Fencing (I mean Studying) Abroad

[VorpalCat]

How d'ye know, you've never seen me in a banana hammock.

I almost dropped my soda when I read this. Yeesh. Unless, of course, said hammock happened to be paisley ... or tie-dyed ...




Yeah, no. Still not grooving on that mental image. 'Scuse me, gonna go spork out what's left of my brain now......

[Inquartata]

Et opus mihi completum est.

[YellowSocks]

Actually, it seems like OP has done just this: narrowed it down to two universities that support his academic goals. Now he gets to choose between them, and fencing could be a good perk to lift one above the other.

(Although I personally would also choose Australia based on the 'Cool!' factor. But I used to live in Maine, so Canada doesn't seem as exotic to me.)

SpiralGalaxy just hit valid target. Touch.

Wow, I should remember to watch threads that I start. You guys are very active in posting. Thanks for all the feedback.

For those of you who don't know, I fence Epee. I am not training to be a world-class fencer, but I am competitive and want to improve my fencing greatly while I am still in my youth. To give you an idea of my level, I just qualified for DivII summer nationals for the first time. Barely.

Of course, I would really like to go to Europe, but none of the colleges I've found over there support the classes required by my very rigid major (Mechanical Engineering, for those of you who asked)

I am most likely studying during the fall semester, which would be the spring semester in Australia. I am well aware that going to Sydney is probably way cooler than going to Toronto (sunlight, beaches, women on beaches). The different semester schedule will be tricky though, as I will probably have an internship this (northern hemisphere) summer.

The trick is to make sure wherever I'm going is a very valuable experience to me, and worth missing a semester at my school. It seems that the amazing fencing in Toronto will make it worth my while, despite the fact that I would be going "abroad" less than a day's car ride from where I am now, to a place with arguably worse weather.

So, anyone know how to sign up to fence Canadians? Also, do USFA memberships/ratings/national points mean anything at all in Canada?

BTW, all my pure yellow socks have holes in them. I am currently sporting yellow and pink argyle with a black background. The original yellow socks were of a hue so vibrant that it would hurt the eyes of my opponents. I hope I can find something as difficult on the eyes as those socks once again.

[Palisadeur]

...despite the fact that I would be going "abroad" less than a day's car ride from where I am now...

Hey, I'd pick a days road trip over an intercontinental flight anyday*

...to a place with arguably worse weather.

Whilst I and a mate have been known to head to the local park on sunny days for a duel, fencing is predominantly an inside sport!

BTW, all my pure yellow socks have holes in them.

Obviously, otherwise how would you get your feet in?

Have fun, good luck with your studies.

pd.

*Unless of course, you're traveling by Concorde.

[PretAllez]

SpiralGalaxy just hit valid target. Touch.

Wow, I should remember to watch threads that I start. You guys are very active in posting. Thanks for all the feedback.

For those of you who don't know, I fence Epee. I am not training to be a world-class fencer, but I am competitive and want to improve my fencing greatly while I am still in my youth. To give you an idea of my level, I just qualified for DivII summer nationals for the first time. Barely.

Of course, I would really like to go to Europe, but none of the colleges I've found over there support the classes required by my very rigid major (Mechanical Engineering, for those of you who asked)

I am most likely studying during the fall semester, which would be the spring semester in Australia. I am well aware that going to Sydney is probably way cooler than going to Toronto (sunlight, beaches, women on beaches). The different semester schedule will be tricky though, as I will probably have an internship this (northern hemisphere) summer.

The trick is to make sure wherever I'm going is a very valuable experience to me, and worth missing a semester at my school. It seems that the amazing fencing in Toronto will make it worth my while, despite the fact that I would be going "abroad" less than a day's car ride from where I am now, to a place with arguably worse weather.

So, anyone know how to sign up to fence Canadians? Also, do USFA memberships/ratings/national points mean anything at all in Canada?

BTW, all my pure yellow socks have holes in them. I am currently sporting yellow and pink argyle with a black background. The original yellow socks were of a hue so vibrant that it would hurt the eyes of my opponents. I hope I can find something as difficult on the eyes as those socks once again.

Disclaimer: I'm not a fencing official, just an Ontario fencer's parent, so if someone spots an error below, please correct me.

Signing up to fence in Ontario is pretty straightforward: join the provincial association (the Ontario Fencing Association) as a competitive member and your Canadian Fencing Federation membership is included. Remember to sign up early (at least a week before your first tournament) to ensure that the OFA has a chance to validate your membership so you can get your CFF number.
The total cost is $65 (last I looked). Once you have your CFF number, you are insured, so you can fence pretty much anywhere in Canada (except possibly the Canadian Selection Circuit (CSC), but I believe they have a policy regarding USFA/foreign fencers being allowed to compete).

I'm pretty sure you can fence in Canada with a USFA membership but I'm not sure how that works; I would suggest you contact Wetmelon, since I believe he is in a similar situation to you (USFA member studying and fencing in Canada). In any case, if you are fencing with the UofT team, I'm sure they have plenty of experience with those issues.

For more info on the Ontario Fencing Association see:
http://fencingontario.ca/

Aside from normal age restrictions (Cadet (U17) and Junior (U20)), participation in most tournaments in Ontario is WIDE open. Even the upcoming Ontario Senior/Team Championships is open to fencers from other provinces and the US
See :https://www.manageyourleague.com/XCF...00001751&id=27

Don't worry about your USFA ranking/points; they don't correspond to Canadian rankings at all. But very few tournaments are ranking/rating restricted anyway (and if they are, they are restricted to beginner fencers who are below a certain ranking, not above one, so if you are unseeded, you could compete in them if you wanted to.) Consequently, no one is chasing a letter rating, although a better showing at a number of competitions will place you higher on the Domestic Ranking, which should (in theory) give you in a better seeding in pools in subsequent competitions.

Expect to see a wide range of skill levels at any tournament, including Ontario University Association (OUA) varsity tournaments, where non-varsity/club/post-university athletes compete alongside varsity athletes (completely different from NCAA, I believe).
(BTW If you notice four maple leaves sown down the seams of both pant legs, you can assume that that fencer has fenced in an FIE event... or is borrowing someone else's pants )

Socks shouldn't be an issue, but if they are yellow and black, you could be mistaken for an athlete from Queen's (university in Kingston).

My guess is that your greatest restriction to fencing will be self-imposed, due to the academic rigours of your major (Mech Eng can be a b***h)

Good Luck!

[kalivor]

BTW, all my pure yellow socks have holes in them. I am currently sporting yellow and pink argyle with a black background. The original yellow socks were of a hue so vibrant that it would hurt the eyes of my opponents. I hope I can find something as difficult on the eyes as those socks once again.

The University of Toronto's varsity teams are called "The Blues". You may need to change in your socks.

[parrythis]

On a more serious note, the women probably wear fewer clothes in Australia.

Actually, I know of several places in Canada (some right around the corner from U of T) where the women are as scantily clad as possible.

[Wetmelon]

Of course, I would really like to go to Europe, but none of the colleges I've found over there support the classes required by my very rigid major (Mechanical Engineering, for those of you who asked)

You're going to U of T for Mech Eng? Come join me at UWO! I'm on the FSAE team here too:

http://uwomotorsports.wetpaint.com/