What Every Fencing Parent Should Know About … Getting the Most Out of the NAC Experience

So, everyone knows that there are certain guilty pleasure songs that you have to turn up when they come on Spotify or the radio, even if your children are rolling their eyes at you. (Hey, if they wanted to control the music, they should have paid for the car.) I’m not going to debate the musical qualities of Stevie Nicks’s “Edge of Seventeen,” Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb,” or “Hotel California” (no need to identify the band) – the volume is going way up. That’s the definition of a guilty pleasure; there is no need to debate it – you just like it, end of story, no debate, move on to the next topic.

And also in the no-need-to-debate-it category is this guilty pleasure: I love NACs. I don’t care if Step 1 of any addiction program is admitting you have a problem or if Step 5 is admitting the nature of your wrong. I’m throwing aside any twelve-step addiction recovery program, turning up the volume, and just enjoying the experience.

I’m doing so even though the addiction signs are all there. Obsession: check. I set up a color-coded Excel calendar with all the fencing dates and deadlines starting in August (red for deadlines, yellow for trips with open arrangements, and green for ones where the travel, hotel, and registration are all set). Hyper-fixation: check. I sign up for every NAC and reserve hotel rooms on the first day they are available. Recurring obsessiveness: check. I have my favorite restaurants I return to at every NAC. (See you at Nacho Daddy at the next Salt Lake City NAC!)

And why not? If fencing is the sport of kings, then fencing parents are the court jesters, traveling to NACs with a bag full of gear, a credit card balance teetering on the edge to pay for the NAC tribute, and more than a few snacks to fortify fencers and fencing parents alike for the pilgrimage. If I’m going to do all of that, then I might as well enjoy the experience.

And the obsession definitely reaches its peak on the day before the NAC, when all the fencers (and their parents) descend on the venue like the winged monkeys of Oz hunting down Dorothy. That is not just the day to get weapons inspected; it also is when I am checking off my to-buy list at the vendors and where I’m explaining to my wife that why, yes, it actually was necessary for me to pick up the three latest USA Fencing shirts, because can’t you see, it’s obvious that they are not the same as the ones that I already own; they very clearly are in different shades of blue and grey. And it’s where I’m catching up with fencing parents (and fencers) whom I have now known in some cases for a decade or more.

NACs serve the obvious role of determining winners and influencing which fencers make world teams. But they are so much more than that because they bring together fencers from all across the country (and a few from other countries as well). Treated correctly, NACs are not just a way of awarding points and rankings. They are a testing ground, a checkpoint for gauging a fencer’s progress, an arena that helps identify points of weakness and things to work on, a test of the working relationship between the fencer and the coach, and a social opportunity. So before I move on to step two of my twelve-step NAC recovery program, I thought it would be helpful to drop a few helpful bullet points (by now you have figured out how much I love those bullet points) on how to get the most out of a NAC:

• Get Weapons Checked. For my first couple of years, I used to bring all of Hadley’s weapons to the NAC and have them all checked over. Yes, even the ones that seemed to be working perfectly fine. An experienced armorist like those you see at NACs can check a weapon and tune it up in about a minute. If you are new to the sport and not used to doing this, it is well worth the money dropped into the tip jar (you do tip, right?) to have a tune-up to get swords into better working order.
• Get Weapons Fixed. At this point, I have done pretty much everything that is commonly needed to fix body cords or swords, except for doing a rewire (which my daughter seldom needs, because she usually snaps her swords before they need a rewire—thanks, I guess?). But when I do have a rewire, or a nagging issue that I just can’t fix, I tag the swords at home with Hadley’s name and the issue and drop them off the day before the tournament. The next morning, they are ready to go.
• Pick Up Some Armorist Knowledge. Whenever possible, stay and watch what the armorist does to fix your sword. Much of what is done falls in the range of tightening and cleaning, or adjusting the tip (new pressure spring, changing the length of the contact spring, or putting in a new tip). Watching an armorist do these things a few times will help you learn how to do these things yourself. And, so far as I can tell, most armorists love to talk about equipment repairs! I generally show up with a question or two about esoteric weapons issues I have seen, as they are usually happy to chat while fixing the weapons. The fact that I look forward to doing this probably needs to be addressed in my twelve-step NAC recovery program.
• Exchange Knowledge With Other Fencing Parents. It’s not just fun to catch up with other fencing parents – it is a wealth of knowledge sharing as well. This is especially true if you can interact with parents who are one level up and have gone through things you haven’t – attending international tournaments, going through college recruiting, etc. Some of the best knowledge I picked up was at parent dinners at cadet and junior world cups, since they bring together parents of top fencers from all over the country. NACs offer similar learning experiences.
• Make New Contacts. One of the great things about NACs, especially JOs and Summer Nationals, is that they are attended by practically everybody – college coaches, top club owners and fencing coaches, top fencers, and of course plenty of fencing parents. Look for opportunities to make new contacts and new friends.
• Find Out About Fencing Camps. Every NAC has a table set up with brochures for fencing camps. Pick up a few and see if one of them suits your child’s needs.
• Get Stuff Stenciled. Fencing bags look the same. So do fencing uniforms (which also have to be labeled for international tournaments in a certain fashion). Combat mix-ups by getting fencing bags, strip bags, and uniforms stenciled. Getting actual fencers stenciled, however, is frowned upon.
• Pick Up Mementos. Every NAC has an event shirt. Pick up one if the tournament goes well or otherwise has happy memories.
• Donate Equipment. Absolute Fencing runs a donation center at every NAC. Have outgrown equipment that no longer fits or is sitting in the back of your fencing closet? Bring it by and give it new life. After all, the space you save in your house can be used to house all of the NAC t-shirts you buy, including the ones in a new shade of blue.

On October 9, 2024, the Leon Paul Fencing Centre in North London held a fencing team match that broke the world record for the longest team match. After 15 hours and 2 minutes, the final bout concluded, with over 100 fencers duking it out to a virtual draw, with a final score of 1950-1942. The fencers submitted the bout to the Guinness Book of World Records to have it ratified as the world’s longest team fencing match, but more importantly, we are hoping that they celebrated with more than a few pints of Guinness.

Have some comments on today’s article? Just want to suggest that USA Fencing replace me with three drunk monkeys randomly typing on a few TRS-80 computers bought on eBay? Stop monkeying around and send me an email at usfafencingblog@gmail.com.

Did you miss any prior posts? Check them out at the USFA Parents' Fencing Blog Website, before the USA Fencing leadership wises up and replaces them with funny monkey videos, with or without outdated computers. For questions about your membership or tournament registrations – or just to request that USA Fencing bring in drunk monkeys to serve Guinness at future NACs – visit the USA Fencing Contact Us page.