Cape Fear Fencing Association update for September 14

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
Cape Fear Fencing Association update for September 14
We had a few brave souls venture up to the ROC in Fredericksburg.  Samantha Milewski did both the Div 1 and Div 2 epee events.  The Div 1 was an A2 event and looked like it lived up to it.  In the
Div 2 Samantha won her first DE and placed in the top 32.  Jesse Harvey went 3-2 in his pool in the Div 1 foil, but lost his first DE.  Oliver Galbraith won his first DE.  They both finished in the
30s in a B2.  In the Div 1 epee Oliver went 4-2 in his pool, but dropped his first DE.  Josh Harvey went 5-1 in his pool including a victory over the eventual winner.  He was seeded 9th going into the DE’s of the A4 event, but unfortunately drew one of the Bogert boys and was knocked out.   He and Oliver both ended up in the 30s.

All of our fall classes are now started, so we are close to seasonal operations.  The UNCW fencers are going to take at least one more week before they start showing up on Wednesday nights, but everything else is up and running.

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.  The epee looks to be a solid B1 and with some luck might get to be a B2.  The E and under epee is just an E1. 
The foil needs a number of fencers to make it higher than an E1.  A number of our people are not signed up yet!  Filer? Kurtz?  Valadez?  Stephanie Galbraith? Geschickter?  Brendan will be recovering from surgery (it’s either his knee or a lobotomy, I forget which) so I can use help setting up, cleaning up, and keeping things running.

The
27th will be our first 12 and under event.  This one will pretty much
be just for returning fencers as most of  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 three and ties.  Medals to the top three 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.  Anyone wanting to work on their refereeing is welcome.

It
is a busy weekend because there are adult events at Mid-South.  On the
27th they have foil and sabre.  The 28th has epee and a youth sabre. 
The 27-28th is the first RYC of the season in Richmond.  It is foil on
Saturday and epee and sabre on Sunday.  Also on Sunday are team events
at NCFDP.  They will run them in the NCFL format, first to 5 wins.  But
they plan to have enough teams to do it as a pool and then a DE
elimination.  That Sunday are the foil and sabre events; no teams signed up yet.  Sunday the 5th has the epee event with two teams already in.

Our second adult event is October 11th.  Open epee, Open foil, and a D and under foil.  Start signing up now.

October 18th is the Tiger Open in Clemson.  This has started being a very large event recently.  The open epee is already an A and the foil is almost a B over a month out.

October 25th is The Joseph Cadole in New Bern.  It is an E and under foil event, perfect for those of you looking for a lower stress first tournament or a real shot a your foil ranking.

For the new people, all of these events are listed on the website askfred.net.   That stands for ask Fencing Results and Events Database.  Most fencers will just say askfred or fred.  The site lists most of the upcoming tournaments.  You can customize it to show events
at the distance you are willing to travel.  After the tournament is over most organizers upload the results.  In large tournaments you might not know how you did when you get knocked out; you will just know you are somewhere between 33-64, or 17-32, etc.  Fred also has a section listed as myfred which keeps a record of all your results in tournaments listed on the site.

A couple of other housekeeping things, Kelli Strickland of Southeastern Homeschool Sports will probably be in to the homeschool class within the next couple of weeks to explain that process to interested fencers.  Homeschool meets are foil only at the moment and I can help answer the more fencing related questions if you are interested.

The North Carolina Fencing League’s first event is November 22nd and I have asked that we host that one.  I haven’t heard back from St. Mary, but hope that date will be okay.  Circle the date because we need
fencers, referees, and other assistance. 

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 8

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for September 8
Harry Shaheen traveled to Fayetteville to participate in the Lafayette foil
event.  He won his first DE, and then won his second, defeating Gerhard Guevarra 15-14.  Harry and I met in the semifinals and I came out ahead.  Harry finished third, I finished second.  Gerardo Gomez of Fayetteville won.

On Sunday I traveled to the Homeschool league meeting in Winston-Salem.  I will be sending out a not to the homeschoolers about the upcoming season, meet dates, requirements, etc.  I don’t always know who is homeschooled, so if you don’t get the e-mail and are interested, let me know.

September evening beginner class will start tonight, 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 evening practices back up.  The UNCW fencers won’t be coming for a couple of weeks until their club is on solid ground.

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.  At this point entry is pretty expensive.

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.  Right now we need another epeeist to make that a B event.  The E and under epee is just an E1.  The foil needs a number of fencers to make it higher than an E1.

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.

It
is a busy weekend because there are adult events at Mid-South.  On the
27th they have foil and sabre.  The 28th has epee and a youth sabre. 
The 27-28th is the first RYC of the season in Richmond.  It is foil on
Saturday and epee and sabre on Sunday.  Also on Sunday are team events
at NCFDP.  They will run them in the NCFL format, first to 5 wins.  But
they plan to have enough teams to do it as a pool and then a DE
elimination.

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 updates to the update

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA updates to the update
The events next Saturday at All-American (Fayetteville) have been desanctioned by Gerhard.  For those of you who do not have a competitive membership, this means you would be allowed to fence.  This is an excellent way for some of you who have sort of been on the fence to be able to jump in and get a feel for the level of an official tournament without having to upgrade your membership.  Two events, foil at 9 am and epee at noon. the entry fee is now $10 each.  You still must have a full uniform, 2 weapons, body cords, etc; CFFA should be able to loan you such things, if needed. This will still also be a good no pressure event for a number of our younger fencers to go to as a first event and a warm up for our event on the 20th.  
I did forget to mention that the Division meeting was yesterday (yes, it was that exciting).  The big thing is that Divisionals were set for the first weekend in March (7th and 8th).
Also for those who have not been down to St. Mary’s for a while, the parking lot is torn up for some construction, so parking will probably be a bit tight until they get all the building finished.
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 1

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for September 1
We had a few fencers head up to Chapel Hill Sunday.  The epee was a strong A2 with 42 competitors.  Herman Smith and Riley Hart both won their first DEs and wound up in the mid 20s.  The foil had 25 competitors and was a solid B2.  Oliver Galbraith won his pool and ended up in 6th place.

The TV show Sleep Hollow is looking for two pairs of fencers, male 18 and over (sorry Heather),
to be in the background of a fencing scene.  The pay rate is $150 for the day.  I sounds like it will be a 1 day shoot.  I have been told it will be sometime between September 5th and 16th.  No information yet to narrow the date, location, and length of time you would be needed.  It is set in the 1700s so you would be in period clothing.  The casting director may stop by Tuesday night.

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.  Just as a couple of FYIs, most people will need to update their USA Fencing membership for the 2014-2015 season, which is $10.  Checks need to be made out to Greg Spahr.

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. 
If you have not been in a while and will be coming back, let me know so I
can bring equipment for you.  If you haven’t been in yet this season we will need the USA Fencing membership and will update the Marine waiver.

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.  If you haven’t competed yet this season and are looking for a low stress event to get back into it, this would be excellent.

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 evening 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.  They have extended their regular fee entry deadline to September 2nd.  Men’s Div. 1 epee is
an A4.  Womem’s epee, Men’s Foil, and men’s sabre are A2s, Women’s foil is a B2 (needs one more A to become an A).

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.  We REALLY REALLY need to get our higher rated epeeists and foilists in
general signed up.

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.

It
is a busy weekend because there are adult events at Mid-South.  On the
27th they have foil and sabre.  The 28th has epee and a youth sabre. 
The 27-28th is the first RYC of the season in Richmond.  It is foil on
Saturday and epee and sabre on Sunday.  Also on Sunday are team events
at NCFDP.  They will run them in the NCFL format, first to 5 wins.  But
they plan to have enough teams to do it as a pool and then a DE
elimination.

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 24

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for August 24
Reaghan Juelke competed in Mid-South’s Y-12 sabre event yesterday and took 5th out of 15, just missing the medals.  It looks like we will generally have a strip of sabre going most evenings.

The
deadline for regular fees for the kickoff open in Richmond is today.  The event is September 13-14, more info below.

Had a good Saturday practice with about a dozen fencers.  Jack Hester-Heard rose from the dead and was there.  Since there are no events next Saturday, we will again have Saturday practice on the
30th.  You can use that as prep for NCFDP’s event.

Evening practice on Tuesday and Thursday.  Camp Lejeune will end this session Friday night.  I am not certain, but it may be a short practice due to the Labor Day weekend.  I am trying to find out.

NCFDP
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 is a B1 and needs bodies to be a B2.
The foil needs a B to become a B1 and a body to be a decent C event.  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.  If you have not been in a while and will be coming back, let me know so I can bring equipment for you.

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.  Right now our only competitors are the Harveys.  Men’s Div. 1 epee is an A2 which should become at least an A3 and might become an A4.  The Men’s Div 1 foil and the Women;s Div. 1 epee are both B heavy A2s.  The women’s foil needs an A to become an A1.  All the Div. 2 events are middle of the road C events.  the women’s events look to be much weaker than last year.

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.  We need to get our higher rated epeeists and foilists in general signed up.

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.

It is a busy weekend because there are adult events at Mid-South.  On the 27th they have foil and sabre.  The 28th has epee and a youth sabre.  The 27-28th is the first RYC of the season in Richmond.  It is foil on Saturday and epee and sabre on Sunday.  Also on Sunday are team events at NCFDP.  They will run them in the NCFL format, first to 5 wins.  But they plan to have enough teams to do it as a pool and then a DE elimination.

It is that point in the year where I need to prune the e-mail list.  If you no longer want to be included, let me know.  I will probably eliminate most of the people that we have not seen at fencing for a long time.

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

Saturday practices

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
Saturday practices
There will be Saturday practice tomorrow about 10 am.  There will also be Saturday practice next week if anyone is getting ready for the Tarheel Open on Sunday.
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 17

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for August 17
We had a number of people go to Charlotte for the C and under event.  Everyone fenced okay, but no one had a real breakout performance.  Patrick Sauser won, earning his D, Sandy tapia was 2nd, Ryan Miller and Aaron Sveringen tied for 3rd.  Aaron won his E.

The
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.

Practice in Wilmington Thursday and at Lejeune Friday as we start to get back into our regular pattern of practice.

Mid-South has youth sabre events on the 23rd.  It doesn’t look like we have anyone going, so I will be having practice Saturday morning.

NCFDP
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,

 
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

Mid week update for CFFA

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
Mid week update for CFFA
Three quick things:
1) I will be headed out to Charlotte to fence/coach at their C and under epee event  The Cs are Ryan Miller, Ricky Richards, and Sandy Tapia so I consider it pretty wide open.  (Sorry Ryan)  I am taking Erica and might have room in the car for another person if anyone is interested.  Leaving from Sam’s club about 8:45 am.  Let me know if you want to go.

Of course, that means I won’t be at practice Saturday morning.  If anyone with keys wants to come in, let me know so I can get the word out.

2)  I haven’t been mentioning it, but we can also have an intermediate class start this Tuesday at 7:30 pm for those who are beyond beginners but don’t feel quite ready to jump into the big pond with both feet.  It works like this, we meet for about 1/2 an hour to work on moves and then you get
turned loose to go fence the more experienced people.  Then the next time, we go over what worked and what didn’t.  Repeat the process.  Cost is $50 for 6 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday, plus the $10 USA Fencing membership if you don’t already have it.

3) The schedule is already packed for events, so it looks like about the only date available for a 12 and under kids event early in the semester is September 27.  I will get flyers out with times for when everyone returns from summer break.

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 10

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for August 10
First an apology to Erica Julien.  Because Veteran’s age groups work in accordance with the Veteran’s World Championships and not the usual USA Fencing age regulations, Erica is currently the 7th highest rated fencer in the 70+ age group.

Yesterday the club picked up another C rated foilist as Josh Harvey took 3rd at Mid-South.  John Crumpler, an A from Notre Dame was 1st,
Charles Chow of Mid-South was second, and Alicia Chen took the other 3rd.  Emma Graf took a bronze in the Y14 event.

Sabre camp finished Friday, so we will be back to a Tuesday and Thursday evening schedule with Saturdays a possibility depending on what events are occurring.  I will try to be in approximately 5ish if anyone wants to come in early
and work.

The season is starting early this year and all of these events are up on askfred.

Charlotte
is hosting a C and under epee event on the 16th. It should be at least a C1.  I may go over depending on how many fencers we have participating, I will keep everyone posted about that and whether there will be a Saturday practice.

The
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.  If there is interest we can do an intermediate class starting at 7:30 pm.
Mid-South has youth sabre events on the 23rd.

NCFDP
is hosting open foil and epee events on August 31.  These will be
strong events because many of the UNC fencers will be there. 
Immediately following the close of fencing will be the Divisional
meeting which will plan the operation of the Division for the upcoming
season.  I will 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.


Afterschool will start for returning fencers
the Tuesday after Labor Day and for new beginners on the Monday after Labor
Day.  Homeschool classes will start on the Wednesday after Labor Day.

Saturday, September 6 is the Lafayette Open/Harry Rulnick foil and epee at All-American in Fayetteville.  I will be there in some capacity so can offer rides.  Gerhard always does interesting awards for these two events.

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 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.

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.

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,

 
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 3

Gregory Spahr Coaches Communication
CFFA update for August 3
A lot has happened this week, so this will be a long one.  Please read through it all carefully.

We held the advanced foil camp last week.  Thanks to the Shaheens for the drinks and
snacks.  Advanced sabre camp is this upcoming week.  Other
than that, it should be a pretty standard week of practice.  Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday at Wilmington and Friday night at Camp Lejeune.


Saturday practices will continue until there are Saturday events pulling enough of our folks that I will be coaching, reffing, etc.  Considering that the season seems to be starting earlier, that won’t be long.  I
will keep you updated.

Mid-South is hosting
foil and sabre events on August 9.  The Open foil that was an incredibly difficult B1 on Thursday is now an insanely difficult C1 as two of the Bs had their ratings drop on Friday.  They are also having a Y-14 foil.  Check askfred for the most current information.

Charlotte is hosting a C and under event on the 16th. Currently needs one more D or C and a few bodies to become a C event. See askfred for more details.

NCFDP is hosting open foil and epee events on August 31.  These will be strong events because many of the UNC fencers will be there.  Immediately following the close of fencing will be the Divisional meeting which will plan the operation of the Division for the upcoming season.  I will 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.


The
first evening beginner class will start Tuesday, August 19. 
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.  Afterschool will start for returning fencers
the Tuesday after Labor Day and for new beginners on the Monday after Labor
Day.  Homeschool classes will start on the Wednesday after Labor Day.

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.

The Division schedule for the fall
is out and events should be showing up on askfred very soon.  I put our events there, so start getting signed up so we can attract people down here.  Our events are:

September 20  Open Foil, Open epee, E and under epee
October 11       Open Foil, Open epee, D and under foil
December 13    Open foil, Open epee, Vet’s epee

Don’t forget the Division qualifiers for the Junior Olympics will be held the weekend of November 15-16.

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.

Herman is putting together the first of the season order, so if you
need something please get to him ASAP.

And saving the best for last, we now have two people currently on the Nationals points lists for their weapons.  Erica Julien is tied for 13th on the Veteran Women’s 60-69 epee, and Nicole Milewski is 16th on the Youth 10 women’s epee.

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