US Fencing Selects Women's Foil National Team Coach

[MyrddinsPrecint]

We are only in a lull because there is no real leadership - you can be sure that the Italians/French/Germans/Chinese etc....are not in a lull but rather using the time between games to train and plan to succeed rather than wasting the time on politics and lack of direction.

And yet, if we're going to have to deal with the politics and lack of direction sooner or later, I would rather the organization did that some year other than the year leading up to a summer Olympics.

We can't fix our system by complaining that other countries don't have the same problems--- we have to learn from other countries/sports/etc and fix our problems. Sadly, both the problems and time spent fixing them are at the expense of our elite athletes, but it's better to actually fix it than just pretend it's fixed......

[DrWhiteTX]

To me so much of what is wrong with the USFA is clear from the recent events of the High performance director position.

After all of the turmoil of the past few years, a new leadership came in to bring change and improvements to the organization.

In preparing for the next Olympics and to continue the recent international success there was a move to define the positions and roles of the high performance director and national coaches. I believe this was long overdue and excellent. We need clear job requirements to then clarify duties and then appropriately hold individuals accountable to perform those duties.

One of the first tasks of the new administration was to select a new high performance director. That was mike Pederson. I don’t know Mr. Pederson. I am not concerned on his performance of his duties while high performance director. I am concerned about his resignation and subsequent designation as national coach again of Women’s Foil.

It was clear to me and I believe to everyone that the High performance director was to develop and coordinate the preparation and cultivation of our teams for the next Olympics in London. As a national coach, as someone having a significant interaction with past HPDs, and as someone reading the job description, Mr. Pederson should have been more aware of what he was being hired for.

I believe Mr. Pederson made a commitment to the organization and the fencers. By resigning before the end of the quadrenium, I do not feel he has honored his commitment. Certainly he has the right to resign. In my opinion he should not be eligible to take a position of national coach. Is he going to decide next month that oh I really miss competing and resign from that position. What message does this send to our athletes?

To me this was the first position that the new administration filled. They made an especially concerted effort to get the right person for the job. That person resigned 5 months in on the job. What does this say about the ability of the organization to get the right people in the right positions? To then turn around and make that person national coach is a mistake.

[pillow]

To me so much of what is wrong with the USFA is clear from the recent events of the High performance director position.

After all of the turmoil of the past few years, a new leadership came in to bring change and improvements to the organization.

In preparing for the next Olympics and to continue the recent international success there was a move to define the positions and roles of the high performance director and national coaches. I believe this was long overdue and excellent. We need clear job requirements to then clarify duties and then appropriately hold individuals accountable to perform those duties.

One of the first tasks of the new administration was to select a new high performance director. That was mike Pederson. I don’t know Mr. Pederson. I am not concerned on his performance of his duties while high performance director. I am concerned about his resignation and subsequent designation as national coach again of Women’s Foil.

It was clear to me and I believe to everyone that the High performance director was to develop and coordinate the preparation and cultivation of our teams for the next Olympics in London. As a national coach, as someone having a significant interaction with past HPDs, and as someone reading the job description, Mr. Pederson should have been more aware of what he was being hired for.

I believe Mr. Pederson made a commitment to the organization and the fencers. By resigning before the end of the quadrenium, I do not feel he has honored his commitment. Certainly he has the right to resign. In my opinion he should not be eligible to take a position of national coach. Is he going to decide next month that oh I really miss competing and resign from that position. What message does this send to our athletes?

To me this was the first position that the new administration filled. They made an especially concerted effort to get the right person for the job. That person resigned 5 months in on the job. What does this say about the ability of the organization to get the right people in the right positions? To then turn around and make that person national coach is a mistake.

Your screen name says you have been a member since 2004, but with only 10 posts in 5 years. Is that correct? If so, it seems highly unusual. Regardless, even if you have only been reading posts and not responding, are you really surprised by this stuff by now?

[DrWhiteTX]

Your screen name says you have been a member since 2004, but with only 10 posts in 5 years. Is that correct? If so, it seems highly unusual. Regardless, even if you have only been reading posts and not responding, are you really surprised by this stuff by now?

I have been fencing since 1984 and do read on here quite a bit but rarely post. Most people know who I am in the men's epee world and my log in is pretty clear as to my identity. I really try to avoid all the politics and other crap that goes on. I just want to fence and help others fence and succeed.

I am not really surprised just disappointed.

[pillow]

I have been fencing since 1984 and do read on here quite a bit but rarely post. Most people know who I am in the men's epee world and my log in is pretty clear as to my identity. I really try to avoid all the politics and other crap that goes on. I just want to fence and help others fence and succeed.

I am not really surprised just disappointed.

So am I.

[oiuyt]

One of the first tasks of the new administration was to select a new high performance director.

...

To me this was the first position that the new administration filled.

The only staffing decision taken by the administration is for ED. All other staff report to him and he has hire/fire responsibility.

I would argue that Kurt being hired as ED four months before Mike taking over as HPD would constitute the first (non-interim) position filled by the new administration.

-B

[oso97]

Awww, Brad!!!!! You're such a spoil sport to go and ruin a perfectly good conspiracy-fest with facts. Not fair.

[DrWhiteTX]

Yes you are correct the ED position was first. My mistake.

Once we had the new ED it was widely publicized that this was a new era of organization. i.e. defining roles, setting organizational structure, etc. I think of the HPD as the first because it was the first main position with direct interaction and effect on fencing and not as much running the organization.

Focusing on this is missing the point.

Regardless of who is making what decision the point to me is the message being sent to our athletes from the organization.

We are trying to develope progams and support to help athletes achieve their goals. How can we do that with the revolving door we have seen in coaching and in the HPD position. We supposedly put alot of effort as an organization to get it right this time. Well we got it wrong. In the statement on the position Kurt mention relooking at the structure. I thought we did that back in the spring. To me it was clear that we were trying to develop consistency at least through the next Olympics. Anyone applying for the HPD position or a national coaching position was commiting to that or should have been in writing. Breaking that commitment should at a minimum disqualify that individual from a national coaching position.

[flechewounds]

Regardless of who is making what decision the point to me is the message being sent to our athletes from the organization.

First, let me say that I am a strong supporter of Mike Pederson - he was a great WF coach last year, and will be a great one now. I have no problem with him in that job.

That being said, I have to agree with Dr. White with regard to the way this happened. Coaches were encouraged to post, and posted for the position through the “front door." They then interviewed for it -- even on the day that the announcement of Mike’s departure as HPD. From the outside, it did look like the “fix” was in.

From a standpoint of leadership (at the ED level), I believe that it sends a bad signal to the fencing community -- and to our kids. Work hard, play by the rules, and get left behind.

But then again, I also think that our leadership has failed in several key respects -- mostly because opportunities to listen to the community at large were ignored because of “better ideas.” The specific things that I’m referring to (to avoid an assertion of being over-general) are: the failed camp at the World Cup in Dallas, Hang-a-Star, Stay-and-Play, the hastily arranged and poorly conceived junior team events, and the HPD issue.

Separately, aside from the efforts of a select few “outsiders” -- specifically Tim Morehouse, Jason Rogers, Erin and Keeth Smart, Peter Westbrook, Eric Rosenberg and Jeff Bukantz, we still remain invisible inside and outside the sporting world. Once again, we’re squandering Olympic success, and by the time that the 2010 Winter Olympics begin, we’ll be all but replaced in the national imagination by Curling. We’ve seen “Stay and Play” but we haven’t seen a press release (aside from on our own site), let alone a marketing campaign.

Each of those decisions show a consistent “I know better” approach to our sport that is, frankly, false. Sure, our sport is full of politics -- and everyone with a stake in fencing has an agenda -- but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t learned through our experience many things that work and many that don’t work.

Certainly, where we failed miserably was in financial management, and from what I’ve heard anecdotally, that has improved. However, we seem to be turning our back on what has worked -- and worked well. After all, we went from winning 2 Olympic medals in about 50 years (Axelrod & Westbrook) to 8 over the past 5 years (plus quite a lot of success internationally in non-Olympic events). It may have been poorly managed and full of wasteful behavior, but it was also quite successful.

Of course, this often happens with new leadership -- particularly new leadership that approaches their position(s) without humility. From my perspective, that is the biggest problem. I only wish that our management, no doubt at the beginning of their learning curve, would focus on building on our successes efficiently. An existing, popular on-line registration system could have been built out and working, lowering internal costs and improving the revenue cycle; tournament officials could be hired more efficiently and economically (we proved that in our section); costs of international travel could be reduced through booking plane tickets in advance, staying in two star hotels; and equitably enforcing expense policies and not turning a blind eye to the abusers. These are aspects of good financial management and should be put into place.

But we continue to turn our back on good ideas, good people and good policies in favor of the individual policies and preferences of a very select few. Thus, we may once again find ourselves in a pickle -- albeit a different one. The good/bad news is that this too shall pass and those of us with long-term commitments to the sport will still be here -- no doubt complaining about the next administration.

Anyhow, back to the main point. The handling of the HPD affair has further dimmed an already diminished view of the executive management. While I’m very happy that Mike Pederson is the coach -- he is a great one -- the way that it came about will prove harmful to the community at-large. It’s really too bad that it had to happen this way.

[MdA]

........
-- the way that it came about will prove harmful to the community at-large. It’s really too bad that it had to happen this way.

Thanks FW and Dr.W for summing it up. It really is too bad.

[DrWhiteTX]

.....

Anyhow, back to the main point. The handling of the HPD affair has further dimmed an already diminished view of the executive management. While I’m very happy that Mike Pederson is the coach -- he is a great one -- the way that it came about will prove harmful to the community at-large. It’s really too bad that it had to happen this way.

Exactly, I don't know Mr. Pederson. I have no comment on his abilities as a coach. I am an Epee fencer. To me FOIL is a quadradic equation shortcut. (first outer inner last). My concern is the overall illness of the USFA of which this is another symptom. It is also a relapse when we thought the new medicine was working. Sorry for the medical analogy.

We have alot of very good and talented athletes, coaches, and others wanting to develope the US to its full potential. In my opinion a large amount of the success of US fencers has been individuals or groups functioning on their own or outside of the system in the US. We should have a system that is more helpful.

We also have an unprecedented membership interest and involvement in the sport. We need to better capitalize on that and leverage the recent international success of US fencers.