What Every Parent Should Know About … Getting Ready for a NAC

I’ve received several emails asking about various North American Cup (NAC) topics – how to qualify for summer nationals, how to understand the points system, when to make the jump from regionals, and so forth. Because NACs are so central to the fencing experience, as the one set of tournaments that brings in fencers from all over the country, I’ve decided to put out a multi-part series to answer these and other questions relating to NACs. So keep the emails coming!

One question was from a new fencing parent who wanted to know what to do to prepare for a first NAC. This is a good question, as packing and preparing for a NAC can feel overwhelming until you’ve done it a few times. I’ve seen even experienced fencers leave their masks or part of their uniform behind; in one case, the fencer grabbed the wrong suitcase that was sitting near the door and arrived with no fencing uniform at all!

So between the travel logistics and the fencing gear, there’s definitely a lot to manage. To help, here’s a checklist of practical tips to get you and your fencer ready for the big event:

• Start Packing Early. The reason why this list starts two weeks ahead of time is that it can take time to get weapons and body cords fixed at the club, or to order new equipment (which for some reason does not seem to be stocked at the local Target). So it pays to check fencing gear ahead of time, to give time for orders to arrive and for fencing equipment to be fixed. Remember, other people at the club also will be looking to get their equipment fixed, so identifying repairs early is important.
• Double-Check Equipment. The key items to check are the fencing equipment, especially the weapons. It is amazing how quickly swords can go from working perfectly to intermittent; my daughter, for example, came back from college with multiple snapped swords, a cracked bell guard, and a couple more weapons that are feeling generally out of sorts and are complaining about feeling intermittent. To mix sporting metaphors, this is par for the weapons-repair course. A couple of quick notes on key fencing items:
• Uniform: Check the jacket, pants, plastron, and socks. Make sure they’re intact with no holes; even small ones need fixing before they grow. Small problems can be fixed with a drop or two of super glue, which can be a fencer’s best friend at tournaments. We always travel with a four-pack of single-use super glue tubes.
• Weapons: Bring at least three working weapons. More is better. At some tournaments, Hadley is able to stick with one sword the whole time; at others, the weapons go on strike with ample support from grumpy body cords. Hadley once somehow managed to snap three swords in a single tournament. Tighten everything and make certain nothing looks out of place. Check that tips, screws, and wires are secure and functional. Pay special attention to whether the swords are intermittent by testing each tip thirty times or more. The large number of pushes are necessary because it is a best practice to push the tip down from lots of different angles (because a crooked contact spring can lead to a weapon being perfectly fine from some angles while being intermittent from others). Small areas where the wire has come loose can be fixed with super glue, which works best if the sword is bent to make the wire tight first. Although we travel with two chains with plastic end caps to hold swords while the glue dries, we also have not been above MacGyvering hotel doorways in a pinch. Just be certain that the tip of the sword is always facing upwards (and that you duck when going under any sword in a doorway). If any super glue runs to the tip, then it will glue the tip permanently open (and I suppose that if you don’t duck then you could become a fencing legend by simultaneously gluing yourself to the sword). I take the Fifth on whether either of these calamities has ever happened to me.
• Body Cords and Mask Cords: Pack a minimum of three; more is better (you are probably picking up a theme here). Hadley travels with eight, which turned out be to handy when she had five – five!!! – become intermittent during her last Junior Worlds. Test the wiring by twisting and moving the wires back and forth where they hook into the connecting end. Test in multiple directions, not just up and down. Review the test box with the intense scrutiny of a scowling nineteenth century school headmaster. Even a faint flicker means the body cord is intermittent and, like a misbehaving nineteenth century student, needs to be taken out to the woodshed for quick corrective action. Generally, this means cutting off the offending wires, stripping them to give a new end, and then putting everything back together (for the body cord, not the student).
• Glove: Check for wear or holes that can prevent the gloves from passing inspection. Your handy-dandy super glue can fix small holes. Larger ones mean the glove is destined for only practice bouts or the trash can.
• Mask: Inspect the bib and ensure the strap is secure. Confirm the rubber around the mask is still tight everywhere. If not, a small line of – you guessed it – super glue can fix this right up. Also, a key tip: put a baggie over your finger when using super glue when pressing the rubber strip into place, as the super glue will not stick to the plastic baggie. (On the other hand, if you ignore this tip and super glue your finger to the mask, you must send a picture; this is too good not to share.)
• Determine Which Items To Get Fixed in Advance. Although NACs often have multiple armorists performing repairs, they can be quite busy. Usually they (somehow) manage to fix everything on the spot or overnight. But there certainly are NACs where overwhelming demand means the armorists may need more than a day to do repairs. In addition, at most NACs they do not have time to rewire weapons, making this the one repair that is essential to get done ahead of time. (If this is not possible, you can ask the NAC armorist to install an entirely new blade and then take back the old blade and have it rewired another time.) Determine which items to get fixed in advance. Ideally, any sword or other repairs at the NAC are to backup equipment, not items you expect to be using as primary equipment during the tournament.
• Pack and Organize Your Bag. The best way to determine if you are missing anything is to pack your bag and see what is missing. In fact, the best time to pack for a tournament is right after you get home from a tournament, as you generally have everything already set up and can replicate it for the next journey.

• Protecting Weapons. For the first couple of years, we traveled using a hard golf case, with the weapons protected inside PVC pipe. We had to abandon this when Hadley started bringing six swords to tournaments, for the simple reason that everything wouldn’t fit. We now use fabric or leather covers for the swords and pack using a jumbo fencing bag. It does not appear that the PVC protection is needed, as we have yet to see any damage from airlines despite travel to close to 100 tournaments. Swords are actually quite sturdy; we know of one fencing parent who backed a car over a fencing bag filled with swords with no adverse consequences. (Pro tip – don’t do this.)
• Plan for Lost Luggage. The key rule is to assume your bag will be lost. So fill the carry-on bag with the fencing uniform, body cords, mask, shoes, socks, contacts, medicines, etc. Put street clothes, toiletry kits, and other non-fencing items with the swords in the fencing bag. Yes, this includes the clothes of the fencing parent; I devote my own carry-on baggage to backups of fencing items, as we travel with two of each essential item. You can sort it out at the hotel.
• Use a Personal Item That You Can Repurpose for the Fencing Venue. The personal item that goes under the airplane seat should be chosen to be versatile. A small duffel bag that is still large enough to hold the typical items you carry from strip to strip works well, as it can be repurposed into an all-purpose carry-all during the tournament. A well-designed backpack is almost as good.

• Re-Check Your Packed Items. If you packed early, re-check that you are not missing anything. Pack up last-minute items, such as any fencing items that are used day to day, your work computer, tablets, etc.
• NAC Venue Temperatures Vary, So Pack Accordingly. In general, NAC venues tend to be a bit on the cool side, which works better for fencers. But not always. Pack to allow flexibility at the venue. I generally wear a USA Fencing t-shirt, which I will pair with the zippered hoodie that I used on the plane, also for temperature flexibility.
• It’s Time to Take Charge. Fully charge all electronics, including phones, tablets, headphones, and portable chargers.
• Pack Appropriate Snacks. Tournament days are long, and venue food can be limited (or non-existent). Pack high-energy snacks like granola bars, trail mix, or protein bars.
• Bring Refillable Water Bottles. Ensure you have at least one insulated water bottle. (Non-insulated water bottles melt the ice surprisingly quickly.) We actually travel with two – a regular size bottle, which Hadley keeps with her, and a second, 32 ounce insulated bottle. When both are filled with ice and water, there is plenty of ice to last for even the longest tournament to allow for multiple refills of the smaller water bottle, which she takes with her to the strip.
• Download the Airline App and Check In. Airline apps have gotten very good. They not only are a place to hold an electronic ticket, but also can track baggage, give flight alerts, tell about boarding time delays, and provide other travel-related information. Make certain you have the app for your flight and check in ahead of time, which will save time at the airport.

• Check Airline Rules for Fencing Equipment. One of the reasons why we initially used a golf bag was that airline rules were kind of sketchy regarding whether fencing equipment should be treated as an oversize bag (i.e., one where they charge a baggage fee that approaches the size of a mortgage payment on a small house) or as free-to-check sports equipment like skis or golf clubs. Airlines would just assume the bag contained golf clubs and would load it without charge. Fortunately, most major airlines now routinely will treat all sports equipment as a free checked item. But if you are traveling on a new airline, check their rules – there have been a couple of times where having the airline rules pulled up on my phone saved me an unnecessary baggage fee.
• Bring a Portable Charger for Your Phone or Tablet. Make certain you pack a portable charger – preferably, the kind that has built in charging wires and that plugs directly into the wall to charge. This will be your best friend (other than the super glue, of course) on the plane and at the venue. We travel with a couple.
• Dress in Layers. Sometimes airplanes are hot, and sometimes they are cold. Sometimes they are both at different parts of the flight. (Fun fact: Airlines prefer to keep airplanes a bit on the cold side because it cuts down on passenger motion sickness.) Dress in layers to avoid an uncomfortable flight – ideally, with a short-sleeve shirt and an adjustable outer layer, such as a jacket, a cardigan, or a zippered hoodie. (You have a USFA one, right?) I always travel wearing fleece-lined hunting socks – a well-worth-it tradeoff of a fashion faux pas for toasty warm feet to cope with sub-Arctic metal airplane floors. I repurpose these as make-do slippers at the hotel.
• Invest in Good Noise-Canceling Headphones. Worth their weight in gold if you travel a lot. Even better than super glue for blocking out sounds. (Pro tip – don’t do this.)

Still looking for fun facts about Aldo Nadi after the last post? Well, Aldo won gold medals in the team event in epee, saber, and foil in the 1920 Olympics – yet still managed to have only the second-best Olympics outcome. His brother, Nedo, also fenced on the Italian team and got those same team gold medals, while also winning individual gold medals in foil and saber. Despite competing in all six fencing events, Aldo somehow found time to engage in an actual duel at the Olympics with Filippo Bottino, an Italian weightlifting champion. For reasons lost to history, they decided to fence the dual with Aldo using a riding whip and Bottino using a wooden beam. The duel ended quickly, because Aldo immediately struck Bottino’s hand, leading Bottino to drop his “weapon” and to lose the bout. I guess you could say that Aldo easily whipped him.

Comments or feedback on the article? Have some more travel tips to share? Just want to brag that you already have your bags packed for Summer Nationals? Email me at usfafencingblog@gmail.com. And don’t forget that prior posts – including horrible fencing-related puns – live on forever on the USFA website (to the likely chagrin of USA Fencing leadership).

For questions about your membership or tournament registrations – or to request that USFA allow fencers to choose pistol grips, French grips, or riding whips at NACs – just visit the USA Fencing Contact Us page.