As a result of trying to do the right thing around a growing movement over the years to eliminate Y10 and Y12 national tournaments, Donald Alperstein, motioned in October 2022 for a Youth Fencing Task Force to “to consider the advisability and propriety of conducting Y10 and Y12 events at national tournaments, with the report of its findings and recommendations to be delivered no later than the Board’s Winter Meeting in February 2023.”

This motion unfortunately gave rise to the now urban myth that Donald Alperstein tried to kill youth fencing. This notion could not be more incorrect!

FP can definitively confirm that Donald Alperstein did not try to eliminate youth NACs. Our FP editor had numerous conversations with Donald Alperstein about youth fencing at the national level over a period of years stretching back to May 2021. FP has always been strongly in favor of youth tournaments at the national level. In our conversations, Donald Alperstein was most concerned that any decision for or against youth fencing at the national level had to be objectively evidence-based.

The voices advocating for the elimination of Y10 and Y12 events came from several constituencies within the fencing community. They included those who:

• believed that school aged children should not be subjected to the stress of national level competition, and believed it appropriate for USA Fencing to adopt American Development Model (ADM) for Youth Sports developed by USA Hockey wholesale without regard to the different circumstances between hockey and fencing.

• believed that SYCs, RYCs and other local tournaments were sufficient competition experience for youth fencers without any regard to the substantial regional differences in strength and size of fields between the regions that would lead to uneven youth fencer development around the country.

• believed that elimination of youth fencing at the national level would solve the problem of coach and parent misbehavior which anecdotally seemed to be far worse around youth events.

• believed that youth fencing at the national level should give way to the interests of adult fencers who wanted Division 2 and 3 events restored at NACs.

It was quite clear in October 2022 that those advocating for the elimination of youth fencing at the national level were motivated by beliefs and interests that were not well-supported by objective evidence.

Donald Alperstein motioned for a Youth Fencing Task Force that would make objective and evidence-based recommendations on what to do about youth fencing at the national level.

As we all now know, the high-powered Youth Fencing Task Force, based on gathered evidence and data, recommended that USA Fencing enshrine Y10 and Y12 national competition in the annual competition calendar, and the Task Force went further to recommend the creation of Y8 events at the local level.

FP is grateful that Donald Alperstein stood up for professionalism and doing the right thing around the push to eliminate youth fencing at the national level. In FP’s experience, Donald has always been a friend to fencing families.

Caution to Parents

While youth fencing at the national level was saved from elimination by Donald Alperstein’s professionalism this time round, parents must realize that that the interests of fencing families are not properly represented on the Board at the present time. Minor aged fencers who are competitive members have no voice in Board decisions as they cannot vote in Board elections. Their parents must pay an additional set of membership fees to become Access members and be able to vote in Board elections. This is wrong on so many levels.

Parents who became Access members by February 1, 2023 are eligible to vote in the upcoming Board election. We strongly recommend that you cast your vote in favor of Board candidates who undertake to make the interests of fencing families a priority. FP will be sharing our recommendations on Board candidates shortly.