VFA Bulletin
November 13, 2023

1. Schedule/General Announcements
Late breaking news: Tues 11/14 practice in Charlotte will be 7:15-9:15 (15 mintues later than usual) due to a school STEM fair that needs a little extra time to clean up. The rest of this week is as normally scheduled.

Level 2/3 classes will be taking a break from our usual drills, and working on our ability to observe a bout and describe what is happening using the correct terms (the refereeing skill that most people find hardest to master). Teen and adult Level 1 students, you are welcome to participate in this if you are interested, but coming back on Thursday for Charlotte fencers, or staying for the whole evening in Middlebury. As always, there is no extra charge for coming to two classes in the same week.

NO fencing next week (Nov 21-23). Happy Thanksgiving!

The last two weeks of fall fencing are Nov 28-30, and Dec 5-7. Level 1 students will get to try out some epee on the last week of the session. When you continue into Level 2/3 you have the option of doing either epee or foil (or dabbling in both and seeing which you prefer).

Winter break: Dec 8-Jan 3. Thurs Jan. 4, open fencing in Charlotte for Competitive Squad. Full winter schedule starts Jan 9-11.

Charlotte fencers note: According to the town rec website, their youth basketball programs run from Dec 4 through Feb. 10. These programs have the right to reserve the gym until 7:30, pushing our practice time back to 7:30-9:30. Some years they do this, and other years they opt to end earlier or don't schedule any practices on Tues or Thurs. They don't finalize their schedule until last minute, as it depends on how many kids sign up and what the preferences of their volunteer coaches are. We will probably just have to wait and see what they do, and may have an evening or two where we are waiting in the hallway for them to finish.

Does anyone have fencing equipment in good shape that has been outgrown or is no longer used? Now is when Level 1 students are looking for equipment to buy as they move up to Level 2/3. Two ways to pass on used equipment
a. Donate it to the VFA by giving it to me, and I will resell it to a newbie, with the money going to the club
b. List it for direct sale in the Nov 27 Bulletin by sending me a list of what you have (size, brand, dominant hand etc), how much you would like for it, and your preferred contact info.

Don't forget to tell your friends about our winter classes, and encourage them to get in touch with me soon for registration info!

Fencing electric? Please, when packing strip sets back into rolling suitcases, always place the reels one on top of the other nearest the wheels. That way, when the suitcase is rolled or stored upright, the heavy reels will not crush the machine or sever the floor cords. How the suitcases pack into my car: All go in the back. 4 largest stand upright against the back of the rear seat. 2 smallest suitcases lie on their sides in front of the standing ones, and the Leon Paul bags sit on top of those two.

2. Notes for Equipment Renters
All rented equipment is due back to me by Dec 8. If you plan to turn it in this week, please let me know so I can bring you back your deposit. I will have the deposits with me both weeks after Thanksgiving, so no need to notify me about that. Most people find it easiest to return the equipment at the end of their final fall class (don't worry about cleaning it, I will take care of that). If you do not return equipment at one of the remaining classes, you are responsible for dropping the equipment off at my house on Dec. 8. Contact me to make arrangements to do this and get your deposit back. All equipment must be turned in, even if you would like to rent again in the winter!

If you are continuing on to Level 2/3 classes this winter, you must have your own basic set of equipment. Not sure yet whether you want to focus on foil or epee? Get a starter set for one of the two, and you are welcome to borrow a weapon for the other at no charge. Here again is my shopping advice for newbies:
https://www.vtfencingalliance.org/old_posts/EquipmentBuyGuide.htm

Want to take another lap through Level 1 this winter? (recommended for ages 9-10, many 11-12 year olds, and anyone who missed a lot of classes this fall). You may reserve rental equipment when I open registration after Thanksgiving. It will be first come first served, with no preference for repeaters versus raw recruits. I will announce when registration is open and you can let me know if you would like to rent again (the sooner you do, the more likely I will have your size). If you can afford it and are sure you are sticking with fencing, I encourage you to buy your own in order to free up more rental gear for new beginners, even if you are repeating Level 1. Then you will be all set for Level 2/3 in the spring.

Costs for continuing to fence this winter:
-Your USA Fencing membership is paid up through July, so no need to do anything about that.
-You will owe club dues (your share of gym rental costs) of $15 if just repeating Level 1, or $25 if doing Level 2/3 (or both simultaneously). This is due at the first practice in January and covers the entire winter session through March.
-Buy a new punch card ($65) when ever you use up the one you have. They are good for all classes/all levels and never expire.
-If renting equipment again, you will owe a $20 rental fee (due in January, covers entire winter session), plus a new, post-dated deposit check. Skip this if you have your own equipment.

3. Next Tournament Dec. 2, includes Youth-register now!
The season's first (of 4 or 5) events for kids born 2011 or later is coming up fast. Our youth events are age appropriate, supportive, fun and excellent for young first-time competitors, including kids who are currently in Level 1 classes (and of course, all of Colton's Crew and the Middlebury Level 2/3 youth fencers....). There will also be open foil and epee events for teens and adults of all skill levels.

Here is why it is important to sign up early for tournaments.
a. Because it is super helpful to the organizers. We have a whole new team of volunteers running our tournaments this season. Let's make life easy for them. This is doubly true with youth events, which require more volunteers than any other kind of event we offer.
b. Because it helps attract out of state fencers when they see a tournament will be well attended
c. Because the December tournament will be held in a small gym. Therefore competitor numbers will be capped. There is a chance some of the events will fill up. Don't miss out, reserve your spot.
e. Because there is a $15 late fee if you sign up fewer than 5 days in advance. There is no penalty if you sign up now and later have to withdraw. Payment is made at the door.

Dec. 2, Vt Commons School, S. Burlington, Holiday Open and Youth
10 a.m Youth Foil, Open (senior mixed) Epee
1:30 p.m Youth Epee, Open (senior mixed) Foil

Youth events are open to kids born 2011 or later, Open events are for fencers born 2010 or before.
Youth events are unsanctioned, meaning no ratings can be earned (they generally can't in youth events anyway) and also that foil masks with electric bibs will be optional (you can use whatever mask you have).

To register:
https://www.askfred.net/tournaments/668c0af9-55ef-4ef1-8b86-bd2123a8b4b4

Sign up is via a website called AskFRED (FRED is the Fencing Results and Events Database). New to using it? Instructions for creating an account are here:
http://www.vtfencingalliance.org/old_posts/HowToUseFRED.htm
Note: this blog was created for the old AskFRED. It may have changed a bit since the site was updated this summer. Also, if you used AskFRED last season but this is your first time signing in since the update, you may be prompted to change your password.

4. Tournament Results
Congratulations to new tournament organizer (and new GMD vice chair) Matt Krohn on running a successful, fun tournament on Saturday! Congratulations to the medalist of the Stick Season Stab:

Open Foil (21 fencers, D1 event)
1 Elder, Justin UNAT
2 Coffin, Carleton RPI FC
3 Averill, Zachary RPI FC
3 Pernia, Samantha RIFAC - earned E rating

Veterans Epee (16 competitors, C1 event)
1 Bolduc, Patrice SRN
2 Nguyen, Thanh RPI FC
3 Bush, Thomas RIFAC
3 Tolley, Toby PHX / RFA

Open Epee (21 competitors, C1 event)
1 Malenfant, Vincent SRN
2 Szulzycki, Alexander RPI FC
3 Bush, Thomas RIFAC
3 May, Ciaran VFA

Veterans Foil (8 competitors, E1 event)
1 Fox, Viveka VFA
2 Schuppe, Ray VFA
3 Davis, Rick VFA
3 Yeh, Rodney VFA

Performance of the Week: Jesse has noticed that I often miss great epee performances because I am fencing or reffing foil as the same time, and has taken to filling me in. This is from him: "Ciaran had the best showing in the Epee Open for VFA. I think at first glance most folks see Ciaran as a tall fencer (which he is) with a lot of reach (which he has). However, he also surprises his opponents with good distance, excellent point control, strong parries and his signature move, the "Ciaran Hip Hop". The use of well placed hand touches, stop hits, and second intention parry ripostes in addition to his reach tends to catch his opponents off guard and keep them guessing. In his quarter final match he fenced a tall, strong, and experienced fencer who is normally very assertive. Ciaran used his variety of tactics to put his opponent on the defensive and never lost control of the bout. " I will add that I got to watch an exciting close bout between Ciaran and Colton, both of them working hard to outwit and suprise the other. What gave Ciaran the edge was excellent use of taking over the attack right at the moment that he made his opponent fall short. A+ for paying attention in class, Ciaran!

Honorable Mentions: While Jesse didn't medal this time around, he made the top 8 in both highly competitive epee events. More from him: "Taber had a tough pool with more experienced fencers. His first DE was against a C rated veteran who is normally very patient (who Taber fenced in pools). I think Taber took what he learned and adjusted during the DE, taking an early lead and scoring three unanswered points by keeping distance and attacking when there was a good opportunity. In fact, so masterful and sly were two of Taber's touches that his opponent asked for a weapon check which is always a nice compliment! Taber's opponent was able to regroup after the first period and adjust his fencing to eventually win, the end score being a very respectable 11-15. I've been telling Karen that she's been much harder to hit at practice recently, mostly by use of a combination of distance control, sharper parries, and good form. She ended up fencing an aggressive opponent who was using a lot of beats and fleches to close the distance on his opponents, usually not going more than ten seconds before someone scored a touch. During their pool bout Karen held him off for over a minute before a touch was made. Afterwards he walked up to her and said, "wow, you were really hard to hit!". Told you so Karen!" From the little I saw, Colton was fencing with great energy and focus. He finished in the middle of the pack, but everyone who finished above him was rated D or higher, so he is clearly moving closer to earning his first rating. Meanwhile in foil world: Rodney has become a force to be reckoned with, finishing top 8 in open foil, and going undefeated in the veteran foil pool, fencing fearlessly and with whirlwind energy. Solid efforts from young fencers Simon, Axel and Miranda, who lost close DEs to collegiate or adult fencers. I had a blast in our entirely home-grown Vet Foil event (I started a fencing club 30 years ago wo I would have friends to play with in my old age....I think it's working). In the semifinal Ray (who had already finished a respectable 6th in Vet Epee) was able to fend off the hurricane force of Rodney's attacks with some excellent ripostes, made by refusing to fall for feints, waiting for his opponent to commit to a line of attack, retreating with a well-executed parry, and taking over the attack with a perfectly timed riposte. Ray and I had another of our epic DE battles, trading touches back and forth (and he might have been robbed, as my final point was kind of questionable as to whether it was legal....). Huzzah for first time competitor Brendan, who was both the youngest (at 13) and least experienced (just started fencing in September), but who absolutely smashed my legendary first tournament record with two pool victories (including over the eventual bronze medalist) and a DE win. He did a great job of leading with his hand, making well timed feint-disengage attacks, and fencing with a lot of gusto. I think we might have a new Squaddie in the near future!

Thank yous: to meet managers Deirdre, Genevieve, Michele and Matt, those who stayed late to help with reffing (especially Carleton and Miranda), and everyone who helped with set up and clean up. Thanks to you, the tournament ran smoothly and on time!