Hello, not sure if this is the right place to post but I missed the JO deadline for my sophomore and now it is triple fees that will be 500$ I was debating if not taking him for it will be a bad choice or I should just take him for the event any help is appreciated
Sport? And if it’s fencing it depends on a bunch of factors that will be sport specific.
That depends. I’ll assume the money matters or you would not have asked. Is your son ranked/doing well, or did he barely qualify? If the latter, I’d stay home and spend the money on regional competitions like RJCCs. Then try to get to Philly for summer nationals which are the first National events for the new cadet/Junior season. Cheers,
Agree with Diesel…though I think SN in Philly is 2021…SN 2020 is Louisville (according to the USA Fencing site.
Yes … it is fencing
SevenDad, he had very strong finishes in a couple
Of Syc and most RYC but not in the NACs that’s why I am debating if I should even go for JO, I am wondering if this decision would affect him in any ways
Here’s my take on JOs…IMO, they are the most diluted of all the Cadet/Junior national-level events. Very often, you’ll see less-experienced kids there for whom it’s their ONLY national-level event of the season (because it’s “JOs”)…also (at least in WE, the weapon group that I’m most familiar with) there is usually an international event that weekend as well, which siphons off the top-top kids.
I mean, it would be good for your son to get more NAC-level experience, but if he’s just a soph, I’d save the money. Try to get to a bunch of RJCCs instead. Save your money for SN…which, as Diesel states above, is the start of the new season for Cadets and Juniors.
Some things I’d consider:
- Cost of late fees v total costs of JOs. Depending on flight, hotel, and coaching costs the late fee could be a small or large %.
- Fencing only cadet or Jr too. 2 events make it more worthwhile albeit more expensive.
- Is there expectation or reasonable possibility of a top 32 finish? Yes would lean to attending, esp since this is a relatively weaker field than summer or NACs.
- Can kid go alone or does parent need to go?
- Cost of missing school or work (parent)?
The first 3 JO tournaments my daughter went to she was eliminated in the 1st DE round. The next 2 she ended up in the top 8. If you’d ask me if it was worth regular fees on the first 3 I would have to think hard and long. In the end it paid off. Over the years, every now and then, I paid triple fees for a lot of reasons and in retrospect I thought it was worth it because we either had a goal or we needed to achieve or to take her temperature as compared to other athletes. I would advise if it’s not a budget killer to go since JOs seem to be a big deal to the competitors and you get to see how they are doing with one of the biggest fields in your age group.
I will be driving. Perhaps I have to figure the missed school work and the fees to enter the event right now is about $500.