red door fencing

RDF is pleased to announce we’ll be hosting Equinox Epee, our 2nd tournament with USA Fencing-sanctioned events, on Sunday, March 22, 2015 at Hillside Elementary in West Des Moines.

Events Scheduled:
9:30 AM – Open Mixed Epee
12:00 PM – D & Under Mixed Epee
2:00 PM – Y12 Mixed Epee (Unsanctioned)

Times listed are close of registration. We recommend fencers arrive 40-60 minutes before close of registration to allow time for check-in, warm-ups, and a few practice bouts. Fencing will begin 10-20 minutes after close of registration.

Format will be the usual pools (groups of 5-7, fence each person in the group to 5 points) to direct elimination (15 points for open/D & Under, 10 points for Y12). Fencers ages 13 and up may fence in the Open and D & Under events. Fencers 12 and under may fence in Y12.

USA Fencing competitive membership is required for the Open and D & Under events, but not Y12. (Unsanctioned basically means that the results don’t count for any sort of points or ratings in the USA Fencing system.)

As always, spectators are always welcome and it’s free to watch.

Fencers: Click here to sign up on askFred.net!

Click here to download a flier to hang at your club.

Update: Both sessions are now full. Please check back as we will be announcing more sessions soon!

So far, we have two Learn to Fence sessions on the calendar for February:

Saturday, Feb. 14
10 am – 12 pm

Adult/Teen Learn to Fence Session

If you’ve ever wanted to try fencing, or if you’re looking for something new for the new year, this is a great way to see if the sport is for you. We’ll teach you the basics of epee fencing and then you will get to try out your new skills fencing others in the class. All equipment is provided, but please wear athletic clothes – you’ll be up and moving a lot! Cost is $20 per person.

Saturday, Feb. 14
1-3 pm

Couples Valentine’s Day Learn to Fence Session

Looking for a unique Valentine’s Day date? Try fencing! We’ll teach you the basics of epee fencing, and you’ll get to try out your new skills on your partner/spouse/date. This is a special session for couples, but if you don’t have a partner, you can sign up for the regular adult session in the morning. Cost is $20 per person ($40 per couple). All equipment is provided, but please wear athletic clothes – you will be up and moving a lot!

Starting January 5th, we are making a few changes to our schedule. These new hours will help accommodate the changing schedule of some of our coaches, as well as bring our saber practice to a time that is accessible to more people. Due to the disparity of available coaching between epee and saber, we are dropping dues for saber-only members down to $10 per month. Monthly dues are still $40 for epee and epee/saber fencers.

The new 2015 schedule will look like this:

2nd & 4th Mondays of the month: (new schedule)
Youth Saber Practice: 5-6pm
Adult Saber Practice: 6-8pm

Tuesday: (same as before)
Conditioning: 6-7pm
Adult Epee Practice: 7-9pm

Wednesday: (new schedule)
Youth Epee Practice: 6-7pm
Adult: 7-9pm

Thursday: (same as before)
Youth Epee Practice: 5-6pm
Conditioning: 6-7pm
Adult Epee Practice: 7-9pm

Saturdays we will remain open on non-tournament weekends from 8-11am for conditioning and an open (both weapons) practice.

As in the past, adult saber fencers are welcome to come to conditioning and practice saber during the adult epee practice times – there just won’t be a saber coach there.