they absurdly won't leave a club that they insist is harmful to their child--would likely not choose to spend her time spreading rumors and cryptic detail-free innuendo about that same coach. If leaving the club "screws" you, talking **** surely gets you a little pregnant.

If that coach was actually behaving in a reprehensible way, revealing facts to the general public and USFA would be a reasonable thing to do for someone motivated by a desire to improve a situation. Spreading around ideas that can generally be summed up by "he's a bad, bad man, but I won't get into why," is a school-yard practice of someone motivated by pettiness and anger. It won't improve the situation, only escalate it.

I've been hearing about the problems at OFA for years and it always seems like a situation of over-involved parents (on both sides) escalating issues that they have a responsibility to defuse.

The way you present your grievances on this forum (though you may well be a great person in real life) only supports that image.

Now that Becca's leaving for college (mazel tov to her), it's not the time to suddenly start "revealing" your secrets (which I understood one of your other posts to suggest you were planning), but time to move on and let go of your anger. Any chance you had to correct problems at the club were mishandled tragically. Times up. Anything you do now is just further escalation of a negative situation to feed more rage.

Good luck.

[SuperDog]

After reading endless posts about the "problems" that seem to go on between your family and Ed, I'm tired of it all. No offense meant, but it seems that your griping like a little kid and skirting around the problem but complaining rather than directly solving it. I don't know what the problems are, but are they that important and tearing everything apart that you feel an urgent need to reveal to the whole fencing community now that Becca is leaving for college, or is it something you can put behind you and move on?

Frankly, I feel that you are hurting more people than just Ed and Mariel. What about all those kids who look up to Mariel? Their idol is -how you are claiming it- a "fraud" because she only knows how to beat two people. Wow she sure made it a long why knowing how to beat those two people.

Just get over it and move on. If your daughter wants to go to the 2012 Games, she probably will have to go back to Ed, and then what? This whole thing starts up all over again, over unresolved issues? Have you tried sitting down in his office and talking with him?

-SuperDog-

[moxieman117]

But the real question is:

Does she have a boyfriend?

[thisissparta514]

Ed and Arkady both let the chance go by for Dags to also have a medal which she surely deserved with all the work and travel she put into the team. There was no one but the fencers themselves to get her in the bout and they of course are not coaches and don't know a darned thing.
The Momster

Which is why, IMO, the alternates should get medals regardless of whether of not they actually fence.

The policy now is not unlike not considering a soccer player who didn't play at all in the World Cup as not being a member of the winning team...

[Phrogger]

I can't really blame the coaches for not putting in a fourth fencer. In war, you bring your "A" game and use overwhelming force. The US were the favorites and had overwhelming pressure to bring home gold. Arkady perhaps even more so. You can't succumb to feelgood motives and take risks like that at the Olympic Games. It would have been the "nice" thing to do but I don't think "doing a nice thing" is a good reason. Any other reason would have been better, like to boost team spirit, to give her experience for future Olympics, etc. They made the call. Maybe it was the wrong call, because they didn't get gold but we have no way of knowing that.

[yeoldearmourer]

Welcome to the world of Olympic competion. You think it bad in fencing tryed ice skateing or gymasite or diving. These kids are totaly under the coach control. These are just a few sports. I was a world class shooter for the Army and boy did we worked at it. I have seen family living a part just were their child could train with a certain coach. Like I said welcome to the world of sports were Mother advice is not listen too. Coach know best even to their diets.

[Nail Biter]

Originally Posted by moxieman117

But the real question is:

Does she have a boyfriend?

She is the cutest of the three so I'm sure she does. Oh, well.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by yeoldearmourer

Welcome to the world of Olympic competion. You think it bad in fencing tryed ice skateing or gymasite or diving. These kids are totaly under the coach control. These are just a few sports. I was a world class shooter for the Army and boy did we worked at it. I have seen family living a part just were their child could train with a certain coach. Like I said welcome to the world of sports were Mother advice is not listen too. Coach know best even to their diets.

Just because that's the way things are in other sports doesn't mean it ought to be that way.

Not all coaches know what they're doing, and not all parents do either. There should be room for both.

And the national system should be set up such that individuals can pick the best coach for them without (rational) fear of retribution. What are we doing now, what can we do better? I don't know, I'm not ever going to be at the level where I can gain first hand information.

Mo--- what could we do to make sure that we don't turn into gymnastics? I'm not talking about Ed. I'm saying in a world where there are only potential coaches, how do we set up the national system to give the athletes and parents a partnership with the coaches, so that the US can do well-- not just in medals but also do well for our athletes?

[fencerX]

Originally Posted by MyrddinsPrecint

Not all coaches know what they're doing, and not all parents do either. There should be room for both.

Exactly. There should be room for everyone who doesn't know what they're doing.

[KD5MDK]

Originally Posted by Nail Biter

She is the cutest of the three so I'm sure she does. Oh, well.

According to the news reports before the games, yes.

[Mr.MightyMouse]

Originally Posted by yeoldearmourer

Welcome to the world of Olympic competion.

Mr.Loomis, Firefox has an inbuilt spell-check.

www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/.


On the matter at hand - correct me if I am wrong.

Ms. Jacobson Sr. is retiring,
I believe some website has stated that Ms. Ward is taking some time off from international competition,
and Ms. Zagunis has 2 years left at Notre Dame, which surely will somewhat curtail her travel.
Any predictions and or insight on what US WS team will look like for the next Worlds, and the London 2012?

[Wingate85]

Ms. Jacobson Sr. is retiring,
I believe some website has stated that Ms. Ward is taking some time off from international competition,
and Ms. Zagunis has 2 years left at Notre Dame, which surely will somewhat curtail her travel.
Any predictions and or insight on what US WS team will look like for the next Worlds, and the London 2012?[/quote]


I believe Ms Zagunis will remain active and shoot for 2012. Much of it will depend on weather both Korfanty and Gelman will be willing to continue to put the extra time and effort needed to develop elite fencers. There are no other serious contenders coming out of Berdan's club or any other club for that matter.

[moxieman117]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

According to the news reports before the games, yes.

Well, that's embarrassing.

[misha]

Originally Posted by Mo

One other thing. Becca and Sada were trying so hard to get Dagmara in that final bout for team. The coaches E&A had some unreasonable ratio that had be in place for Daga to have a chance. Daga was not from Georgia or OFA. They US team was far enough ahead that there was no reason for Dagmara not to fence and every reason for her to do so.
It didn't happen, she didn't get a medal like BOTH of the other teams did in the finals. China and Ukraine both had four girls on the medal stand, not the US. Ed and Arkady both let the chance go by for Dags to also have a medal which she surely deserved with all the work and travel she put into the team. There was no one but the fencers themselves to get her in the bout and they of course are not coaches and don't know a darned thing.

Oh, please, I call BS on this one. "...trying so hard..." my a#$$#.
If they really wanted Daga to have a medal,
all Becca or Sada had to do is to get "injured" - problem solved.
Other teams do that quite often, but not our precious ladies.

.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Mo

Inq,
Let me ask you a question.

No.

Cough. Sorry.

Why do you harp constantly on your "screaming is tacky and bad" platform in here?
Why do you bring it up so often? What is the point of it? Everyone knows what you think.

Because people keep saying how wonderful it is, and