USA Fencing

Dear USA Fencing Members,

As we enjoy a beautiful spring in Colorado, I want to share some USA Fencing highlights over the past few months.

Sports Performance
Our athletes continue to amaze us with their performances on the international scene. Here is a quick recap of the outstanding results:

• Team USA took home 20 medals to win the medal count at the Pan Junior/Cadet Championships in Toronto.
• The Men’s Foil Team continued their success in Bonn winning the team bronze medal and upsetting No. 1 Italy in the process. The performance was followed by individual success at the Havana Grand Prix with Alexander Massialas bringing home a silver and Race Imboden securing a bronze medal.
• Women’s saber also added to their medal count with Mariel Zagunis winning a bronze medal in Gent and following up with another bronze at the Seoul Grand Prix. Teammate Ibtihaj Muhammad won a silver medal in Seoul to top off a strong outing for Team USA.
• In the men’s event in Seoul, Daryl Homer won his first individual Grand Prix medal and upset two past World Champions on his way to the semis.
• Sage Palmedo set a new sabre record by winning her fourth gold medal at the Junior World Cup in Udine where she secured the Overall World Cup title for the 2014-15 season.

March also brought the 500 days out from Rio Olympic Games. Preparation for USA Fencing to participate in the Games is in full swing with ongoing meetings with the USOC to ensure that our athletes have the best possible support available.

Development
The newly created development department continues to make progress in building the infrastructure to support USA Fencing athletes and programs.  Please look for additional updates on Give.USFencing.Org.

Events
February and March included two championship events for USA Fencing – the Junior Olympics in February and Division I National Championships in March. Both events included the opportunity to watch great performances as well as an opportunity to see members of the fencing family.

Financial Status
USA Fencing remains on track to eliminate the remainder of the $1.5 million debt by the end of this fiscal year. The February financials show that we are on budget through the end of February. The National Office staff has begun work on creating a quad budget.

Governance
The USA Fencing Board of Directors held an in-person meeting on February 26 in Reno, Nev. During the Div I Nationals. Topics included operational updates, discussion on generating additional revenue, the adoption of the 2015-16 budget, and the review and acceptance of the independent audit. I’m pleased to report that the independent audit report was excellent for the second year in a row. Thanks to the Audit Committee, chaired by Independent Director Diana Hoadley, for their leadership and review of the audit.  The next Board of Directors call will be held on Wednesday, May 6 and the call-in information will be available on our website.

The Election Committee has set the dates for the 2015 election, which will be held May 18 – June 12.  Candidate information will be updated on our website in mid April.

Membership
At the end of March, USA Fencing had 30,692 members, which is comparable to our March 2014 numbers.  I also want to remind non-competitive fencers who are considering upgrading to a competitive membership that those who upgrade between now and July 31 will receive also receive a membership for 2015-16.

Marketing and Communications
Marketing and Communications has been working closely with Member Services to offer more information and services to USA Fencing clubs. Watch for additional details coming soon. In addition, the National Office and Marketing committee have been working with CMD on a branding project.

As always, if the National Office can assist with additional questions, please contact us.

All the best -

Kris