CFFA update for September 24

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for September 24
We held our first youth event of the season yesterday.  In the foil, the winner was Raine Schoonmaker, second was Amelia Alexander, with Jaden Scott and Lexi Williams tied for third.  For 9 and under, Jackson Jones took gold, Lou Lightner took silver, and John Alexander won the bronze.  In sabre, only Baden Salinas showed up, so we didn’t have a competition.  In epee, Raine won again, with Nyc Baynes second, and Linus Huggins third.  Thanks to Kyler Schoonmaker for helping with reffing and Herman Smith for the armoring help.  Thanks to all the parents for bringing your children.  I am still waiting for some other competitions to come into focus before I schedule the next one.  Here are the sword point standings, currently:
Boys                                                Girls
Raine Schoonmaker      11                    Amelia Alexander    7
Jaden Scott                 6                    Lexi Williams          6
Jackson Jones              4
Lou Lightner                 3
Nyc Baynes                  2
John Alexander              2
Linus Huggins                1
Drew Sullivan                1
Also fencing this weekend were the Milewski women up at the Division 1-A ROC in Owing Mills, Maryland.  Samantha went 3-2 in her pool, only losing to a pair of Bs.  She got a bye into the second round, but unfortunately had one of the Bs from her pool for the DE and lost 13-15.  Nicole went 2-3, won her first DE, and then lost to an A from New Jersey.
This week will have the standard everything for practice.  Afterschool, Tu/Th evening, homeschool, UNCW practices, Topsail and Camp Lejeune on Friday.
UNC
Chapel Hill has September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  The epee is a very strong A2.  The foil has become an A2. 
It is comparably weak as there are only 2 As and 2 Bs and overall it is bottom heavy.  Sabre is a B2 (with lots of Bs) that needs 1 A to be an A2.

Also
on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.  This is an
unsanctioned training event.  That means it is cheaper than a
sanctioned event and is used to walk people (fencers and parents)
through one of their first or early tournaments.

Our next evening beginner class starts on Tuesday, October 3rd, at 6:30 pm, and goes for 6 weeks.

Mid-South has their first youth sabre event of the year on October 7th.

October
7-8 has a referee clinic and tournament at Research Triangle Fencing. 
It is being conducted by Darius Wei and Matt Cox.  For those of you who
want to improve your refereeing skills and/or become official USA
Fencing referees, this would be a great clinic to attend.  Cost is $75
which gets you the clinic, entry into the observation tournament the
next day, and
the ability to take the written and practical refereeing tests.  People
are needed to fence in the observation event on Sunday.  One thing that
affects the rating a referee can get is the fencing they are reffing. 
Hard to get a good rating if you are watching beginners.  More
info is up on askfred.

Our
next event is on October 14th.  It will have a mixed foil event, a
mixed epee event, and for those not wanting to jump right in to a full
adult open epee competition, a D and under epee event.  Please get
signed up now so we 1) attract other fencers, and B) can plan for
referees, etc.  Right now even very few of our people are signed up.  These events require a fair amount of work to put on, and if we lose money, it would make more sense to not have them.

The
next huge regional event is the Tiger Open which will be held 10/21 at
Clemson.  This is a tournament that always has an open and a Div III  (D
and under) in each weapon.  The open epee is already an A2 with 8 As,
the D and under epee should become a C2.  The open foil is now an A. The Div III
foil should end up as a D1, maybe a C2.  Sabre is lagging behind.

pax vobiscum,

 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

CFFA update for September 17

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for September 17
Samantha and Nicole Milewski attended an epee clinic given by Olympian Kat Holmes in the DC area yesterday.  Once I get the low down I will pass on good drills and advice.  The early word from the girls is that there were a lot of warm up and footwork drills.
We
will have a class starting about 3:30 pm at Topsail Middle School on Friday,
September 22nd.  It will be following the same type 8 week schedule as the
Camp Lejeune and homeschool classes.

Other than that, it should be a regular week of practice.

September
23rd will be the first youth event of the
season.  Ages 12 and under, foil at 10 am, sabre at 1:30 pm, epee at
3:30 pm.  $5 per event.  This is the first time in years that there
really is no preseason favorite in either the boy’s or girl’s
competitions.  Not expecting lots of fencers for sabre and epee, but
foil could be large, so volunteer referees are quite welcome and
appreciated.  For you new fencers, too early to compete, but you might want to come watch the foil.

UNC
Chapel Hill has September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  The epee is a very strong A2.  The foil is an A1 that needs a few
bodies to become an A2, that is not nearly as strong as the epee. 
Sabre is a B1 that needs 1 A to be an A1.

Also
on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.  This is an
unsanctioned training event.  That means it is cheaper than a
sanctioned event and is used to walk people (fencers and parents)
through one of their first or early tournaments.

Mid-South has their first youth sabre event of the year on October 7th.

October
7-8 has a referee clinic and tournament at Research Triangle Fencing. 
It is being conducted by Darius Wei and Matt Cox.  For those of you who
want to improve your refereeing skills and/or become official USA
Fencing referees, this would be a great clinic to attend.  Cost is $75
which gets you the clinic, entry into the observation tournament the next day, and
the ability to take the written and practical refereeing tests.  People are needed to fence in the observation event on Sunday.  One thing that affects the rating a referee can get is the fencing they are reffing.  Hard to get a good rating if you are watching beginners.  More
info is up on askfred.

Our
next event is on October 14th.  It will have a mixed foil event, a
mixed epee event, and for those not wanting to jump right in to a full
adult open epee competition, a D and under epee event.  Please get
signed up now so we 1) attract other fencers, and B) can plan for
referees, etc.  The reason yesterday’s event dropped to a B was that we
only had the 4 As and Bs necessary.  When two of them met in the 1st DE
round, it was automatic that since we wouldn’t have 4 As and Bs in top 8
that out event was no longer an A rated event.  No one has jumped in since last week.

The next huge regional event is the Tiger Open which will be held 10/21 at Clemson.  This is a tournament that always has an open and a Div III  (D and under) in each weapon.  The open epee is already an A2 with 8 As, the D and under epee should become a C2.  The open foil has the necessary As and Bs, but needs Cs to become an A event.  The Div III foil should end up as a D1, maybe a C2.  Sabre is lagging behind.

pax vobiscum,

 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

CFFA Update for September 10

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA Update for September 10
First, thank you all for your very kind words of concern and comfort over the last week.  I think I am going to be fine, but I may try to take it a little easy for the next couple of weeks.  My apologies to those of you who showed up for a class and didn’t find it.  I was trying to get the word out from my hospital bed, but may have missed some people.
Yesterday, we had our first adult event of the year and defended our house in all three weapons.  In foil, Will Golder looks to be putting it all together and defeated Samantha Wolstenholme-Britt of Apex in the finals.  Salle New Bern had both 3rd place finishers with Ryan Miller and Marston Crawford.  Our epee event got knocked down to a B1, but was won by our Oliver Galbraith who defeated David Dimmett of the Richmond Fencing Club.  John Page of the Tidewater Fencing Club and CFFA’s Vassa Falls took the 3rd places, both winning their C17s.  Marston Crawford picked up his D17.  For saber, Kim Phillips took first over Keegan Morrisroe of South Carolina.  CFFA’s Erik Graf tied for 3rd with Stanley Jacobs of South Carolina.  We had a couple of our fencers jump into their first competition.  Andrew Whitehead in foil and Bea Babel in sabre both won at least one match, which is very good for a first event.  Thanks to Brendan, Paul, and Clayton Olson for reffing.  Thanks to Zemi Lawrence for observing and managing, and Herman Smith for armoring.  Hopefully we will see a bunch more of you at our next event.  (See bottom of note.)
We should be up to almost our total fall schedule this week.
The
beginner class for Afterschool will start Monday, September 11 and Tuesday, September 12. 

Monday evening at 6:30 will be the start of the open September beginner class. 

Homeschool fencing will get started this week, 1:15 pm for the returning fencers and 1:30 pm for the new beginners.  Wednesday, September 13th should be our first evening practice on that
day of the week for the season.  UNCW students should be showing up.

Regular practice at Camp Lejeune on Friday night.

We will have a class starting at Topsail Middle School on Friday, September 22nd.  It will be following the same 8 week schedule as the Camp Lejeune and homeschool classes.

September 23rd will be free for the first youth event of the
season.  Ages 12 and under, foil at 10 am, sabre at 1:30 pm, epee at
3:30 pm.  $5 per event.  This is the first time in years that there
really is no preseason favorite in either the boy’s or girl’s
competitions.  Not expecting lots of fencers for sabre and epee, but foil could be large, so volunteer referees are quite welcome and appreciated.

UNC
Chapel Hill has received September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  The epee is a very strong A2.  The foil is an A1 that needs a few bodies to become an A2, that is not nearly as strong as the epee.  Sabre is a B1 that needs 1 A to be an A1.

Also on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.  This is an unsanctioned training event.  That means it is cheaper than a sanctioned event and is used to walk people (fencers and parents) through one of their first or early tournaments.

Mid-South has their first youth sabre event of the year on October 7th.

October
7-8 has a referee clinic and tournament at Research Triangle Fencing. 
It is being conducted by Darius Wei and Matt Cox.  For those of you who
want to improve your refereeing skills and/or become official USA
Fencing referees, this would be a great clinic to attend.  Cost is $75
which gets you the clinic, entry into the observation tournament the next day, and
the ability to take the written and practical refereeing tests.  More
info is up on askfred.

Our next event is on October 14th.  It will have a mixed foil event, a mixed epee event, and for those not wanting to jump right in to a full adult open epee competition, a D and under epee event.  Please get signed up now so we 1) attract other fencers, and B) can plan for referees, etc.  The reason yesterday’s event dropped to a B was that we only had the 4 As and Bs necessary.  When two of them met in the 1st DE round, it was automatic that since we wouldn’t have 4 As and Bs in top 8 that out event was no longer an A rated event.

pax vobiscum,

 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

CFFA note for September 1

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA note for September 1
I am doing this note a bit early to highlight the fact that we are facing the same issue we had last year.  Our first event of the season is now only 8 days away, September 9th.  Right now our entries for the three events are:  8 in epee, with 2 As and 3 Cs;  5 in foil with everyone rated; and 3 in sabre.  Herman has already gotten a nice set of trophies ready and Brendan has put up a picture of them on Facebook.  Our quandary is what we do about referees.  At the moment, Brendan and I could handle it all.  However, last season we stayed with that and everything blew up in the last couple of days.  Then we have trouble finding referees who don’t have other plans.  Or we can hire a number of referees and lose money on the event if the last minute influx doesn’t come.  We need to get all of our fencers who are interested in the tournament signed up on askfred by Monday at the latest.  Everyone says they want to earn higher rankings, but very few of you want to travel.  If you don’t support the local events no one else will want to come here.  We can make the epee an A and the foil a C just by getting all of our people signed up.  So please get signed up on askfred.net ASAP so we have a better idea of how many officials we actually need.  There are no other events in the area, so there is no reason we cannot have a large turnout if our people get the ball rolling.
No class tonight at Camp Lejeune.  No one has said anything about having a Saturday practice, and as I will be away at a homeschool scheduling meeting, it looks like there will not be practice tomorrow.
Next week normal Tuesday and Thursday practice.  Returning afterschool fencers can start back Tuesday through Thursday, September 5-7, at 3:30 pm. I will pick up the younger ones from St. Mary’s as always.
Homeschool classes start back up on Wednesday, September 6th.  Returners can come in at 1:15 pm, the new beginner class will start at 1:30 pm.  This will be the first day I will be traveling directly from teaching a UNCW class.  I believe I have left myself sufficient time, but if I am not there exactly by 1:15 pm, don’t panic, I am coming.
The next Camp Lejeune class will begin on Friday, September 8th at 7 pm.

The
beginner class for Afterschool will start Monday, September 11.  That
evening at 6:30 will be the start of the September beginner class.  Wednesday, September 13th should be our first evening practice on that day of the week for the season.  UNCW students should be showing up.

I
think September 23rd should be free for the first youth event of the
season.  Ages 12 and under, foil at 10 am, sabre at 1:30 pm, epee at
3:30 pm.  $5 per event.  This is the first time in years that there
really is no preseason favorite in either the boy’s or girl’s
competitions.

UNC
Chapel Hill has received September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  Their foil and epee are already large A events.  Sabre has As and Bs, but really needs numbers.

Also on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.

October 7-8 has a referee clinic and tournament at Research Triangle Fencing.  It is being conducted by Darius Wei and Matt Cox.  For those of you who want to improve your refereeing skills and/or become official USA Fencing referees, this would be a great clinic to attend.  Cost is $75 which gets you the clinic, entry into the observation tournament, and the ability to take the written and practical refereeing tests.  More info is up on askfred.

pax vobiscum,
 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

CFFA update for Augusr 27

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for Augusr 27
Starting with the good news, Alex Hoelscher has had his film about Erica Julien and her last year’s trip to the World Championships accepted by the Cucalorus film festival.  The festival runs from November 8th to 12th.  He doesn’t have his exact showing time yet, but once it is known, I will relay it to you.  His once 15 minute film is up to 40 minutes now.  On the Blu-ray it will probably be about two hours.  LOL
Also, CFFA has once again been named one of the “Best Fencing Clubs” in the US based on how many people finished in the top 16 at National events.
This week, standard Tuesday and Thursday evening.  No practice at Camp Lejeune Friday due to the holiday weekend. 
I will be at the annual homeschool scheduling meeting on Saturday.  If other people with keys are going to open up for Saturday practice, I will let you know.
Afterschool
will start for returning fencers on Tuesday, September 5th.  (The day
after Labor Day).  The usual 3:30 pm start time.

Homeschool
class will start on the Wednesday after Labor Day, September 6th.  A
new time of about 1:15 pm for returners, with the beginner class
starting at 1:30 pm.

The next Camp Lejeune class will begin on Friday, September 8th at 7 pm.

We got September 9th for our first event of the year from the
Division and it is posted to askfred.  We will have open foil, epee, and sabre
events.  Epee already has 2 A’s, so it just needs the other ranks and bodies.  Foil and sabre are lagging behind.

The
beginner class for Afterschool will start Monday, September 11.  That
evening at 6:30 will be the start of the September beginner class.

I think September 23rd should be free for the first youth event of the season.  Ages 12 and under, foil at 10 am, sabre at 1:30 pm, epee at 3:30 pm.  $5 per event.  This is the first time in years that there really is no preseason favorite in either the boy’s or girl’s competitions.

UNC
Chapel Hill has received September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  Their foil and epee are already large A events.  Sabre has As and Bs, but really needs numbers.

Also on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.

pax vobiscum,

 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

CFFA update for August 19

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for August 19
Fall is rapidly approaching as the first beginner class for this season will start on this Tuesday at 6:30 pm.  Standard 6 week beginner class on Tuesday and Thursday.  The rest of the week will be regular practice for this time of year.  Tu/Th night, Friday at Camp Lejeune, and a practice on Saturday morning.
Also an unrated foil and open epee that Saturday at Charlotte.  The foil just needs a couple of more bodies to give an E away and the epee should be at least a B event.  Check askfred for the most current information.
Afterschool will start for returning fencers on Tuesday, September 5th.  (The day after Labor Day).  The usual 3:30 pm start time.
Homeschool class will start on the Wednesday after Labor Day, September 6th.  A new time of about 1:15 pm for returners, with the beginner class starting at 1:30 pm.
The next Camp Lejeune class will begin on Friday, September 8th at 7 pm.
We got September 9th for our first event of the year from the
Division and it is posted to askfred.  We will have open foil, epee, and sabre
events.  Already people from NC State and Charlotte.

The beginner class for Afterschool will start Monday, September 11.  That evening at 6:30 will be the start of the September beginner class.

UNC
Chapel Hill has received September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  Their events are usually large A events for all weapons.

Also on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.

pax vobiscum,

 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

CFFA update for August 14

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for August 14
We had a fair number of people up at Mid-South’s Big Blue this weekend.  Joe Mclaughlin lost his first DE in Men’s sabre to eventual winner Jeff Kallio, 10-15.  Catherine Shin of UNCW, won her first Women’s foil DE, but then lost to eventual winner Tammy Jackson, in a close 12-15 match.  In Sunday’s epee, Erica Julien and Nicole Milewski both got points against Leslie Marx (Two time US National Champion, Olympian, current Vet 50 National Champion, etc.).  Erica was 1-4 in the pool while Nicole was 2-3.  Samantha Milewski went 2-2 in her pool.  Unfortunately, all three lost their first DEs, so Sam was 10th, Nicole 11th, and Erica 13th in a solid B1 Women’s event.
Regular practice this week.  Tu/Th nights, Friday at Camp Lejeune, and there should be a Saturday practice.  Don’t forget the floor fee for 7:30 pm evening practices has gone up to $10.  If you are coming once a week or any 4 times during the month, it is cheaper to do the monthly dues of $35.  That gives you access to all the practices.
We got September 9th for our first event of the year from the
Division and it should be posted to askfred within the next few
days, hopefully.  We will have open foil, epee, and sabre
events.

UNC
Chapel Hill has received September 30/October 1 for their Tarheel
Open.  Their events are usually large A events for all weapons.

Also on September 30 is Salle New Bern’s E and under foil event.

pax vobiscum,
 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

tonight at CFFA

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
tonight at CFFA
I just came back from the club.  I think we will be fine for practice tonight.  However, you may want to not put equipment right next to the wall under the window as there is still some water in spots.
Of course, if we get some heavy rain before this evening all bets are off.
pax vobiscum,
 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon

No practice tonight

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
No practice tonight
Herman just informed me that the club is totally under water, so no practice tonight.  We will get things dried out and hopefully it stops raining so we can practice Thursday.  You can always still do footwork at home.

pax vobiscum,
 
Greg Spahr
Head Coach
Cape Fear Fencing Association

“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that’s the way to bet.” Damon Runyon