Starting a HS Fencing Team in Chicago

[MdA]

It was starting to grow. The Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville wants to build a fencing team (and has committed funds to do so) and so do the other Chicago Public School military academies.

The Chicago Park District also want to start a program.

I did one demonstration in Bronzeville and another is scheduled for next week.

Any suggestions for how to keep the momentum going?

Aren't strong sports programs supposed to help eliminate problems like gang violence?

I started this thread since we were drifting in the thread about Rio getting the 2016 Olympics over Chicago.

The key is parental involvement. The coach can't do this alone.

Start at the military academies.

Get a league started and emphasize team competition between the academies.

Start feeder programs at the parks for the younger kids.

This is a big project. I hope you are in it for the long haul.

[BenTheEMOP]

Unfortunately, I am not the coach or the organizer.

My understanding is that it is as you describe, the goal is to get something going at the military academies and get them to compete against one another as well as with other high schools.

I am willing to be in it for the long haul, but as you pointed out, there is a lot of buy in needed from third parties.

I wonder what I might suggest to my coach to encourage it from the schools and parents, and what I might do as a fencer.

Much of the fervor was Olympics related.

Maybe we could screen the Peter Westbrook documentary as a starting point?

Other ideas?

[Cookeit]

I fenced in the Midwest High School Conference for a school from the Chicago suburbs.

I know that the University of Chicago Laboratory High School, or whatever it is called, recently joined the conference maybe 2 years ago.
You could ask them for pointers.

[MdA]

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Yoda