I, for one, welcome your new Fencing Overlords - 28 Aug 13

I can't say 'thank you!' enough to everyone who has had helped with things, including providing suggestions and supportive comments for the upcoming club transition.  This is especially true of Dave and Tanya Yeager and Scott Young.  These three have been putting some enormous time and energy into ensuring that fencing continues as seamlessly as possible after I leave.  You. Guys. ROCK!

Now for upcoming changes:

In September, the club will transfer to their control.  Practices will be on Monday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 at IWFC and will be open to fencers of all levels.  (Note: No fencing this Monday, September 2, due to Labor Day.)  I'll be there as much as I can until midmonth to help with things but they'll be the Official Voice of Fencing Awesomeness as of September 1.

There are many other changes under way, including searching for a new location.  A new location means a new name so welcome to the Hampton Roads Fencing Club!  And what does any awesome fencing club need?  An awesome logo!  Submit your ideas for a new club logo to hrfencingclub@gmail.com or bring them to a club practice no later than September 9.  For a color palette, use the blue, white, and green of the Hampton Roads flag.  If you decide to add more colors, please remember that the more colors there are in a design, the more expensive it is to get done on shirts, patches, etc.

Some key notes to help this transition go smoothly:

* If you've left fencing equipment at the salle, make sure you either collect it or make arrangements for someone to pick it up for you in the immediate future.

* Make sure your account is paid up.  It will make it much easier on us all!

* I will not be doing a club equipment order in September after all.  I have to stop trying to Do All the Things!!! or I'll never get anything done!  If you have questions about ordering stuff yourself, just let me know and I'll help however I can.

* Continue to watch the usual places for updates and information.  We'll let you know via these channels as things change -- including if these channels change!

* Although the club swag sale started because I wanted that space back in my car, the sale is still on because now the PFC and IWFC tees, socks, water bottles, etc. are collector's items!  Really.  Honest.  Let me know what you want, either at club or via email, and it's yours if I have it!  Tees, socks, and water bottles are $10, patches and key chains are $1.

Tournament, articles, and photos - 20 Aug 13

This weekend is the annual Back to School Brawl in Charlottesville.  There will be unrated and C-and-under events in all three weapons as well as Y10 and Y12 foil.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to be there (life gets in the way of fencing, go figure) but I'll be on hand at club this week to help you make sure your equipment's ready to go.

Don't forget about equipment changes for tournaments!  If you're planning on going to a foil event, your mask's bib has to have that conductive covering now.  (Effective at the beginning of last season.)  You don't have to buy a whole new mask, you can buy a cover that just needs to be stitched into place and you're good to go!  (Well, that and a mask cord to connect the bib to the lamé.)  And epeeists, don't forget to change the wiring on your socket if you haven't already.  That went into effect at the beginning of the current season, August 1.

Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson recently fenced an Olympic medalist.  How did it go?  (Dang, not only did he used to be the 7th-ranked fencer in Great Britain, he's also a rated pilot -- as in 'he can pilot a Boeing 757' rated.  Cool!)

Thank you, everyone who came out to AJ Gator's last Saturday!  We had a great turnout and a fun afternoon.  And there are even a few photos as proof.

And lastly, a HUGE thank you to all of our Poquoson Fencing Club folks who have made the past five years there so great!  It was hard closing up for the last time Sunday but we had a lot of fun taking pictures and such beforehand so we did end on a happy note!  Stay tuned to PoquosonFencingClub.com for ongoing news and updates via your preferred means (see options at the top of the page if you haven't already) -- fencing may be coming to a location near you!

Odd and ends, Poquoson schedule - 14 Aug 13

The order/payment page on the IWFC site is behaving again!

The photos button on the club sites now points directly to our Flickr page and there's a new video button for our YouTube channel.  Go check them out!  Have some photos or videos you'd like to share?  Send them in and I'll post them for you!

Don't forget our get-together at AJ Gators in Carrollton this Saturday.  Everyone's welcome so Poquoson fencers, I hope to see you there too!  (It's only about twenty minutes away from the Primary School.)  And that also goes for fencers who haven't been able to come out and play for a while.

Speaking of Poquoson, I just heard from Parks and Rec yesterday that the school won't be available on August 25.  The following weekend is Labor Day then after that I'm under the gun for the move so I'm afraid this Sunday, August 18, is our last Poquoson fencing practice.  HOWEVER!  This does not mean it's the end of fencing for you, however!  Plans are under way for transitioning the parent club, IWFC, to new leadership so stay tuned!

Equipment orders are due tonight - 8 Aug 13

Don't forget to turn in your equipment order and payment to me tonight! Equipment should be in by Wednesday next week.

Social time! - 7 Aug 13

Let's get together and hang out for a while -- in air conditioning, no less! -- Saturday, August 17, at AJ Gator's in Carrollton from 2:00 to whenever. This is in the shopping center catty-corner from the Food Lion shopping center on 17/Bridge Road. Turn at the Bojangles stoplight and you're there. Everyone's welcome, current members, former members, families. The more the loude- I mean, merrier! Speaking of families, they have a 'kids eat free' special on Saturday afternoons (one kid per adult) so bonus. Leave the fencing gear in the car (hm, fencing in the parking lot?) but bring your happy and let's have fun!

The Virginia Division tournament schedule is up! - 6 Aug 13

The Virginia Division just published the 2013-14 tournament schedule so grab your calendars and start marking dates! I'll get these added to the club calendar in the next day or two.

Update: Hope to be there by 7:45

Hope to be there by 7:45 at the latest.

Oops! We're on but I'll be a little late

I just locked my keys in my car for the first time in years!   I'll be there as soon as I can get back into my car, dang it!

Changes - 1 Aug 13

As many of you know, my husband has been living overseas for almost two years while I've stayed here to keep coaching and running the clubs. Unfortunately, the stress has gotten to be too much for us so we've decided that I'm moving to Germany in September. Club practices will continue on their usual schedule at least through August but private lessons are off as I need that time for other things now. In the meanwhile, if anyone is interested in taking over the club, knowing it will likely go back to its 'one or two nights a week in a gym' status (which is the norm for most fencing clubs and is how we got started), please contact me ASAP. (Note: This is club practices only. All coaching I've been doing outside of the club practices is something else entirely.) I'll do everything I can to help transition the clubs smoothly, including going over the general lesson plan I use for classes and anything else you might need. Running just the club itself is pretty straight forward and can be done easily by one person but if two or more of you choose to work together, that works too!

As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision for either of us. Helping fencing grow and expand in Hampton Roads over the past ten years has been a wonderful experience and it's you who have made it so. I'll brag to anyone who will listen about what great people my fencers are and I mean every word of it. Thank you all so very much!

Note to those who have paid ahead and to those awaiting equipment buyback payments: These refunds and payments will be sent out as soon as possible. Your patience is appreciated as I ensure the normal operation of the club continues as seamlessly as possible during this time.

Swag sale, cooler temps, electrics at PFC, new photos location - 31 Jul 13

Swag sale! All club t-shirts, socks, and stainless steel water bottles currently in stock are on sale for $10! Keychains are $5 and stickers are $1. When it's gone, it's gone so don't let someone else beat you to that last one in your size!

Not a big fan of summer heat? In addition to enjoying the cooler temps this week at IWFC, come over to Poquoson practices on Sunday night and get an air conditioning fix that will turn your toes blue. Your dues entitle you to practices at both locations, after all! And I'm trying something that will enable Poquoson to use electrics so bring the good toys with you.

Photos for both clubs have been moved to our new Flickr page! There's still some organizing to do (not to mention captions/descriptions) but this will give us some more flexibility (and save me a lot of extra work) to share photos. Take a few minutes to look through them -- lots of familiar faces, some going back ten years! We've recently had some fencers coming back to club after being away for a while so if this inspires you to get your gear out too, go for it! Come out and play!

Next class, next order, online payments - 29 Jul 13

A huge THANK YOU goes out to James City County Parks and Rec and to the new fencers who participated in the fencing camps over the past two weeks. What fun! I have a couple of pictures I'll try to get posted soon but would love to see more. If you'd like to share some of the photos or videos you took at any of the camps, let me know and I'd be delighted to add them!

With drive back from the camps taking longer than anticipated ('cause I'm clueless about traffic some times), the IWFC beginner class was pushed back and will now start next Monday, August 5. To sign up, just send me an email with the fencers name(s) and age(s) and I'll add you to the list.

Equipment orders are due to me by 10 p.m. Thursday, August 8. As always Absolute is the vendor. You can pick up an order form at practice or download it here. Payment is due at the time you place the order.

And the online payment pages have finally been updated. Well, one of them. The IWFC page is out of order for the time being but the one on PFC's site (see link) works for either club. I'll let you know when the IWFC order page is sorted out. Thanks for your patience!

Schedule notes for this week - 14 July 13

There will be no youth fencing or private lessons this week due to fencing camps.

Also, there will be no club practice Tuesday or Wednesday evening this week. Monday and Thursday practices are on as usual.

Summer Nationals results - 10 July 13

Congratulations to Rhiannon for having an absolutely great time at Summer Nats last week! She fenced in the Div II, Div III, and Junior women's foil events and of course, the first two events were back to back, June 28 and 29 -- that's right, no more than a night's sleep for a break between the events. But we already knew she was tough! In Div II (C and under), she used a solid performance in the pools to improve her seeding from 75 to 60 (out of 125 entrants). Winning her first DE match put her up against the 5th seed for the second round, which she also won quite nicely. Unfortunately her day ended in the third round but hey, that was a pretty darned good day of fencing, finishing 29th when all was said and done. Full Div II info, from initial seeding to final results, can be seen here.

The next morning saw her back on the strip for the Div III (D and under) women's foil. This time she went in with an initial seeding of 54 out of 136, which was bumped up to 28 after finishing second in her pool. Her first DE round went well but her day came to an end in the round of 64, alas, setting her in a final placing of 41. Not too shabby at all, considering she'd fenced a full event just the day prior! Full Div II info, from initial seeding to final results, can be seen here.

Then she had a week to rest, explore, and watch some really great fencing before her final event, the Junior (U19) women's foil. This was a tough event, with 170 entrants and no ratings restrictions. So seventy of her competitors were A- or B-rated, and nearly sixty of those fencers are on the national points list (think of it as a rating-within-a-rating for the top dogs). A solid performance in the pools brought her seeding from 149 up to 79, which gave her a bye in the first DE round. She was eliminated in the following round but she still finished ahead of several of the aforementioned A and B fencers! Pretty good showing for her first national outing! Full Div II info, from initial seeding to final results, can be seen here.

Full Summer Nationals event info and results.

Game on! - 7 July 13

Our regular fencing schedule resumes tonight!

Next update: Nationals results. Short version, woo hoo!

Schedule notes, important dates du jour - 26 Jun 13

My apologies for the late notice on this but there will be no fencing (private lessons or practices) from Sunday, June 30, through Thursday, July 4, at either IWFC or PFC. Have a great Fourth! (Or as they call it in the UK, Thanksgiving.*)

The next beginner class at IWFC will begin Monday, July 22, and run through Monday, August 12. Sessions are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00. Fees and equipment information is here. Just email coach@iwfc.net to register and you're good to go!

There will not be a PFC class this summer. But if you have a youngster between the ages of 8 and 14, the PPR fencing camp is a great way for them to get a taste of fencing without the commitment to a full class. Sign up with Poquoson Parks and Rec before July 31!

The next equipment order will go in Wednesday, July 14. Visit Absolute Fencing Gear, fill out the order form and turn it in to me by 10 p.m. July 14. Payment can be made when you give me the form or you can pay online here.

The Commonwealth Games are July 20-21 in Manassas. This year Olympic saberist Tim Morehouse will be one of the guests. No, he can't fence in the saber event but it'd be fun if he were there to watch!

And just for fun, an IBM commercial from the '90s featuring a couple of fencers genteelly trash-talking.


* I kid!

Tournaments past and future - 23 Jun 13

June 15-16 was Richmond's Tune-Up Open, so-named because it's one of the last local event before Summer Nationals. We had three fencers in the open foil event, Scott, Rhiannon, and Bryce. Bryce and Rhiannon had tough pools with two of the eventual top five finishers apiece (and Scott had the other top-fiver) but there were some good matches all around. Unfortunately, IWFC's day was done in the round of 16 but hey, any day fencing is a good day! Full results can be seen here. Many thanks to you guys for looking out for each other while I was traveling. That's the sort of thing that makes IWFC/PFC such a great group!

Next up, Summer Nationals! Good luck, Rhiannon! Remember: the pointy end goes that-a-way!

Rate changes take effect 1 July 13 - 12 Jun 13

I've been putting this off for ages but it needs to happen and is long overdue. Effective July 1, monthly dues will increase to $25 per month plus $5 per additional family member and the floor fee will increase to $10 per visit. Lessons will be $20 for thirty minutes, $35 for an hour. Equipment rental and class fees remain the same. Note: If you have already paid dues past July 1, the current rate will stay in effect until the prepayment runs out. I'll have the PayPal buttons and info page on the websites updated as soon as possible to reflect the change.

Speaking of equipment rental, don't forget that the fee is due every month whether you fence or not! Individual reminders will be going out soon but feel free to drop me a note if you have questions about your rental balance.

WEATHER WARNING - 10 Jun 13

As you may have noticed, we have some severe weather in the area, including a tornado warning for parts of Suffolk and Chesapeake. Additionally, there is some extremely heavy rain in the area. It's been mostly localized but it's been intense at times so please pay extra attention to the weather in your area as well as for the route you'll be taking if you come to club tonight. Club is not cancelled but I am asking parents to stay rather than drop off their fencer then return for them later in the evening. To put it bluntly, this building is not one I want to ride out severe weather in and if I decide the weather warrants sending everyone home, I want all fencers to have an immediate ride home available. Thanks!

Schedule reminders - 8 Jun 13

Reminder the first: No fencing Sunday, June 9.

Reminder the second: No fencing -- classes, private lessons, or club -- from Tuesday, June 11, through Friday, June 14. Monday the 10th is as usual and the regular schedule kicks back in on Sunday the 16th.

Unrelated side note: If you're looking for an excuse to get out of town Sunday, it's the closing day of the Virginia Renaissance Faire at the Lake Anna Winery just west of Fredericksburg. Don't let the thought of afternoon showers scare you away! As our CEO says, 'When it rains, we shine!' Besides, it's supposed to be sunny most of the day anyway. Come play with us!

NO FENCING TONIGHT! - 4 Jun 13

Sorry for the late notice, folks, but I've got a meeting tonight that is going to prevent me from being able to hold tonight's novice practice or epee class. (At least it's a fencing-related meeting!)