Coaching at Competitions
You can hire a PVFA coach to help you at competitions.
What the coach provides:
The coach will lead a warm up activity, possibly a short warm up lesson if time and space allow, strip coaching in the pools and DE's, notes, and video review if a parent is taking video.
Fees: (Note that the numbers here are given as suggestions or guidelines. Individual coaches may have higher fees or may be willing to negotiate lower ones.)
Payment is to be directly to the coach and not to PVFA.
Travel fee of $15 per half hour of driving (each way), rounded up to nearest half hour. Trips to Worcester Fencing Club and Enfield Fencing Club are a flat fee of $30 round trip. This fee may be reduced to $10 per half hour of travel if the fencer or parent is providing transportation for a coach. It is up to the coach whether or not to travel with the family if that is offered as an option.
Local events - $120 per event per fencer.
Regional events (ROC, or RJCC, SYC, etc.) - $150 per event per fencer.
NACs, National championships, JO Championships - $200 per event per fencer.
Any event that requires a hotel and/or airfare, the students pay 100% of the hotel and travel costs including rental car fees if deemed necessary by the coach, plus an extra $25 fee per day for meals. Travel days before and after flying to competitions are $150 fee per day.
Example 1 - Local event in Worcester would cost $120 for the event plus $30 for travel, a total of $150.
Example 2 - Hiring for one event at a NAC in Columbus would cost airfare of roughly $450, plus $400 for hotel, plus $300 travel to and from, plus $200 for the event, and $75 for three days of meals. This costs the fencer about $1,400 but earns the coach $500 for being away from home for three days, which is enough to hire a plumber for three hours of work.
Notice to fencers and parents:
Scheduling conflicts, illness, injury, etc. may prevent a coach from being available during competitions. It is up to the individual coach whether or not to accept the job to strip coach a fencer at a competition. Coaches must be given adequate notice before the competition in order to arrange their schedule and travel needs, this is generally at least two weeks prior to local events, perhaps a month or more for anything requiring a hotel. The coach stays in the same hotel as the fencer for transportation and logistical convenience. Fencers who are minor children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is not the coach. Coaches do not provide child care and do not act as legal guardians of minors during travel. Coaches do not stay in hotel rooms with students of any age nor do they provide transportation to students under the age of 18. If a coach is hired by an adult fencer, the coach and fencer may arrange travel details (such as sharing a rental car) as they see fit.
If coaching more than one person at an event, the travel fees are split between students and the event fees are reduced by $20 per person per event. The reduced cost is related to the likelihood that time is split between students and the coach may not be 100% available to every student throughout the day.
Students must also be aware that although strip coaching can be helpful that there is no guarantee it will win bouts for them and that the main benefit is for the coach to see the student perform at competitions in order to help the coach better train the student for future competitions. In the eventuality of two PVFA fencers fencing against each other, the coach will not strip coach either fencer in that match, but will take notes and offer feedback to them at a later time.
What the coach provides:
The coach will lead a warm up activity, possibly a short warm up lesson if time and space allow, strip coaching in the pools and DE's, notes, and video review if a parent is taking video.
Fees: (Note that the numbers here are given as suggestions or guidelines. Individual coaches may have higher fees or may be willing to negotiate lower ones.)
Payment is to be directly to the coach and not to PVFA.
Travel fee of $15 per half hour of driving (each way), rounded up to nearest half hour. Trips to Worcester Fencing Club and Enfield Fencing Club are a flat fee of $30 round trip. This fee may be reduced to $10 per half hour of travel if the fencer or parent is providing transportation for a coach. It is up to the coach whether or not to travel with the family if that is offered as an option.
Local events - $120 per event per fencer.
Regional events (ROC, or RJCC, SYC, etc.) - $150 per event per fencer.
NACs, National championships, JO Championships - $200 per event per fencer.
Any event that requires a hotel and/or airfare, the students pay 100% of the hotel and travel costs including rental car fees if deemed necessary by the coach, plus an extra $25 fee per day for meals. Travel days before and after flying to competitions are $150 fee per day.
Example 1 - Local event in Worcester would cost $120 for the event plus $30 for travel, a total of $150.
Example 2 - Hiring for one event at a NAC in Columbus would cost airfare of roughly $450, plus $400 for hotel, plus $300 travel to and from, plus $200 for the event, and $75 for three days of meals. This costs the fencer about $1,400 but earns the coach $500 for being away from home for three days, which is enough to hire a plumber for three hours of work.
Notice to fencers and parents:
Scheduling conflicts, illness, injury, etc. may prevent a coach from being available during competitions. It is up to the individual coach whether or not to accept the job to strip coach a fencer at a competition. Coaches must be given adequate notice before the competition in order to arrange their schedule and travel needs, this is generally at least two weeks prior to local events, perhaps a month or more for anything requiring a hotel. The coach stays in the same hotel as the fencer for transportation and logistical convenience. Fencers who are minor children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who is not the coach. Coaches do not provide child care and do not act as legal guardians of minors during travel. Coaches do not stay in hotel rooms with students of any age nor do they provide transportation to students under the age of 18. If a coach is hired by an adult fencer, the coach and fencer may arrange travel details (such as sharing a rental car) as they see fit.
If coaching more than one person at an event, the travel fees are split between students and the event fees are reduced by $20 per person per event. The reduced cost is related to the likelihood that time is split between students and the coach may not be 100% available to every student throughout the day.
Students must also be aware that although strip coaching can be helpful that there is no guarantee it will win bouts for them and that the main benefit is for the coach to see the student perform at competitions in order to help the coach better train the student for future competitions. In the eventuality of two PVFA fencers fencing against each other, the coach will not strip coach either fencer in that match, but will take notes and offer feedback to them at a later time.