You may have heard… I was a little upset with the accommodations at the Red Lion motel (don’t you dare call it a hotel). It was convenient to the venue, but that’s about it. The rooms are small. The bathrooms are tiny. The layout of the closet was terrible (it’s practically blocked by one of the beds). The street noise was overwhelming. The view was lousy. The heater was way too loud. I had to turn it off to sleep, and there wasn’t a single other room available to consider as an option, and I checked in at 4:00 in the afternoon on Thursday. What – the – Hell?!

The event went well (sort of). The numbers weren’t very high. I never felt overworked. And the Nike lounge (I dubbed it the Robby Room), made downtime much more relaxing and comfortable. It would be nice if they attended every event. The replay system was not without the usual glitches. It would be really nice if we had a system that was consistently reliable.

Too bad about the catastrophe that was served up as the Gold Medal Sabre bout. I can’t remember the last time I heard “boos” at the conclusion of a final. It was ugly. I was waiting to referee a final bout in foil afterward, but had to delay that for the sabre match that ended three times, before they finally let Tim Morehouse claim the victory, and it’s debatable who actually won.

Portland is one of those towns that I look forward to going to whenever there’s an event there. The light-rail system makes it easy to get around. There are plenty of good restaurants and bars to frequent, and lots of hotels that are far better than that thing called The Red Lion.

With the exception of the accommodations, I had a good time there. Let’s hope things go better in Reno.

March 10 – 14, 2011

My friend Mary Mahon was hiring the referees, and she petitioned me to join forces with the collection of referees assembling for the event. Mary and I have been good friends for some time now, and I agreed to work the event in hopes that her first hiring experience would be a successful one. I decided to work all four days and was optimistic that the Div. II/III and Vet event wouldn’t be too taxing, and from my perspective, it wasn’t. The bout-committee did a good job of keeping things running well. The days weren’t excessively long (not for me anyway), and when they did end, it was easy to get to dinner and drinks on foot, or via the elevated tram. I ended up in “Greektown” twice, first at a pizza place and then at Fishbone’s, and afterward at the Anchor Bar (a local dive bar with PBR on draught). I had to indulge myself. It’s not a very good beer, but the allure of draught PBR in a dive, with bad music and worn-out pool tables and the local scrowel* in attendance… it’s just too much charming atmosphere to resist.

Despite the constant warnings about “Crime-ridden” Detroit, it does seem to be experiencing a renaissance of sort. There are still some depressed areas, but they are making an effort to improve the city, and it shows. I would actually go back to Detroit if they had another event there. I had a good time in general, the venue was good (almost walking distance from the host hotel), and I had a lot of fun fencing in the team event. The only adjustment that I would make; especially considering the cold weather and snow, is to provide a shuttle from the hotel to the venue. Other than that, I felt it was a successful event.

*scrowel – degenerates. Originating in Los Angeles among my high-school friends to describe the “undesirables” at local parties.

Fencing in Rochester –

The weather was a bit cold, but tolerable for this California-boy. Fresh snow on the ground Friday evening when I landed at Greater Rochester International Airport, and it snowed again Saturday night. There were about 225 entries and something in the neighborhood of 16 strips at the venue that strangely resembled the very one I visited for a NAC so many years ago, when I was still competing.

I refereed all three weapons at the two-day event, but mostly foil. The competitors seamed pleased with the reffing, save for a few disagreements on calls, but that’s to be expected anywhere. Bout committee did a good job running the event. Breakfast for the officials consisted of coffee, orange juice, tasty doughnuts and bagels. We had a very good salad and penne pasta for lunch on Saturday, and sandwiches on Sunday.

I had a really nice time in Rochester. Many of my friends there I’ve known and loved for years, and I always look forward to seeing them. Everyone seemed to appreciate having me around, and I appreciated being invited out for the opportunity to work for everyone. In general, I feel the event was a success. It moved along efficiently, and from my perspective, everyone had a good fencing experience.

The only apparent (and major) difference between this event; and a national one, is that I received a check for payment in full at the conclusion of the event. It’s almost farcical that I feel the need to clarify this contrast, but it’s a sad truth about the organization that should be regarded as the citadel of fencing in these United States. U.S. Fencing has a major negative reputation to overcome in this regard.

And… I can’t wait to go back to Rochester!

In general, I think things went pretty well this time around. Granted, there was a day when events ran late and some people didn’t get out of the venue until 8 or 9pm. But I feel all in all it could have been much worse, and trust me… I’ve seen the worst of it. The video replay system was working most of the time. It still requires certain tweeks in the way it operates, and and in the way that U.S. Fencing operates it.

Ok, let’s talk fencing now. I understand that JOs is a very important to different people for different reasons. A “proving ground” of sorts. Coaches need to prove themselves via results, recruiters need to assess potential recruits, parents need to prove to their children that they were right to force them into an obscure sport that can earn them a scholarship to a university, and to some of the kids it’s just important to prove that they can simply fence. What kid of pressure does this put on the referees? None really, unless the calls they make threaten any of the aforementioned parties goals, aspirations, desires, or teaching. Please don’t blame the referees for your own shortcomings. They are doing the best they can with what they have at their disposal. There are good and bad ways of approaching a referee with regard to your discontent or disagreement with them. And trust me, raising your voice and allowing yourself to become angry isn’t one of them. Personally, as a referee, when a fencer doesn’t agree with my call, the ones that have the greatest impact on me are the ones that act as if they are simply disappointed in me, as opposed to the ones that look at me with disdain and beg, “WHY, WHY, WHY ISN’T THAT MY ATTACK?!”, and proceed to inform why it should be. As if I’m so inept that I couldn’t possibly know what I’m talking about. I’m a referee because I have proven my proficiency. Some people make good fencers, and others make good coaches. Keep in mind that just because someone is a good, or even great coach, doesn’t mean they can see right of way. And by the same token, just because someone may be an excellent fencer, doesn’t mean they are capable of being completely objective in their own bout. I’ve been on both sides of this circumstance, and I understand it very well.

Ok, now let’s talk accommodations. The hotel was well appointed, and the transportation via DART was adequate. Breakfast for the tournament officials was provided at the hotel and the choices available were decent. The official’s lunch at the venue was pretty good, except for the box-lunch day. That was crap. I’m a sort-of vegetarian, and for some reason they assume that we all love marinated, roasted bell-peppers in a sandwich or wrap. I don’t like it one bit. I would prefer to take a ham and cheese sandwich, and remove the ham. Granted, they’re making an effort, but would it be the end of the world if they took a poll and found out what people that don’t eat meat would actually prefer to eat? There were ample restaurants close by, and many within walking distance of the host hotel.

The venue was big enough, there seemed to be enough strips, and plenty of referees. World cup attendees get younger every year, and I hear that conflicting events had an effect on the number of entries. What ever the case, the balance was pretty good I think. Dallas seem to be a good city to hold an event similar to last weekend’s Junior Olympics. It’s convenient to fly to, and I don’t mind traveling there. I just wish U.S. Fencing would pay the tournament officials that sacrifice so much to attend these events.

Capitol Clash SYC

I just returned from Northern Virginia where I refereed at the Capitol Clash SYC fencing tournament. I arrived Friday afternoon and went straight from the airport to the venue for the evening events that were just starting. There were two rooms with 22 strips. There was also a finals strip set up on stage in the adjacent auditorium. I think it was a great treat for the kids to able to fence there, and for the parents and spectators to watch them up there. The event was run well. Results were posted on line right away. One parent showed me that he could look up pool results and the D.E. tableau on his smart phone. He could even find what strip his kid was fencing on for his upcoming D.E. bout. I thought that was really cool. No excuses for “Failure to report” and no need for crowding around the barely visible sheets of paper that the national organization routinely uses at all of their events. They also had a large monitor set up that displayed pools and direct elimination bouts. One of the organizers set up a live video feed of the gold medal bouts. U.S. Fencing should take some cues from these particular SYC organizers. They managed 478 fencers equaling 655 entries! I felt they did a great job of running the event. They hired competent referees. (Enough of them too!) No one seemed to be overworked. The concession stand had lots of good choices of food and drinks, and was run by the division parents and siblings of the local fencers who were very friendly and helpful the entire time. For me it was a great experience.

As a referee I’ve been to quite a few events over the past 10+ years and I’ve experienced one end of the spectrum to the other in regards to fencing events. I was made to feel welcome and appreciated at the Capitol Clash SYC, and I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

Hats off to Ed Grass, David Sapery, Daraius Unwalla, Rich Weiss, Lynn Jones, and all of the tournament officials and volunteers!

The Canadian referees were paid in full on the last day of NAC – C in Dallas!

Why are our neighbors to the North exempt from the injustices forced upon our own officials? Is there a clandestine arrangement? There seems to be. How many of you were aware of this arrangement? Is U.S. Fencing so inefficient at recruiting and training their own officials that they must rely on foreigners to take up the slack of our ineptitude as officials? If it’s true, shouldn’t we be ashamed of that? Or is it just that U.S. Fencing is incapable of hiring enough domestic referees? Either way, it seems to reflect poorly on the organization. I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy seeing, and getting to spend time with the Canadians. They are good people, and good friends. I’m glad that we can bring them down to help, but why are they entitled to better treatment than U.S Fencing is willing to extend to their own officials?

 Let me present a hypothetical situation here. Let’s just say that the organization hadn’t purchased $30,000 in unnecessary and unreliable video replay equipment. Don’t you think that might have covered many of the officials in Dallas? Wouldn’t that have made it possible to hand them all a check as they left the venue on their last day of work, as the Canadians received? I realize that it’s only a small number, but it’s also VERY UNFAIR! I’m pretty sure that most of our own officials sacrificed plenty in terms of regular PAYING work, allotted vacation days, and personal relationships. And yes, they realize this going in, and no one is forcing them, but it certainly makes ME bitter to find out that other officials are treated better than I am. I’m the one that faithfully has gone to almost every national event for the past ten or so years. Why haven’t I earned any “special treatment”? Can you understand why I might be upset? I’m realizing that there are many secrets that U.S. Fencing is keeping. And the more they are able to keep everyone in the dark, the safer they feel. How is it that they are allowed to continue operating this way? Isn’t there a governing body that oversees non-profit organizations like this? How are they able to fly under the radar for so many years? When will anyone be held accountable?

  Do they ride to work on the short bus? Why do they continue to throw money away? I just returned from The NAC in Atlanta (the one that was added late, not publicized, not designated, and not added to the calendar), and was further disappointed in the organization. At the referee meeting on the first day, we were briefed on the protocol for using the video replay. Of course we never had to concern ourselves with the protocol, because the system never worked. Brilliant! It ran approximately $5,000 per strip, per setup to purchase them. I can’t remember if there were four or five, because right away they started scavenging between sets to get them working (which didn’t accomplish anything). Greg Dilworth is the individual that thought it was a good idea to throw away $20,000+ of the member’s money. That’s MY money, and YOUR money, that they already owe tournament officials! They didn’t “already owe” the video equipment company any money. WTF! I thought the new administration was supposed to do a better job than the previous ones! When does that begin? When does all this “positive change” occur? Is this part of the “Plan to get us going again”? I’m glad it’s a “…fun and crazy time” for them in Colorado. It’s just “crazy” from my angle.

Did you know that Kurt Aichele was limited to spending more than $25k even with board approval? Did you know that Dilworth changed that policy so that HE can spend $100k without anyone’s approval. Does that sound like responsible leadership? Of course it does… and BP is a responsible oil company.

“We will do our absolute best to do things better than ever before, to treat all of you in a friendly and supportive manner and go get the very complex January and February events and program well organized.” – Jim Page

More of the same lip service! Don’t tell me, SHOW ME! So far… no one has. Is anyone capable of stepping in and putting on the brakes and saying, “Wait a minute, we can’t spend that money, we already owe ‘these guys’ more than that. They’ve been waiting a long time, and we want them to keep showing up.” Is that so difficult U.S. Fencing? Practice in front of the mirror, it will get easier.

So… I just had a thought. Don’t run. It’s okay, I get them often.

What I was thinking is that since U.S. Fencing is so far behind on reimbursements, and we are somehow not entitled to interest on the “loan” that we are making to a non-profit, why can’t we write off the interest on the money that we are loaning them? We are never going to see it anyway. Why can’t we at least claim it on our tax returns? Are there any tax attorneys in the audience? Feel free to chime in.

Robby

“… Therefore, we have asked Mr. Dilworth to stay on as ED for the next two years and he has agreed to do so.”

Well, now what? Is this good, or bad? Again… time will tell. It seems that everything that happens at U.S. Fencing is temporary.

Do you want to read the whole thing yourself? Here ya go:

http://usfencing.org/news/2010/08/11/dilworth-and-page-appointed/37790?ngb_id=19

The interim Executive Director intends to settle all existing debts with the tournament officials at the end of October. This will unfortunately be too late for my personal payment deadline as it relates to the beginning of the new season. I have mentioned before that I will not work for U.S. Fencing again until I get paid. The first national event takes place in the middle of October, so you can see my situation. I can no longer make what essentially amounts to a 0% interest loan to non-profit organization, especially one that (so I’ve heard) has staff members making six figures a year. For me, it’s is a matter of principle. I will not be attending next season’s NAC - A. Whether or not I work at all for the remainder of the season, will depend on 1 - getting a check, and 2 - a guarantee that reimbursements will no longer be delayed for extended periods of time. Lets all keep our fingers crossed.

Apparently the reimbursement topic was discussed at the meeting in Atlanta that I couldn’t attend, but the rumor is that U.S. Fencing proposes to have officials paid up for the 2009-2010 season by the end of October. I don’t know if there was any discussion regarding money that is still owed for events prior to this past season. I had a chat with Mr. Dilworth about this very topic, and he said that he was only aware of a few people that fell into this category. From the feedback I’ve gotten on facebook, there are quite a few that are owed money from past seasons, some going back two years. Personally, I would like to see a site erected where all tournament officials can post comments about the the last check they received, and what events it covered, and the type of reimbursement it was, e.g. - out of pocket, honorarium, etc. U.S. Fencing has gotten away with far too much in the past as a direct result of keeping everyone in the dark. I feel we have to take it upon ourselves to communicate regularly about payments, so that we all have a better understanding of schedule that the organization is keeping, and more specifically, where we personally fit into the equation.

reimburse* |ˌrē-imˈbərs|
verb [ trans. ] (often be reimbursed)
repay (a person who has spent or lost money) : the investors should be reimbursed for their losses.
• repay (a sum of money that has been spent or lost) : they spend thousands of dollars that are not reimbursed by their employers.

“spent or lost” = lost

lost |lôst; läst| |lɔst|
past and past participle of lose .

2 denoting something that has been taken away or cannot be recovered (as in the case of reimbursements) : if only one could recapture one’s lost expenses!
• (of time or an opportunity) He lost his opportunity to get paid for his services.
• having perished or been destroyed : a memorial to the lost commitment of the tournament staff.

*There have been slight alterations made to the original text to allow the definitions and examples to better fit the tournament staff of U.S. Fencing.

Why is it that so many of us are easily swayed by an organization’s non-profit status. We regard it as a holy institution simply because they filed certain paperwork, and operate under certain guises that exempt them from taxation. Unfortunately in the case of U.S. Fencing, our blind faith is misguided. Former senior officers of the organization have apparently kept two sets of books. One for public inspection, and one containing an accurate ledger that was locked away. One can only speculate that funds were diverted into personal accounts along the way. This of course would amount to a great embarrassment to the organization that claims:

“The mission of the USFA is to develop fencers to achieve international success and to administer and promote the sport in the USA.” - There should be an asterisk here with the addition of “At any and all cost. Especially at the expense of our domestic tournament staff”

The mission is not to squander its stockholder’s funds, promote embezzlement, and divert assets, as they have more accurately accomplished. They hired friends that were incapable of doing the jobs they were hired to do. They hired friends that perpetuated the mismanagement and accumulated even more debt.

The new régime claims to be concerned with setting things straight. “Fixing” what’s broken. No doubt they are aware that they are subject to greater scrutiny as a result of their predecessors devious exploits. That being said, I feel they should be given the benefit of the doubt. They deserve a chance to prove themselves. I have met the “new and improved” Executive Director, and trust his intentions. I have spoken with him at length. I feel he is sincere in his desire to rectify the current situation. They have done well since they came on board over a year ago. Not everyone shares my sentiment of course. I’m not surprised. The organization has a bad track record, it’s true.

There is one individual in the organization that is “uncomfortable” with a particular proposition that would enable the organization to get completely caught up with past due reimbursements to tournament officials. This individual has been gainfully employed throughout his tenure with U.S. Fencing, and does not depend on his reimbursement checks to pay his cellphone bill, or keep his cable T.V. on, or put gas in his car, or pay his dentist, or to try to buy his son birthday presents in a failing economy. It’s not even HIS neck that would be on the chopping block, should it fail. But lets not ask anyone to sacrifice their “comfort zone” so that a few of us might get caught up on rent, or might be able to finally get our car fixed. It’s okay… they are technically retired and exploring other investment options. Far be it from them to be bothered with our trifles. They sit there in front of the fireplace every evening, sipping their cocktail with their feet on the ottoman, thinking how fortunate they are. I wouldn’t want to bother them to get up and approve a loan that has no ties to any of their own personal assets, accounts or investments. Heavens no.

A local division hires me to fly across the country to referee at a local event, and I can expect to be handed a check (if not cash) on Sunday at the end of the event. They have a general idea of how many entries they’ll have. And based on that number, hire the appropriate staff. They collect entry fees in advance for the most part. Can I mention at this point that all fees for national events are collected in advance. SO WHAT I’M SAYING IS THAT THE MONEY IS ALREADY IN THE BANK! EARNING INTEREST!

However, on a side note, some vendors are delinquent in payment to U.S.Fencing, and are still allowed to show up and sell at NACs. This, as far as I’m aware, is a breach of contract, in terms of regular “selling” venues/agreements. I’m told that Fencing.net is not one of them. I would like to hear from other vendors that are current. Maybe U.S. Fencing is still living in the 50s? “Oh… they’re good for it”, must be their mantra. Are you supporting these vendors? Do you know who they are? You should. As a non-profit, U.S. Fencing is required to have an open-book policy. I’m pretty sure that you can ask who they are. These vendors make a good amount of money from your purchases. If you buy from these vendors that owe the organization money, you are taking money out of someone’s pocket. Who pays for this ignorance? The tournament staff. They are the ones that are owed a substantial amount of money from the organization (about $314k at last count). They are the ones that continue to give of themselves in terms of time and money, yes money. A lot of it.

For many refs it’s a losing proposition to attend a national event. I am personally (and finally) on the upper end of the pay scale, after many years of losing money (8 to 10 years of losses). Many referees continue to be recruited with false expectations of offsetting their competition costs. Let me set you straight on this. By the time you are a good enough referee to get hired for the events that you wish to attend, you will be at, or near your peak, if not already retired from competing. It is similar to the carrot that is continually dangled in front of referees that have bought into this system long before you were born. Listen to your heart and trust your instincts. Many of the refs that you have learned to despise, and distrust, have been in your shoes long before you were born. They too have encountered their own nemesis. They too have learned to overcome what they perceived to be insurmountable odds. Now I am tired and must sleep. Digest what I have shared. We will pick this up later.

Robby

What set this whole thing in motion was the last check that I received from U.S. Fencing. It was a reimbursement check for an event I worked back in December of 2008(Colorado Springs, CO). For some reason, they decided to deduct $77, that was a “single room” adjustment for the no-roommate request I had made for the first event of this season - 2009/2010, in Des Mones, Iowa. I sent an email to a few of the officers of U.S. Fencing, and “Bcc’d” many referees, and also forwarded the email along to many people on facebook. I have received a lot of positive support from the referee community. A friend of mine took it upon himself to play Devil’s advocate with me and sent me a message to me saying that is indeed a bad thing, but that there’s nothing we can do but continue to take the mistreatment. And he sort of justified the deduction, saying that it was a ‘sooner or later’ kind of thing. The following is an excerpt from my response to that communication.

Me:

My feeling about the inappropriate deduction is that it’s disreputable, dishonest, and extremely bad business practices. I pride myself on my integrity. I’m very loyal employee, and person in general. I loathe dishonesty in people, and even more so in organizations because of the numbers of people often affected. What I want them to do is the right thing. I agreed to have that money deducted from my Des Moines reimbursement check. That’s it, no exception.

As far as a boycott or strike is concerned, I feel it would shake them up enough to force them to recognize the magnitude of the situation. To me, it’s B.S. that they continue on as if everything will eventually work out and everyone will be happy. How do they actually justify spending money on any program that promises no return. Domestic tournaments generate revenue. Sending athletes oversees doesn’t. Sure everyone argues that it’s unfair to the fencers. Does that make it fair to us? No it doesn’t. The spending needs to stop immediately until the debt is settled, as painful as it may be. If a lawsuit is pursued, yes the organization would cease to exist as we know it. However, I would argue that the organization is broken, as is due a radical change, and not just in the form of officer exchange.

Many of the referees cut our losses and went along with the lifetime membership option, in an attempt to help the organization. And look at how they thank us. They gave us a stupid key-chain, said thanks, and wrote us off. Excuse me for saying this but fuck them! I deserve much better treatment then this. We all do. Are we to act like civilized people? Why should we? They haven’t. The organization that supposedly governs us is supposed to set the example. They have set a very poor one.

 I disagree that the bottom line is that we’re screwed. That would suit the organization, but I’m not rolling over. Accepting that we’re screwed is giving up. I’m not giving up.