My boy started fencing only 7 months ago and he loves it. He went to a few tournaments ( only one sanctioned ). I would love sending him to a sleep away camp (like Princeton or MFC) but I wonder if he will be too much of a beginner. I wish for him to learn more, have some fun, but I am afraid that he will be turned away from the sport if he finds himself at the bottom. Any experience with beginners and sleep away fencing camps?
Not fencing, but I had a similar experience with my 9 year old for another sport. He might be too young for sleeping away on his own. Have you considered sending him as a day camper?
Which weapon? If he fences epee, New York Fencing Academy has a good camp for the younger (but serious) crowd.
Why does he have to go to a sleep-away camp? Are there summer camps at fencing clubs in your area? If so, have him attend those. No need to go to Princeton!
IME, the best fencers start as young as eight. They often are the sons and daughters of fencing coaches, who themselves were very competitive nationally and internationally.
Fencing is a sport that is hard to be great in, unless you get an early start. I know of no great fencers that picked it up late in life. It’s great that you are getting your son involved now.
My son is a collegiate fencer. He started at 14 (high school freshman). He absolutely loves the sport but isn’t as accomplished as many his age. I attribute that to his relatively late start… One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t get him involved earlier. I simply didn’t know that fencing clubs existed, until he reached high school.
BT, there are great fencing threads on CC. I’m too lazy to look them up now, but sherpa is the guru on CC.
Is your son fencing in a club? (I don’t know of any middle schools with fencing teams!) So, if he is indeed fencing in a club, doesn’t his club host summer camps?? Ours did, every year. It’s how the club supplemented income from its regular members during the school year.
@whatisyourquest , my son fences in a club and they do have summer camps. It is a small club I think, and each summer week they offer one camp that most times is geared towards beginners. There are 2 weeks for the competitive and one for intermediate. I think my son fits in the intermediate one as far as his level.
I have 2 older kids ( girls) and they had sleep away camps ( although not sports, one art and one writing ) and being away from mom and dad had benefits beyond the subject studied. They became more independent and able to take care of problems by themselves. They did not go to sleep away camps until they were 15 and pretty accomplished in their art/writing, so I just worry that my son being a beginner and only 12 might be too young. I would not want to regret later that I didn’t sent him to give him tools for success.
Got it. My son participated in summer research programs when he was a rising junior and senior. He got to see what it was like to live in a dorm. I believe that it helped with his transition to college. I think though that 12 would have been a little too young for him to be away.
Another thing that you can do to help with his fencing development: go to as many tournaments as you can. It sounds like you are doing some of that already. In our experience, the fencers that progressed most rapidly also competed at many NACs. I don’t know if there are NACs for kids as young as 12, but getting national experience is very helpful.
@whatisyourquest , Ibtihaj Muhammad is an olympic fencer ( 2016 Rio) that started fencing at 13, so I think it is possible if the kid is talented AND passionate.
I personally do not think of that level for my son, but I want to support him and offer him the opportunities to go as far as he wants to go. Sometimes kids will go far, sometimes even gifted kids change their focus. My writer daughter is very good ( national silver medal for writing ) but now that college looms, she is choosing premed over creative writing. Her sister is good at art ( also national medals for art ) but she chose to go all the way and she will attend Art School in the Fall. I think as a parent I can give them the tools, but is for them to use them.
I agree completely. I’m glad that my son has the opportunity to fence on a college team, but it was totally up to him whether to participate… Kids often develop new interests and drift away. Others have a laser focus and never deviate. Mine is more like the former.
@lsichitiu Fencing is a great sport which helps to develop discipline, once they become good at it, they seems to enjoy spending time with their club mates challenging one another. Most elite fencers I know have either started fencing as young as 8 years old (some even younger), but many also started around 11 or 12 (including as you indicated some Olympic fencers). 12 yo is a good age to start. Starting too young, by the time they are later in high school many are just burned out and lose the drive and the passion. If you start at 12, by the time they are Y14, most kids with the talent and the drive to excel will show some significant results. Therefore if they are still finishing last in the pools and getting eliminated after the first DE, fencing may not be their forte. However still a great sport for them to participate, especially at a high school varsity level (since most high school fencers are walk on, never having fenced before), but may not be a great idea to waste a lot of time, money and effort traveling around the country to have them compete at national tournaments. But this is not to say some kids are late bloomers and can really pick up during their sophomore years, especially when they develop more maturity and discipline.