Seacoast Fencing Club will be holding its final team tournament of the 2017-18 season this coming Saturday, June 23.  It is strictly a Seacoast only event, with both our Rochester and Manchester clubs participating.  Y10, Y12, Y14, and Unclassified Mixed Foil- all starting at 9:30 am.  You should show up no later than 9:00 am to sign in and warm up (and stretch).  Doors will open at 8:45 am. The event should be over by 12:30 pm.  Open fencing for all ages afterward, until 2:30 pm. Private lessons will be given during that time. 

These events will be collegiate format, with three to four person teams.  I will make up the teams on the day of the event.  You will fence every member of the opposing team, but not your teammates.  However, if there are only two teams, we will have an individual event as well, so everyone will get enough bouts. 

Register by midnight, on Thursday, June 21,  on the google spreadsheet link below: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iH32SgKa9pigxthRo73NjtMPmIeUIh1K3bimcToevQs/edit?pli=1#gid=0 

Entry fee will be $15 for all events, plus $5 director’s fee for the Y10 and Y12 events .  Y14 and Unclassified will be self-directed.  You pay at the door, check or cash (no credit cards).  You can enter a maximum of two events if you wish. 

Electric weapons and lames will be available ($7.00 for one item, $10.00 for both). 

If you are a rated foil fencer, please come in to direct the Y10 & Y12 events, and help out with the Y14 & Unclassified.

Seacoast fencers finished the competitive season in fine form, dominating the medal count in May and June. Over the two months, Seacoast fencers have earned 18 medals in the four meets, more than three times the medal count of any other club in the Northeast Division.

SFC women foil fencers were exceptional, with a Seacoast fencer winning three of the four tournaments, and earning nine out of the sixteen medals awarded. Sam Wood (a NCAA fencer from Yale) won twice, at the Wide Open and the C meet at the final event of the season, and taking second at the mixed foil D on June 2nd.  Michelle Sutherland won the C meet on June 2nd and finished third at two more.  Hannah McPherson took silver at both women’s foil events that she entered.

Our men’s epee squad was excellent as well, with Gabe Tarbuck winning the C meet on May 5th, Zack Martin finishing second twice, and Mike Houst finishing third twice.

The future looks good for our young foil fencers, with Christian Anderson fencing on May 12 at a New England Division youth tournament at VIVO Fencing Club in Massachusetts, where he took second in the Y14 Mixed Foil and third in the Y12, and Jasper Vergo finished in the top eight in both those events.

Congratulations to our fencers, who worked hard at practice to earn these results.

And good luck to the five Seacoast Fencing Club members who will be competing at the Summer National Championships in St. Louis this July– Julia Burke, Hannah McPherson, Gus Ewald, Christian Anderson, and Mike Houst.

Summer is upon us!   We will be open in June and August, and will be closed the month of July.  As  usual, June will follow the Spring schedule, with the exception of the Children’s Training now being combined with Youth Training in both clubs.

August will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays in Manchester, and Tuesdays and Thursdays in Rochester

Tuition for June or August only             Tuition for both  June and August

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

The three month Spring term at Seacoast has started! Please bring the tuition at the first meeting this month.

Tuition for the three month Spring term (March, April, May)

Adult             $295

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

Seacoast fencers have been doing well in the first three tournaments this month.  Starting at the D meet on December 3, Cam Borgal (who is a member of UNH & Seacoast), won the Mixed Epee, moving from an unrated fencer straight to a D-2017.  Caroline Hayes took second in Women’s Epee.  The Bixby family had a busy day, with father (Peter) and son (Solomon) competing in both the foil and epee events.  In Mixed Epee, they tied for third, and in Mixed Foil, Solomon took the silver medal.  Casey Wohlers finished in the top eight in that event as well.

At the first Northeast Division Youth Team meet in Portland on December 9, our young Seacoast fencers had a great day.  The two SFC Y12 teams took first and second (Christian Anderson, Steven DeCesare, Dominic Smith, Trevor Wohlers, Gannon Hughes, and Jasper Vergo). Our one Y14 team (Jay Wendel- undefeated that day, Christian Anderson, Roshnni Rajkumar, and Trevor Wohlers) took first as well.  It was a great experience for our younger fencers, and team meets are always fun!

On December 17, our Rochester club hosted the qualifers for the Junior Olympics Tournament coming up on February 16 to 19 in Memphis TN.  This is the National Championship for the best Under 17 and Under 20 fencers in the country.  The qualifers were held to select the top three fencers in our Division that would represent the Northeast Division.  We had a great day- every Seacoast fencer who entered qualified in at least one event!  Here are the five fencers who have committed to go:  Julia Burke (saber and foil), Hannah McPherson (foil), Maddie Geier (epee), Caroline Hayes (epee), and Casey Wohlers (foil).  These five fencers will be competing in nine events at the Junior Olympics.

Congratulations to all our fencers for a terrific set of results this month!