first evening beginner class will start Tuesday, August 19 at 6:30 pm.
The experiment I tried with the beginner class at the first of the year
didn’t work as well as I had hoped, so I am going back to the 6 week,
two night a week model. There will be an intermediate class starting at 7:30 pm. Cost is $50 for the class, plus the $10 USA Fencing membership, if you do not already have that.
is hosting open foil and epee events on August 31. These will be
strong events because many of the UNC fencers will be there. Right now the epee just needs a B to be a B event.
The foil needs a B and some bodies. Immediately following the close of fencing will be the Divisional
meeting which will plan the operation of the Division for the upcoming
season. I have proxies that can be signed if you are not going to
be there (or stay for the meeting). To sign a proxy you need to be 18
years old and a
competitive member of USA Fencing. Since I will be going up for the meeting I can take some people for the fencing.
Afterschool will start for returning fencers
the Tuesday after Labor Day and for new beginners on Monday a week after Labor
Day. Homeschool classes will start on the Wednesday after Labor Day at 1 pm.
The next session at Camp Lejeune will start Friday, September 5th. We will be moving the start of practice back to 6 pm and the beginner class to 7 pm to make it easier for people to get to practice at the beginning.
Saturday,
September 6 is the Lafayette Open/Harry Rulnick foil and epee at
All-American in Fayetteville. It looks like I will be observing so I can
offer rides. Gerhard always does interesting awards for these two
events. Right now both the foil and epee need more numbers.
That Sunday is an open foil and sabre tournament at NCFDP.
The
September evening beginner class will start on Monday, the 8th,at 6:30
pm and will run for 6 weeks on Monday and Wednesday. We will start an
intermediate class, if necessary on Wednesday. That will also be the
date (10th) that we start Wednesday practices back up. The UNCW fencers tend
to show up in force on Wednesday so there will be some people to fence.
For
those wanting to participate in a more regional event, Fredericksburg
is again hosting the Kick-Off Open on September 13-14. They have
Division 1A and Division II events. The first means anyone up to and
including As can participate, the second means C and below. These can
be used to qualify for the National Championships next summer. For the
Div1A, you must accumulate enough points over the course of the season –
meaning you would probably need to participate in a number of these.
However, finishing in the top 10% of the Division II event automatically
qualifies you for that event at Nationals. If you are a D and under I
believe that also qualifies you for Div. III. Veterans just need to
compete to be qualified for their events at Nationals. These were strong events last year, just ask anyone who went. The deadline to enter before the fees jump is 8/24.
Sunday is epee and sabre at NCFDP.
Our
first event of the season will be held on Saturday, September 20. We
will be having Open foil, Open epee, and an E and under epee. Please
start getting signed up on askfred so we can attract fencers from other
clubs and make these higher rated events. The events are pretty small at the moment.
The 27th will be our first 12 and under event. This one will pretty much be just for returning fencers as the new beginners won’t be that advanced yet. Foil at 10 am, Sabre at 1:30 pm, epee at 3:30 pm. Trophies to the top 3 and ties. Medals to those 9 and under who do not win a trophy. Swords to the top male and female fencer over the course of the year. In addition a sword will be given to the fencer voted as the showing the best sportsmanship.
Since
it is the new season, remember we need to get USA Fencing memberships
up to date so you are covered by our insurance. Plus you want to do
this soon so that you are listed as eligible for the upcoming
tournaments. It also means that we need to start getting club dues in,
especially for those who are paying in 6 month or yearly installments.
pax vobiscum,
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association
but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon
