Hello, friends & family!
First, Congratulations to all of our INCREDIBLE ATHLETES for an amazing couple of weeks of competition. To the December NAC Competitors and our USA Teams at home and abroad: WOW! We are so proud of all of you.
Second, we started this petition on November 27th and we now have OVER 1700 SIGNATURES (and counting)! That's an average of 100 signatures PER DAY! So, if we keep it up, we should be able to get 5,000 more signatures before the Task Force on Youth Fencing finishes its work. (As a reminder, there are 8,244 Y10 and Y12 fencing members of USA Fencing - that's 30% of the organization!). YOUR VOICE MATTERS.
Third, some updates/information:
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF USA FENCING?
"To grow and promote the sport of fencing in the United States, honor its rich traditions and achieve sustained competitive international excellence." - MISSION STATEMENT, USA Fencing (Mission Statement)
"To inspire a lifetime enriched by fencing." - VISION, USA Fencing (Vision)
WHO HAS SIGNED THE PETITION SO FAR?
Supporters of U.S. Youth National Fencing from the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin & Washington D.C.!
International Supporters of U.S. Youth National Fencing from: Brazil, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, Hong Kong, Iran, France, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Singapore, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Taiwan!
MULTIPLE OLYMPIANS (Coaches, Athletes & Referees)!
Multiple VENDORS who rely on Youth Competitions for their income.
And Most Importantly: Nearly TWO THOUSAND of YOU.
WHAT DO WE DO NEXT?
Email the Board: Board@USAFencing.org (Click Here) Tell them you oppose any decision to limit competition for our Y10 and Y12 fencers. Demand transparency and ask for a public opinion survey before any decision is made.
Join our Facebook Group: Advocates for Youth Fencing
Send us your stories! We want to hear from you and your youth fencers about why competition matters to you. Send us a photo or a short video of yourselves with a story about why fencing is important to your family. If you have a write-up from your local newspaper or community organization, send those also!
We also want to know what your child does outside of fencing. Apparently, some folks at the top of the food chain think kids take fencing too seriously (seriously).
What else are your young ones up to? For example, do they like to dress up like little lawyers in bowties and argue with their parents (*finger points up towards thumbnail photograph*)? Do they enjoy competing in other sports? Are they artists, scientists, musicians, engineers, code breakers, writers, dog/cat trainers, cookie bakers, sweater knitters?
This is an assignment for people with current Youth Fencers and also for people who used to be Youth Fencers! How did fencing help you grow into your grownup self? Let's get to know each other!
Most of the time decision makers make bad decisions because they are just too out of touch. You don't know what you don't know. Let's tell them who we are!
Photos, Videos and Stories may be sent via direct message on our Facebook Page or emailed directly to Email Christina . We will be compiling stories to send to the Task Force. The more the merrier.
Share the Petition! Keep sharing. USA Fencing is not doing its best to update its membership on this issue, so we have to take charge and educate ourselves! Share share share! Think back to your last national fencing competition. Go to Fencing Time Live Summer Nationals Roster (2022) and look up the names of the kids that were in your child's pool. Look up the names of their clubs and email their coaches! Lots of local fencing clubs have their own Facebook Pages. Find yours! Spread the word!
Follow the Blog by Igor Chirashnya for additional updates: AFM Blog
Register to Vote. Your child cannot vote until age 18, so you need to be the vote. A $25 Access Membership will get the job done. Here's the link: Access Membership: USA Fencing.
That's all for now! Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Christina