Driving to fencing events

[dberke]

I'm doing a little research project on travelling to tournaments. I'm wondering how long people are willing to travel by car to go to a tournament.

Rather than use distances, I'm using travel time since it's a better gauge of how long people will put up with sitting in a car. Three hours of driving between cities will get you a lot further than three hours within a metropolitan area.

For sake of argument, assume that the tournament you're travelling to will be well-attended and well-run. Also, answer the question regardless of whether you're driving or carpooling. Assume that if you're carpooling, gas expenses are shared.

It would also be handy to know what general part of the country you reside in if you're willing to divulge that info.

Thanks!
Dan

[AndrewH]

I answered 3-5 hours since that's the furthest I usually drive for non-national tournaments, and only once in a while if I know it'll be a event worth going to. (Coming from NJ, that'd be the Pomme near Boston and the Cherry Blossom near DC). However, I'll drive further for a NAC, and I'm willing to drive so long as the cost of doing so is less than the flight. I drove from NJ to Columbus and to Richmond for those NACs. If I can work a vacation into it, I'd be willing to go further. Last March I drove from NJ to New Orleans for the Crescent City.

I don't really fence in local events anymore, but if I was to, the longest drive would be about 1.5 hours (to BCAF), average trip 45 mins - 1 hour.

[dcmdale]

Generally, we go by car (Prius) if the event is within a two days drive (10 hour days). The was one Summer National we did three days. We have never flown to an event closer than a 12 hour drive from home.

[mgriff]

The road trip to Duel or to PCCs (also Las Vegas or San Diego or LA area) was always half the fun for my daughter and me.

Mary

[Peach]

Three to five is my effective limit for sane driving. The Pomme de Terre is actually farther than that for me, and so is the Veterans Challenge, which is why I didn't do either this year.

[oiuyt]

I'll drive to Boston when I go to events there. That's a bit over 5 hours.

Other than that 4-4.5 hours is pretty much tops. And I think about anything that far for a while before deciding.

It's really a sliding scale with a significant number of variables. Distance is one, strength of competition is another, "fun-ness" of competition/opposition, prizes, time of year, other options, actual location, and probably about a dozen more.

-B

[qatet]

I said 3-5 because that's what I would do when I lived in Philly. Now that I live in Texas that night change. Presuming that I start competing again, of course.

Really, though, the only one that I drove 5 hours to was the Pomme.

[tbryan]

For sake of argument, assume that the tournament you're travelling to will be well-attended and well-run. Also, answer the question regardless of whether you're driving or carpooling. Assume that if you're carpooling, gas expenses are shared.

It would also be handy to know what general part of the country you reside in if you're willing to divulge that info.

Thanks!
Dan

I'm in the Southeast Section. Except for a couple of the large metro areas, such as Atlanta, the strong fencers in this section seem to be really scattered. To fence against a variety of stronger (Cs and up) fencers throughout the year, you have to be willing to travel to tournaments.

0 - 2.5 hours
I don't think much about the travel time. (From Raleigh, NC, that gives me a range from Richmond, VA, to Charlotte, NC.) In that case, if the pre-registration for the tournament is reasonably strong, and I'm looking for an event that weekend, I'll go.

2.5 - 4 hours
Over 2.5 hours, the travel time becomes a factor. If I can carpool, I'll do a 4 hour drive to the event, fence, and drive back the same day. (Carpool helps to make sure that we don't fall asleep on the way home after a long day of fencing!) I generally do a couple of these each year.

4 - 8 hours
If I have to drive more than about 4 hours alone, or farther even with a carpool, I have to factor the cost of a hotel. I'll only do a few events like this in a year. In that case, the tournament needs to have a history of being well-run and fairly strong. (Something like the Virginia Kickoff or the Cherry Blossom near D.C.) Either that, or I need to take a long weekend and combine it with a vacation to visit to some friends.

If it's farther than that, it's normally not worth the drive, or it's worth it to fly.

[fdad]

I think the poll is flawed because the scale slides based upon the quality of the tournament. From Northern NJ, 1.5 hours will get you to any tournament in Metro, West-Rock, South Jersey and New Jersey. Can easily get to Philadelphia, Capitol, MD, CT, MA, and some parts of VA for a day trip if checkin is later than 8am (~3.5 hr drive).

[Soberin]

I normally use my Maybach 62 and driver for most events within a 5 hour drive. The electrically cooled and heated massage seats make the ride a pleasure. Anything more than 5 hours, I'll have my pilot take us in the old Gulfstream V.

[damianip]

Being fortunate to be well situated for most Northeast tournaments allows me the option of getting anywhere from Boston to northern VA in 4 hours or less.

That said, I've been spoiled by the fact that almost any tournament my club has held lately has turned out to be an A2 or better event.

That tends to keep me at home.

Any big tournament within an eight hour drive is usually handled by driving because we usually can get enough club members together to make the drive and accommodations affordable. Plus, I can then avoid the potential disaster of flying with my equipment.

Andrew, I haven't seen you at BCAF in years.

Paolo

[oiuyt]

Andrew, I haven't seen you at BCAF in years.

Hence the:

I don't really fence in local events anymore, but if I was to, the longest drive would be about 1.5 hours (to BCAF), average trip 45 mins - 1 hour.

-B

[DangerMouse]

I live in Oregon and Seattle is about as far as I'll drive regularly.

[AndrewH]

Andrew, I haven't seen you at BCAF in years.

Yea, at least not fencing. I've been there to ref within the past year, I think. I just stopped going to most local events because it's not worth it to pay $35 for a tournament with really nothing at stake. Much better to ref and make money... although if you guys put together an A2 sabre tournament I'll be there in a flash.

[telkanuru]

I know some effort was made in the OP to distinguish the merits of the tournament, but for me it still does vary. For your local variety A2 open, I'll travel maybe 3 hours each way. For a PdT level event, I'll go maybe 5-6 hours. I've previously driven 10 hours each way to attend a NAC, and I'm currently working out if I really want to drive to the NAC-D.

[Inquartata]

I commonly drive 5-6 hours to tournaments in California. ( From Arizona. )

I have done 12-, 14- and 18-hour drives. I would prefer not to repeat the latter...

[KidLazy]

I have driven 12 hours (each way) by myself for a local tournament (not a NAC or anything near that level).

[Chuck]

I'm in Amarillo, Texas (Plains Texas Division). It is almost a 2 hour drive to the next closest city IN OUR DIVISION with a fencing club (120 miles). There is another club IN OUR DIVISION that is about a 4 hour drive away (Midland, TX). Oklahoma City and Albuquerque & Santa Fe, NM tournaments are both about 4 hour drives away (both more than 275 miles). Colorado Springs (Nick Toth and Falcon Open) is about 6 hours. El Paso (Border Texas) is 420 miles away (about 7 hours). Those are our CLOSE tournaments. If we don't drive, we don't compete - except against ourselves.

National tournaments are major trips. But some of us actually drove to Atlanta Summer Nationals 2 years ago and to San Jose, California Summer Nationals this summer. We are looking forward to Nationals in Texas next year - only 7 hours away.

[fencerbill]

Fresh data from Veterans Challenge 8, just last Saturday and Sunday.

Definitely had some drivers from mid to north New Jersey. Some drivers from Hudson/Berkshire division which is probably 3 hours (with no traffic, not necessarily true on Labor Day weekend). Also several from Long Island.

We had 5 from Wisconsin, one from Chicago and several from the DC area, but I am not sure of who, if any, drove.

We had 105 individual and 15 team entries, down a little, but our marketing was not as extensive this year.

Fencers who will be at the Veterans World Championships in Limoges next month included:

Theodore Pary, ME
Mitchell Dorfmann, MF
Jennette Starks Faulkner, Jude Offerle and Yvonne Walton, WF
Paul Apostol, Marvin Fine (for Canada) and Richard Struk (for Poland), MS

Also alternates, Rod Meagher (MS), Syd Fadner (WF) and Sarah Lawrence (WS)

Full results are available at www.neusfa.org

[Welted 24/7]

Up to 2.5 hours isn't worth worrying about. Between 2.5 and 4, I'm gonna need some company. Further than that, I've got to have someplace to crash, because driving for that long after fencing is miserable on my back and legs.