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Title
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How to Promote the New Fencing Club
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Date
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April 1941
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volume
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6
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issue
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2
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pages
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3, 12
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list of authors
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W. G. Bohl
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content
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en
How to Promote the New Fencing Club
By W. G. BOHL
The status of fencing in the sport world today is a strange one indeed. Here is a sport that has the makings of a "gate" attraction, yet it has no national ranking in the public eye. What fencing needs is an equivalent of baseball's sandlot, and a good group of enthusiastic followers: fans.
The small club as a means to popularize fencing can help to establish this "fandom" that is so necessary.
In the community, the small club is the place where those who wish to can fence to their heart's content, without too much expense or the inconvenience of having to travel an awkward distance to a larger salle. Those who have taken part in the sport before know what it holds for them. Newcomers soon find out, and surprisingly few drop out because of a dislike for the sport.
Many people of all ages would find something really to enjoy if they banded together and took up the sport. The younger group usually has its eye on later competition. Those a little older find it "just what the doctor ordered." The organization of a local outfit to fill such a need is a bit slow at first, but with the proper push, it gathers momentum and grows. Such a club can be made to rise above the average level, and really make a name for itself.
About four years ago, a high school in the metropolitan area of New York City decided to do away with its fencing team. The group of fencers remaining decided it would be missing too much if it gave up its sport. Equipment was scarce, but interest ran high. These fencers banded together and for about three months practiced in a room in the cellar of an apartment house. While in this embryonic stage, they were joined by several more, originally brought down by their own curiosity, who enrolled because of the interest which grew out of it. This larger number of members had more connections, and soon, through the father of one of their number, the club arranged to hold its meetings in the gymnasium of a local school. Shortly after, having grown more in number, they broke up into teams and formed a league. Four original teams took part.
League standings at first were recorded by individual records for the sake of the local papers. Bouts won and lost added up to a much more impressive total than matches won and lost would have. After all, it was something new, and with the people beginning to sit up and take notice, there was a necessity for a little food for their thought.
The second season saw the entrance of two new teams into the league, comprised almost entirely of ex-college fencers. The following year, in January, the league undertook its first "large scale" venture. The nature of this event was a foils tournament, open to anyone in high school, prep, or college ranks, to say nothing of any free-lancers who might have been attracted. It was a complete success.
One thing was learned from the competition met by the local fencers, and that was that an organized group with adequate coaching was the best combination. One week later, they combined into one large club, contacted a coach, and stepped up to full speed ahead.
The following season a new coach was taken on and three-weapon competition was begun. Previously, foils were in use alone. That year they really went to town, and in twelve matches against colleges and clubs in the metropolitan area the club brought home the bacon ten times.
This season, the fourth, finds the same coach, who is very popular with the members, priming his students even more. Women's fencing is in its second season, and the local high school is indebted to the club for the members of its team. At the present, the club is undertaking the coaching of youngsters, either freshmen in high school, or not quite out of elementary school. When this crop comes into its own in a couple of years, their school team will probably be unbeatable. The club has two three-weapon teams, comprised for the greater part of fencers it has taught itself. The material acquired in earlier days is now beginning to take shape.
The teams have a good following from the ranks of the members who do not yet represent the club in competition. From the original cellar of an apartment house, they have graduated to the Parish Hall of a nearby church, which has generously made its facilities available to the club without any obligation at all.
As for that club that you can organize, as in the case of any successful organization, there must be a nucleus of active members, a group whose interests blend with their abilities and produce a highly cooperative spirit.
These having been accounted for, several meetings are in order for the sole purpose of gathering ideas, planning policies and laying the groundwork for the building which is to follow. For gathering interest on the part of the public, word-of-mouth propaganda is usually best at this stage, as it is more reliable. If there is a church, or some civic club in your vicinity, it should be willing to lend a helping hand. If its members do not wish to play host to a group foreign to their own, perhaps you can get together and work out a plan whereby, in exchange for using their name and colors, they allow you to use their floor. Having settled the question of a place to meet, the next move is to assemble all possible members there, and have a formal meeting, with a talk on the fundamentals of fencing by a capable authority. This talk can go a long way toward building up the spirit of your group.
As for fencing itself, if the group wishes to get anything out of the sport, the best thing to do is to get a coach as soon as possible. Improper coaching leaves a mark on a fencer which is usually very difficult to erase. Bad habits are blood brothers of poor coaching. If you are in doubt about a coach, or are having any trouble in contacting one, one of the larger salles in your district should be able to give you all the help you need.
In order to further outside interest in the sport, it is quite important that your group find its way into the local papers, and the thing the public likes most is that which smacks of competition and hot rivalry. The period your club spends in learning the whys and wherefores should also be spent in planning for the time when the way is open to meet other clubs or schools in matches. Line up beforehand all the suitable opponents. Then, when the time comes, appraise your team frankly. Have no delusions of grandeur, lest it spell defeat in the meeting of vastly superior teams. Schedule teams which for the greater part are in your own class. Stepping above your brackets a few times won’t harm, as in competition against better opposition, every defeat is another lesson learned; every victory is a big feather in your cap. In planning your season, be sure to look up local colleges and universities, and other schools. If you can’t fence in the same class as their varsity squads, always remember that quite a few also have junior varsity aggregations, or even freshman teams.
Make it a point to attend as many competitions as possible. They are full of chances to see and learn. All the leading schools of higher learning have fencing teams, and the admission to their matches is usually free. Then, too, the Amateur Fencers’ League of America is continually sponsoring tournaments of all kinds. Besides the competitive angle, it is possible to go deeper into the sport in a passive fashion. Libraries in the larger cities all have a good stock of books on fencing. These three sources form a triumvirate of learning which the member of the smaller club can’t afford to miss.
To return to the club itself, remember that in order to keep it rolling, and to boost the sport, put it in the public eye, and keep it there! Cover your meetings and matches with articles in the papers. Then, having covered the impersonal angle, bring your sport to the people in person. Offer your services to churches and civic organizations for fencing exhibitions. Present this free of any charge to them, and watch them come on the double to accept your proposition. All the officers whose heads are bursting in the attempt to plan programs will welcome you with open arms. For the present, your strong point is that fencing is essentially something new and different.
