The situation

FP has been told by several reliable sources that the Nominating Committee received multiple applications from potential candidates interested in running for the position of President of USA Fencing, including the incumbent, Donald Anthony.

It is understood that several of these candidates were solicited by the Nominating Committee to apply to run for the position.

In the end, on January 15,2020, only one candidate was announced as a nominee by the Nominating Committee for the position of President. That candidate is Donald Anthony, the current President of USA Fencing.

What happened to the rest of the applicants? The Nominating Committee has not disclosed the names of the applicants neither have they disclosed the criteria they applied to select candidates.

Peter Burchard

We are told that Peter Burchard was solicited by the Nominating Committee to apply for nomination to run for President of USA Fencing and that Peter was subsequently turned down by the Nominating Committee.

Peter meets all the requirements for the position of President under the Byelaws (see requirements below), but the Nominating Committee rejected him anyway.

A petition is currently circulating pursuant to the Byelaws to nominate Peter Burchard as a candidate for President. We understand that the required minimum number of signatures for the petition have been surpassed for Peter to stand as a candidate for President. And we fully expect that he will be on the ballot in May 2020.

What really disturbs us is that Peter reports that he received a phone call out of the blue on February 27 from Donald Anthony, the incumbent President of USA Fencing, urging him, in no uncertain terms, to stand down and not run as a candidate for President.

This phone call violates the norms of “fair play” and is unsportsmanlike. An email to Donald Anthony sent on Friday, February 28 asking for comment on the phone call has gone unanswered.

The purpose of the election in May is for eligible members of USA Fencing to elect candidates who they believe will best represent their interests and the interests of the community on the USA Fencing Board of Directors. Interfering with a qualified candidate’s run for elected office undermines the best interests of the membership of USA Fencing and is improper.

“May the best man win” is the morally and ethically correct position to take.

For those unfamiliar with Peter Burchard - Peter is a coach and club owner who lives in Northern California. He is an international FIE B level referee in foil and epee. He is certified at level 1 for foil and epee in the United States, and at level 4 for saber. Peter is also a certified Fencing Master.

Peter is a well liked and well respected figure within the California fencing community and he is a fixture at regional tournaments in Northern California. He is passionate about fencing, and he has been active for more than 40 years in many capacities in the sport of fencing starting as a fencer on Team USA. Peter has been an NCAA coach, a fencing official on committees designated by the Board, a regional tournament organizer and much more. Peter is the current President of the US Fencing Coaches Association.

Peter spent 20 years as a member of the Fencing Officials Commission, an important commission designated by the Board of Directors of USA Fencing.

Peter deserves the opportunity to run for President without interference!

Support Peter Burchard’s PETITION

You can support Peter Burchard by signing the petition available HERE.

The Rules require that an original copy of the petition be submitted to USA Fencing by April 1. So, please print out the signature page, sign and fill in the required details, and mail the form back to Peter at the following address by March 23:

Peter Burchard

North Bay Fencing Academy
1813 B Empire Industrial Court
Santa Rosa, CA 95403

You can also circulate the petition to members of your club to sign and you can return the signed petition to Peter after you have collected signatures.

NEW ADDITION - Downloadable PDF of Petition

Requirements to be President under the Byelaws

The Byelaws require the President of USA Fencing have:

• US citizenship,

  AND

• previously served as an officer of USA Fencing, or.

• previously served on the Board of Directors, or

• served on a Principal Committee for a minimum of 4 years

Under the Byelaws, officer is defined as someone who has been President or Treasurer of USA Fencing or someone who has held office as a Vice President.

Under the Byelaws, the 5 Standing Committees are Principal Committees. They include the Audit Committee, the Budget Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Elections Committee and the Ethics Committee.

Additionally, in 2020, the Board has designated the Referee Commission, the Tournament Committee and the Veterans Committee as Principal Committees.

Members of previously designated committees would also qualify under the Byelaws to be President of USA Fencing.

Watch this video - WHO IS USA FENCING?

This 10 minute video gives you a pretty good idea how USA Fencing is structured, who runs USA Fencing, who makes qualification rules and policies, how referees are organized plus you’ll understand where USA Fencing’s funds come from.

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