INTERACTIVE SESSION CONCLUDES WITH PLANS FOR MORE REGULAR WEBINARS
After the success of the “Get Ready For The New Season” referee seminar series, the EFC concluded the first online seminar series for armourers at the weekend.
Led by EFC COMEX Member Etienne Van Cann, the final session was interactive with delegates splitting into breakout rooms to discuss a number of topics. Martina Zmaíc, Stefan Clausen, Piet Wauters, Peter Huggins and Pascal Tesch led the rooms where three main topics were discussed.
The groups first discussed Sanitary Considerations, pertinent in light of the recent global pandemic. All welcomed the idea of scheduling for weapon control at major championships with communications conducted between the control teams and federations by email. With time limited at other events including the EFC Circuit, further discussions were required to establish how to delegate some checks (e.g. clothing labels) to piste referees.
The second topic on the agenda was Formal Training. Again, everyone was in agreement that formal training should be mandatory and that the EFC should consider ways to train up national representatives. Those representatives could then disseminate the information within their own countries. Furthermore, whilst it was agreed that the technical elements of training could be conducted virtually, practical training should take place in person. Great Britain’s training, which has been in place for over two decades, could form the foundation of any future plans for the whole zone. Finally, the delegates agreed that stress-management should also be included in the training.
The final topic was centred on Feedback and Future Plans where the general consensus was that the initial phase of training was well received and should be continued on a more regular basis. The groups requested that the first three webinars were made more widely available, since they were recorded, and that a Weapon Control & Call Room checklist should be created. It was also suggested that post-event reporting should become more formal so that lessons can be learned by everyone in the zone.
Speaking about the success of the project, Etienne Van Cann said, “The series of webinars was very well attended. I am grateful that we have been able to contribute significantly to the objectives of EFC's educational programme aimed at development in the areas of administration, infrastructure and staff development- a major focused approach as outlined by President Pozdnyakov in his regional meeting in Athens last week with representatives of fencing federations and NOCs.”
