Last night the temps at the salle were just about perfect and they should be even better tonight! Plus we're back to three fully electric strips again so come fence your brains out with us tonight. It'll be a nice change from sweating our brains out!
With the new season under way, the Virginia Division is starting to schedule tournaments again. Up next is the Back to School Brawl in Charlottesville on August 28-29. It's ratings-restricted (click link for details) and registration is $25 in advance versus $50 at the door.
After that it's the Kickoff Open September 18-19. It's in Annandale, VA, this year with a $35 preregistration fee ($70 at the door).
The Tech Open is next on September 25-26 in Blacksburg. Heads-up: That link is where the correct information will be posted but right now the details showing there are a bit off. I've let the Division know and it will likely be updated shortly. In the meanwhile, here's the direct link to the info on AskFRED.
On October 9-10, Richmond will be hosting a Refereeing Clinic and Open. Details will be added to the linked page as they become available.
Which takes us to the following weekend, October 16. Which is when WE will be hosting a one-day tournament! It will be a ratings-restricted foil event, probably E and under, and it will be a great opportunity for many of you to stick your toe into tournament waters. But I need a few things from the collective you out there:
1. I need a few people to volunteer to be on the tournament committee. No experience necessary but a bit of familiarity with fencing tournaments does help.
2. We need a name for this excellent event! Suggestions?
A few details: It will be held at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton as part of the Ultimate Combat Sports Challenge. There will also be competitions in wrestling, boxing, various martial arts, and more with participants coming in from all over the place according to the event organizer. The intent of the event is to bring Hampton Roads residents' attention to the variety of activities available to them throughout the area so hopefully we'll get a lot of spectators throughout the day. And we have a habit of turning spectators into fencers!
Interested in entering one or more of these events but haven't been to a tournament before? No worries! Take a look at How to Go To a Fencing Tournament for starters. And of course we can chat at club or via email about questions you might have. The main goal? Have fun!
Lastly, t-shirts! Cafe Press has changed how they're handling sales so I've changed the link for Pointed Comments on the vendor pages of the clubs' websites. Short version, if Cafe Press is having a sale that doesn't require a code, you can only get the sale prices via the new link. The old one will still charge you the full price. (I know, I don't get it either!)
That being said, they are having a sale on white and light-colored tees through August 22. Order three or more tees and enter code WHOT30 at checkout to receive 30% off!
And that, folks, is all for now!
