Thursday, August 21, 2008
August 2008 Update
Hi to all…..and happy almost end of August 2008.
This is our end of Summer, beginning of September newsletter.
This summer, Nationals were held in San Jose, California, so many of our fencers took advantage of participating. We had first timers Ann Barber and Debbie Romig both competing in veteran women’s epee, and Debbie competing in division 2 and 3 women’s epee. We also made up the women’s epee team. We went in seeded 20th and finished up 20th!
Scott Pippin fenced in division 2 and 3 mens’ sabre and Hunter Scalise, competing in his first Nationals, fenced division 3 men’s sabre.
Seventy-something Frank Campellone fenced in veteran men’s epee and foil.
The San Jose Convention Center was the perfect venue being huge, well air-conditioned and having an excellent sound system. Sixty fencing strips, an adjacent ballroom where fencers could stow their gear and warm up and just about all the vendors were there. It was like being in fencing heaven.
And what made it all the more special is that our DFA fencers, with their families, would always make it to the sidelines to cheer on a DFA fencer or team,
And everyone’s favorite fencing tee shirt saying was, “I’m the reason you play pingpong”.
Scott Pippin was also at Ed Korfanty’s June and late July sabre camps. Ed is the U.S. Olympic women’s sabre coach and our sabre kids have spent a couple summers at Ed’s sabre camps and have fenced with Mariel Zagunis and Becca Ward. Scott told me that both Mariel and Becca were at the July camp and that he had the opportunity to fence with both girls, and then gave Mariel a good bye hug. Little did he know that he was hugging the future women’s sabre gold medalist, for the second time!
Former DFA sabre fencer, Aaron Fagan, was spending his summer break from Vassar with his mom and dad. Aaron and dad stopped by to say hello and Aaron described what it was like to fence for an ivy league school.
Linden Ballen, epee fencer, spent a couple weeks fencing with us before going off to the Air Force Academy for his freshman year.
Chasen Chapman, epee fencer, will be going to Cornell for his freshman year, studying restaurant and hotel management, and getting in a little fencing.
Tournament dates are on the DFA website, San Bernardino Division website, www.usfasb.org and also on AskFred.net with a few TBA events as we wait for confirmation from Harvey Mudd College.
Also on the Division website are the gold medal D.E.’s from the May tournament at COD.
I’m ordering new DFA tee shirts, with the DFA logo. If you want one, or more, give me your shirt size. The tee shirts will be $15 for one and $25 for two. They are Hanes 50/50, adult size tee shirts, small 34-36, medium 38-40, large 42-44, X-large 46-48.
The colors are:
DFA will re-open on Tuesday, September 2. Our fencing schedule remains the same and is posted on the DFA website. Please let me know if you are keeping to your lesson schedule from last season or wish to make changes so I can get it in my lesson planner.
Prices remain the same: $30 monthly membership and $20 per lesson. Last season we tried a new payment program of running a tab and billing at the end of the month.
That was a disaster, so it has been discontinued. We’re back to either pay for the entire month at the beginning of the month or pay per lesson.
If a lesson is missed, it can either be made up in the same month or “roll into” the next month. The monthly membership fee is due every month, (except for August when we are closed). It’s the monthly membership fee that supports DFA.
If you will be unable to keep your lesson, please call to let me know so I can accommodate another fencer who wishes a lesson.
Wishing everyone blissful fencing,
Leslie Taft
The Fencing Coach
This is our end of Summer, beginning of September newsletter.
Summer Nationals News:
This summer, Nationals were held in San Jose, California, so many of our fencers took advantage of participating. We had first timers Ann Barber and Debbie Romig both competing in veteran women’s epee, and Debbie competing in division 2 and 3 women’s epee. We also made up the women’s epee team. We went in seeded 20th and finished up 20th!
Scott Pippin fenced in division 2 and 3 mens’ sabre and Hunter Scalise, competing in his first Nationals, fenced division 3 men’s sabre.
Seventy-something Frank Campellone fenced in veteran men’s epee and foil.
The San Jose Convention Center was the perfect venue being huge, well air-conditioned and having an excellent sound system. Sixty fencing strips, an adjacent ballroom where fencers could stow their gear and warm up and just about all the vendors were there. It was like being in fencing heaven.
And what made it all the more special is that our DFA fencers, with their families, would always make it to the sidelines to cheer on a DFA fencer or team,
And everyone’s favorite fencing tee shirt saying was, “I’m the reason you play pingpong”.
Scott Pippin was also at Ed Korfanty’s June and late July sabre camps. Ed is the U.S. Olympic women’s sabre coach and our sabre kids have spent a couple summers at Ed’s sabre camps and have fenced with Mariel Zagunis and Becca Ward. Scott told me that both Mariel and Becca were at the July camp and that he had the opportunity to fence with both girls, and then gave Mariel a good bye hug. Little did he know that he was hugging the future women’s sabre gold medalist, for the second time!
Former DFA sabre fencer, Aaron Fagan, was spending his summer break from Vassar with his mom and dad. Aaron and dad stopped by to say hello and Aaron described what it was like to fence for an ivy league school.
Linden Ballen, epee fencer, spent a couple weeks fencing with us before going off to the Air Force Academy for his freshman year.
Chasen Chapman, epee fencer, will be going to Cornell for his freshman year, studying restaurant and hotel management, and getting in a little fencing.
2008-2009 San Bernardino Tournament Schedule
Tournament dates are on the DFA website, San Bernardino Division website, www.usfasb.org and also on AskFred.net with a few TBA events as we wait for confirmation from Harvey Mudd College.
Our first two tournaments are:
- Saturday, September 20 at COD, 3-weapon open
- Saturday, October 11 at Hemet High School, 3-weapon open
Also on the Division website are the gold medal D.E.’s from the May tournament at COD.
DFA TEE SHIRTS
I’m ordering new DFA tee shirts, with the DFA logo. If you want one, or more, give me your shirt size. The tee shirts will be $15 for one and $25 for two. They are Hanes 50/50, adult size tee shirts, small 34-36, medium 38-40, large 42-44, X-large 46-48.
The colors are:
- White
- Ash (a swirl of white and gray together, very nice)
- Light pink
- Red
- Light blue
- Teal/Sapphire (more blue than green)
- Gold (which is a bit on the orange side)
Other Business
DFA will re-open on Tuesday, September 2. Our fencing schedule remains the same and is posted on the DFA website. Please let me know if you are keeping to your lesson schedule from last season or wish to make changes so I can get it in my lesson planner.
Prices remain the same: $30 monthly membership and $20 per lesson. Last season we tried a new payment program of running a tab and billing at the end of the month.
That was a disaster, so it has been discontinued. We’re back to either pay for the entire month at the beginning of the month or pay per lesson.
If a lesson is missed, it can either be made up in the same month or “roll into” the next month. The monthly membership fee is due every month, (except for August when we are closed). It’s the monthly membership fee that supports DFA.
If you will be unable to keep your lesson, please call to let me know so I can accommodate another fencer who wishes a lesson.
Wishing everyone blissful fencing,
Leslie Taft
The Fencing Coach
Monday, August 18, 2008
Olympics Pictures from Yahoo Sports
