I want to talk about planning for next season. Wait, you might probably want to say to me, it’s still three months left in the 2024-2025 season, we still have a few regionals and the Summer National competition. Why should we plan the season so soon?
And maybe you shouldn’t yet, maybe you should do it during the summer or maybe in September, but the sooner you do it the better. The reason for the timing of my post now is because shortly USA Fencing is going to release the regional schedule, the national schedule is already out, and it makes perfect sense to start thinking about your fencer’s next season.
Start with a Dream
Ideally I would start with a big dream (say 3, or 5 or maybe even 10 years’ dream, if your fencer wants to be an Olympian, for example). This dream is a guiding star. You don’t create milestones for this big dream (like “I must qualify for the 2032 Olympics and for that I need to win 3 Grand Prix”). No, you definitely don’t do this. Instead this dream is your guiding star, like North Star for sailors.
Then you should have a shorter goal for the next season. For example, for some it might be to qualify for the next year Summer Nationals in my and upper age category. For some it might be to qualify for a travel team for at least one international competition. You adjust this goal based on your current status. It should be challenging but attainable. It never should be a result – like Gold in my age category in the National Competition, because it might not work, chances are you would fail and this failure would have a devastating outcome overall. Instead the goal should be more process-oriented.
So having the one year/season goal gives you more concrete milestones for the season. There are many aspects of planning and one of them is competition planning. Sometimes for parents it is also one of the most imprtant because it involves a lot of different aspects. So I woud like to talk about this.
The Reality of Competition Planning
Let’s admit, attending all competitions is hard – both physically, mentally, time and financially. It takes a lot of family resources and they are limited. Also, taking one child to competition sometimes means you must sacrifice something from your other children, or maybe you’ll consume all your PTO days for one child and shorten/cancel family vacation later on. Attending too many competitions also burns you out, as well as your fencer.
The burn-out is real. I’ve seen it too many times – families who dragged themselves to every possible competition, spending weekends in airports or driving for hours, only to find their fencer mentally checked out by the time Nationals rolled around. There’s a delicate balance between getting enough competition experience and preserving your sanity.
And let’s talk about the financial aspect more openly. Between entry fees, travel, accommodations, food, and those emergency equipment purchases when something breaks at the venue – each competition is a significant investment. I’ve done the math with families, and a weekend NAC can easily cost $1,000-1,500 per person. Multiply that by 6-8 competitions a season, and we’re talking about a serious financial commitment. For families with multiple fencers? Double or triple that number.
Then there’s the academic toll. Missing school days, trying to complete homework in hotel lobbies, studying for tests in airports – it all adds up. I’ve watched parents negotiating with teachers for deadline extensions and trying to help their exhausted fencer catch up on missed work during the car ride home. This is another resource that gets depleted throughout the season.
So you need to decide where to go and where not to.
The Mistake of Solo Planning
Some parents take this decision themselves and don’t communicate with their coaches. So after the deadline the coach checks a competition and sees your child is not signed up. It goes in a different direction too – your child goes to a competition which was not on the coach radar at all and disappears from the weekend class without notice.
This happens more often than you might think. You, as a parent, look at the schedule, look at your calendar, look at your bank account, and make decisions. Makes sense, right? You’re the one managing the family logistics and finances. But here’s what’s missing in this equation: the coach’s perspective.
Even veteran fencing parents, who have been around the block for a long time, assure they know everything about fencing. But one thing they forget is that the coach knows much more about fencing and about their child as a fencer. The coach sees your child in training day after day. They know which techniques are developing, which tactical approaches are starting to click, which mental barriers are being overcome.
A coach can tell you that skipping a nearby regional to attend a further RYC might actually be better for your child’s current development stage. Or that your child who’s physically exhausted should skip the next competition despite how important it seems on paper. Or that a seemingly minor Division II event might be crucial for building confidence before a NAC.
Parents often evaluate competitions by practical metrics – distance, cost, prestige. Coaches evaluate them by developmental value. Both perspectives are valid and necessary.
I’ve seen parents who’ve meticulously planned their season without coach input, only to realize halfway through that they’ve burned thousands of dollars on the wrong competitions for their fencer’s needs. I’ve seen others who realized too late that they missed qualification opportunities because they didn’t understand the strategic importance of certain events.
The Power of Collaborative Planning
Coaches prepare for competitions. They have plans, short and long term ones.
A good coach isn’t just teaching your child week to week. They’re thinking about the progression over months. They’re considering: “By December, we should be ready to test this approach at the JO’s. By March, we should have enough experience to try this at the Summer Nationals.” When you make competition decisions without them, you’re potentially disrupting a carefully considered developmental path.
You need to talk to the coach and plan together your season. Have an open communication about which NACs to attend. For example, what is better for a C-rated 13 yo fencer to attend, JOs with 3 events (Cadet/Junior/Div1) or March NAC with 2 events (Y14 and C)? At the first glance, JOs are better ROI, also it’s the most prestigious competition being a championship with such a bombastic name as Junior Olympics. But your coach will most probably tell you that for your child March NAC is much more important, being it your child’s age category (Y14) and also having Cadet without aged out fencers, making it more leveled event for your child.
This kind of nuanced understanding comes from years of experience navigating the competitive landscape and from excellent understanding of your child. Your coach knows which events tend to attract certain pools of competitors, which are overvalued or undervalued on the prestige scale, which offer the best learning opportunities versus the best point-gathering opportunities.
Having the Money Talk
It often feels like a shame to talk about money, but it’s essential to share with your coach and discuss the plans – where to go, what to prioritize (for example, JOs vs March NAC). Make it a shared plan.
I know money conversations can be uncomfortable. Many parents hesitate to bring up financial limitations with coaches. They worry it will seem like they’re not committed enough, or that the coach will judge them for not investing “properly” in their child’s fencing career.
But here’s the truth – a good coach would much rather know your financial boundaries upfront than have you silently struggling or making suboptimal choices because you’re trying to stretch beyond your means. Maybe there are creative solutions – carpooling with other families, sharing hotel rooms, focusing resources on fewer but more strategically chosen competitions.
I’ve had families tell me after seasons ended, “We couldn’t afford all those competitions, but we didn’t want to disappoint you.” But it is just the opposite – I would have happily adjusted the plan had I known the financial strain it was causing.
Creating a Balanced Season Plan
What does a good collaborative planning process look like? Ideally, it starts with an honest conversation between parents, fencer, and coach about:
- What are the developmental goals for the season?
- What are the qualification needs (if any)?
- What are the realistic resources available (time, money, physical/mental energy)?
- Which competitions will give the best return on investment for this particular fencer at this particular stage?
From there, you can build a season schedule that everyone agrees on. This might mean:
- Identifying 2-3 “must-attend” competitions that are non-negotiable
- Selecting 3-4 “high value” competitions that offer good developmental opportunities
- Keeping 1-2 “flex spots” for potential additions if things are going well (or substitutions if recovery time is needed)
- Building in adequate recovery and training blocks between competitions
This approach ensures that everyone is on the same page, resources are allocated wisely, and the fencer’s development remains the central focus.
The Benefits of Early Planning
Starting this process early – yes, even three months before the current season ends – offers several advantages:
- You can book travel at lower rates (those flight prices for JOs can double if you wait too long)
- Your family can block out dates on calendars before other commitments fill up
- You have time to budget and save for the upcoming expenses
- The fencer can mentally prepare for the challenges ahead
- The coach can design training cycles that peak at the right times for the chosen competitions
Most importantly, early planning reduces stress. There’s nothing worse than the last-minute scramble to register for a competition, book overpriced flights, and request time off work with minimal notice.
A Shared Journey
Remember that fencing, despite being an individual sport on the strip, is very much a team effort behind the scenes. Your fencer’s journey involves not just their own dedication, but your support as parents and the guidance of their coaches.
The most successful fencing careers I’ve witnessed have always involved this three-way partnership working in harmony. When parents, coaches, and fencers plan together, communicate openly, and align their expectations, the road becomes clearer – even if it’s not always easier.
So as this season begins winding toward its conclusion, don’t wait until summer to think about what comes next. Start the conversation now. Share your dreams, your concerns, your limitations, and your hopes with your coach. Listen to their insights about your fencer’s development needs. And together, craft a plan that balances ambition with sustainability. It might take time, it might change later on, but the sooner you start planning the better the end result will be.
Because the true secret to fencing success isn’t just about how many competitions you attend – it’s about attending the right competitions, for the right reasons, at the right time, with everyone pulling in the same direction.
And that kind of strategic approach begins with a simple conversation: “Let’s plan this together.”
Image: Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free
Events are developmental snapshots or checkpoints, When you medal locally you’re ready for ROCs, then RYCs/SYCs/SJCCs then nationals. It befuddles me when I ref an unready fencer. I’ve heard families use such as family adventures, but believe such funds would be better spent on additional training, unless you can drive to a higher level as a day trip. And please don’t outfit your Y8 in top-of-the-line they’ll outgrow shortly (seen it). Use that as an additional short-term goal achievement award. See you in Reno.