Competitions...I'm the only girl

[wdragon007]

The owner of our fencing place sent out e-mails to everyone telling us about there being unrated competitions and he would like us to join. I'm a complete newbie at fencing so I have to join up at the USFA and what-not, but I was looking at the competitions that he had listed up at askfred.com and I think that I'm the only 15 year-old girl who does epee. The only other girls I know are 14 and 13 and the competitions are split into kids 14 and younger or 15 and older. I want to sign-up but am a little flustered. I am more comfortable either sparring with my coach or just with other girls. I don't know what to do. Can anyone help?

Honestly, I'd say that you need to move a little out of your comfort zone and move into mixed competitions if that is all that you can find. Because of the nature of the sport, gender generally has little to do with winning a bout from what I've seen - I've had my butt kicked by both male and female opponents.

Point control, footwork, and strategy aren't unique to either gender.

Good luck.

[oosnoopy]

I will add that fencing men doesn't necessarily make a woman a better fencer. The assumptions underlying that are incorrect. It does, sometimes, make you better at fencing men, but it doesn't necessarily make you better at fencing women. I've seen women who fence only men lose badly in single-sex competition. I strongly suggest seeking out all kinds of competition. That's what I do. I'll travel a good bit farther for a strong all-female competition than I will for a mixed one, though. Depends on your goals, of course. Sometimes guys dominate me in practice or in mixed competitions with strength and speed, and try to give me advice later about what I should do to defeat them. I politely say, "But you're not my opponent. My opponent is a woman in a NAC or in World Veteran Championships." They don't get it, but they don't have to.

Not saying I don't work on strength and speed. I do, very hard. But playing jackrabbit with the boys won't make me better able to deal with a woman who has a strong mental game, precise distance, and a good women's game.

Also, everything ladyofshalott99 said.

I've seen that as well, but I think that's a case of someone needing to improve the dynamics of their game, and adjust based on your opponents.

You do have a very clear point, men and women fence very different.

[wakeup]

Try everything (opens, womens' tournaments, mixed tournaments, Div III, cadet), set reasonable goals (sometimes that's something like "score at least one touch off each opponent"), and see what you like in practice/based on what's actually available to you. At this stage, you're not going to tournaments to win, you're going to learn and to have fun.

At club, do you have some older guys you could fence? That's a different dynamic than guys in their teens.

[Inquartata]

I will add that fencing men doesn't necessarily make a woman a better fencer. The assumptions underlying that are incorrect. It does, sometimes, make you better at fencing men, but it doesn't necessarily make you better at fencing women. I've seen women who fence only men lose badly in single-sex competition. I strongly suggest seeking out all kinds of competition. That's what I do. I'll travel a good bit farther for a strong all-female competition than I will for a mixed one, though. Depends on your goals, of course. Sometimes guys dominate me in practice or in mixed competitions with strength and speed, and try to give me advice later about what I should do to defeat them. I politely say, "But you're not my opponent. My opponent is a woman in a NAC or in World Veteran Championships."

Well---I discern exactly the same effect fencing just other men. In this case, though, it's based on age.

If I try to fence young guys the way I fence other Veterans ( assuming decent ability on the part of the young guys ), it doesn't work all that well. OTOH, if I try fencing other Veterans---again assuming decent ability on their part---the way I do the young guys, that doesn't work very well, either.

So, do I conclude that fencing young guys doesn't help me because they are "not my opponents", and fencing them doesn't help me much in Vets, and so I should really confine myself to Veteran competitions if I am serious about my training? That would leave me in a rather straightened condition WRT tournament experience; it would be worse for you, given the size of VWS events even at the NAC level.

How far do we carry the specialization-is-the-ticket theory, IOW?

[Goldgar]

That would leave me in a rather straightened condition WRT tournament experience

Yes, you'd be in dyer straits.

[Inquartata]

Please, no off-color remarks...

[Alexander Kai]

Please, no off-color remarks...

Whats the matter inq? Green with envy?

[Superscribe]

Whats the matter inq? Green with envy?

Not me... I lovat.

[Inquartata]

Very mordant.