NEWS, NEWS and more NEWS!

Van Diemen Fencing Club

&

Collinsvale Fencing Club

van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com

0428 057 473

We welcome everyone, all ages, all levels, all shapes, all sizes.

We emphasize safety, fun and respect.

1) Van Diemen Fencing Club will be moving venue from August 14th.
We are meant to relocate to Tolosa Street Hall; the people with the permanent booking there are meant to be leaving, but the Glenorchy City Council don't know when, so we are TEMPORARILY moving to the Chigwell Barn, which is only 4.5Kms from the YMCA. I know Chigwell gets a bad wrap, and people aren't keen to travel to this venue, but it's the only option for the next couple of months, until we can have Tolosa St. Hall, which is an ideal venue. So please hang in there.

2) New Collinsvale fencing club!
Collinsvale will soon be home to the newest fencing club in Tasmania. Yet to be named, the club will be a sister club of VDFC and will introduce members of the community in and around Collinsvale to this wonderful sport.  Beginner courses will commence on Friday, August 10th, at the Collinsvale.                  For more information, please contact VDFC: van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com | 0428 057 473

3) Beginner Courses.
Yes, finally we have the dates!
 8 week beginner courses will be run at Collinsvale and Chigwell.
Collinsvale: Fridays, from August 10th. Ages 11-15, 5pm-6.30pm. Ages 16+, 6.30pm-8pm.
Chigwell: Thursdays, from August 9th. Ages 11-15, 5pm-6.30pm. Ages 16+, 6.30pm-8pm.


4) VDFC Elektrik Epee Tournament.
July 28th, 2012. @ Collinsvale Memorial Hall. 9.30am-5pm.
Open Epee, U20s Epee, U17s Epee. Possibly mixed - we'll see how many entrants we have.
One event: $15, two events: $25, all three: $30.
Equipment: Jacket, mask, fencing glove, chest guard, plastron, breeches or full length track pants, fencing socks with breeches, sports shoes, not street shoes.

5) Andrew Wilkie @ VDFC
Andrew Wilkie visited the club recently, he asked lots of great questions and was interested in the differences between the swords. Thank you to all the fencers who turned-out for this exciting club night. I think we made a good impression :-) Ornithos Photography took some wonderful shots on the night - we'll put some up here shortly.

6) New monthly fencing club!
Fencers Anonymous is a club running once a month, catering to those with serious fencing addictions.
The club will start with lots of fencing, followed by footage of recent fencing tournaments/screenings of popular fencing films. ALL fencers are invited, beginners to experienced, from any club. VDFC safety rules still apply.


7) New coach!
I am very excited to announce that our lovely German fencer, Karina, is working towards her first coaches accreditation! She is already very helpful at club, teaching students foil and helping with Epee. Karina has so much experience and knowledge, and she's so friendly too, we are very lucky to have her!


That just about wraps-up the news.  VDFC is about to turn ONE. Woo!  Thank you to all the fencers who've made our first year the epic year that it was!

Saturday Club

Van Diemen Fencing Club are going to trial club on Saturdays through November.

So, in addition to Tuesday night club from 6-8pm, we will have Saturday club from 2 to 4pm on the following dates:  November: 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th.

If you are keen on having Saturday club, please attend, because the continuation of club on Saturdays in 2012 will rely on enough members participating.

Regards,
Avril Holderness-Roddam
Van Diemen Fencing Club

www.hobartfencingclub.com

Next Beginner Fencing Courses.



All courses run for eight weeks and cover the basics of Epee fencing; students will learn offensive and defensive techniques and tactics. On completion, they will be ready to fence at club and in local tournaments.


We've made a few improvements for the next lot of beginner Epee fencing courses.

EACH COURSE RUNS FOR EIGHT WEEKS.
The 7 to 10s class will run for 50 minutes and the price will be reduced to $80. We will take a maximum of six students for this class, so please register ASAP, as the class will commence on October 1st.

The 11 to 15s class will run for 90 minutes - an increase of 30 minutes - the price will be $100. Classes will have a maximum of eight students.

The 16s+ class will continue to run for 90 minutes and the course fee will remain $100.

The above classes run on Saturdays.
There will be ONE class on Mondays for ages 11 and over, so if people are interested in a parent-child class, this one will be appropriate, as all ages 11+ learn the same skills. This class will run for 90 minutes and will cost $100 per student, with a discount of $20 for parent-child pairs, so $180 total.

We've made a few new rules for the 7 to 10s class after a few issues with the current one.
The basics are: 

• Parents must stay in the hall for the duration of the class unless the coach is okay for you to leave.
• The hall will be out of bounds until 10 minutes before the class starts - when students arrive 40 minutes early, the coach is then stuck caring for them when the coach has other things they need to be doing.
• On arrival, students need to sit on a seat and wait for the coach to call everyone over for class - running around the hall is a distraction to other students.
• The coach will hand-out Epees - students are not to help themselves as they are not toys.
• If the coach asks a student to stop doing something, the student must stop immediately, no questions asked.

All it takes is one disruptive student to distract the whole class and students who are well behaved normally, will be inclined to copy the disrutive behaviour.  If a student is given a warning and they continue to act up, they must sit out until the coach intives them to join in again.

The 7 to 10s classes are designed to be fun; students play games designed to improve their co ordination, balance, agility, good sportsmanship and work on fencing specific skills.

During each class, students will do blade work, learning the parries and simple attacks in fencing. 

On completion, students aged 7 to 10 will have earned the Junior Bronze Certificate and will be ready to use junior metal Epees. Students must purchase their own junior Epees - once they out grow them (11 years old) the club will buy them back from them so they can purchase the adult sized Epee.

Please register soon as the classes are already receiving a lot of interest.

Regards,
Avril Holderness-Roddam
Coach, Van Diemen Fencing Club

Van Diemen Fencing Club - a fencing club in Hobart, Tasmania.

“At Van Diemen Fencing Club, the fencers are taught that fencing is about FASS: Finesse, Accuracy, Style and Speed, and they fence by the saying, “TO the target, not THROUGH the target.”  A sign of a good fencer is when they do not hit so hard that they leave a bruise."VAN DIEMEN FENCING CLUB, A FENCING CLUB IN HOBART, TASMANIA.

Tasmanian Fencer and Coach Avril Holderness-Roddam is leading the way in a resurgence of Fencing in Tasmania.

Late last year Avril put a halt to the six year decline of fencing in Tasmania by promoting the sport through flyers, advertisements and leaflet dropping.  Avril also contacted fencers around Tasmania, encouraging the small fencing community to work together to launch a new state fencing association (Fencing Tasmania Incorporated), the first in over a decade, to build a strong foundation for the soon-to-expand community.  She put many hours into researching, planning and promoting and in early 2011, Avril opened her fencing club in Southern Tasmania, Van Diemen Fencing Club.

The club is modelled on top European fencing clubs and is the only club in Tasmania with a coach registered with the Australian Fencing Federation.

Avril’s club currently has four members training to represent Tasmania at National tournaments later this year and in 2012, including one cadet (U17s) fencer.

Van Diemen Fencing Club provides classes for ages 5 and over and has club members from 6 to 60 years of age.

Van Diemen Fencing Club has a mix of recreational and competitive fencers with experience ranging from beginner to National representatives.   Fencing is a great sport for people who are not so keen on team sports, but there are also opportunities to fence in teams representing clubs, Tasmania and Australia.

Fencing as a sport has a long history and was one of the first three sports in the first Modern Olympic Games.

Van Diemen Fencing Club fencers in Tasmania:

At the recent VDFC Open Epee Fencing Tournament #1, one of Van Diemen Fencing Club’s beginner Epeeists beat Tasmania’s #1 Male Open Epeeist, Mark Scully.  One of VDFC’s junior fencers scored 3 points in a 5 point bout against Tasmanian University Fencing Club’s President, Isaac Laredo, who split the junior’s glove in a particularly rough hit.

At Van Diemen Fencing Club, the fencers are taught that fencing is about FASS: Finesse, Accuracy, Style and Speed, and they fence by the saying, “TO the target, not THROUGH the target.”  A sign of a good fencer is when they do not hit so hard that they leave a bruise.

Van Diemen Fencing Club holds Beginner Fencing Courses regularly. These courses run for eight weeks and cover all the basics of fencing with the Epee sword, the sword now commonly used to introduce beginners to the sport.

Van Diemen Fencing Club T-shirts.

http://www.cafepress.com.au/VDFC

Follow the link :)
Make sure you check the back of the T, as some have writing, some don't.

There is also a design there for the club's members who are representing Tasmania at national tournaments this year.

Feedback is welcome! :)

Next Beginner Classes Start Sept/Oct.

We kicked-off the new beginner courses this week and what a lovely selection of students we have!

For those of you who want to learn to fence, there will be one more lot of beginner courses starting September 26th and October 1st. Register ASAP because the spaces are already filling :)

Ages 5-10, 11-15 and adults. 
The course is the Bronze Certicate Epee Fencing course.


Individual lessons are also available currently.

Everyone is welcome to come along to club to have a go before registering:
Tuesday nights @ Glenorchy YMCA, 6-8pm, come at 6.30pm for an individual introduction to the sport :)

For more info, please contact us:
0428 057 473
van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com

Beginner Classes Start TODAY and MONDAY.

It is NOT TOO LATE to register for these beginner classes.

Saturday July 9th: (Today):
Ages 11 to 15 - 11am-12pm
Adults - 12-1.30pm.

Monday July 11th: 
Ages 5 to 10 - 4.30-5.30pm
Ages 11 to 15 - 5.30-6.30pm
Adults - 6.30-8pm.

The courses are held at the YMCA in Glenorchy, and they run for eight weeks.

Just talk to club coach Avril  Roddam when you arrive and she will give you a registration form to fill in and you're all set!

We hope to see you there :)

Beginner Courses and Gift Certificates.

Hello everyone!

1) Beginner courses:  8 week beginner Epee fencing courses will start in early July. There are two days to choose from (and if during the course you can't make it to one day for some reason, you can go on the other day so you don't fall behind).

Saturdays from July 9th.
Mondays from July 11th.

Saturdays: Ages 5 to 10: 10am-11am
                   Ages 11 to 15: 11am-12
                   Ages 16 and over: 12 to 1.30pm

Mondays: Ages 5 to 10: 4.30pm to 5.30pm                  
                  Ages 11 to 15: 5.30pm to 6.30pm                
                  Ages 16 and over: 6.30pm to 8pm

2) Feedback I've been receiving is that people believe that fencing is an expensive sport, so I'd like to set you straight :) 
You can now buy a jacket, breeches, mask, and glove for less than $200AUD.
When I began ten years ago I had to pay over four-hundred dollars for my kit, so prices have dropped substantially now :)
Also, Van Diemen Fencing Club supplies fencing equipment, so you don't need to buy your own gear unless you want to.

3) The club launch is this Tuesday, June 28th. Kids ages 5-10 should come along between 5pm and 6pm, and people ages 11 and over should come along between 6pm and 8pm. Please come along and have a go, ask questions and so on.  $2 to have a go and all money raised goes to the Hobart Dogs' Home :)

4) We have gift certificates now for 8 week beginner classes. They make a very cool Birthday/Christmas gift, especially if you have a Star Wars/Pirate fan in the family ;) Available for ages 5 and over.

So, if you would like more information on the courses or you'd like the registration form, please send an e-mail to: van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com  OR  you can give us a call: 0428 057 473

We look forward to hearing from you :)

Van Diemen Fencing Club Launch!

Well, the club is finally about to open to all fencers with only two weeks of the first beginner courses left! 

TUESDAY JUNE 28th 2011.

If you are interested in fencing for a child aged 5-10, please pop along between 5pm and 6pm and kids are welcome to join in :)

People interested in fencing for ages 11+ (you are seriously NEVER too old to start fencing!) please come along between 6pm and 8pm, the earlier the better :)

There will be an information display about fencing, there will be fencers there for you to watch and of course you will have the opportunity to put on a fencing jacket, mask and glove and have a go with an Epee. (We'll ask a $2 fee to have a go, all money raised will to to the Hobart Dogs' Home)

The best part is... THERE WILL BE CAKE!

This is going to be a really fun launch and we hope to see you there!

It will be at the YMCA in Glenorchy, 8a Constance Avenue.

Enter through the Fit N Fun gym.

SEE YOU THERE! :)

van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com

0428 057 473

Facebook: Van Diemen Fencing Club

Beginner Courses Start Soon, First VDFC Tournament in July, AND good news!

Hello!
This update is overdue, but it's worth it!

1) The next Beginner courses will commence in July: 8 week courses: Saturdays from July 9th, Mondays from July 11th.
Ages 5-10 ($90), 11-15s ($90) and ages 16 and over ($100).
E-mail: van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com for a registration form.

The junior course (5-10s) is the Junior Swordplay Certificate. The course concentrates on games designed to improve balance, agility, coordination and games to get students used to fencing moves. Students are gradually introduced to fencing bladework, using special flexible plastic training swords from Europe.

The 11-15s and the 16s+ courses introduce students to the offensive and defensive moves in Epee fencing, as well as covering some tactics, rules and safety. On completion of the course, students will be fencers, ready to fence at clubs and tournaments.

________________________________

2)

****FIRST VAN DIEMEN FENCING CLUB TOURNAMENT - EPEE****

On Saturday July 2nd, Van Diemen Fencing Club will host its first Epee tournament for 2011. This tournament is open to fencers from all clubs. $10 VDFC members, $15 non-members.
Safety gear required: full length trackpants or fencing breeches, 350N jackets, masks, gloves, chest guards.
Medals for 1st, 2nd, 3rd.
ROLECALL @ 10am, FENCING STARTS AS SOON AS SCORE SHEETS ARE FILLED-OUT.
Basic rules will be followed and safety gear must be worn at all times when fencing.

This will be a round robbin tournament - all fencers will fence each other and the final rankings will be taken from these bouts, there will be no DEs.

This tournament is to provide a friendly introduction to competitive fencing for the Van Diemen Fencing Club newest members.

Please feel free to come along and watch - fencing should definitely have started by 10.45am.
Fencers are invited to bring family and friends along to watch :)

Equipment is available for hire, $2 per jacket, $2 per mask, 50c per glove, 50c per chest-guard.

3)
I spoke with Elizabeth College's Tim Medwin today and, if I can confirm eighteen committed students studying between year 9 and year 12, we will be running Fencing as a sport option for EC's Athlete Development Program!
I'll explain:
Imagine 3 hours of training, one evening a week. $180 per student for the year. This program means fencing specific tutes, training classes, and also generic sports training in the newly decked out EC gym! $180! You pay more than $180 to join fencing clubs for the year in a lot of places!  I am so excited about this - this is such a wonderful opportunity for any enthusiastic fencers in yr 9, 10, 11 and 12!
BUT, we need 18 to enrol or it's a no go, so, I'm going to contact some local schools and start advertising extra hard to make sure we can get the 18. Did I mention at the end of the program, there is the opportunity to fly to Victoria as a team and have a tournament/train with the Victorians? :)

Ok, now that's out of my system.

Don't forget:

BEGINNER EPEE COURSES START IN EARLY JULY!

TO REGISTER, E-MAIL:

van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com

Beginner Classes Start Tuesday, May 3rd.

The beginner courses in Epee fencing will all start on Tuesday, May 3rd 2011.
We have made Facebook pages for the courses, with information. If you can't access them just e-mail: van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com

Adult Course (16+): http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211167248909016#!/event.php?eid=211167248909016

Big Kids' (11-15s) Course: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200436779978889

Kid's (5-10s) Course: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=156741441052011


The basics:
Kids - 5-10s: 4.30pm-5.30pm
Big Kids - 11-15s: 5.30pm-6.30pm
Adults - 16+: 6.30pm-8pm

$100 per student - includes equipment.

Courses will be held at the YMCA dance room in Glenorchy: http://maps.google.com.au/maps?hl=en&q=ymca+glenorchy&rlz=1R2ACAW_enID362&wrapid=tlif130189095120210&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

It takes 13 minutes from Hobart to Glenorchy via the Brooker Highway.

If tuesdays don't suit you, or you wish to do a course with your child/children, please let us know in an e-mail; we can organise different days/times/class formats if we get the feedback.

Regards

Avril Holderness-Roddam
Coach - Van Diemen Fencing Club

Beginner Courses

Hello!

Beginner courses will commence in April.

The course will cover ages:
5-10
11-15
16+

Adult courses will run for 90 mins a night and run for eight weeks. Seven weeks will be classes and the final night will be a tournament to practice your new skills.
Childrens courses will run for fifty minutes to an hour a night and will run over ten weeks.

The venue will be announced as soon as possible. The manager of the venue we're hoping for quit and didn't tell me so I was awaiting his e-mail. I'm meeting with the new manager next week.

Dates and prices soon to come.

To be added to the list of interested persons, please e-mail us:  van.diemen.fencing.club@gmail.com

We look forward to meeting you!

*Photo is not property of Van Diemen Fencing Club



Van Diemen Fencing Club at the Celebrate Clarence Expo

Saturday February 27th, Van Diemen Fencing Club held a display a the Celebrate Clarence Expo.

We provided foam sabres and masks for people to have a go.

We had kids, parents and grand parents having a stab (excuse the pun) at fencing and we had more than enough positive feedback to decide to hold beginner courses on the Eastern Shore in the near future.

 

We had a display about our club, and about fencing in general. We had posters from Commonwealth Fencing Championships, posters from fencing suppliers, photos of all ages fencing and photos of a recent fencing taster for 5-8 year olds.

 

We had thongs hanging at different heights for target practice.

 

 

 

We also ran a free raffle with six prizes of one introductory fencing lesson. The man in charge of the Archery stall next door drew the six winners from a sabre fencing mask. Georgie very kindly held the mask :) The winners will be contacted on Monday.

We all had a great day and enjoyed meeting some of our future members!

Cheers

Avril
Club President

Interview on Huon FM.

We just had a great interview with Tim on Huon FM. It would be great to run some beginner lessons down that way so if you're from the area, please send us an e-mail and if we get enough interest we'll do it.

Venue: Meeting with the YMCA next week to hopefully organize a room then we'll be ready to start lessons!

Cheers,
Avril

January 2011 Update!

Hello :)

I hope you are having a happy 2011 so far! 

We are in the process of booking a venue so soon we can announce dates for the first Bronze Certificate Epee courses!

So far we have had a lot of interest in the Adults and Primary Schools aged courses, but we're hoping to run a course for high-school ages, so if you know of anybody in high school who might be interested in fencing, please be sure to let them know!

I am actually away until January 15th, so I will answer your e-mail as soon as I'm back.

Regards,

Avril Holderness-Roddam

President, Van Diemen Fencing Club

WELCOME! - Dec 2010 Update.

Hello :)
Time for the December Update!

I now have enough people to hold the first adult Bronze Certificate Epee Course in February 2011.
If you are interested, or have younger people inerested, please e-mail the club and I will send you details. We have classes designed for several age ranges.

The club launch is in mid February, I'm calling the venue to book the date this week.

Completely unrelated, Scullduggery Fencing Club (run by Mark Scully) in Launceston has invited all fencers to compete at their tournament this Sat Dec. 18th.  President of the TUFC, Isaac Laredo and I are going to travel North to compete. Next year there will be more opportunities for clubs to meet and compete in friendly competitions and in the State Champs.

If you are intrsted to see what fencing is like at a National level, check out http://www.ausfencing.org/, they have a list of state orgs. and links and current news.

Bed time for me now :)

Another update when exact dates for courses are organised.

Cheers,
Avril Holderness-Roddam,
President, Van Diemen Fencing Club.