Schedules and all sorts of other stuff - 30 Nov 11

All of the videos from the past two tournaments have been posted to our YouTube channel. Have fun! If you have video or pictures of your own that you'd like to share, feel free either to upload them to the clubs' Facebook pages or to send them to me for uploading.

With the holidays and such, the calendar's too broken up to offer December classes at IWFC. That means that evening slots are available for private lessons! So if you've been wanting some one-on-one work and daytime hours don't work for you, now's your chance! Times: Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00, Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30, and Friday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30. Call 238-3111 or email coach@iwfc.net with questions or to schedule.

How about some youth fencing? We're going to give it a go on Monday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:00, ages 7-9, at IWFC. Due to how chopped up the the calendar is for the next several weeks, we won't be able to start until after the first of the year but we'll start on January 2. Email coach@iwfc.net or call 238-3111 to sign up your young fencer.

We have wifi! Just let me know when you want to get online (at either IWFC or PFC) and I'll set you up. (It's a limited data plan so save your heavy streaming for home, please. If we hit our quota for the month, that's it until next month.)

Phone number reminder: If you have me or the club in your contacts list, take a moment to check the phone number please. If the number you have ends in 3603, please delete it and replace it with 238-3111. (The 3603 number is going away and is no longer being monitored.)

Videos, orders, gift ideas - 25 Nov 11

The videos from the Halloween Open are up! I wasn't able to take video of any of our foilists (coaching comes first!) but I did get most of the final and semi-final matches in all three weapons. If you have video or pictures of the tournament you'd like to share, feel free to upload them to either club's Facebook page or send them to me and I'll post them for you. Up next, videos from last weekend's Thanksgiving Throwdown in Richmond...

The December equipment order goes in on Wednesday, December 7. Looking for gift ideas for your fencer? One of the many great things about fencers is that we're easy to shop for! More fencing stuff is almost always a good thing! If you need gift suggestions for your fencer, let me know and I'll toss some ideas your way. And fencers, you can visit Absolute's website and oh-so-casually print out things you want and leave them carefully scattered around the house -- or better yet, hand them to someone when they ask you what you want!

Club swag is also a great gift and you can get that from me at any practice session. There are club socks (black with IWFC or PFC down the sides in gray), tees, water bottles, patches, keychains -- all sorts of stuff! Supplies are limited on the tees so don't wait too long! And don't worry about your fencer finding out, I can help you sneak things around them.

Want 'fencing in general' stuff? Visit the Pointed Comments online store for all sorts of fencing-themed shirts, mugs, decals, etc. CafePress is running all sorts of discounts and sales from now through the end of the year so this is a great time to grab stuff! (Note: You can use this link to see items in an easy-to-view format but use the first link to actually purchase items in order to get the best price. Although they're the same items, CafePress only does the code-free discounted prices if you visit the store via the first link. Don't ask me why, I don't know either!)

Quick links - 22 Nov 11

Check it out! There's a fencing scene in the new Muppet Movie!

Meet Adrienne Jarocki, a former beauty pageant queen and champion ballroom dancer who is now aiming for the 2016 Olympics. Oh, and she's 16.

Two excellent YouTube channels for fencing videos: CyrusofChaos and FIEVideo. Fantastic stuff!

Thanksgiving schedule - 21 Nov 11

We're fencing as usual Monday and Tuesday evening but then we're taking a few days off for Thanksgiving! No fencing at either location Wednesday through Sunday but we'll pick up where we left off next Monday, the 28th.

A woo and two hoos! - 21 Nov 11

What a fantastic weekend! We had six fencers in four different events at the tournament in Richmond. Morgan started things off with a bang, taking a strong sixth in Saturday's saber. Alex and Raegan kept the ball rolling with their first-ever tournament appearances in the Y12 foil, looking like pros and doing us proud. On Sunday, Scott took third in the C and under foil, followed by Shane and Mark wrapping the weekend up in style in the novice foil. It was Mark's first-ever tournament outing and he very nearly pulled off the upset in his first elimination round! Shane brought the weekend to a grand close with an equally close elimination match of his own, finishing in third. Congratulations, everyone! Full results can be seen here and video will hopefully be hitting our YouTube channel over Thanksgiving. If you have photos or video of your own you'd like to share, feel free to upload it to either club's Facebook page (IWFC, PFC) or to send it to me to be posted.

Tournaments past and future, carpools here and there - 6 Nov 11

A big 'Way to go!' goes out to all of our fencers who competed in the W&M Halloween Open last weekend. Plus a huge 'Thank you!' for all the family and friends who came out to support them and to cheer them on. What a great weekend! We had five foilists competing on Saturday and it was the first time out for most of them. Everyone did a great job facing a wide variety of opponents and handled themselves well from beginning to end. As noted earlier, I heard a lot of great things about you from other fencers and refs. Well done, all! Full results are here and a few photos have already been posted to the IWFC Facebook page. If you have pictures of your own you'd like to share, you're welcome to upload them there or to PFC's Facebook page. Or if you'd rather, email them to me and I'll post them. Additionally, I have a few pics and some video that will be hitting our YouTube channel sooner or later.

So what's next? How about the Thanksgiving Throwdown November 19-20 in Richmond? There will be three different foil events, two of which are rating-restricted and one is limited to those whose first tournament was after November 19, 2010. Epee and saber will be fenced as well. Not enough options for you? Well, how about a foil event that's limited to fencers born between 1999 and 2002. Yep, some of you younger fencers can go out and play in this one too!

Now how about a bit of help attending practices or getting to and from tournaments? We're scattered all over Hampton Roads and sometimes a little help getting from here to there wouldn't go amiss. So! If you're interested in carpooling to practices or tourneys, let me know. Tell me if you'd like to drive, ride, or both. And if it's to PFC, IWFC, tournaments, or any combo thereof. I'll put likely matches in contact with each other so you can work out the details from there.

Ack! November! - 4 Nov 11

Didn't know November began with an 'Ack!' did you? I got caught up in the preparation for last weekend's tournament and forgot all about the November beginner class and order! But as they say, 'Better late than never!'

The beginner class will start next Wednesday, November 9. Due to the late start and the Thanksgiving holiday, it will end on December 5. The next beginner class after this one will be in January. Visit our fees and info page for details. Email coach@iwfc.net or call 238-3111 to sign up.

The November equipment order will also go in on the 9th so you've still got time to turn in an order if you're wanting new stuff for the Richmond tourney on the 19th.

Stay tuned -- last weekend's recap, info on the next area tournament, and carpooling thoughts are up next!