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| "Have a Blast - Come Fence With Us!" | |||
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At the Barrington Fencing Club, we're about having fun while learning how to fence (and practicing fencing). At every session, there is preliminary stretching and group instructional drilling for new fencers and those wanting to brush up on their technique. There is also informal bouting among our other fencers - mostly foil, but also among our saberists and epeeists (the latter being a small minority at this point). Finally, some of our most experienced fencers graciously provide one-on-one instructional tips to our newest (and newer) members. No bouting occurs without proper equipment (mask/jacket/glove)! Safety is paramount!
In August 2006 we acquired our first electric (foil) fencing equipment - electric equipment is used in all USFA and FIE (International) competitions. We use our electric equipment to keep our fencers "competition ready".
When Do You Accept Beginners? We currently accept beginner foil fencers at any time on a "rolling" basis. Currently, at our weekly sessions we have 2 groups of fencers - those who are brand-new beginners, and those who have fenced for a while. The beginners participate in structured group drilling and lessons; the more experienced fencers participate in practice bouts and share pointers with each other. Instruction is given to fencers of all skill levels every week - through structured drilling, individual instruction and by sharing pointers with one another.
We are happy to have new students - or those who just want to come watch -check us out on any Tuesday evening. We have numerous beginners join all the time - so we cycle through the basic lessons for anyone who wishes to start. If you think you might be interested, just show up on any Tuesday evening - but come dressed to work out! (Fencing at the BFC is not a spectator sport!) If you think you want to check us out, we don't require that you contact us by email first (barringtonfencingclub@hotmail.com); however, it is appreciated - as it helps us plan our evenings.
Low Cost The BFC strives to keep fencing affordable. Our membership rates reflect this. There are two reasons why our dues are so low: (1) the BFC members who administer the BFC and instruct our new fencers do so for free, and (2) St. Michael's generously allows us to use its space gratis.
For simplicity's sake, our dues are paid on a calendar year/half year basis, and are NOT pro-rated. If an individual joins the BFC from January through June, Dues are $50 for the rest of the calendar year. If you join July through December, individual Dues are $25 for the rest of the calendar year. (Family memberships are $90 and $45 respectively.) If you join as part of the Beginner "package" (which includes equipment and lessons), your Dues are good for the balance of the calendar year - whenever you begin.
Where Can I Learn More About Fencing? A good place to learn more about fencing is at any of the following websites: www.usfencing.org (website of the Unites States Fencing Association) www.totheescrime.org/IFC/ (the Illinois Fencers Club website) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing
A Good Book: Fencing: Steps to Success (Steps to Success Activity Series) by Elaine Cheris ( available at www.amazon.com )
Where can I buy fencing equipment? Here are some of the vendors with whom we've had great experiences:
TCA: www.tcafencing.com Physical Chess: www.physicalchess.com Blade Fencing: www.blade-fencing.com Blue Gauntlet: www.blue-gauntlet.com
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Our fencers come in all shapes and sizes and range in age from 9 to 74. Our fencers include ex-college fencing coaches, retired airline pilots and Himalayan climbers. Most of our fencers are middle-school and high-schoolers, but many participants are younger or older. We even have an entire family of 5 who regularly attend. Two of our former members are now fencing in college - two are NCAA Varsity Fencers. 