Vent - 3rd Annual Medeo Youth Chocolate Cup

[Fencing01]

This is my first post and I just need to vent. I have been to many youth tournaments. The 3rd Annual Medeo Youth Chocolate Cup, held yesterday, was by far the worst tournament I have attended.

*Several of the officials were incompetent, especially one girl. She lost track many times of the score, made many horrible calls using terminology was barely paying attention and clearly had no experience. She was also very rude.
*The organizers had too many events running at once. The Y14 Foil with 38 competitors started at 12 and did not finish until 7:30. There were 2 hour gaps between DEs.
*There was no PA system and due to the crowd, fencers could not hear their names being called. I'm told that one fencer was scratched because they could not hear the call to strip.

Just wondering if anyone else was equally displeased. This will be my last event at Medeo.

[fdad]

This is my first post and I just need to vent. I have been to many youth tournaments. The 3rd Annual Medeo Youth Chocolate Cup, held yesterday, was by far the worst tournament I have attended.

*Several of the officials were incompetent, especially one girl. She lost track many times of the score, made many horrible calls using terminology was barely paying attention and clearly had no experience. She was also very rude.
*The organizers had too many events running at once. The Y14 Foil with 38 competitors started at 12 and did not finish until 7:30. There were 2 hour gaps between DEs.
*There was no PA system and due to the crowd, fencers could not hear their names being called. I'm told that one fencer was scratched because they could not hear the call to strip.

Just wondering if anyone else was equally displeased. This will be my last event at Medeo.

Only 7.5 hours? Sounds like they are getting better ;-) Sadly, your description of the bad director does not narrow down the suspects very much. You forgot to mention that going off the end of the strip requires knocking a hole in the back wall.

[catwood1]

You forgot to mention that going off the end of the strip requires knocking a hole in the back wall.

In all fairness, thats not a problem unique to Medeo. I have seen / reffed a few events like that. I'm not sure if its an advantage or a disadvantage...

[fdad]

In all fairness, thats not a problem unique to Medeo. I have seen / reffed a few events like that. I'm not sure if its an advantage or a disadvantage...

Not to pick on you, because I do think that you are one of the best directors currently working in the area, but shouldn't you refuse to direct a bout on a strip like that due to concerns for the safety of the fencers?

[NewToTheSport]

Saber had two directors standing next to each other--one directing the strip in front of them, the other director in charge of the strip two strips away. My son's bout had to stop many times because the fencers did not know which calls were being made to which strip. Forget how difficult it was for the fencers, is this even allowed?