A thank-you for your junior fencing coach at the end of the season: a team photo as a jigsaw, with your note at the end

Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any fencing club, school, league, federation or governing body, and nothing here is safeguarding, legal or coaching advice.

Junior fencing runs on a surprising amount of goodwill. Somewhere behind every young fencer is a coach who turned up to a cold sports hall on a Tuesday night, taught the same lunge for the hundredth time, plugged in the scoring boxes, untangled body wires, drove to a regional competition at six in the morning and stood at the end of the piste saying "breathe, reset, next touch" when a bout was slipping away. Around them there's usually an assistant coach, a team manager who handles entries and lifts, an armourer (often a parent with a soldering iron) who keeps blades and spools working, and a handful of volunteers who set up and pack away the strips.

Indoor fencing seasons tend to build through autumn and winter: club championships, regional and youth circuit events, school competitions and presentation evenings, with many clubs holding an end-of-term or Christmas festival before the holidays. That makes the next few weeks a natural moment to say thank you. This post collects practical ideas, most of which have nothing to do with our product, and explains one we make: turning a team photo into a private digital jigsaw that ends with a note from the fencers and families.

Words first

The thank-you a coach remembers is usually a specific sentence, not a present. Tell them one thing they did: the first time your child scored a clean parry-riposte, the patience with a nervous beginner who kept stepping off the end of the piste, the calm words after a heavy pool, the way they made a shy kid feel part of the salle. A few honest lines from a family, and a drawing or short note from a young fencer, are worth more than anything you can buy.

It also helps to tell the people above them. A short message to the club secretary, junior chair or committee, or to the athletic director or head of PE if it's a school team, naming what the coach and the volunteers have done, goes a long way. Committees mostly hear about broken kit and booking clashes, not the good news. Many clubs, regional associations and school sport programmes also run volunteer or coach-of-the-year awards; a two-paragraph nomination costs nothing and can mean a lot.

A group gift, not a competition

If families want to give something, one gift from the whole squad is kinder than a pile of separate ones. It keeps things fair for families who can't contribute much and spares the coach any awkwardness. Some clubs and schools have a gift policy for coaches and staff (especially paid coaches or teachers), so check with the club secretary or school before collecting money. And keep it completely separate from anything competitive: a thank-you should never feel connected to team selection, bout order in a team event, who gets entered for which competition, or travel places.

When to send it

• after the last competition of the season or the club championships;
• at the presentation evening or end-of-season banquet;
• at the end of term, before the club breaks for the holidays;
• around a Christmas festival or fun competition;
• when a coach, armourer or team manager is stepping down;
• between seasons, as a "thank you, see you in September".

Why a puzzle fits

Fencing is a sport of small pieces: footwork, distance, timing, a feint here, a beat there, all coming together in one clean touch. A jigsaw works the same way. A digital puzzle is something a busy coach can open on a phone on the train home from a competition, solve slowly with a cup of tea, and finish to find a message from the fencers they've coached. It doesn't replace the card or the kind word; it's a small extra that takes a few quiet minutes to enjoy.

Photo ideas (with consent)

Only use photos where everyone who appears is happy to be included, and where children appear, only with their parents' agreement and in line with your club's or school's photography and safeguarding policy. Good options:

• the squad photo from a club championship or presentation night;
• the coach with the junior group after their first competition, masks under arms;
• the volunteers who set up the strips, if they're happy to be in it;
• a faceless shot: a row of masks on a bench, foils, épées and sabres racked against the wall, an empty piste under the hall lights, a scoring box with its lights on, or a whiteboard with the season's results drawn in marker.

Fencing makes faceless photos unusually easy, because masks already hide faces. They still say "our club" without showing anyone. Avoid photos of injuries, tears after a hard bout, changing areas, or anyone who's asked not to be photographed.

JPG tips

• Use a JPG; most phone photos already are.
• Sports halls often have flat, cool light. A slightly warmer edit and a little extra contrast can help.
• White jackets, breeches and lamés can blow out to plain white on a phone, which makes large blank areas that are hard to solve. Pick a photo where the whites keep some detail, or one with coloured club tracksuits, kit bags and banners in the frame.
• Crop out empty floor and bare walls so the people or the interesting detail fill the frame.

Privacy before you upload

Before you upload, crop or avoid:

• anyone who hasn't agreed to the photo being used, and children whose parents haven't agreed;
• names printed on the back of jackets or tracksuits, and licence or membership numbers;
• ranking lists, pool sheets and results boards with full names;
• school logos or crests if you'd rather not say which school a child attends;
• car registration plates in the car park;
• signs that show where the club trains and when.

Puzzlify links are private by default (only people with the link can open them), and you can add an optional PIN if you want an extra lock. Tell the coach the link is coming from you, so they don't mistake it for a scam message.

How many pieces?

Play times are rough and vary a lot with the photo and the person.

The leaderboard

If several people solve it, there's a simple leaderboard, so the junior group can find out whether they're quicker than their coach. It's optional, and it works best at a middle size like 48 or 80 pieces.

What to write in the note

The note appears when the puzzle is complete, so keep it short and specific:

• "Thank you for every Tuesday night, every lunge and every 'reset, next touch'."
• "You taught us that losing a bout isn't losing. Thank you for a brilliant season."
• "Thanks for fixing my wire three times in one pool. You're a legend."
• "From the beginners who couldn't hold a foil in September. Look at us now."

Sign it with first names, or from "the junior squad" or "the Tuesday group" if that feels right.

What it costs, honestly

Making the puzzle and previewing it in your browser is free, so you can see how your photo looks as a jigsaw before deciding anything. You only pay when you publish the link to send it: €3.99 for one puzzle (one credit), €8.99 for three (for example the head coach, the assistant coach and the armourer), or Puzzlify Plus at €14.99 a year for ten. The person who receives it doesn't need an account or an app; they just open the link. Photos you upload aren't used to train AI.

It's a digital puzzle only: nothing is printed or posted, and it isn't a cardboard jigsaw. If you'd prefer something physical, a printed photo puzzle from a local shop is a lovely alternative. To avoid confusion, Puzzlify isn't puzzlify.io (a chess site), Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify.

You can try it at the Puzzlify puzzle maker.

Other ways to say thank you (no puzzle required)

• a card signed by every fencer and family, handed over at the last session of term;
• a nomination for a club, regional or school volunteer or coach award;
• offering to help with the jobs they usually carry alone: setting up strips, entries, lifts, the club newsletter;
• a contribution towards a coaching or armoury course they've mentioned wanting to take;
• a voucher for a meal or a coffee shop near the hall, so they get an evening off;
• simply turning up: to the club fun competition, the work day, or the event that never gets enough helpers.

Any of these on its own is a good thank-you. The jigsaw is one more way to give your coach something that comes together one piece at a time, like a fencer's season does. If you'd like to see how yours would look first, make a free preview.

Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Not affiliated with any fencing club, school, league, federation or governing body. Not safeguarding, legal or coaching advice.