USFA considering forcing members to use THS

[wbowman]

I have used THS on some occasions and (apparently unlike many people) have not had any problems with them. But being FORCED to use them is another matter entirely.
Usually I've gone that route when the official hotel was attached to -- or very close to -- the venue, and it was worth the extra cost not to deal with renting a car and paying for parking.
Other times, I stay in less-expensive places (in the Comfort Inn range), and even with the cost of renting a car it's essentially a wash. What it DOES provide is a little more mobility -- the chance to find other places to eat, do a little sightseeing, etc.
I think even if they do have hotels on the list that are in my preferred price range, the coercive aspect of the whole thing is very troubling. In addition, I think Allen's point about the potential for screw-ups is very much worth considering.

[tkexi991]

This is precisely the point, I think. While I agree with you, many people don't. That's why some of us stay at venue hotels, some don't. Also, not everyone can afford to stay at the place they'd really want to stay (you can afford to treat yourself a little -- some people can barely afford to get there and fence). My understanding is that THS will now offer more options to take care of everyone's tastes/budgets. So we'll see....It also sounds like this was pretty much decided already -- THS has to already be in negotiations with the hotels for next season. I am encouraged by the fact that the program won't be totally mandatory the first year, although I am wondering how that can possibly work. How do you test how well it will work to make THS mandatory (thereby increasing their negotiating power) without making THS mandatory (therefore not giving them more negotiating power)? But the USFA has decided that this will work, so they must know better. Right?

I don't like this whole "FORCE" idea. Or are we fencing for the Soviets now?

[vivoescrimare]

Just to throw more wood on the fire - this also clearly is a major hassle for people who have hotel preferences. Points with the hotel, credit card points, staying preferences, friends/relatives who work for a given hotel chain - is the USFA/THS going to hand out waivers for every one of those concerns as well? It might just be me, but I have a good number of friends who picked a given hotel based on their existing perk packages...

[hello?]

it's not so easy when we're talking about someone flying across the country only to find that they aren't going to be allowed to fence because of a clerical error.

AE

I actually met someone at the Gaylord that had this happen to him. And, because his house was being remodelled and all his papers in boxes, he did not think to bring his confirmation letter. He did not fence.

[occasionalfencer]

So if I decide to stay with friends or relatives who reside in the competition city, I need a waiver? How can they enforce this?

I don't think you understand. You cannot register for the event without making a hotel reservation with THS. At least that is the plan. The enforcement is by not letting you fence. Does this sound great or what?

[Emfuser]

I am in complete agreement with Mr. Biebel. This idea is a load of crap.

[occasionalfencer]

Service could get worse? Is that even possible?

Yes, because in addition to messing up your hotel reservation, they would then be able to mess up your registration for the event. You can easily see how this has the potential to benefit everyone.

[Morale Officer]

I don't think you understand. You cannot register for the event without making a hotel reservation with THS. At least that is the plan. The enforcement is by not letting you fence. Does this sound great or what?

Oh yes...it sounds absolutely positively wonderful! Sounds about as great as getting a hysterectomy with a rusty butter knife and no anesthesia...

[Capt. Slo-mo]

I don't like this whole "FORCE" idea. Or are we fencing for the Soviets now?

In the Mother Country, Soviet Union books you for their motel rooms.

I agree. Neither organization has an unblemished reputation for paperwork processing. Maybe the USFA has thought long and hard about how to integrate the data management between THS and the Home Office...just like they have for on-line registration and integration with AskFred.

[noodle]

Oh yes...it sounds absolutely positively wonderful! Sounds about as great as getting a hysterectomy with a rusty butter knife and no anesthesia...

where do i sign up

[hello?]

I don't think you understand. You cannot register for the event without making a hotel reservation with THS. At least that is the plan. The enforcement is by not letting you fence. Does this sound great or what?

Apparently you CAN get a waiver (from THS) if you are staying with friends or relatives (or happen to live) within a certain, pre-determined distance from the venue.

[lanier]

No

I don't need five characters to express an opinion

[Inquartata]

I have a bad feeling about this...

If this goes through, I am organizing a protest group. To join you must bring your own torch and pitchfork.

I have a flamagel catapult. Will that do?

Yeh, like Bell Telephone and Blue Cross/Blue Shield and all those monopolies that needed to be broken up so we could save money and get better service . . . oh. Never mind.

Those were regulated monopolies. In the case of a regulated monopoly, the excess profits earned by the firm are transferred to the customers ( theoretically---actually to the government, where they may or may not be transferred to the customers ).

In this case, I doubt that the USFA has either the power, the specialized skills or the inclination to regulate THS...

If this policy is ratified, I wonder whether more fencers will skip NACs and instead take their fencing vacations to other large events, such as the Duel in the Desert, the Crescent City Open, the Cherry Blossom, etc.

As someone noted, this may be one of the goals: reduce the size of NACs.
( Redesigning the selection criteria for some events, like Cadets, may have the same ulterior motive. )

I don't think you understand. You cannot register for the event without making a hotel reservation with THS.

Is that registering by ANY means, or just online?

I have a bad feeling about this.

[yeoldearmourer]

Last time I check this is US that my family have defend the right of freedom. Not have something shove down mt thort. Are they going to make the vendors do the same

[occasionalfencer]

I have a bad feeling about this...




I have a bad feeling about this.

''

I will tell you my worst bad feeling: that the "new" administration has totally flunked their first test of openness and honesty with the fencing community. We do not want to find out about such a huge change, with possibly devastating impact for some of us, by some unofficial person leaking it to an unofficial website. And yes, Brad, I do consider it a leak, since apparently we were not meant to know about it. In fact, in the absence of official sources of information I guess we are still not supposed to know about it.

[cbcarey]

Wow, another totally sucky development. Who says we arent trying to kill our own sport.

[pillow]

I actually met someone at the Gaylord that had this happen to him. And, because his house was being remodelled and all his papers in boxes, he did not think to bring his confirmation letter. He did not fence.

This I don't understand. If your friend sent in an entry, and it was properly processed, he would be on the list of confirmed entries. All he would then need is a photo ID, not even a USFA card, and he would be able to fence. I believe I read this on the SN athlete info package.

[dekko]

Need some attorney help here. Curious if the following link applies to this situation?

http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/guid...primer-ncu.htm

[oiuyt]

Need some attorney help here. Curious if the following link applies to this situation?

http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/guid...primer-ncu.htm

Which competitors do you see coordinating to set prices?

US Fencing does not have a competitor in this space with which to collude.

The hotels do, but presumably are bidding blind when working with THS. If they coordinate amongst themselves then that, I assume, could be a violation of these laws, whether or not Stay & Play is in place.

While I'm not an attorney and don't even play one online, I don't see where you're going with this such that it's remotely applicable.

-B

[Warrior Princess]

What happens of the system runs out of rooms? Can you just not compete?