Long Range Development Plan for Regionalization

Long Range Development Plan for Regionalization

Introduction

Fifty-five percent of all USFA members are 15 years old or younger. What better evidence that the sport of fencing is undergoing a rapid upsurge in growth and popularity on the grass roots level. With a larger talent pool than ever, our future Olympians and National team members are even more likely to exceed the standards set by Sada Jacobson and Keith Smart. To help discover and develop the next generation of U.S. Champions - and support the expansion of fencing throughout our country - we need to offer large, well-organized, economical competitions to younger members. The Regional Youth Committee was empowered to plan and institute a schedule of tournaments across the U.S. that brings the fencing competition to the fencers.

Mission Statement

It has always been difficult to find enough quality competitions for youth category fencers to gain needed experience. While the attendance at Youth NACs has grown (the October 1998 Rochester YNAC had 385 entries; the January 2002 Saratoga Springs YNAC had 872), the increased size could eventually force the organizers to adopt formats that reduce the number of bouts for each competitor. The high cost of travel and housing for YNACs (coupled with the limited experience gained by the average competitor) necessitates the development of larger, well organized, conveniently located events. Most sports (from baseball to figure skating) organize graduated competitions. Athletes begin locally, and progress through statewide, regional, and eventually national levels. This has been a proven structure for developing and promoting grassroots through elite level competitors. The goal of our committee is to advance infrastructure and organization so that these "intermediate step" regional events will grow and flourish all over the United States. This is the essence of our mission, and would yield the following benefits:

promote grass roots development throughout the country, increasing USFA membership
create skill-appropriate, affordable competition for large masses of fencers in reasonable proximity to where they live and train
reduce travel and related expenses for fencers, administrators and officials
increase exposure and visibility of our sport
create decentralized regional organizations which can be more responsive to the particular needs of their fencing communities
generate a consistent source of revenue for building cohesive, decentralized regional organization and infrastructure
Increase the base of potential elite athletes

By creating a sensible, cost effective progression of competitions for athletes in all categories, the grassroots, developing and elite fencer will be far better served.

The Plan Outline

Regionalization involves the following sequence of goals:

Creating and supporting a malleable long term plan for initiating, promoting and expanding regional competitions
Identifying both the local centers of U.S. fencing and ongoing successful youth competitions
Establishing geographic regions that support both these hubs and existing and new competitions
Designating and empowering experienced, competent organizers within these regions to act as coordinators
Organizing a central committee of these coordinators to establish general rules, evaluate performance and plan integrated national schedules
Participation in local events as a prerequisite for regional competition; Participation in regional events as a prerequisite for national events
Local qualification to regional events; regional qualification to national events

This long-term plan will follow a flexible time line. Adjustments and revisions will occur based on the success in achieving benchmarks necessary to progress to the next phase.

Implementation Time Line

Phase 1: Identifying and defining regions and competitions, appointing coordinators, and laying the groundwork for competitions.

Proposed time frame - 6 months to one year.

- Many large regionally based competitions already exist which can and should be incorporated into the overall plan.

Phase 2: Staging regional competitions.

Proposed time frame - 2 or more years.

- Developing and integrating regions, identifying and designating competent regional coordinators, and establishing nation-wide competitions must be done effectively before progressing to subsequent phases

- Sufficient baseline data necessary to evaluate and modify proposed point systems for fairness and balance must be obtained from each region.

Phase 3: Regional qualification to national events.

Proposed time frame - 6 months to one year.

- After regional events are up and running with reasonable track records and a point system has been adopted, they can then be used for qualification purposes.

FAQ

Will RYCs mean the elimination of National Youth Events? Absolutely not! RYCs are designed to enhance and increase the competitive opportunities for Youth fencers.

How can I find out about the location and schedule of RYC? Check the USFA website under Competitions, and click on the heading Regional youth Circuit.

Can my Club, Division or Section sponsor an RYC? Yes. Contact the USFA Tournament Committee-RYC Subcommittee chairman through the USFA website for information on how to bid for an event.

Is their information available on organizing RYCs? The RYC subcommittee has a handbook that describes the process of running and organizing competitions.

Who can enter RYCs? The age categories and restrictions are the same as for Youth NACs.