Family

New Jersey has the largest population of fencers in the United States. What does that mean on a practical basis? My family can find fencers who are exactly the same age and ability level as our children. When kids work together, they make each other much better. I do everything I can to support Eleanor and her friends; I strip coach all of them and provide tools and expertise to make sure they have the right equipment. My husband performs the same role in épée with our two older children.

I provide reports and feedback to Eleanor’s coaches regarding group progress after each tournament. I am always the only parent present who fenced NCAA foil, so the right thing for me to do is to help everyone.

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Works Cited

McLanahan, Emily. “The hotbed of American fencing is … New Jersey?” Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! News, 13 Aug. 2016, http://sports.yahoo.com/the-hotbed-of-fencing-is-new….

The Olympic Sport of Fencing – New Jersey Division of Fencing. http://www.newjerseyfencing.org/?page_id=39….

The first USA Fencing regional youth circuits (RYC) were held in 2001. I ran the bout committee for every RYC hosted by Fencers Club at the 168th Street Armory in Manhattan. After the club leadership changed in 2007, I stopped being involved with tournament administration. I watched in amazement as the regional youth events became larger and increasingly numerous. I remember doing strip setup and downloading entries at midnight before each competition. When I attend a RYC with my children, I explain how the strips are assigned in groups to each event.

I have zero experience with RYCs as a competitor. For the last ten years, I have been talking to parents and coaches as I try to figure out how to integrate them into my kids’ athletic education. Eleanor recently attended her first RYC, and it went according to plan.

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Works Cited

Richards, Carla-Mae and United States Fencing Association. 2003-2004 USA FENCING ATHLETE PROGRAMS HANDBOOK. Edited by Corinne Greenman et al., 1st ed., vol. 1, USA Fencing, 2003, https://www.fencingarchive.com/…/2003-2004%20Athlete….

United States Fencing Association, and Carla-Mae Richards. “2004-2005 USA FENCING ATHLETE PROGRAMS HANDBOOK.” USA Fencing, Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America, United States Fencing Association, 1 Aug. 2004, https://www.fencingarchive.com/…/2004-2005%20Athlete…. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Macy’s Herald Square is located one block from Fencers Club. Opened in 1902, the store occupies over one million square feet that retain original details such as wooden escalators and offers a wide range of personal household goods at all price points. The 34th Street subway stop, Penn Station, and the PATH train allow passengers from all over New York City and nearby states to disembark at Macy’s doorstep. I was on the Fencers Club board of directors that launched the capital campaign to buy the current facility – the Empire State Building location was considered ideal to attract the very large population of New Jersey fencers.

My eldest daughter learned how to buy her own clothing at Macy’s. Armed with my credit card, she would stop by the teen section after fencing practice before heading home. Now her younger sister is following in her footsteps.

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Works Cited

Macy’s Herald Square. Macy’s Herald Square Visitor Guide. https://assets.stores.macys.com.prod.rioseo.com/pdf/HSQ%20Tourism_Trifold_9x12_FINAL%20(1).pdf.

—. “Macy’s Wooden Escalators.” Atlas Obscura, 3 Dec. 2024, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/macys-wooden-escalators.

THE STAR OF 34TH STREET | New York Lifestyles Magazine. https://newyorklifestylesmagazine.com/…/2024/11/fe03.html.

The Amateur Athletic Union held the first United States national fencing championship in 1888 at the Metropolitan Opera House in midtown Manhattan. There are seven NCAA fencing teams in New York City alone, with others clustered in the surrounding area. NCAA fencers attending NYC colleges typically train at both their schools and at private clubs such as Fencers Club, Manhattan Fencing Center, and the New York Athletic Club. Half of the United States Paris 2024 Olympic fencing team members represented NYC clubs.

My husband moved to NYC to attend Columbia University and fence on their Division One team. He represented the New York Athletic Club in épée while I fenced foil for Fencers Club. Last week, our youngest child made her debut at a Fencers Club youth foil tournament.

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Works Cited

Kirby, Jen, and Emily Maye. “New York’s Olympic Sport Is Fencing.” Intelligencer, 10 Aug. 2016, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/08/new-yorks-olympic-sport-is-fencing.html.

Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics. https://www.usafencing.org/paris2024.

USA Fencing. “NCAA Fencing Programs.” USA Fencing, https://res.cloudinary.com/…/1ae5b298589d1e4ffefc415d86…. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Walsh, Laura. “Elegance in Athletics.” Amateur Athletic Union, 24 Oct. 2019, https://aausports.org/news.php?news_id=1836833.

In both fencing and chess, you have to be able to anticipate the future and adapt as possibilities change. The process happens in seconds. In fencing, technique and competitive experience are usually the determining factors in who wins a bout. Watching tournaments allows you to spot what is happening and quickly identify solutions.

One of the reasons why I chose to raise my family in the New York Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is because resources are plentiful here. From coaching to competitions, everything we need is located within driving distance of our home.

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Works Cited

Davis, Marc. “Fencing teaches students ‘physical chess’ required for unique sport.” WTKR News 3, Scripps Media, Inc, 15 Aug. 2024, https://www.wtkr.com/sports/fencing-teaches-students-physical-chess-required-for-unique-sport.

Fischer, Muriel. “Fencing: Chess Game of the Athletic Arena.” The New York Times, 5 June 1978, https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/05/archives/fencing-chess-game-of-the-athletic-arena.html.

Harper, Marc. “FENCING: CHESS AT 100 MILES AN HOUR.” Greensboro News & Record, BH Media, Inc., 25 Dec. 1994, https://greensboro.com/fencing-chess-at-100-miles-an-hour/article_38a37ae6-b4aa-51b7-a2d3-98f0d72f5aad.html.

“New York State Geography.” Department of Labor, https://dol.ny.gov/new-york-state-geography.

Chess became popular in New York City in the 1800s. The first American Chess Congress was held in 1857 on the site of what would become the Wanamaker’s Department Store, followed by the first Chess World Championship in 1886. Lectures and free chess sets are available Thursday through Sunday at the Chess and Checkers House in Central Park, along with outdoor games at Bryant Park, Union Square, and Washington Square Park.

I always thought it was normal for everyone to play chess. I used to carry around a portable chess set and play with anyone who was interested. I owned one of the first personal computerized chess sets sold by Radio Shack in the 1980s. After I made a move, the system would beep and lights would indicate the square where I needed to move a piece for my opponent.

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Works Cited

“Chess and Checkers House.” Central Park Conservancy, www.centralparknyc.org/locations/chess-checkers-house.

Green, Nathaniel. “All the World Chess Champions.” Chess.com, 20 Nov. 2023, https://www.chess.com/article/view/world-chess-champions

Soltis, Andrew E. “Chess | Game, Setup, Board, and Pieces.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Nov. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/chess/History.

The First American Chess Congress. www.edochess.ca/batgirl/morphybio4.html.