Trying to right a wrong that the head fencing coach at school committed against this girl
Long story, some of you have followed my fencing thread, so I have a young fencer named Dasha who is a foreign exchange student from Moscow, Russia. She came to the USA to go to high school with the hopes and dreams of earning a spot on an elite college fencing team. The head coach at the high school SEEMS TO HAVE MISLED this girl into believing that there is a high quality fencing program at the school during the recruiting process.
So we have this girl who is an amazing fencer and I've been doing my best to coach her. She knows my limitations. I've gotten her real coaching from elite coaches/fencers when I can arrange it. She wins everything at the high school level. Literally has a perfect/unbeaten record. Also apparently an "A" student.
None of that is enough to get her onto an elite fencing team at a top university here in the US. But the coach at the high school apparently believes that is enough. No real coach believes it.
She has no national competitive experience inside the USA and that is necessity. As she is not a US citizen there are only a few national events she can attend to earn those points. Of course her head coach doesn't understand any of this, figured the high school gold medals were good enough. That coach is wrong. There is 1, exactly 1, remaining event that Dasha can attend this season and it happens to be in North Carolina. The event will be held the last couple days of the high school's Christmas break. Dasha was supposed to be in Vienna with her family during this tournament and then flying back to Chicago the last day of break to return to school.
I explained the importance of this tournament. A "real" coach, who is also an international competitor, explained the importance of this event to her. Translated it all to her mom in Russia.
So she got permission to attend but there is a major snag. She had no chaperone for the event, not legal for a minor to check into a hotel room, etc.
The lovely Mrs_Bob said we should take her
Well we are not taking her, but we are meeting her at the airport in Charlotte when she flies in from Vienna, getting her to the hotel, staying with her (different rooms!) and getting her back to Chicago. Its taken a bit of effort to work out all the details, get temporary guardianship over her wellbeing, etc but its all apparently sorted out.
And this is a BIG event. Olympians and National Team members will be competing in the same events. No way that I can coach her at this event. Its so far above my ability that it would be crazy for me to try. Talked to my friend who is a high level coach. He has a conflict and can't coach her. So he is trying to find her a college coach who is willing to coach her, thinks he can arrange that. I hope so. Our goal is to get Dasha into the "top 64" or maybe even "top 32" at this event. That would be nearly monumental for a first time competitor at this event but its the last shot we have for this season. And she needs the points THIS SEASON. College recruiters recruit during students high school JUNIOR year and Dasha is a junior this year.
So if anyone here wants to know how angry I am over this whole situation with the fencing program at the high school, and wants to know how far I'm willing to go to fix a wrong, apparently I'm wiling to travel nearly 1000 miles at my own expense for a kid I've never even had a meal with, who has never even met my wife, heck she has never even seen photos of my dogs, just to try to give a kid the last opportunity that she may have at earning her dream. And following that dream is the ONLY reason she is even at the school where I volunteer coach, and that school misled her.
Oh, and we have NOT told the head coach at the high school about this trip.
The assistant coach is NOT telling the head coach. The assistant coach is also livid over this.
The foreign exchange student program is aware of my involvement. They have all my credentials, proof of background checks, contact info, etc.
But nobody is telling the head coach.
Long story, some of you have followed my fencing thread, so I have a young fencer named Dasha who is a foreign exchange student from Moscow, Russia. She came to the USA to go to high school with the hopes and dreams of earning a spot on an elite college fencing team. The head coach at the high school SEEMS TO HAVE MISLED this girl into believing that there is a high quality fencing program at the school during the recruiting process.
So we have this girl who is an amazing fencer and I've been doing my best to coach her. She knows my limitations. I've gotten her real coaching from elite coaches/fencers when I can arrange it. She wins everything at the high school level. Literally has a perfect/unbeaten record. Also apparently an "A" student.
None of that is enough to get her onto an elite fencing team at a top university here in the US. But the coach at the high school apparently believes that is enough. No real coach believes it.
She has no national competitive experience inside the USA and that is necessity. As she is not a US citizen there are only a few national events she can attend to earn those points. Of course her head coach doesn't understand any of this, figured the high school gold medals were good enough. That coach is wrong. There is 1, exactly 1, remaining event that Dasha can attend this season and it happens to be in North Carolina. The event will be held the last couple days of the high school's Christmas break. Dasha was supposed to be in Vienna with her family during this tournament and then flying back to Chicago the last day of break to return to school.
I explained the importance of this tournament. A "real" coach, who is also an international competitor, explained the importance of this event to her. Translated it all to her mom in Russia.
So she got permission to attend but there is a major snag. She had no chaperone for the event, not legal for a minor to check into a hotel room, etc.
The lovely Mrs_Bob said we should take her
Well we are not taking her, but we are meeting her at the airport in Charlotte when she flies in from Vienna, getting her to the hotel, staying with her (different rooms!) and getting her back to Chicago. Its taken a bit of effort to work out all the details, get temporary guardianship over her wellbeing, etc but its all apparently sorted out.
And this is a BIG event. Olympians and National Team members will be competing in the same events. No way that I can coach her at this event. Its so far above my ability that it would be crazy for me to try. Talked to my friend who is a high level coach. He has a conflict and can't coach her. So he is trying to find her a college coach who is willing to coach her, thinks he can arrange that. I hope so. Our goal is to get Dasha into the "top 64" or maybe even "top 32" at this event. That would be nearly monumental for a first time competitor at this event but its the last shot we have for this season. And she needs the points THIS SEASON. College recruiters recruit during students high school JUNIOR year and Dasha is a junior this year.
So if anyone here wants to know how angry I am over this whole situation with the fencing program at the high school, and wants to know how far I'm willing to go to fix a wrong, apparently I'm wiling to travel nearly 1000 miles at my own expense for a kid I've never even had a meal with, who has never even met my wife, heck she has never even seen photos of my dogs, just to try to give a kid the last opportunity that she may have at earning her dream. And following that dream is the ONLY reason she is even at the school where I volunteer coach, and that school misled her.
Oh, and we have NOT told the head coach at the high school about this trip.
The assistant coach is NOT telling the head coach. The assistant coach is also livid over this.
The foreign exchange student program is aware of my involvement. They have all my credentials, proof of background checks, contact info, etc.
But nobody is telling the head coach.