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Volunteers Wanted for USA Fencing Review Groups, Task Forces

11/12/2022, 11:15am CST
By Bryan Wendell

USA Fencing is looking for a few good individuals who want to help shape the future of our sport as members of review groups covering events, membership, high school fencing and collegiate fencing.


Khalil Thompson OLY (left) fences against Daryl Homer (OLY) at the Alger World Cup in November 2022. (Photo by #BizziTeam)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Fencing is looking for a few good individuals who want to help shape the future of our sport as members of review groups dealing with events, membership, high school fencing and collegiate fencing. Separately, USA Fencing seeks volunteers for a CEO Advisory group to assist in the continued advancement of USA Fencing.

These review groups will collect broad input from members, stakeholders and independent experts as they analyze USA Fencing processes, structures and products.

Additionally, the Board of Directors has instructed USA Fencing to appoint a Youth Fencing Task Force to consider the pros and cons of conducting Y8, Y10 and Y12 events at national tournaments and a Multisport Membership Task Force to assess the viability of partnering with two other national governing bodies to offer a single-payment multisport membership.

These decisions were made by USA Fencing’s Board of Directors at our annual board meeting, held Oct. 29 and 30 at USA Fencing’s headquarters in Colorado Springs. 

Learn more about these review groups and task forces below, and apply by the deadline of Dec. 15, 2022.

Review Groups

The review groups, which have been encouraged to form, meet and present their findings no later than April 2023, include:

  • Events: This group will review how our events (national, regional and local) are set up, qualification points and, in particular, if our approach to local events is still the right approach. As a critical part of the USA Fencing experience, events have evolved over time, which makes now the right time to review their effectiveness. We encourage a broad base of individuals to put themselves forward including but not exclusive to athletes, parents, coaches, event hosts and officials and will give a strong preference to those who have experience with large events inside or outside of fencing.

  • Membership: This group will review our membership products, including our club membership structure, to understand whether we are offering the right membership options for the current era at the right pricing. We encourage a broad base of individuals to put themselves forward including but not exclusive to athletes, parents, coaches, event hosts, officials and will give a strong preference to those who have experience with other membership organizations as well as USA Fencing.

  • High School Fencing: One major feeder area for our clubs is high schools, and this group will look at the significant opportunities to share best practices across the nation for how we attract high schools (and middle schools) into fencing and how to target states to sanction fencing as an official high school sport.

  • Collegiate Fencing: This group, in collaboration with the USOPC, will support and defend fencing’s status as an NCAA sport. Fencing is classified as an at-risk sport in the NCAA, especially in the context of realignment, USA Fencing will be making a focused effort to grow our sport.. 

  • CEO Advisory Group: This group seeks to bring forward individuals who occupy CEO, chair or senior leadership roles in business who feel they may be able to assist USA Fencing’s leadership in driving the organization forward from a business standpoint.

If you’re interested in serving on one of these review groups, please fill out the form below.

Task Forces

 Youth Fencing Task Force

The newly formed Youth Fencing Task Force will discuss the advisability and propriety of conducting Y8, Y10 and Y12 events at national tournaments and report on their findings by the Board’s winter meeting in February 2023. 

The Task Force will include: 

  • Chair of the Tournament Committee

  • Chair of the Sports Medicine Resource Group

  • Chair of the Youth Development Resource Group

  • USA Fencing CEO (or their designee)

  • USA Fencing Membership, Service & Growth Director (or their designee)

  • USA Fencing Education Manager

  • Two Coaches with differing backgrounds on the subject

  • Other experts inside and outside of USA Fencing who can inform the Task Force’s work, as recommended by staff.

Multisport Membership Task Force

This Task Force of members and staff will consider the advisability and practicality of partnering with two other NGBs to offer a single-payment mult-sport membership for young athletes and to report its findings and recommendations to the Board no later than the Board’s winter meeting in February 2023.

If you would like to serve on either Task Force, please fill out the form below.

Tag(s): Updates