We appreciate the input, advice, and support from all of those fencers, coaches, clubs, and parents out there.  The work is just beginning however.  Please continue to contribute your thoughts, suggestions and ideas of how we can make US Fencing better and how we can help serve you as we strive to complete the process of crafting our Strategic Plan.

As we move forward, we expect to continue to present our ideas to the membership.  We’re going to need your feedback when we do.  What’s working?  What isn’t?  What should we do better or differently?  What else would you like to see done?

We welcome you to read through these discussion papers and think about the plans they contain when considering your votes.

You can also find further discussion of these and many other topics in the “2008 USFA Election” discussion forum hosted by fencing.net.  Members of both slates of candidates, as well as hundreds of other USFA members just like you, are talking about the issues that matter there right now.

A few points about the nomination process (you can get more details in the USFA Nominating Committee Report). The nominating committee selects each of the officer positions independently; there was not a group of people who came to them together with a defined platform and plans for implementation. Rather, each of us went to the committee as individuals, each with our own experiences and backgrounds. We brought our own ideas about how to run the organization and what we believed would be the best directions for US Fencing over the next four years.

Since our official nomination we have been working together to begin our planning process—but that process is far from complete. In fact, it will not be complete, and we would not want it to be complete, without extensive involvement of the many USFA constituencies. That process can begin now, as you read our ideas on this website. Please email us at usfanominees@gmail.com with your thoughts about our plans, and concerns that you think it important for the organization to address during the coming quad. And our plans include ways for this kind of input to continue as the organization moves forward.

You’ll probably wish that there was more information about some of our ideas—we are continuing to think things through, and plan to update the site as they are fleshed out.

Once again, please don’t hesitate to email us; and we’ll be in Portland at the NAC, where we are looking forward meeting you in person.

Kalle, Jerry, Ro, Mark, Greg, and Brad
usfanominees@gmail.com