Chance to talk up fencing to several million boys. What to say?

[milstdfarm]

I have been contacted by Boy's Life Magazine. They want to feature our Scout Group Fencing Team [gratuitious plug: www.myspace.com/millstadt_venture_crew ].

For those who don't know, Boy's Life is the official publication of the Boy Scouts of America. It goes to I don't know how many millions of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Varsity Scouts and Venturing Crew kids all over the United States.

They want to use our group to push fencing as a great activity for Scout age boys and girls.

They are coming to one of our practices in October to talk to the kids and take pictures.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get fencing info to boys in the 7-20 age range. What info should I make sure the reporter gets?

[noodle]

i would make sure to showcase fencing as a sport. everyone has the romanticized vision of fencing via movies and tv. make sure to show them that there's more to it than that. make it comparable to baseball or martial arts.

[MdA]

What info should I make sure the reporter gets?

Make sure you emphasize the need for quality/certified instruction. Reference the USFCA or the USFA Coaches College...make a point that the coach should get some instruction before teaching a class...or there are places to locate a qualified instructor like the USFCA locator on the website at www.USFCA.org. There are clinics available for coaches (Scoutmasters) starting this type of program.

[RITFencing]

These are young males we're talking about. Fencing is a totally awesome sport where you get to smack people with swords. Nuff said.

[prototoast]

Make sure you emphasize the need for quality/certified instruction. Reference the USFCA or the USFA Coaches College...make a point that the coach should get some instruction before teaching a class...or there are places to locate a qualified instructor like the USFCA locator on the website at www.USFCA.org. There are clinics available for coaches (Scoutmasters) starting this type of program.

What's wrong with you?

[academe]

These are young males we're talking about. Nuff said.

Too true. I'd be sure to include a picture of a typical fencing tournament like this one.

Seriously though, get at least one really nice photo of some incredible action rather than the typical one's you see in such articles. Perhaps Serge and fencingphotos.com would provide you with a really good one. He's got a couple of great examples from Bejing and other tournaments on his home page.

[MdA]

What's wrong with you?

Any responsible youth organization, like the Boy Scouts....who have had their problems in the past with adult leaders....should ask this question. Can anybody lead a fencing program? Where can my local Scoutmaster go for some training....how do I set up such a program?

I had to go to a weekend clinic...and get a background check...before I could coach my son's under-10 soccer team. And I had been a fencing coach for 20 years.

Check this Anyone can be a Fencing Coach ...or Pirate

Where have you been?

milstdfarm: If you get at least five Boy Scout coaches together, I will give a USFCA training course for your BSA program. We can form a BSA committee in the USFCA

[milstdfarm]

Hey MdA

"If you get at least five Boy Scout coaches together, I will give a USFCA training course for your BSA program. We can form a BSA committee in the USFCA"

That is a neat idea. Making something like that work will take the efforts of BSA Officials way above me but I really like that idea.

The Boy Scouts alway have trouble recruiting and keeping boys as they get older. And they have trouble in the inner-cities recruiting boys. It's not news to anyone that the very time boys need adult supervision the most is the 13-18 age range. Fencing could be a draw to kids who don't like camping, etc.

Developing a Boy Scout Fencing League or getting them into existing Youth Fencing Leagues would be great for the sport of fencing, great for the BSA, and great for the boys!

And not to leave out the girls, Venturing Crew is the BSA program for boys AND girls 14-20 years of age. From my experience, the girls who join end up being the queen(s) of the group! (Hint, Hint, Girls, are you listening?)

[Wafath]

Any responsible youth organization, like the Boy Scouts....who have had their problems in the past with adult leaders....should ask this question. Can anybody lead a fencing program? Where can my local Scoutmaster go for some training....how do I set up such a program?

<snark>well, looking at the USFCA web site, clearly not there; they don't have any classes listed...</snark>

Boy's Life is aimed at scouts. Not adults, not parents, but scouts. The article should have a tone of "Here is another cool thing you could try. See how awesome it is?" It is an opportunity to expose our sport to a target audience. But don't think for a minute that scout troops are going to run out after seeing that article, buy swords & jackets for everyone, and start playing tag; that isn't how it works.

(BTW, as a side note, at least in the mid -80's Troops (not venture crews) were prohibited from engaging in marital arts as an activity. I am not sure if this was a regional or a national thing. This same rule would probably apply to fencing. But that is ok; the traditional troop is a piss-poor place to start a fencing program. Scouting (vs Venture Crews) tends to focus on breadth over depth. Fencing is an activity that demands depth. Treat it as a recruitment sector, not as a place to form new clubs.)

You might see a few troops & crews visit local clubs & teams, but again, probably only a few.

What you could see is a few thousand additional boys go to their parents and look into taking up fencing at the local club or school. Many of those might go no further. But for those that take five more minutes to research the topic on the web, I, frankly, don't want them going to the USFCA web page. Send them to usfencing.org and/or Fencing.net. Usfca.org is not a good portal for our sport.

Where have you been?

You know, maybe we read different things from that thread, but you have consistently failed to make the case for accreditation, which appears to be the main reason the USFCA exists.

W

[oiuyt]

You might see a few troops & crews visit local clubs & teams, but again, probably only a few.

Might help if around the time this article gets published if local clubs contact their local Tiger Cub den, Cub Scout den/pack, and Boy Scout Troop and invite them for a visit/open house. Ditto for the female equivalents (Brownies, Girl Scouts).

-B

[Wafath]

Ditto for the female equivalents (Brownies, Girl Scouts).

BSA & GSA are related but entirely separate organizations. Boy's Life, typically, would not be read or seen by Girl Scouts. (really, girl scouts would only read it in the case of bored siblings.)

W

[prototoast]

Any responsible youth organization, like the Boy Scouts....who have had their problems in the past with adult leaders....should ask this question. Can anybody lead a fencing program? Where can my local Scoutmaster go for some training....how do I set up such a program?

I had to go to a weekend clinic...and get a background check...before I could coach my son's under-10 soccer team. And I had been a fencing coach for 29 years.

Check this Anyone can be a Fencing Coach ...or Pirate

Where have you been?

milstdfarm: If you get at least five Boy Scout coaches together, I will give a USFCA training course for your BSA program. We can form a BSA committee in the USFCA

I'm sure the first thing a bunch of young teenaged boys want to know, upon being introduced to the sport of fencing for the first time, is how a hypothetical coach could become certified by organizations they've never heard of.

And yes, I've seen the other thread you've started. You spouted out more of the same about becoming certified. At least when you started your own thread it wasn't completely inappropriate for the context like it is in this thread.

[MdA]

….
"If you get at least five Boy Scout coaches together, I will give a USFCA training course for your BSA program. We can form a BSA committee in the USFCA"

That is a neat idea. Making something like that work will take the efforts of BSA Officials way above me but I really like that idea…..

…..
What you could see is a few thousand additional boys go to their parents and look into taking up fencing at the local club or school. Many of those might go no further. But for those that take five more minutes to research the topic on the web, I, frankly, don't want them going to the USFCA web page. Send them to usfencing.org and/or Fencing.net. Usfca.org is not a good portal for our sport.
…..
W

I am talking about resources for the Scoutmasters not the kids...the kids will want to fence...the Scoutmasters will want to know how to set the thing up...maybe they have their own magazine.

There is no information on coaches training or classes on the US Fencing website…currently. Do you think that telling decision-making “BSA Officials” that you read a thread or blog on f.net is going to convince them that you are qualified to teach fencing?

There will be a few additional thousand boys who will want to start fencing and there will not be a local club or school program in their area.

What do you propose to convince the BSA officials, who are responsible for the health, welfare, safety, social and physical development of the scouts? I disagree…I think they would prefer a certification authority.

The USFCA website is currently under redevelopment….a step the USFA has yet to undertake. It will be a full-service resource for fencing coaches in the near future with forums, newsletters, training and education clinic listing…and information on certification.

[Goldgar]

at least in the mid -80's Troops (not venture crews) were prohibited from engaging in marital arts

I'm not surprised.

[RITFencing]

I would prohibit "marital" arts too!

From their point of view, it's probably better than extra-marital arts or pre-marital arts.

I'm sorry, I know it's awful, but I couldn't resist.

[MdA]

I'm sure the first thing a bunch of young teenaged boys want to know, upon being introduced to the sport of fencing for the first time, is how a hypothetical coach could become certified....
And yes, I've seen the other thread you've started. .... At least when you started your own thread it wasn't completely inappropriate for the context like it is in this thread.

This thread was started in the Coaching Corner....the OP started another thread asking for coaching advice recently....it appears that he is taking me up on the USFCA's offer for training. It seems like a few people are getting the info they needed.

[RITFencing]

This thread was started in the Coaching Corner....the OP started another thread asking for coaching advice recently....it appears that he is taking me up on the USFCA's offer for training. It seems like a few people are getting the info they needed.

People are getting the info they need, MdA, and this is definitely the appropriate forum, but it seems like every other post you have boils down to "Come to the USFCA! Certification is the best thing since sliced bread!"

When your response to the majority of topics is along these lines, then it does begin to wear a little thin.

[MdA]

When your response to the majority of topics is along these lines, then it does begin to wear a little thin.

Just put me on your ignore list.

[RITFencing]

Just put me on your ignore list.

I won't do that because I respect you too much as a coach, and because your other posts do have a lot to offer.

I've reffed at least one of your sons and I know you can produce and that you have a lot to offer to the fencing community (much moreso than myself.) I'd just like to see you display some more of that knowledge on here.

[MdA]

I won't do that because I respect you too much as a coach, and because your other posts do have a lot to offer.

I've reffed at least one of your sons and I know you can produce and that you have a lot to offer to the fencing community (much moreso than myself.) I'd just like to see you display some more of that knowledge on here.

Thanks. I appreciate the compliment. As you have pointed out, I see my “theme” as central to about 90% of the questions here in the Coaching Corner. And it is not just me…just look at this email from Greg M yesterday…
SJSU Program in trouble

If the USFCA does not promote coaching education and training, who is going to do it?….with current budget crunch, I am afraid USFA programs will be cut back.