Seacoast Fencing Club will have all of its regularly scheduled programs tonight, October 14 (Columbus Day).  We don’t close for many federal or school holidays.  We may close for Halloween, depending on how many fencers plan to be there.

The upcoming scheduled closings are Thanksgiving and the Wednesday before, Christmas Eve and Day, New Years Eve and Day, and Memorial Day in May.  

We will be open on Veterans Day in November, Martin Luther King Day in January, and Presidents Day in February .

September is the start of the 2019-2020 season!  The training schedule and prices are below.  I hope to see all of you at the parent’s and the fencer’s meetings in each club.  Manchester will open on Monday, September 9.  Rochester will open on Tuesday, September 10. 

The Manchester parent’s meeting will be 7:00 pm on the first day, Monday, September 9.  The Rochester parent’s meeting will be 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 10.   All groups will be fencing that day, so bring your children at the normal time (below).  Please bring payment, and be ready to take notes on the upcoming competitions for your child.  Also, my private lesson schedule will be set at that time.  Please be there!

Fencers will have their orientation and a discussion on upcoming competitions at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, September 11 for Manchester fencers, and on Thursday, September 12 for Rochester fencers.  Junior and Adult fencers who want to fence on Sundays will need to set up an contact system at the September 12 meeting to ensure enough people will be there for those Sunday practices.

Manchester Schedule – Meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 

Children will meet twice a week from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Youths will meet twice a week from 6:30 to 7:45 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Juniors and Adults will meet three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  

Rochester Schedule

 Children will be 6:00 to 7:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Youths will be 6:30 to 7:45 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Juniors and Adults will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:00 to 9:00 pm, and Sundays, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

All Seacoast fencers can come to both the Manchester and Rochester locations if you want to pick up an extra day of fencing (with new mix of fencers). No extra charge.  

As usual, we are happy to stay an extra half hour if fencers want more time on the strip!

Tuition for the three month Fall term (September, October, and November)

Children        $310

Youth            $325

Junior            $340

Adult             $340

Advanced Class  $100  (a great way to learn more offensive and defensive techniques for newer and younger fencers).  Meets once a week for 30 minutes, 7:45 to 8:15 pm.  Manchester on Mondays and Rochester on Tuesdays.

Please bring cash or a check (payable to Seacoast Fencing Club) to the first meeting.  I do not have credit or debit card, paypal, or bitcoin capability.

What a season for three of our junior fencers!  Starting with the Portland D tournament in March, the luck of the draw put all six of the Seacoast fencers in the top half of the direct elimination tableau, where they kept eliminating their teammates. Casey Wohlers (16 yrs) took out Christian Anderson (13 yrs) in the semifinals, who then took third.  Casey went on to win the foil event.

In April, Seacoast Fencing Club hosted the Northeast Division National Qualifiers, Seacoast dominated the Y14 men’s foil, with Christian Anderson in first place, Gus Ewald (14 yrs) second, and Trevor Wohlers (12 yrs) third.  All three qualified for the National Championships.  In the Division 2/3 Qualifiers, Hannah McPherson (16 yrs) won the women’s foil, and Casey Wohlers was second in the men’s foil, and both qualified for the Nationals.

Also in April, Christian Anderson won the foil event at the Portland E meet, and earned his E rating.  Inle Bush (15 yrs), was undefeated in the pools and took third, as did Jay Wendell (14 yrs).  May brought more excellent results, starting with the Concord C meet, where Inle competed in his first epee tournament,  finished third, and earned an E rating.  One week later, Inle was once again third in epee at the Seacoast C meet, where Casey Wohlers, a foil fencer at his first epee tournament, finished second! In foil, his primary weapon, Casey was third at a C meet in Worcester, and second at the Spring Open in Concord, where his teammate Inle took third.  The Northeast Division finished the competitive season at the Wide Open at Seacoast Fencing Club on June 1, Casey was third in the foil event.

Congratulations to Christian and Inle for earning their E rating, and to Casey and Inle for earning medals in both their primary weapon- foil, and in their new weapon- epee.  The two of them are continuing the Seacoast tradition of proving good fencing works in all weapons!

And while the Bay State Games were in July (which is not in the spring), Karen Brennan traveled south, finishing third, and earned her first medal in veteran (40 plus) women’s foil. 

August is upon us.  The turnout for this month is too small for all three programs to run, so there will be no Children’s program, and the Youth program will join the Juniors and Adults.  The schedule and tuition is below.

If you have not already paid for both months of the summer term in June, please bring cash or a check (payable to Seacoast Fencing Club) to the first meeting.  I do not have credit or debit card, paypal, or bitcoin capability.

Manchester Schedule – Meets Mondays and Wednesdays, July 31 to August 29 

Children will start in September, and Youths will join the Juniors and Adults

Youths, Juniors, and Adults will meet twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays,  from 7:00 to 9:00 pm (you can come in earlier and stay later in August).

Classes meet both Mondays and Wednesdays- Beginning 6:00 to 7:00 pm, and Intermediate 7:00 to 8:00 pm. 

Rochester Schedule – Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, August 1 to August 26 

Children will start in September, and Youths will join the Juniors and Adults.

Youths, Juniors and Adults will meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:00 to 9:00 pm (you can come in earlier and stay later in August).

Classes meet both Tuesdays and Thursdays- Beginning 6:00 to 7:00 pm, and Intermediate 7:00 to 8:00 pm. 

All Seacoast fencers can come to both the Manchester and Rochester locations at any time if you want to pick up an extra day of fencing (with new people).  

As usual, we are happy to stay an extra half hour if fencers want more time on the strip!

Tuition for the August term  (if you have not already paid for both June and August)

Manchester will have all three programs running on Mondays and Wednesdays in June. Children will meet from 6:00 to 7:00 pm on both days, Youth will meet at their regular time, 6:30 to 7:30 pm, and Juniors and Adults will meet from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.  Bugsy will be teaching an intermediate class on Mondays and Thursdays, so epee fencers should check with him about coming in on Thursdays.

Rochester will have two programs running on Tuesdays and Thursdays in June.  Children will meet a half hour later than their usual time, 6:30 to 7:30 pm.  The Youth Group will be combined with the Juniors and Adults from 7:00 to 9:00 pm.