how long???

[glowstix]

how long did you guys wait to first compete after you started fencing?? what was the first tournament like?? what were you expectations??

[Peach]

I competed about 9 months after I first started fencing, in a novice dry foil.

My expectations were that I would be met at the door with astonishment and derision for my temerity (I was in my 40s and wasn't quite sure I was even supposed to BE at a tournament), and would be sent on my way with a few stinging insults.

I finished 7th out of 12, or 5th, or something like that, beating a terrified young boy who lost every point by retreating past the end line, a muscled young man in Marine Corps sweatpants who scared the wits out of me, and a lady a little younger than I who repeatedly rushed onto my point-in-line after I figured out she wasn't going to stop.

I highly recommend the experience of the first tournament, if only to get it over with.

[Ramrod]

My first tournament was a novice tournament, and my first time fencing electric. I had been fencing all of 2 months. Got eliminated after the first DE. I did not know what to expect so was happy to finish around the middle of the pack.

It's been 6 months now since I started and I just went to my 2nd tournament, the Georgia State Finals, where I finished 15th.

Don't be afraid of tournaments. Don't expect to win right now, just go for the experience. Check with your coach to help choose an appropriate level tourney to start out.

[R. Exnicios]

My first "tournament" was a beginners' dry foil tournament that was at the end of the semester in which I had started. I guess 3 months or so. I actually won! It was a great experience!

I then qualified for the Junior Olympics. Went to the JOs and lost every bout!

It was fun but I'm glad that I had fenced in the beginners’ event prior to going to a huge tournament and getting destroyed!

The students I coach now will compete about two months after they start fencing.

I think it all depends on the fencer and the attitude of the program. We are a fun club so we focus more on the recreation and fun of the sport more than the results (at least in the beginning)

Good Luck.

[mollusk]

The how long to wait depends on many factors. For some a early humbling experience can sour them forever. Since I have had the experience of playing basketball with some soon-to-be and other just-recently NBA players I was no stranger to athletic humiliation and my coach let me fence in our Divisionals in foil 6 weeks after starting leasons. My expectation was to get clobbered in every bout and my goal was to get a few nice touches.

I was doing well, if you call losing 5-2 to my coach and 5-4 to another fellow doing well, until I actually won a bout against a fencer that was "knocking on the door" for an E. I never expected to do that. I couldn't get my focus back and my next two bouts were terrible. That got me a lousy seed into the DE's where I was quickly dispatched. I think that I finished something like 20th out of 25. At least nobody gave me a bagel in any of my bouts.

So, back to your question. Competing early worked for me and it may work for you. I fenced a few foil tournaments my first year and always won my first DE in the D&Unders and usually lost my first DE in the Opens. I think this helped me progress because now I had a context into which the leasons and drills made a lot more sense. It also was a lot of fun. Of course getting better results would have been even more fun. :^) Then I stopped fencing in tournaments except for local pick-up tournaments. These events were always E-1 because of a lack of numbers, but were great training because they usually had a B and a few C's to fence against. The reason why I stopped competing was that I was becoming more interested in working on my technique and drilling it in. I find that at my age (49) I have to give my legs some rest before a tournament so I couldn't really do both. I guess it has paid off because I just started fencing tournaments again and caught lightning in a bottle in a decent C-2 event (1 C, 4 D's, 7 E's, 20 U's) and placed 3rd to go from U to D. So, back to your question: Working on your technique instead of competing worked for me and it may work for you. Pick the answer you like!

[Wizardly]

My first meet was a high school junior varsity meet, which was about say a week after I started lessons. Suffice it to say I didn't know much, so I got clobbered. It was a good feet-wet experience though. A couple weeks later was my first tournament (say, week 3 or so). Strictly JV, so no worries about getting flicked to death or clobbered by the best. I took 2nd. First open tournament, a couple weeks later, I got obliterated in the DE's.

The firsts are always VERY intimidating. The trick is not to be intimidated. Intimidation is your first opponent before you get to any fencers. Don't expect to lose; however, don't expect to win either. If you're doing well, ride the wave, don't kill it early by expecting to lose the next bout. Try not to get frustrated if you just can't score. Be proud of every beautiful touch you do score. I went to a sectional and had to face my coach in the quarterfinal. I lost 15-2. However, I executed a textbook opposition counter-attack to score one of those touches; that was worth the loss.

Although they're exhausting and intimidating and at times unbelievably challenging, go to tournaments as often as you can. You grow your fangs at tournaments, you learn things in competition you don't learn in lessons, you break out of stagnation because of the variety, it humbles you, it shows you what you do well, and it changes you from and ornament into a tool.