Bulletin for the Week of Sept. 7, 2009

1. The VFA Bulletin is back! That means summer is really over...but at least it means fencing is starting soon. For those of you new to the VFA, I send out this e-mail newsletter weekly, usually on Monday afternoons (but don't panic if I'm occasionally a little late with it...contrary to popular belief, it doesn't mean I've dropped dead). The purpose of the VFA Bulletin is to keep everyone informed of what's happening in the club, the Green Mt Division, and the fencing world in general. In the Bulletin you will find important notices (such as changes in our practice schedule that may come up), tournament results (including the famous "Performance of the Week" highlights), the coach's soapbox (which can take the form of advice, ramblings, editorializing and even the occasional tirade!) and news and gossip about fencing and fencers. I am not known for being short-winded, and the Bulletins can be pretty long sometimes. In deference to those of you with limited time or short attention spans, I will always put pressing information in the first few items,stuff which is less important for everyone to read further down the page, and tournament results at the end. Please keep me up to date if your e-mail address changes, or if you want additional addresses added to the mailing list. I also post the bulletin on the VFA website, so you can read it when you're supposed to be working or studying, and also you can look up old bulletins in case you deleted yours.

2. Fencing starts this week for returning and experienced fencers only (sorry beginners, you have to wait until Sept. 21 or 22). Whether you've been fencing for years or just started fencing last spring, you are invited and encouraged to take part in as many of the free get-back-in-shape sessions as you can make it to:
Sept. 9, 14 and 16 in Middlebury (Wednesdays at Bridge School, Monday at Mary Hogan)
Sept. 10, 15 and 17 in Charlotte
The time frame for all of these practices is 7-9 p.m. We will be doing lots of footwork, conditioning, basic technique drills and games, as well as some dry bouting and even a little mental preparation for the season ahead. You may drill with any weapon that you have some basic experience with (as long as there is at least one other person who wants to use the same one). Besides shaking the rust off, the purpose of these practices is to kick off the season with the entire club working out together, before we break up into Level 2 and 3 classes, weapon specializations, electric equipment haves and have-nots, and age groups.

Returning fencers: Please notify me RIGHT AWAY if you still need to rent equipment this fall. Registration is underway and I have a limited supply of rental equipment left, especially in Charlotte. If you don't reserve it, don't expect it to be there for you. If you know you will be sticking with fencing and can afford it, I strongly encourage you to purchase your own equipment at this time. Not only does it free up equipment so that new students can join the club, but it's awfully nice not having to share sweaty gear with someone else. If you have questions about how or where to purchase equipment, contact me. If you order now, you'll have your new equipment by the time the regular classes start. If you just need to borrow equipment for the start-up sessions while you are waiting for yours to arrive, no problem (and no charge).

Do you have friends or relatives who might be interested in fencing? Please give them our web address (www.vtfencingalliance.com) and tell them to get in touch with me soon. We especially need Middlebury fencers to talk up the Middlebury club with their friends. While the Charlotte club has reached a critical mass and seems to be growing like a snowball (I had waiting lists all last year and am already close to full for this fall), the Middlebury club lost a lot of membership last season and needs to rebuild. I plan to do some postering in Addison County this week, but word of mouth is really the most powerful form of advertisement there is. As always my standing offer: for every friend you recruit to the VFA, you get $5 off your own class fees that term.

Here is a reminder of the practice schedule once the regular classes get underway:

MIDDLEBURY FALL CLASS AND PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Mondays, Mary Hogan School, Sept 21 through Nov 30
6:30-7:45 p.m. Level 1 (beginner) foil/Level 2 foil and epee classes
7:30-9 pm: open fencing

Tuesdays, Middlebury Union Middle School, Sept 22 through Dec. 1
3:30-5:20 pm. Junior Team practice (by invitation only)

Wednesdays, Bridge School, Sept 23 through Dec. 2
6:30-7 p.m. Warm up, conditioning and footwork
7-8 pm: Level 3 class (foil and epee alternate weeks in the early and late time slots), open fencing
8-9 pm: Level 3 class (foil and epee alternate weeks in the early and late time slots), open fencing

CHARLOTTE FALL CLASS AND PRACTICE SCHEDULE
Tuesdays, Charlotte Central School, Sept 22 through Dec. 1
7-8:15 p.m. Level 1 (beginner) foil/Level 2 foil and epee classes
7-9:15 pm: open fencing

Thursdays, Charlotte Central School, Sept 24 through Dec. 3
7-7:30 p.m. Warm up, conditioning and footwork
7:30-8:30 pm: Level 3 class (foil and epee alternate weeks in the early and late time slots), open fencing
8:30-9:30 pm: Level 3 class (foil and epee alternate weeks in the early and late time slots), open fencing

3. I would like to encourage returning fencers to consider getting involved in the Green Mt Division's Champlain Cup league this season, even if you have never competed before and do not think of yourself as a particularly competitive person. Vermont fencing tournaments are always friendly and fun, a great way to get to know fencers from all over the state. Most importantly, they are a chance to challenge yourself by taking on unfamiliar opponents, which forces you to analyze and think strategically, a vital fencing skill you can not develop by only fencing with the same few buddies in your club every week. If you are a novice competitor, you'll want especially to look for events labeled "U" or "E". These are competitions intended to give our least experienced competitors the fun of facing eachother on a fairly even playing field. Of course, novice competitors are always welcome to enter higher-level events. As long as you don't get discouraged by losing to more skilled athletes, you will find there is no snobbery toward you from the experienced fencers (we were all beginners once!) and most will be happy to give you some pointers, so it can be a good learning experience. If you were born in 1997 or later, USFA rules restrict your participation to designated youth events. To meet the needs of our younger fencers, the GMD runs a Youth Series. These tournaments are designed to be age-appropriate and kid-friendly. The first one will take place in October as part of the WSC Open. You may notice that non-youth events appear on AskFred as "Senior" events. If you were born 1996 or earlier, you may fence in senior events. The fencing world considers teenagers to be very grown up.

Champlain Cup tournaments take place once or twice a month from September through May at various locations around the state. Points are earned for every event you enter (no matter how you do), as well as for high placement depending on the size and strength of the field. At the end of the season, the point totals determine the winners in each weapon, whose names are engraved on the Champlain Cup perpetual trophy, as well as special awards for the best youth fencer (age 12 and younger), the best veteran fencer (age 40 and older), the rookie of the year (first full season in the league, less than 2 years total fencing experience), and the combined points winner (who gets custodianship of the beautiful Champlain Cup leader's sword for the next season). The point system is posted on the GMD website at www.vtfencing.org.

The standard entry fees for Champlain Cup tournaments are $20 for your first event of the weekend, plus $5 per additional event. However, if you register on the www.AskFred.net website at least 5 days in advance, and you will get a $10 discount! We are very big on advance registration, as it really helps the meet manager plan the day. Three of our tournaments (the Jr Olympic Qualifiers, Summer National Qualifiers and Ticonderoga Challenge) absolutely require advance registration. At the remaining tournaments, late registrations and even walk-ins are allowed, but you pay the higher entry fee.

AskFred is a powerful tool that not only lets you sign up (and save $10 off your entry fees if done 5+ days in advance), but also see who else has signed up, as well as contact the tournament organizers and get directions to the venue. After the tournament, results are posted on AskFred. In addition, FRED tallies our Champlain Cup point standings so you can check there to see who is leading the league. Who is this Fred guy anyway? FRED stands for Fencing Results and Events Database. It is the brainchild of Oregon software developer Peet Sasaki and according to our own esteemed webmaster Tim Dartt, it's pretty darn brilliant. Here's how to use it to sign up for a tournament:

Go to www.askfred.net. Click on "Upcoming Events" then on "Browse Events" in the drop-down menu. When the dialog box opens, choose All Divisions and select Green Mt from the drop-down menu. Click on Find Tournaments. You will then see a list of upcoming local tournaments (right now, just one, but more will be added shortly). To the left of the tournament name are some small clickable buttons. Mousing over them displays what they are for. Click the button with the check-mark in it to preregister. The first time you use AskFred, you will need to enter your name and information about yourself (contact details, ratings, club, division, and birth year). After that it will be automatic.

4. Some alphabet soup and other information for rookie competitors:

USFA=the United States Fencing Association, the national governing body of our sport (every Olympic sport has one). You must be a USFA member to compete in most tournaments, with the exception of Youth Series Y12 foil events. The annual dues are $60 and you can join at any tournament, or you can join on-line at www.fencing.teamusa.org.

GMD=Green Mt Division. Our local branch of the USFA, administers Vermont tournaments, which are organized as the Champlain Cup league. Has a reputation as one of the nicest divisions in the country-no kidding!

U, E, D, C, B, A=The USFA has a national system of ratings based on competitive success (more similar to chess than to karate with its belts). All fencers start out unrated (U). In a tournament with 15+ competitors, the winner earns a D rating and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishers an E rating. In a tournament with 25+ competitors and at least 4 Ds in the top 8, the winner earns a C, 2nd-4th a D, and 5th-8th an E. To earn a B rating, you be a top finisher at a sizeable competitive regional tournament, and to earn an A, you must be a top finisher at a large, highly competive tournament such as a national championship or national circuit event. Once a rating is earned, you must re-earn it within 4 years or you slip down one notch. Ratings are benchmarks of personal progress and many fencers use them as goals and take pride in obtaining them. But remember that they are not the be all and end all of fencing, just a memento of how you did at a particular tournament. Therefore, you should never be intimidated by fencing someone with a higher rating than you. Lower rated fencers can and often do defeat those with a higher rating. A tournament with a rating label (for example "E Foil") is open to those with that rating and lower (for example, E and U fencers).

5. We are in the process of booking venues and firming up dates for this season's tournaments. I expect the fall and winter dates to be confirmed soon. The first tournament of the season, the Fall Foliage Epic (this one has gone from being an Open to a Classic to an Epic...what's next?) is confirmed for Sept. 26 and open for registration on AskFred. I gave out some incorrect information in my summer newsletter - U Foil and Epee events have indeed been added, but they will be held the same day as the open events. Location is the indoor tennis courts at UVM (in the Patrick Gym building).
Event schedule: 10 a.m. U Epee, Open Foil
12 p.m. Open Sabre
2:30 p.m. U Foil, Open Epee
For events that start at the same time, you must choose one or the other (you may not enter both).

6. Has your USFA membership expired over the summer? Or perhaps you are planning to enter your first tournament this fall and need a new membership? While it is possible to purchase a membership at any tournament, your busy tournament officials would really appreciate it if you joined or renewed before your first tournament this season (less paperwork for them on hectic tournament days). To join or renew, go to the USFA website at www.fencing.teamusa.org and click on "Membership" from the bar across the top. When I looked today, it appeared that on-line membership payment has been temporarily suspended while a new computer system is put into place. It should be available again soon. However, it is also easy to download a paper membership form, fill it in and mail it. Make sure to list your division as Green Mountain, and to spell out the full name of your club (don't just write VFA - there is a Virginia Fencing Academy and probably a few others with the same initials).

7. Some of you may know that the FIE (the international governing body for fencing) adopted the use of a foil mask with a metallic bib (making the neck target) for world cup competition. The USFA has decided to postpone requiring this at the present time, due to the great expense (an entirely new mask would be needed as nobody has yet invented a satisfactory attachment to existing masks) and possible danger of encouraging foil fencers to intentionally attack the neck. So if you need a new mask, go ahead and get an ordinary one - no change in foil target appears imminent for US competition.

At the September USFA board of directors meeting, they will be voting to transfer of the Champlain Valley Fencing Club of Westport NY into the Green Mt Division. As officers of both the Hudson-Berkshire Division and GMD agree that this is a good thing, we expect it will be approved. So welcome to our Westport friends, who have been fully involved in GMD tournaments the last few seasons. It will soon be official. I've always thought the Adirondacks ought to be part of Vermont anyway...