The U.S. Fencing Association attracted more attendees to its National Championships when it held the event in Reno, Nevada.

HERE’S HOW ONE SPORTS ORGANIZATION OUTPERFORMED IN RENO, NEVADA. The U.S. Fencing Association (USFA) attracted more members from the central U.S.—a base it’s trying to bolster—in a big surprise turn for the first time in the organization’s medal history, it garnered the most medals ever. The organization also held the Pan American Zonal Championships at the same time, an unprecedented move.

Not bad for a sport on the verge of a rebirth in the U.S., and doubly not bad for athletes’ morale going into the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

“We don’t wish to see our members travel extensively, and because we have members across the country, we’ll always rotate,” said J.R. Bourne, the director of national events with the U.S. Fencing Association and the key planner behind the USA Fencing National Championships that convened in Nevada this year. 

It helps that the club-based sport’s members wanted to go to Reno. 

“You need to base it on where people want to go,” said Bourne, who adds many of its significant clubs are in the U.S. northeast and San Francisco, so the location proved to be ideal. 

With recent updates to the convention center and a connected hotel, the USFA’s decision to hold the world’s largest fencing tournament in Reno became an easier one. 

Like true patriots, the 6,618 competitors were ready for mortal combat over the Fourth of July weekend. In white padded suits, they waved their sharp swords in “America’s adventure place,” Reno’s affectionate moniker.

The 10-day event was scheduled to help coincide with members’ vacations and not to conflict with other international competitions. For families, it meant a trip to beautiful Lake Tahoe post-competition. 

“Most of the younger kids were fencing the first weekend through the holidays,” Bourne said. “I know many parents went up to Tahoe just because it’s so pretty. Tough to go to Reno and not go to Tahoe.”

During the past few years, the city has invested more than US$1 billion in development, of which approximately 70 percent has gone toward infrastructure improvements. 

“Downtown Reno is also experiencing growth and redevelopment thanks to the Reno Aces, the hometown AAA baseball team,” said John Leinen, vice president of convention and tourism sales at the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA). 

Other new initiatives include the Nevada Discovery Museum, a children’s museum; CommRow, the world’s tallest rock-climbing wall (164 feet); and the transformation of the old Fitzgerald building into a downtown outdoor adventure venue. 

During the championships, local businesses saw full hotels and bustling restaurants that resulted in a direct economic impact of approximately $3.4 million. 

Meanwhile, inside the Reno-Sparks Convention Center (RSCC), fencers took to the carefully calibrated strips. The commands “En Guard!” “Turn!” “Parry!” “Thrust!” echoed as fencers aged eight to 80 sliced the air with the second-fastest moving object in sport, the sword tip, hoping to defeat opponents.

For the spectators watching the free public event, the motions might be akin to watching old Zorro flicks or The Adventures of Robin Hood from bygone days. For the new generation, the Xbox games of plasma sword fighting “Mortal Kombat” might just be one of the factors adding to the niche sport’s revival. 

“Kids need fencing because it’s a confidence builder,” Bourne said. “There’s the agility, and it’s [valuable] to get out there and try something different.”

But fencing’s growing popularity can also be attributed to the club aspect and the camaraderie, he notes. 

“It’s a huge factor,” Bourne said. “It’s not just high-performance elite athletes. We’re seeing more growth in the veterans, where it’s social and active.”

The sport’s revival is also attributed to corporate sponsorship endorsements such as those from Leon Paul, Blue Gauntlet Fencing Gear and Absolute Fencing Gear. Bourne says Nike recently signed on to supply Team USA with uniforms, while Absolute Fencing is now sponsoring scholarships. 

“With Absolute Fencing sponsoring five scholarships, this is also an important step for us,” he said. “Five new kids can now move forward with this sport.”

Behind the scenes, the logistics of staging such an event appear daunting, with schedules, transfers, hotel blocks and venue selection, not to mention accommodating a nearly last-minute request to add an additional international competition.

Shortly before hosting the national championships, the USFA was asked to host another mega competition: the Pan American Zonal Championships. 

“We didn’t have the resources to have them in a different city, so we added an extra ballroom at the convention center for the entire competition,” Bourne said. “We also got extra rooms for the international athletes and referees at another hotel.” 

But Bourne says Reno-Tahoe got it right. Known in the meeting industry for playing host to a variety of sectors—such as trade, environmental and athletic, sport and recreation organizations—the compact region was ready to pick up the torch. 

“Fencing tournaments are one of the few events where the primary need is space,” Leinen said. “There are many sporting events that require a lot of setup work and participation from RSCVA, but USFA had all the tools in place. More than anything else, RSCVA contributed the knowledge of the facility to help the organizers design the layout. Also, the exceptional docking capacities of the RSCC made the experience easy and stress-free.”

As the convention center morphed into a duelling emporium, the crowds and competitors came in droves. 

“What’s cool about the convention center is it was easy for people to figure out,” Bourne said. “People are nervous when it comes to competition; they could be brand new or it’s their first international competition, so the easier we could make it for them the better. The RSCC had signs everywhere.” 

The community itself embraced the attendees, and the RSCVA says its main goal was to ensure that the delegates felt welcome during their stay.

Hosting the international competition also proved to be a big win, because the smaller countries were wowed by the sheer size. 

“They saw our 60 fencing strips—plus a final strip for more than 6,600 competitors—and it was pretty overwhelming because they just don’t see that size back home,” Bourne said. “Other than the Olympics, the Pan American Zonal Championships are just behind the Pan American Games, so it’s huge. For the fencers from all ages to be there was pretty cool.”

Going into an Olympic year, the Pan American Zonal Championships hosted on U.S. soil was another attractive reason. 

“We knew it would favor us in the long run, but it ended up favoring us a lot. We ended up winning gold in all the competitions,” Bourne said, explaining the results of this international competition will undoubtedly contribute on how many people will go to the Olympics. “These are big athletes. It’s a test run before the big day.”

If Team USA’s standing at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games is a sign for good things to come (the fencing teams captured the highest number of medals in its history), watch out London. One+

TAGS: fencing , Nevada , One+ December 2011 , Reno