🎧 Listen to This Feature
Length: 5 minutes, 23 seconds
WE'VE ALL BEEN THERE
To post or not to post? That's the question many of us have when we want to share the latest triumph or tragedy in our fencing lives.
Every platform and every audience has its own rules. So this isn't your one-stop-shop for all the answers. It's more a summary of the tried-and-true guide posts that help any content resonate with the community.
5 Yays – What Works (in no particular order)
| Yay | Description |
|---|---|
Gratitude | A little thank you goes a long way. Share the wins, but don’t forget the thank-yous. A shout-out to your coach, club, or teammates who helped along the way makes the moment more meaningful. |
Authenticity | Be real, be you. Honest posts about challenges and successes connect with people far more than polished perfection. |
Context | Give a little backstory. Remember, not everyone watching is in the fencing bubble. Adding a bit of explanation can turn a niche post into something anyone can appreciate. |
Visuals | A picture (or video) is worth a thousand words. Action shots, podium pics, or even a quick clip from practice make your post stand out. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should bring your audience into the scene. |
Simplicity | Less is more. Keep it concise and direct—focus on the highlight, not the entire day. But remember, there's nothing wrong with going deep if you begin your post with the Internet's favorite blurb: Your very own "TLDR". |
5 Nays - What to Avoid (in no particular order)
| Nay | Description |
|---|---|
Boasting | There's a fine line between pride and show-off. One handy yardstick to tell the difference: Confidence is usually good, especially at the end of a mastery track journey; arrogance, however, is almost never appreciated, especially if your fencer career started less than one highschool graduation cycle ago. |
Inflating | Keep it 100% real. Sure, you can bulk-highlight the positive takeaways and snip out ugly mistakes...but avoid exaggerating details to make things sound bigger than they are—it’s better to stay grounded. |
Griping | It's okay to share struggles, but avoid the negativity spiral. Unless you can make it funny. I personally love a good shadenfreude spiral every now and again. |
Jargon | Save it for the comments or after your TLDR. Not everyone speaks fencing fluently...even within the sport! |
TLDR | Don't go full TLDR without posting a ...TL;DR! Common courtesy states: If you start to notice that scrollbar getting smaller, lead with a summary paragraph labeled "TL;DR" to hook readers and give them the choice to dive deeper. |
Remember, every post you share is a reflection of your journey and the fencing community. Let's make each share count for something positive!
Example Post - Putting it all together
Let's take a scenario and turn it into a post.
The Scenario: Fencer X just competed in a big tournament and did pretty good, finishing top 8 at a 60 person epee event. They didn't do great in pools, but thought about what was wrong, consulted with their coach and team, and fixed the issues working their way through the elimination rounds. Eventually Fencer X lost to a very good fencer, but was happy with the result.
This past weekend was an incredible learning experience at the [Tournament Name]. Out of 60 competitors, I managed to finish in the top 8, and I couldn't be prouder of the journey it took to get there.
Pools were rough—I wasn’t fencing like myself and ended up with a lower seed than I hoped for. But after chatting with my coach and teammates, we pinpointed what was off (mentally and tactically), and I went into the elimination rounds with a fresh perspective.
From there, things clicked. I fought my way through some tough DE bouts, including a nail-biter in the round of 16. Ultimately, I lost to [Fencer’s Name], an amazing competitor who pushed me to give my all.
Big thanks to my coach [Coach's Name] and my teammates at [Club Name] for your support and advice throughout the day—you guys are the best. ❤️ Also, shout-out to the organizers and refs for making the event run so smoothly.
📸 [Attach an action photo, podium pic, or a team selfie]
Looking forward to getting back to training and working on the areas that need improvement. Excited to see where the next tournament takes me! 💪🤺
On this page
- Introduction
- Five Tips that Work
- Five Things to Avoic
- Example Post
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