WWU Fencing

2008-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates! It looks like the blogger is working again, so we'll try to post updates regularly like we used to.

Competition Results

2007-01-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

This weekend we sent 7 fencers down to the Battle in Seattle at the Salle Auriol to compete in all three weapons. For a few of them it was their first time in a competition (and for most of us it was our first time at such a large competition). Good job to all of those who competed.

Mixed Epee: 60 competitors

Zach Munsey - 28th
Joe Kennedy - 43rd

Also noteworthy, Lane Givens from Bellingham Bay Fencing Club got 11th.

Mixed Saber: 51 competitors

Joe Kennedy - 43rd
Jessica Jamsgard - 44th

Womens Saber: 21 competitors

Jessica Jamsgard - 21st

Mixed Foil: 58 competitors

Patrick Darby - 7th
Zach Munsey - 49th
Joe Kennedy - 51st
Ryan Cowper - 54th
Justin Donias - 55th
Jessica Jamsgard - 57th
Daniel Spurlock - 58th

Last fall quarter practice

2006-12-06T22:48:00.000-08:00

We had our last practice for the quarter tonight. Did some footwork, short drills, a new game and an old game, and free fencing. Thanks to everyone who turned out, and we hope you have a happy winter break.

Tournament Results

2006-12-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

1 McEniry, Scott
2 Allen, Michael
3 Kennedy, Joseph
4 Munsey, Zachary
4 Jamsgard, Jessica
6 Hutchinson, Luke
7 McEniry, Liam
8 Spurlock, Daniel
9 Severtson, Eric

It was a good tournament that took longer than expected. We had some of our new people experience what a tournament is like, which is always good. Thanks to everyone who came out.

We have our last practice of the quarter on Wednesday the 6th, so hope to see everyone there.

Random Updates

2006-11-21T22:33:00.000-08:00

We actually raised 757 lbs of food for the Bellingham Food Bank. There was a slight mix up that I won't go in to now, but 90 more lbs were found, so that's great!

We have a tournament coming up on December 2nd. It will be a non-competitive, dry tournament that is open to everyone. Novices are strongly encouraged to come and fence! You do NOT need a USFA membership, knickers, or electric gear. The club can provide some jackets, foils, and masks to club members. Entry fee is $5. We'd love to see everyone there!

The practice tonight was small. Mike taught a foil lesson, Greg taught a saber lesson.

We have been discussing sweat shirts and t-shirts, so if you haven't been to practice in a while and want one, you may want to show up next practice. Patches are on the way as well.

Tournament Results

2006-11-19T23:24:00.000-08:00

Mixed Foil: 7 Fencers

1. Michael Allen
2. Issac Kreutzkamp
3. Joe Kennedy

Mixed Epee: 8 Fencers

1. Matti Schneider (earning an E rating)
2. Lingling Tai
3. Julian Briggs

This tournament was not as large as we expected it would be, but that's ok. They will pick up winter quarter.

Upcoming Tournament/Food Drive!

2006-11-14T20:18:00.001-08:00

We have a foil/epee tournament this Saturday (the 18th). Foil starts at 9 am, epee at 1 pm. The entry fee for each weapon is $10. Hope to see everyone there!

We had a food drive for the Bellingham Food Bank a couple weekends ago, and the results are in! We raised 667 lbs of food and $158.24 for the food bank, the most we've raised yet. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

Oct. 21st tournament results!

2006-10-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

We had six people show up for our first tournament of the year, which unfortunately landed on the same date as two large tournaments in Seattle. Due to the small turnout we did not fence epee.

Results:
1st: Patrick
2nd: Zach
3rd (tied): Jessica
3rd(tied): Issac
4th: Joe
5th: Mark

The tournament went smoothly with no real problems with equipment or the scoring box. Everyone fenced very well, and we hope to see more people come to our next tournament on November 18th.

Oct. 18th Practice

2006-10-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

Once again we had a good turnout for practice. A few new people came nad were taught the basics, while the rest of the group did footwork and blade work. Afterwards we all played Speed Circle, where we all formed a circle and two people would fence, until everyone went and a winner was left. After that we did a full round robin, which left everyone tired. Joe discussed equipment orders with some of the new people as the night ended.

8/12 practice

2006-10-11T23:22:00.000-07:00

Once again we had a great turnout. Greg held saber classes, which 7 or 8 people took part in. Everyone else either free fenced, or did lessons with Joe. Afterwards we all played a few games of Take the Bridge. Afterwards there was much free fencing, and many beginners stuck around and fenced.

Practice #2

2006-10-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

We had a good turn out last night. Joe instructed the beginners on parrying, while Kristi helped some others get caught up. The advanced fencers free fenced. About half way through the night we played Take the Bridge a few times with everyone, which worked out very well.

We have a food drive and tournament coming up soon. More information on these will be posted soon.

First Practice

2006-10-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone! Our first practice went well. If you didn't show up to the first one it's no big deal, just show up next tuesday or wednesday at 8 in Carver Gym D.

We had a good amount of new fencers with us, and Joe acted as coach and showed them all the basic moves. After various drills we did some free fencing, with some of the new people staying and playing around. We all enjoyed fencing for the first time in a few months, and hopefully we will go to a few tournaments soon. Hope to see everyone there next tuesday.

Meeting times

2006-09-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

*edit* Our fall meeting times are in! First official practice is on Wednesday the 4th in Carver Gym D between 8 and 10 pm. We will be meeting on Tuesday the 3rd at 8 pm in front of the Rec Center to sort out Hold Harmless forms, as well as hold a short club meeting. You can check the website for more info (www.wwu.edu/fencing). Hope to see you all there!

Death of a member

2006-08-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Samantha "Sam" Semmern was killed this past weekend by a drunk driver. The local story can be read here:

http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/8081350p-7974260c.html

In the words of our President:

Regrettably I am writing to inform you of a grave loss to our community and club. Samantha Semmern, who most of you knew by sam "too small to stab", was killed last saturday by a drunk driver. Sam loved fencing and and cherished the time she spent with us. Sam completed her BA in Linguistics in Winter, 2006 and was all set to leave for Morrocco with the Peace Corps to teach english in september. I have been told by Sam's family that anyone wanting to make a donation should send it to the Peace Corp in Samantha's name. If anyone has a good idea for a propper fencing memorail or benifit tournament let one of the officers know or send me back an email. We will be working on a propper fencing goodbye.

She will be missed.

Last practice 5/30

2006-05-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

The last practice of the year was held today. 11 people showed up to say good-bye and drop off equipment. The first hour was focused on a series of dry bouts rotating through the present fencers. The second hour was dedicated to working through some fencing games that will be used next year as a retention tool.

A brief synopsis of some of the games:

Zombies (a Saber game)

A small number of participants are the Living.
Everyone else is the Undead.
The Undead can only be killed by head shots.
The Living can have arms lopped off and stuff.

Terminator

One person is the terminator.
The terminator is up as long as he can stand it.
The terminator can 'kill' opponents with legitimate touches.
Opponents revive after a short while.
VERDICT: This is an endurance game for the Terminator, fatigue will knock him down in time.

Bridge

A narrow strip of ground is defined as The Bridge.
Two equal teams of fencers is selected, and stand shoulder to shoulder to 'guard the bridge'.
Legitimate foil touches (Sabre can be used, but it makes the game MUCH faster) kill.
Falling off the side or back of the Bridge is a kill.
Winning team eliminates all opponents.

Bridge -- Relay

Rules as above, with these additions
When killed you run back to a chair beyond the end of your end of the bridge, touch it, and run to return to the battle.
You can revive twice, for a total of three touches for a kill.
VERDICT: This makes for a much longer game. This is a VERY anaerobic activity. Our older fencers were worrying about heart issues after it. In a good way.

War

Every man for himself.
Once engaging an opponent, it is normal fencing rules. Standard hits score.
Three touches and you are eliminated.
No back-stabbing.

Great fun was had, and a lot of sweat was shed.

The End of Year party will be Wednesday at 5:30 at Michael's house. Pot-luck.

Practice 5/24

2006-05-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

As per usual, there was no formal class held. Six people arrived for the practice.

Announcements:

The last practice will be next Tuesday. The facility is closed on Wednesday.
There will be an end-of-year party either Wednesday or Thursday. To be decided.

Practice 5/23

2006-05-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

In what may be our second to last practice, we had 5 people show up. All but one an officer or incoming officer. The focus was on foil.

It is not yet clear if we will have access to Carver during dead week (next week), so next week's practice schedule is not firm. More news later.

Practice 5/16

2006-05-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

Only about 8 people showed up for practice. The late-season doldrom appears to be continuing. One on one sabre lessons were given, and electric foil fencing done.

Charity tournament 5/13

2006-05-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

The results will be posted to AskFred once the computer the results are on gets to an internet connection.

The tournament went rather well, and fun was had by all. The Dry Foil was a single pool of 9 since we didn't have enough judges and fencers to do two pools. It finished just before 1. Then balloon Epee and balloon saber!

Setup of the tournament.

This was a dry tournament, so fencers switched sides once one got to three points. And shook hands.

Fencing in motion

A touch!

A lunge is parried

A parry in eight.

And because Blogger is being difficult about posting images, this will be the last batch for this update. Expect more photos later!

Practice 5/10

2006-05-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Today was inventory day! The closet was emptied, and we counted our stuff. Two decidedly unsafe masks were destroyed in the process, as a safety measure. People with stuff still checked out will be getting calls from our resident guido.

In other news:

The Whatcom Humane Society fundraiser is this weekend.
We're planning an end-of-year party to be held on Thursday June 1st. Pot luck since we're poor at the moment. More details later.

Practice 5/9

2006-05-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

It was a small turnout. Those present indicated heavy testing as the prime reason others were not present. We had a visitor from another college, a guest of one of our members.

Practice 5/3

2006-05-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

The number of fencers attending this practice was the average for the quarter, about 11. Our coach had no lesson plan, so it was request hour.

Announcements:

The canned food-drive brought in 142 pounds of food.
The Whatcom Humane Society fundraiser is the 13th.
Our End Of Year report is due to the sports council, and our report will be given Wednesday the 24th.

Practice 5/2

2006-05-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

A fair number of fencers arrived for practice today. A total of 11 showed up, including two that hadn't been around for a few weeks. As per usual on Tuesday, it was electrical fencing, free fencing, and one on one lessons.

Practice 4/26

2006-04-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

A moderate turnout, with about 13 people including two new people.

Announcements:

Canned food drive this Saturday! Shifts were announced.
Pledge drive for the Whatcom Humane Society still on-going, some folk are over the $100 mark so far!
The Dominos pizza cards have arrived for resale!

Practice 4/25

2006-04-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Another smaller turnout, only 7 people. Electric foil was the primary focus. There wasn't enough demand to hold a sabre class.

Spring Lunge Competition, April 22nd

2006-04-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Our April 22nd competition went well. We had 16 fencers in the foil competition, and 9 in the epee competition. Individual results are posted on askfred.net. Thank you to everyone who participated.

Practice 4/19/06

2006-04-21T00:44:00.000-07:00

At practice, we elected our officers for next year-
President- Joe
Vice President- Kristi
Aurmorer- Jessica
Secretary- Danielle
Webmaster- Zach
Otherwise, practice as usual.
The tournament is coming up this weekend, the 22nd. There is still room to register on askfred.net. Also, we are holding a canned food drive for the Bellingham Food Bank outside the Lakeway CostCutter on April 29th, from 11am to 7pm.

Practice 4/11

2006-04-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

Another smaller turnout, about 10 people. A Sabre lesson was held, and free-fencing foil.

Announcements:

The armorer's workshop this Saturday has been canceled due to a lack of room.
We are hosting a fencing tournament on 4/22, go sign up.
We are running a food drive 4/29.
We are hosting a benefit for the Whatcom Humane Society on 5/13.
Officer Nominations for 2006-2007 will be held at the 4/12 practice, with elections on 4/19.

Practice 4/5

2006-04-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Another small turnout, only 12 people. We need to see why this is. Due to the very small turnout, no formal lesson was held. Greg held a Sabre class since there was demand.

Announcements:

Joe will be holding an Armoury class on Saturday the 15th in the VU multipurpose room at 2pm. Learn how to fix your gear!
We will be holding a fencing tournament on Saturday the 22nd. We need volunteers! Score-keepers, time keepers, and other tournament officials if you're not going to be fencing.
We are holding another food-drive, if approved, on the 29th. Get those community service hours in.

Practice 4/4

2006-04-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Turnout was small for the first practice of the year, around 10 people. Several announcements were made:

The main lesson will be Wednesdays this quarter, due to the work-schedule of our coach.
The Sabre lession will be Tuesdays, in order to not compete with the main lesson.
A food drive is in the planning stages for 4/29, 11am-7pm. Still seeking final approval.
The Whatcom Humane Society fundraiser for 5/13 is progressing. We'll have a spot on 'Pet Watch' when it gets edited and shown later this month.
Joe is planning on an Armorer class the weekend of the 15th. Come learn how to fix your stuff!

Fencing this quarter

2006-03-30T08:21:00.000-08:00

Per the Carver Gym schedule, it looks like fencing this quarter will be Tuesday and Wednesday in Gym D, from 7-9pm. We were on a 7-9 schedule last year. This is because there aren't any Intermurals in Carver this quarter, so they have to shoo us out by 9pm.

First practice will be next week. There will be an e-mail with the formal details once it is decided.

Practice 3/8

2006-03-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

Attendance was small due to it being dead-week, and uncertainties if we'd have a facility. But the gym was open and we did fence, though in Gym D. Gyms A-C were being set up for an NCAA Basketball tournament so we were unable to use our normal gym. About 12 people showed up for fencing, and there was no formalized lesson.

It was announced that we are working up a fundraiser for the Whatcom Humane Society for May, running a tournament in early April, and possibly sending a fencer or three to sectionals.

There will be no more fencing this quarter due to facility schedules.

Practice 3/1

2006-03-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Practice was held as usual in Gym C. About 22 people showed up. Topics covered were footwork, and beat-disengage.

The results of our Food Drive for the Bellingham Food-Bank were given out. We pulled in over 500lbs of food! Go us! The Food Bank was very, very happy with our donation as February is typically their lowest time of the year in terms of stock. Additionally both CostCutter-Lakeway and Albertsons invited us to come back if we want to do it again.

We are starting the process of organizing next quarter's activities. We wish to host a fencing tournament in the first half of April. We'd also like to send some fencers to sectionals, but details are still being worked out. The nice thing about sectionals is that they are holding an Under-20 event in every weapon, and most of our club qualifies.

Our next community service project is most likely going to be a fund-raiser for the Whatcom Humane Society. That event will be a Fence-a-thon in mid to late May. Look for more details when we've settled them down. The Humane Society is running a capital campaign to build a new, bigger shelter and we'd like to help.

Practice 2/.22

2006-02-23T18:53:00.000-08:00

Due to a Basketball game being played in Carver, we were unable to gain access to our locker. Also, we were in Gym D instead of our normal gym. Even with all that, we had 25 people show up for practice. Due to a severe equipment shortage no blade-work drills were done.

The emphasis of the day was on form and distance. A review of the various lunges and their correct performace was a key topic.

In other news, it was announced that Bellingham Bay Fencing Acadamy was holding a fencing tournament this Saturday. WWU fencers were invited to come, and several members indicated interest.

WWU Fencing is holding a food drive for the Bellingham Food Shelf this weekend. We'll be at tables in front of the Lakeway Cost Cutter and the Albertson's on Northwest. This is our first whole-club community service event, so all rostered members need to attend one shift or give significant excuse as to why they can not. As of Thursday evening, all shifts were covered.

Practice 2/8

2006-02-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Practice was held as usual in Gym C. About 21 people showed up for practice today. The main lesson was a reinforcement of basic skills, and introducing the beat-attack.

The club received a small grant from Home Depot. We will be leveraging this money to create a fund-raiser. Joe has worked up a few blade cases for sale, for $3 each. They're going on sale now, so contact Joe for details.

Greg held another Sabre lesson. He introduced beats as well, which provided a contrast with foil for the skill. There will be no Sabre lesson for the 2/15 practice as Greg will be out of town.

Tournament results

2006-02-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Full results can be found on askfred.net here.

In all, the tournament was a success for the WWU fencing club. A total of 29 entries (19 Foil, 10 Epee) at Registration, including several from outside the Bellingham area. There were no major screw-ups to delay things. Tear-down went very well.

The Foil tournament had enough people of the right ranks to make it a D1 tournament. Rance Bayman of Bellingham Bay Fencing Association earned a D-2006 with his 1st place finish, upgrading his D-2002 ranking. Aliza Kreisman of Salle Auriol upgraded her E-2004 ranking to E-2006 with her 3rd place finish. WWU's Michael Allen holds a D-2003, so did not renew a rank with his 3rd place finish. WWU's KY finished 4th, just under the level that he could have earned a rank, which shows that KY just needs to find the right tournament to earn his E rank. WWU fencers finished 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 17th and 2 at 18th.

The Epee tournament was started an hour late due to the Direct Eliminations for Foil involving four people who wished to fence Epee. Once the final Foil bout was finished, the Epee pools were started shortly thereafter. Since the turn out for Epee was smaller, the tournament was classed an E1 tournament. The winner of Epee, Ellary TuckerWilliams of the Fidalgo Bay Fencing Club, already held an E-2006 rank so did not get upgraded or renewed. Due to how the direct-eliminations were seeded, the two D-ranked Epee fencers faced eachother in the round-of-8. WWU fencers finished 6th, 8th and 9th.

Practice 2/1/06

2006-02-02T10:03:00.000-08:00

About 23 people showed up for practice today. With the tournament this coming weekend, the standard practice was used to do pool-bouts. This got people used to the format and intensity of competition fencing. This took the entire session, so no sabre lessons were held.

Signups were held to get people involved with various tasks. We still need scorers!
Set-up will start at 5pm Friday at the Rec Center. We need to move tables and chairs from Wade King Rec to Carver Gym, and then set up the strips.
Saturday morning at 8am at Carver we need people to help finish set up. Registration for Foil closes at 9am, so come on in
Due to the Superbowl, there will be no Sunday practice.

Sunday 2/5 practice canceled

2006-01-31T08:07:00.000-08:00

The practice for this coming Sunday is canceled. The Gym will be closed.

Practice 1/25/06

2006-01-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, Colin was unable to make it so the normal lesson was not held. Mike stepped in and organized a quick-bout tournament of those present. About 19 fencers were at practice, with two brand new people.

At 9:00 the second sabre lesson was held. This holds promise of being a regular thing.

Just a reminder that the tournament we are holding is just over a week away. Details here.

The Sweatshirt order will be going in soon. The design was voted on last quarter.

Practice 1/18

2006-01-19T15:17:00.000-08:00

The first practice of the quarter was held this Wednesday, in Gym C. Most of it was refresher, as we worked out the kinks after the long break. It has been close to two months since our last regular practice due to finals schedule and Winter Break. Attendance was about 20 people, with a new face or two.

The first of a hopefully regular Sabre practice was held after the normal foil lesson.

The big news is that we have a date for our tournament! February 4th at 9am we'll be holding the D-and-under Foil event, and at 1pm we'll be holding an Epee open.

Foil Event
Epee Event

Spring Quarter fencing

2006-01-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Spring is when Intramural sports take over Carver Gym. This year we're going to be in Gym C, Wednesday (8-10pm), and Sunday (7-10pm). Gym C is one of the gyms adjacent to the main gym (Gym B). Wednesday will be our normal practice, with Sunday being our free-fencing night.

Our first practice will be this coming Wednesday, the 18th. Our first Sunday will be the following Sunday, not this coming Sunday.

SAS Foil Open 2 results

2005-12-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Five WWU fencers competed in the SAS Foil Open 2 today in Seattle. Of the 38 competitors, the final placement of WWU fencers was:

27th, KY (2nd highest placement for an unranked fencer)
32nd, Greg
34th, Micah
36th, Joe
37th, Morgan

Full results can be found here.

The tournament was a very tough one. With 38 fencers, of which all but 12 held rankings. There was one A-ranked fencer present, who ultimately took first place after seeding 5th. KY had the best pool results of our team, with a bout record of 1-4.

Going into the direct eliminations, the rankings were this:

28th, KY
33rd, Micah
35th, Greg
36th, Joe
37th, Morgan

Unfortunately, KY and Morgan were placed against eachother in the first round of the DE. KY won the bout 15-0. KY then faced Omar Bhutta, the one A fencer, and fought him to a very respectable 7-15 loss.

Micah faced her bout against the 32nd seed, and lost 12-15; the closest loss of all the WWU fencers in the DE's.

Greg faced the 30th seed in his DE bout, and fenced to 15-9 for a win. The win placed Greg at the bottom of the round of 32. This put the former 30th seed into 33rd, which bumped Micah down to 34th as a result. In the second round Greg faced the 9th seed, and lost resoundingly 1-15.

Joe faced the 29th seed in his DE bout. Joe lost 8-15. It was his opinion that had the two of them fenced again under a different director it would have turned out differently.

The tournament was an educational experience. Kevin was present, but lacked a few key pieces of equipment so spectated instead. We all returned to Bellingham with a desire to do this again.

November 29, 2005

2005-11-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

White Elephant Gift Exchange

Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks to those people who came to the gift exchange, you all were the most friendliest people that i've ever played the game with, and thanks for bringing the presents, the food, and the drinks.

After we did the gift exchange we played a game of Sardines in the Communications building because we were right there and we played on the first four floors. Congrats to our expert hiders (Joe and Sam), no one could find them for a good (almost) 1/2 hour - 45 minutes. I guess that's what you get when you hide in the Math Tutorial Center on the 4th Floor. No one really looks there.

Merry Christmas everyone, and good luck with Finals! I look forward to a new and exciting year with all of you when we get back in January! ~Micah :)

Practice 11/22/2005

2005-11-23T03:25:00.000-08:00

Today was the last official practice of Fall quarter. There will be no practice held during dead-week due to Carver not having an attendant, the same goes for Finals week.

Today had no lesson since neither coach could make it. The full electrical kit was brought up and a strip was taped down. This is the first time the equipment has made a full formal appearance, and it got well used. A few more people signed up for the 12/3 tournament down in Seattle. About 15 people showed up for practice on this shortened holiday week.

There will be a meeting next Tuesday, not a practice, at a place to be determined. Details will be e-mailed out.

No word yet on location or times for practices during Winter quarter. In past years Gym D has been taken over by Intermural Sports winter quarter and we've been moved to Gym C, but we may yet get lucky. Once we know locations and times, it will get sent out in mail and posted here.

November 17, 2005

2005-11-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

Practice was awesome as some of the fencers brought out the electrical equipment and spruced up rusted habits from last school year. Newer club members were able to suit up and practice on the electrical as well. Needless to say, we are looking forward greatly to our new box the team has recently placed an order for.

Practice 11/15

2005-11-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

The evening's work was similar to last week's. The main lesson focused on parries again, but the repost was introduced into drills. It was announced that we intend to attend a tournament at SAS on 12/3. We voted on a reduced set of designs for the club sweat-shirt.

As for the tournament, we are looking to send as many fencers as we can get equiped. The Club officers are looking into transport and other logistics, depending on how many people are interested. This particular event is an 'open' event, so fencers of all ratings will be present. Full equipment is:

Newer mask
Full jacket
Glove
Knickers
Full-calf socks
Plastron (under-arm protector)
Metal Lame
Body cord
Two electric foils

November 10, 2005

2005-11-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

Practice went well, we had about a dozen people show up for being Thursday. Everyone got into their own groups and fenced for the entire two hours, there was also a little sabre by more of the experienced fencers who have practiced with the weapon before. Some people wanted to play a few of the fencing games, but majority ruled and people just fenced as everyone was ready for the three-day weekend that was a head of us. See you all on Tuesday!

Practice 11/8/05

2005-11-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

About 25 people showed up for practice, a bit down from previous weeks. Mid-terms are taking their usual toll on attendance as people figure out their own time management issues. Our own president was out thanks to testing.

Today's lesson was a reinforcement of parries. We spent a good chunk of the session working on four and six, seating them firmly and working on style. Things are coming along!

We also reviewed sweatshirt designs and voted on them. The results will be brought to next Tuesday's meeting, where we will discuss patch designs.

Spaghetti Dinner & Movie

2005-11-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

November 3, 2005

Whew! You guys are all awesome for those that came to the dinner, hosted by Micah Till at her apartment. Kevin brought over a group from Red Square after an arranged meeting and everyone else came on their own. There was plenty of spaghetti to go around once it was all cooked and ready to go, and plenty of french bread, and with Big Mike's wonderful wife bringing a few loaves of her own, i dont think anyone went hungry.

Kudo's to everyone who braved the weather and thanks for coming. After the dinner the group all went down to the Communications building. The last lecture room on the ground floor, and turned on the movie, "The Princess Bride". We all had a ton of fun. Thanks for coming guys.

Practice 11/1/05

2005-11-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

With Volleyball out of the way for the moment, we were allowed to practice in Gym D. The main lesson of the day was the introduction of two new lines, 7 (low-line, inside) and 8 (low-line, inside), As well as the parries that go with them.

About 30 people showed up for practice, a good number. This being after the bulk of mid-terms, we have suffered fewer post-mid-term drops than we expected. Very encouraging.

Designs for the club logo are due very soon, and we already have several submissions. We'll be voting on the logo next Tuesday. Additional designs for T-shirt sales are being considered, and will likely be used for a winter or spring purchase.

Due to Volleyball, there will be no practice this Thursday.

October 27, 2005

2005-10-28T00:09:00.000-07:00

Great job for all of those people who came to practice today! Everyone had a great time and it was so nice to be fencing again after all of these cancelations because of games the Men's Varsity Volleyball team is scheduled to play. Anyway, here are some things we did:

~Free fencing for the first 1/2 or so and then all of the returners wanted to teach the newbies the game, "Take the Bridge". So we were split up into two teams and played a good five or so rounds, possibly more, we were all going for a really long time. But it was great fun to play.
~Brandon taught us all a new game where the goal is to be the last man standing. Some people formed alliances (which was a really smart idea) and others just ran around the gym to poke people and see how many they could get out.
~The last 30 or so minutes was free fencing again, and for those that wanted to call it a night did so.

Just reminders:

1. The spaghetti dinner is November 3rd at 5:30pm, and then the movie, "THe Princess Bride" is being showen at 6:45pm at the communications building for everyone to watch. More information at the next practice.

2. Logo designs are due to Morgan Greenwalt, our wonderful VP, on November 1st.

Have a great weekend everyone! and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Practice October 18, 2005

2005-10-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Fencing practice was so awesome! Colin couldn't teach the lesson as he was out sick for the night, so Brandon filled in. He taught the basic principles of having the right away in a bout, and parries four and six. Joe has done an amazing job with the closet downstairs and organizing the equipment. Its going to be so nice not having to lug up those boxes anymore up the stairs, kudos to you Joe. In the last 45 minutes or so, there was free fencing as everyone had access to a foil and proper equipment. Some of the new fencers partnered up with the more experienced one's and were able to have one-on-one's with them, everyone else seemed to be having a ton of fun.

Announcements:

1. There was no practice on the 20th due to the men's varsity volleyball team.
2. There will be no practice this Tuesday Oct. 25 because of another men's varsity volleyball practice. If the club officers find a replacement location we will send out an email and let everyone know. Otherwise Thursday's practice on the 27th should be a mandatory one for those who can make it.
3. Dues were in for the Spaghetti dinner. If you didn't get them in on time, please pay them anyway.
4. All arists and everyone else, the Fencing Club needs a logo, please compile all of your ideas and bring them to practice on NOvember 1st to Morgan Greenwalt, the sooner the better though.

Otherwise, I hope to see everyone soon. Good luck with exams and midterms, remember that they will all be over with in good time.

"Devil Duck" Tournament results

2005-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

The two competitive Saberists that our club has went down to Salle Auriol in Seattle to attend the "Devil Duck" Saber Open. In total 21 fencers were at this event, and enough high rank fencers attended to make it a B1 event. Several fencers had come down from Vancouver, BC to attend.

WWU Fencing had a good day. The final results can be found here. The first rating by a WWU fencer at a tournament we officially are attending was earned by Greg with his 8th place finish. He earned an E-2005. This makes Greg our second fencer with a rating. Michael Allen finished 15th at this tournament, but also holds a rank in all three weapons through tournaments independently attended.

The tournament started with three pools of seven fencers each. A lack of qualified directors guided this decision. The larger pools did mean each fencer got more bouts in, which was appreciated by both fencers. Michael was placed in Pool 1, and Greg in Pool 3. Michael had the better pool, with a 3-3 record. Greg had a 2-4 record.

Going into the direct elimination round, Michael was seeded 14th, and Greg was seeded 15th. Due to the size of the pool of fencers, 21, the DE was held on a round-of-32 format, which meant that the top 11 fencers got byes for the first round. This had the side-effect of having both Michael and Greg in the top half of the bouts fenced, and were therefore placed against lower seeded fencers. Michael fenced the 19th seed and won handily with a 15-6 win. Greg fenced the 18th seed and also won handily with a 15-6 win.

The second round had the real competition. Michael fenced first against the #3 seed who had a bye the first round. This fencer holds a B2004 rank, has been to nationals a number of times, and had a bye the first round. This fencer also ultimately finished first. Michael lost to him in a hard fought 15-6 bout, during which Michael successfully pulled off a couple tricky moves.

Greg was up next against the #2 seed, a fencer from Canada with a D2004 rank. In one of the oddities of fencing tournaments, both this fencer and the one Michael faced were in Greg's pool. During the pool bout with this fencer Greg managed a 5-3 loss, a good showing all things considered. Apparently the fact that Greg is left-handed was enough of a new thing that this D-ranked fencer was unable to make a win, and lost to Greg 15-12. This was the only upset of the tournament.

The third round of the DE faced Greg against the #7 seed, who had finished his previous bout with the #10 seed with a fairly one-sided 15-4 victory. Michael had faced this fencer in the pools so was able to provide some hints about his style, which did come in handy. Unfortunately, this bout was at the end of a long day for Greg, and his legs were in poor shape. The lack of agility on the strip prevented more points from being scored, and he lost 15-8.

The semi-final and final bouts were watched by our fencers, and were fun to watch. The final bout between Mikhail Krasnich (B-2005) and Wang Yung (B-2003) was watched avidly by the remaining saberists. The display of point control by Krasnich was a wonder to behold. Unfortunately for Krasnich, Yung's use of right-of-way was enough to pull out a 15-14 win. This win upgraded Yung to a B-2005 rating.

Practice 10/11

2005-10-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

The normal Tuesday practice was held in Carver Gym D. We had around 40 people show up, with four brand new people.

The day's lesson included:

Cross-advance and cross-retreat
Redoublement lunge
Distance work
Putting on the safety gear
Parries

The big announcement was that the Fencing Club has secured Thursdays between 8-10pm for an additional practice. This added practice is not as structured as the Tuesday practice, and historically has been all free-fencing.

As a note, if you get your $50 dues into the Rec Center by 10/20, you can join us for a spaghetti dinner at the President's place.

Practice 10/4/05

2005-10-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

The first full practice of the year was held this Tuesday. Turnout was excellent, with between 45-50 people showing up. This is actually up from last week, which is a good surprise.

The first practice focused on the very basics of the sport, footwork. En Guarde, Initial Position, Advance/Retreat, and Lunge. Next week we'll get everyone suited up and with a foil.

It was announced that we will be attempting to organize a team for a couple of tournaments. The prime goal is a tournament being held by Salle Auriol in Seattle, for November 5th. The scanty details can be found here. This is a D and under event, which fits us perfectly. There may be a fencer or three who make it down to the Devil Duck Sabre Open at Salle Auriol on October 15th, but that has yet to be finalized. And we are going to be organizing a trip to watch a foil tournament as an educational experience, though there may be some WWU fencers participating in it. This will likely be the Friday, October 21st at Salle Auriol for a D and under Foil event.

First meeting

2005-09-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

The first meeting went well. Around 40 people showed up, which was less than we were expecting. However, the south doors to Carver were locked until well after 8pm which may very well have caused some people to turn away. Not everyone knows about the north door near the Info desk.

We discussed several things at the meeting.

Filling out the Hold Harmless form
Run through of the safety gear needed to participate in practices
Run through of the gear needed to compete
Introductions of the officers
Demonstrations of all three weapons
When practices will be held

Our first full practice will be next Tuesday, the 4th, for those that have filled out their forms and gotten them to us or the Rec Center.

Practice on 9/27

2005-09-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we learned that School policy has changed regarding the hold harmless forms. Before you can practice, the Sports Club Director (Jeff) has to have the form in his possession. Last year if the Club held the form we were covered. The reason for this change is due to some problems Sports Clubs had last year.

Because of this, the practice on 9/27 will not be a practice, it will be a general meeting instead. We will collect the forms and get them submitted so we can hold a full practice on 10/4. The forms are good for the remainder of the academic year, so everyone who did one last year has to do another one. We're not alone in being inconvenienced by this one. At least one club was planning on holding try-outs this Wednesday, and everyone who goes out for try-outs has to have a form in.

Information you will need:

W# for Western students, Student ID# for students of WCC, NWIC, and BTC, or SSN# for everyone else
Local and permanent addresses
Emergency contact information
Medical Insurance information. You must have insurance to participate.

First practice 8pm Tues 9/27, Carver Gym D

2005-09-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

The first practice of the season will be at 8pm in Carver Gym D. No firm word yet on whether we'll get a second night, or what that night would be. Rumor has it that Thursday night is the night that works best for the powers that be. Once we get word of that, it will be posted.

Red Square info fair

2005-09-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

The WWU Fencing Club will be at the Red Square info fair this Monday and Tuesday. The Fair is held from 11am to 2pm, and all WWU Sports Clubs will be present. Come on by and tell us who you are, so we can let you know when practice times are this quarter. We don't know what times we have yet, but we should have that information by Wednesday. When we know we'll send a mail to all people who sign up, as well as post here.

Tuesday, 5/31

2005-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

The last normal practice of the year was held Tuesday. The normal free-fence will still be held this Thursday and will be the last formal get-together for the year as well. Attendance was light, as it has been the past few weeks as the year winds down.

In news, the Sports Council has passed out the 2005-06 budgets to the sports clubs. The Fencing Club received an increase over last year of $300, which we are quite happy about. Energy is running high for next year.

Next year the Fencing Club will once again be in Red Square for the activity fair. This is the two days before the start of school, on September 19th and 20th.

Summer Fencing

For a fee of $25/month Bellingham Bay Fencing Club has open fencing on Thursdays. We'd like to improve our relations with BBFC, so come on down!

If enough people are interested, we might be able to obtain a practice slot during Summer Session at WWU itself.

Practice, 5/24

2005-05-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

As the quarter winds down, attendance is really falling off. Eight people showed up for practice today. No formal lesson was held. The electric box was set up, and several fencers rotated through to get experience.

Greg did some one on one sabre lessons, focusing mainly on building good attack form habits (wrist, not elbow), and beat-attacks.

Thursday 5/19

2005-05-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

The bulk of the time Thursday was spent preparing for our Annual Report to the Sports Club Council. This report is something we have to do yearly, and is used as the primary justification for our budget allocation next year. In other words, very important. The majority activity was inventorying all of our equipment, as required. Then those people who attended tournaments this year wrote up more details of their experience and what the club learned from them.

Some fencing was had, though. Your chronicler was called away on a call-from work, so isn't able to describe how things went in the last half hour.

Rain City Open 5/14-15

2005-05-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

WWU Fencers participated in both days of the event. We had two fencers in the Women's Foil event on Saturday, and six fencers in the Mixed Foil event on Sunday. Complete results have been posted on askfred.net.

Mikah and Morgan participated in the Women's event. The action was described as strong and fast, something our club isn't quite. Mikah and Morgan finished 21st and 22nd of 22 respectively.

The Mixed Foil event was smaller than we were expecting, with only 42 people showing up. Pre-registration had a number of 50. The Tournament ended up being a B2 event, and one fencer renewed their C ranking by finishing third in the tournament.

The level of competition at this tournament was very intimidating. Of the 42 fencers present, only ten held no ranking, and we brought six of those people. There were six B-ranked fencers and twelve C-ranked fencers, who among them managed to dominate the top 18 spots. A few D-fencers snuck past in the 11, 12, 16, and 18 spots, and some C-fencers finished in the 19, 20, and 24-tied positions.

The pool bouts leading up to the direct-elimination seeding did WWU fencers both a good and bad turn. One of our strongest fencers, Colin, was placed in a very tough pool which led to poor indicators going into the direct-eliminations and ultimately a bad seed. Two of our fencers were placed in the same pool, Greg and Morgan, which ended up giving Greg an advantage in the DE's at the expense of Morgan.

The direct-elimination round at this tournament was done with people who seeded 32 or higher, in order to make the DE-tree balanced. No WWU fencers won their DE bouts, as they both were fencing people seeded in the top seven and those seven were there for a reason.

The final placement of WWU fencers was:

26 - KY
27(tied) - Greg
34 - Andy
36 - Kevin
38(tied) - Colin
42 - Morgan

In good news for our club, KY, Greg, and a fencer from the Rain City Fencing Club who tied with KY represented a group of Unranked fencers that managed to finish higher than all E-ranked fencers in the tournament.

Practice & Elections 5/10

2005-05-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Elections for officers next year were held today.

President-Micah
VP- Morgan
Treasurer- KY
Historian- Brandon
Armorer- Joe
Secretary- Kristy
Sports Council Rep- Greg

Several members will be going to the Rain City Open this Saturday and Sunday. At least one fencer was planning on making the Women's Foil even Saturday, and more of us are going to be going to the Mixed Foil event Sunday morning.

Turnout today was good, with 17 people showing up and voting.

Practice 5/3

2005-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Practice was moderate today, with about 15 people showing up. The main lesson was the introduction of a couple of advanced couter-attack methods. The footwork drill shifted from the previous style-oriented drills to a speed oriented drill; we're advanced enough that this sort of drill is now possible.

Several announcements were made at the meeting:

There will be no practice on May 5th. Carver is closed for an unspecified 'special event' that is probably a basketball game. An informal gathering in Red Square may happen at the usual time, weather permitting.
The CSC organization will be holding their training class next Tuesday at 5pm, somewhere in the Rec Center. CSC is something that Fencing hasn't done any of, but other clubs have earned serious money through CSC. CSC provides people as ticket-takers, bouncers, and security checkers at sporting and entertainment events.
A group of WWU Fencers will be going to the Rain City Open on Sunday, May 15th. Precise travel plans haven't been formed yet.

Officer Elections will be held next week. Nominations were taken this week. The only contested positions are for President and Vice President. Colin and KY will be stepping down and not running, as both are in their last year next year.

Thursday, 4/28

2005-04-29T09:24:00.000-07:00

Attendance was hard to assess due to the weather. A good percentage of the people at practice decided to head out to Red Square to fence out where it was cooler. Inside, the electrical system was set up and several practice bouts were had.

We are hoping to attend the 5th Annual Rain City Open the weekend of May 14-15. The Mixed Foil event is on Sunday at 10am, so we won't have to spring for Hotel.

Practice 4/26

2005-04-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Turnout was better this week, with at least 15 people showing up.

This last Tuesday, we learned the defensive half and full bind. Thanks to Joe, the electrical equipment was working, and some of us fenced with it during the last hour.
Next Tuesday is nominations for officers for the next school year. All positions are available, including president, vice president, armorer, historian, secretary, treasurer and student council representative.

You can be nominated for multiple positions, but you have to decide which one you are going to run for by the Sunday after nominations.
Officers must be able to attend officer meetings, as well as fulfilling other duties. They will be trained this quarter, but will not officially take over duties until fall quarter. Colin will not be running for president next year, but he will still be coaching. Voting will take place the Tuesday after next, after all candidates give speeches.

If you are interested in competing, KY is organizing a group to go to a competition on May 18th. I think it is in Bellevue. If you are interested in that, let Colin or KY know as soon as possible. They will be able to give you more details.

Practice 4/19

2005-04-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

A combination of mid-terms and a really nice day outside caused a reduced attendnace practice. Twelve people showed up, which is the smallest yet this year for a Tuesday practice. Work was done on two new types of lunges, used to manage distance.

The results of the ladder were announced. I don't have the details, but will post them when I have them.

Practice 4/12

2005-04-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

The final bouts of the ladder were held today, results will be posted soon.

Footwork and group distance exercises were also held for the first time in a while, which was a nice break. During the free-fence period after the footwork was done, a sabre lesson was held again, working on basic such as appropriate style of cuts/parries, and the beginnings of distance.

Thursday 4/7

2005-04-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

We had a smallish turnout with only seven people and a guest. The guest was an incoming Freshman who may be with us this fall!

Free fencing was done, and then drifted into a Sabre lesson. The club recently aquired a quantity of sabres, so they were put to good use. We had a couple of drills and some fencing afterwards to get a feel for the weapon.

Practice 4/5

2005-04-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Practice was held on Tuesday. The day was spent going over the recent equipment purchase, validating the equipment, troubleshooting our electrical scoring box, free-fencing, and a couple of Ladder bouts. Sadly, it is looking likely that our electrical box has seen much better days. This does put the spurs to us to get a new box. Unfortunately those cost in the $400-$1200 range, so will require special fundraising.

Tuesday 3/29

2005-03-29T21:13:00.000-08:00

Despite being on the official Carver Gym schedule there was no fencing tonight. Several officers showed up to redirect those people who didn't get the message.

Of note:
Fencing this quarter will start at 7pm, not 8pm, and will happen Tuesday and Thursday. The Sunday practice is no more. Also, we're back in Gym D, at least until Intermurals start up again. Some interest was shown in a 'spontanious fencers' list, as well.

More info when we have it.

Sunday 3/13

2005-03-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

There was no official practice today. While the schedule did show that we had the gym reserved, there was no employee at Carver to allow us in.

The next practice will most likely be Tuesday, the 29th. Which is the first day of school.

Ladder 3/8

2005-03-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Ladder continues. Today we got the first rounds of the Direct Elimination phase of it out of the way. There is at least one more day's worth of bouting, though, so we're not done yet.

The Equipment should arrive any day now. It was ordered a week ago Monday, and the vendor is usually pretty good about getting stuff out the door. Sadly, it won't be here in time for fencing this quarter.

There is almost definitely no fencing practice next week during finals week. Our experience during Fall quarter showed that our standing reservation isn't good during Finals. Should that change, I'll post it here.

We are still on for this Sunday, though.

Sunday 3/6

2005-03-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

A smaller turnout. Several people who attended the tournament did show up, and worked through observations gleaned during the tournament.

Spring Clean Open results

2005-03-06T20:40:00.000-08:00

The results have been posted!

Colin placed 14th
Greg placed 16th
Brandon placed 19th
KY placed 20th
Kevin placed 24th

Kevin showed a remarkable bout in his direct-elimination bout. Fencing the 9th seed, he managed to go 15-11. He even had a lead for a few points there. He was the first of the WWU DE bouts fenced, and it was a very good start.

KY fenced a strong bout against the 13th seed, pulling in a final score of 15-13.

Greg, seeded 19th, fenced the 14th seed and won. The final score was 15-12, and Greg advanced to the second round. There was no audience for this bout as two other WWU fencers were having their own DE bouts at the same time.

Colin and Brandon had the unluck of fencing each other in the first round DE. Colin won 15-6, and advanced to the second round.

Greg fenced the first 2nd round bout. The opponent got a bye for the first round, and was tied for the 2nd seed. The fencer also holds a C2005 ranking, and was Greg's first pool-bout as well.. Greg managed to bring in a hard-fought 15-8 result, losing but happy with it.

Colin fenced the other 2nd round bout. The opponent also got a bye on the first round, and was the other fencer tied for 2nd-seed. The fencer also holds a D2004 ranking, and also was Colin's first pool-bout. The opponent was very aggressive, and very flick-resistant. Colin managed to pull in a 15-6 result.

Ladder 3/1

2005-03-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

The Pool phase of the Ladder was completed today. All three pools finished off. The pool sheets will be used to tabulate the direct-elimination stage which will be started next week. Due to absentees, certain pools did not fence all bouts. This will complicate scoring, though that also will be worked out by Tuesday.

It was learned at the Sports Council meeting earlier in the day that the electrical equipment order was not submitted to the vendor until Monday of this week. Because of this, it will require a small miracle for the equipment to arrive in time for this weekend's tournament. As a couple of people intending to go to the tournament this weekend were only going if the order had arrived, this will very likely reduce the number of people we are sending to Eugene. It may turn out that we don't need to rent a van, and can take private transportation. That option will be determined Friday.

Sunday 2/27

2005-02-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

A large turnout made things much livelier than last week! We had around 17 people show up for fencing. The electrical box was hauled up to Gym C for people to get used to doing electrical bouts, a needed step before the tournament this weekend. This also provided a good way to test out our existing electrical equipment.

Over the weekend, a mailing was sent out to people on the list regarding the tournament this coming Saturday. Reportedly, interest has been good. The equipment order with several electrical sets of equipment was placed last week and is expected to arrive in time for the festivities Saturday. We hope to send many people down to Eugene this Saturday.

A set of singlesticks was brought out by one member, much whacking ensued.

Ladder 2/22

2005-02-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

The first round of the ladder was fenced this Tuesday. Fencers divided in three pools of seven each. Before fencing started, a quick run-down of how scoring works in round-robbin tournaments, complete with the USFA form for that. People with directing experience were divided evenly between the pools, but the rest of membership was determined somewhat randomly.

Two of the three pools were able to get a bit over half done in the hour and a half of fencing-time we had. The remainder of the matches will be completed next Tuesday. Sunday will be free-fence like it has been.

Sunday 2/20

2005-02-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

Three hardy souls braved the wasteland that is a University campus on a three-day weekend and fenced. All three weapons were fenced, including that upstart Epee. Fun and sweat was had by all.

Practice 2/15

2005-02-16T09:10:00.000-08:00

Turnout was fair. Ultimately around 20 people showed up, though a good percentage of them arrived after warmups and stretching. Today's main exercise was working on the coupe as an alternate to the disengage.

There were a couple of significant announcements:

We will not be attending the Oregon Cup this weekend. We were not able to get the equipment required for competition together in time.
We are aiming to make the Spring Clean Open also down in Eugene. We have higher hopes of getting our gear together in time for this event. This is a USFA event, so participants will need USFA memberships.
Starting next week, we will be starting a ladder. This is a sort of ongoing competition that is common in other Martial Arts. Next Tuesday and possibly the one after it will be devoted to the initial round of the ladder. All participating fencers will be divided into pools, and the pools will then compete with eachother in a round-robin tournament. Once pool competition is completed, results will be tabulated to come up with the initial rankings for the ladder.

To advance on the ladder, you have to challenge someone no more than four spots above you.
If a challenge bout succeeds, you take your opponent's spot on the ladder, and they, and everyone between you and them, goes down a spot.
Fencers three and four spots ahead of you may decline a challenge, but fencers one and two spots ahead of you must accept a challenge.
You must challenge at least once every two weeks, or you will go down one spot on the ladder.

Exceptions include legitimate excuses such as participation in a USFA sanctioned match, and illness.
Excessive schoolwork may not be a legitimate excuse

New people seeking to join the ladder join at the bottom rank and will have to work up.
If a challenge fails, you have to wait one week to challenge that person again.
An armband system denoting where you are in the ladder will probably be implemented.

Due to the ladder, next week there will be no lesson. A quick run-down of how to keep score in a pool will be done, as well as the rules for the bouts themselves.

Sunday 2/13

2005-02-13T21:45:00.000-08:00

A smaller turnout, possibly due to late mid-terms. Somewhere between 10-13 people showed up for practice.

Practice 2/8

2005-02-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

No lesson plan due to heavy school-work preventing the creation of it. Free fence was held. A couple of new people showed up and were introduced to the sport.

At least five people expressed interest in attending the Oregon Cup down in Eugene (weekend of 2/19-20, President's Day weekend). Logistics is the next step in the process.

Sunday 2/6

2005-02-07T08:24:00.000-08:00

Our second Sunday open fencing time went off well. Equipment was late in arriving due to the Info Desk person patrolling Carver instead of being parked at the Info Desk. Once things were hauled upstairs, fencing began for those who do not yet have equipment of their own. Attendance was in the 10-14 range.

Practice 2/1/05

2005-02-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

Practice was held as usual on Tuesday, in Carver Gym C. Turnout was normal, with at least two new people drawn by the article in the Western Front.

It was announced that we are trying to get a team together to attend the Oregon Cup in Eugene, OR the weekend of 2/19-20. The Club equipment is not complete enough to equip many people, so this is limited to people who have their own gear. If we do manage to get a team together, this will be the first tournament we have attended in some time.

Our current fund-raising goal is to get enough money to build up competition quality gear, so we can better attend events such as this one.

Sunday 1/30

2005-01-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

Our first open fencing on Sunday worked out! The info-desk at Carver is staffed, so we were able to get the lights turned on, and equipment out of storage. Turnout was little reduced from normal Tuesday practice, but at one point we had seven strips going of people fencing. A very nice sight to see!

This week's schedule hasn't been published yet so we haven't determined if we're open for this coming Sunday. Stay tuned!

Practice 1/25/05

2005-01-26T10:18:00.000-08:00

The Fencing Club had an article in the Western Front, which caused several new people to show up for practice Tuesday. We had more new people on this one day than any time after mid-terms last quarter.

Intramurals have started, and our usual practice spot in Carver Gym D was taken over by Volleyball. We were slotted into Carver Gym C, which has less space but not unworkably so. It was a tight fit, which is a nice problem to have.

Also, we do have an additional time-slot! Sunday from 7-9pm in Carver Gym C. We are checking if this is an on-going thing, or a one-shot. If this is an on-going thing, the Sunday practice will be free-fencing without formal practice or warmups.

Practice 1/18/05

2005-01-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

We had a quite sizable turnout for our second practice. This quarter is looking to maintain our good turnout of Fall quarter, which is encouraging.

The skills we practiced today were:

Compound advances
Glove Game
Feinting

Once free-fence started, several groups broke off to do just that. Electrical equipment was verified by several fencers, and a few bouts fought with our one box.

Winter quarter fencing

2005-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

Just to let you all know, fencing practice will begin next Tuesday, January 11. They will be in Carver gym D from 8 pm to 10 pm. Hope you all had a great break! We'll see you next week!

Practice 12/8

2004-12-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Practice on Tuesday was an interesting event. It seems that we didn't have the room reserved, since it was finals week. We got into Carver anyway, and managed to hold a practice. Though, the equipment locker wasn't available until almost 9pm. No formal drills were held.

Next quarter's schedule is unclear. Once we know when practices will be held, we'll post again. We have a request in for three nights up in Gym D. We'll see if we get 'em.

Practice this Tuesday

2004-12-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

There WILL be fencing practice tomorrow in the usual spot. Enough officers will be around to assist in getting equipment out that we'll be able to satisfy and finals de-stressing that may be needed.

Movie Night

2004-12-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Movie Night went well. Attendance was pretty good for dead-week. Brief discussions were held on what to run for movie nights next quarter.

Fencing practice of 11/30

2004-12-01T10:32:00.000-08:00

Practice was held this Tuesday. Due to a press of classwork, no formal lesson was planned. Warmups were done as usual and announcements held. As a reminder The Mask of Zorro will be shown in Fraser 3 this Thursday at 7pm, with a recommended donation of $2. There may be concessions, we're not quite sure yet.

We had a pretty good turnout for dead-week.

There WILL be a practice during Finals Week. Enough officers have the night free that we will be around for people who wish to fence. Sometimes, beating on people is a good finals stress-reliever.

The space-request for Winter Quarter has been submitted. We haven't heard back yet. We are attempting to get at least one more day of practice reserved, as we've heard from several fronts that having more than one day of fencing is desired. More info when we know it.

Event: Movie Night

2004-11-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

The Mask of Zorro will be shown in Frasier 3 this Thursday at 7:00pm. Recommended donation of $2.