In the intense fencing competition, two competitors face off on the strip, their every move watched by their coaches and parents. The stakes are high, and at the end of the match, one side will emerge victorious while the other tastes defeat.

Amidst this drama, there is one neutral party: the referee. Their role is to officiate the match, interpret the rules objectively, and maintain order. However, even the best referees make mistakes. In my experience, these errors can be categorized into four types:

1. Lack of education, understanding, or experience

2. Honest mistakes due to momentary lapses in focus or not seeing the whole situation correctly

3. Negligence

4. Deliberate rigging of the bout due to an agenda

Category #4 should never happen in any sport. Recent sabre scandals, both internationally and domestically, have highlighted this issue, and it’s crucial that appropriate measures are taken to eradicate cheating. There should be no argument about this.

However, bias can also stem from personal conflicts, such as a rift between a coach and a referee. While this unprofessional behavior may not necessarily result in intentionally bad calls, it can lead to harsher and more unbalanced treatment of one side during the bout. This should be handled properly, and sometimes, it can be addressed proactively by all parties involved.

Negligence, category #3, is trickier. If it’s deliberate, it should be addressed similarly to #4, with disciplinary action. However, if it stems from the same reasons as #1 and #2, it’s a different story.

Let’s focus on #1 and #2. In all my years in fencing, I have never witnessed a competition where referees made no mistakes, and everyone was satisfied. Even at the Olympic Games and World Championships, errors occur. It’s a fact of life, as inevitable as the sunset at dusk or the sunrise at dawn. We must accept this reality and work together to de-escalate tensions during bouts.

If a mistake falls under #2, an honest error, the best approach is to point it out respectfully. A good referee will acknowledge the comment’s merit without changing the call without an official video review but will pay closer attention to similar situations throughout the bout. Real-life officiating involves physical fatigue, mental exhaustion, personal issues, and a myriad of other factors that can impact performance. Referees must constantly switch between pools and direct elimination bouts, adapt to different age groups and weapons, and apply the appropriate rules. It’s a challenging and demanding job.

Category #1 is also inevitable. We need new referees, and they can only learn by officiating tournaments and making mistakes. You can’t learn to ride a bike by watching YouTube videos, and the same applies to refereeing. It’s unrealistic to expect only the best referees to officiate national events. High-level competition refereeing experience is essential to officiate well at that level. Referees need to work their way up from local and regional events to gain the necessary skills and confidence.

Addressing some referees’ lack of education, understanding, and experience is a complex issue that deserves its own blog post. For now, let’s focus on de-escalation.

When you believe a referee has made a mistake due to reasons #1 or #2, here’s what you should do:

1. Approach the situation cordially, politely, and respectfully, even in the heat of the moment. This cannot be emphasized enough.

2. Understand that the referee should not change their call without an official video replay. Your objection serves to clarify the reason for the call and raise awareness for future similar situations. For example, our fencer was attacking and missed her touch in a recent competition, and the opponent scored. We objected, claiming that the opponent used her left hand to deflect the blade. The referee didn’t agree, as he didn’t see it, and the point was awarded against our fencer. While we were disappointed, a few touches down, a similar situation occurred. But this time, the referee had a different position and point of view, saw the infraction, and gave a red card to the opponent. Our fencer still lost the bout, unfortunately, but not because of the left hand of her opponent.

3. If a referee changes their decision based on your objection, refrain from further objections, even if you spot another mistake. Referees should not be influenced by repeated complaints, and we shouldn’t take advantage of their flexibility.

4. Remember that you rarely complain when a mistake goes in your favor. As they say, what goes around comes around.

5. Avoid blaming the outcome of the bout on a referee’s mistake, even if it occurs at a critical moment like 14-14. If your fencer reached 14-14 and fenced fantastically, the opponent also did an excellent job. Accept the defeat graciously, even if it’s difficult.

A recent example is the PanAm zone Olympic Qualifier final bout between Nicholas Zhang (CAN) and Alexandre Camargo (BRA). The referee’s call at 14:13, awarding a touch to Zhang and sending the bout to priority, was clearly wrong. Yes, there was a mistake, but Zhang got to this point because of his skills, not because of 13 bad calls before that, and he won the priority thanks to his fencing. There’s even a petition called “Justice for Camargo.” However, it seems that Camargo and his coach did not exercise their full arsenal of available resources during the bout, such as appealing to the Directoire Technique (in the US, it’s called Bout Committee). As a result, Zhang qualified for Paris while Camargo did not. It’s a brutal outcome, but it’s part of the sport, and although I didn’t like the referee’s decision at 14:13, in the end, Zhang won the bout because he fenced better in the critical situation.

As coaches and parents, we naturally want the best for our fencers. Coaches invest countless hours in their training, strategizing, and mental preparation. Parents dedicate a tremendous amount of time, energy, and financial resources to support their child’s fencing journey. They’re there for the early morning practices, the long drives to tournaments, and the emotional highs and lows that come with competition. When our fencers step onto the strip, we all feel a sense of responsibility and a deep desire to see them succeed.

So, when a referee makes a mistake that appears to cost our fencer the victory, it’s understandable that we feel frustrated, disappointed, and even angry. However, blaming the loss solely on the referee’s decision can be detrimental in several ways:

1. It undermines the opponent’s performance. By focusing on the referee’s call, we take away from the skill, strategy, and effort put forth by the opposing fencer. This sends the wrong message to our fencer about respecting their competitors.

2. It teaches our fencer to make excuses. When we blame the referee, we’re telling our fencer that they’re not responsible for the bout’s outcome. This can lead to a mindset where they look for external factors to explain their losses rather than focusing on what they can control and improve (an example of a PanAm qualifier shows that—6 seconds to the end, Camargo led by two points, and Zhang did an excellent job to catch up).

3. It creates a negative atmospher. Consistently blaming referees for losses can foster a toxic environment within the fencing community. It puts undue pressure on referees and can lead to increased tensions between coaches, parents, and officials.

4. It distracts from the learning opportunity. Every bout, win or lose, offers valuable lessons for our fencers. When we fixate on the referee’s mistake, we miss the chance to analyze our fencer’s performance objectively and identify areas for improvement.

5. It disregards the role of luck. In any sport, there is an element of luck involved. Over the course of a fencer’s career, these moments of luck tend to even out. Blaming the referee for a loss ignores the times when our fencer may have benefited from a fortunate call or situation.

As coaches and parents, we are responsible for modeling good sportsmanship and teaching our fencers how to handle adversity with grace and resilience. This means accepting that referee mistakes are part of the game and focusing on what we can control, like preparation, strategy, and mental toughness.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we should never question a referee’s call or advocate for our fencers when we believe a mistake has been made. But there’s a right way to go about it, as discussed earlier in the post. We can respectfully raise our concerns, utilize the available challenge mechanisms, and work to improve the education and support provided to our referees.

For parents especially, it’s crucial to maintain a long-term perspective. The fencing journey is not just about individual wins and losses but about the life lessons and character development that occur along the way. When we get caught up in blaming referees for a tough loss, we risk losing sight of the incredible progress our children are making, both as fencers and as human beings.

Ultimately, our goal as coaches and parents should be to help our fencers become the best versions of themselves, both on and off the strip. By avoiding the blame game and embracing the challenges and opportunities that come with each bout, we can create a positive, growth-oriented environment that benefits everyone in the fencing community. This long-term perspective is especially important for parents, who are invested in their child’s overall development and character growth throughout their fencing journey.

Finally, my advice to referees:

– Remember that you are the only neutral party in a fencing bout. The competitors and their camps have stakes in the game while you remain impartial. As such, you are in the best position to de-escalate tense situations by being the smartest and calmest person on the strip.

If everyone in our community learns and employs de-escalation techniques, we can make our sport more enjoyable for all, even in the face of inevitable referee mistakes. It’s not easy, but it’s a goal worth striving for.