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Summer Nationals & July NAC Results

Columbus, OH – This past week, two RDF fencers competed at Summer Nationals and the July North American Cup.

Saber coach RJ Lesch fenced Vet-50 Men’s Saber on Tuesday and placed 19th of 32, missing the round of 16 by only 2 touches. Then on Wednesday, he fenced a tough pool in Division 3 Men’s Saber. In the direct elimination round, he significantly improved his performance against an opponent who had beaten him in pool and ended 98th of 126.

RJ in Ohio
Coach RJ by the finals strip at Summer Nationals in Columbus, OH.

Youth epee coach Sarah Timmons Powell fenced several close 5-point pool bouts in Division 1 Women’s Epee but couldn’t pull off enough victories to make the cut into the direct elimination round. She ended 139th of 163.

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Iowa Games Fencing July 19

If  you’re not going to Summer Nationals/July NAC, the next tournament that should be on your radar is Iowa Games (also known as the Sauna Open)! It is a fairly small tournament with a relaxed, fun atmosphere. It’s held on Iowa State University’s campus in Ames on Saturday, July 19. Epee is at 12:00 and saber is at 3:00 pm. Entry fee is $20 before July 2 and goes up to $25 after that.

Visit the Iowa Games website for more info:

http://www.iowagames.org/Sports/SummerGames/Fencing.aspx

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Learn to Fence May 31

1606896_231723873684797_146949261_nRDF is pleased to announce our next Learn to Fence sessions:

Saturday, May 31
Kids (ages 7-12): 10 am-12 pm
Teens: 1-3 pm
Adults: 3-5 pm

Cost is $20 per person and all equipment is provided.

Students will learn basic epee and saber fencing actions, rules, and get to fence each other. Please wear athletic clothes, including pants and close-toed shoes. Class size is limited, so sign up today!

Learn to Fence Registration

If you have any questions, give us a call at 329-0329 or email us at rdf@reddoorfencing.com.

RJ and Vet Saber team
reddoorfencing Tournament Results, Uncategorized

April NAC Results

Minneapolis, MN – Several RDF fencers competed at the April North American Cup this weekend.

RJ Lesch fenced Veteran Men’s Saber, Vet-50 Men’s Saber, and Veteran Team Saber. RJ’s work to get in shape has paid off – 3 events in three days can be tough, but RJ said he’s feeling pretty good after all that.

This was Mike Timmons’ first NAC, and he fenced Veteran Men’s Epee on Friday. He won two pool bouts but lost his first direct elimination bout 7-10.

Sarah Timmons Powell fenced Division 2 Women’s Epee on an injured hamstring and finished 11th of 48. She lost to eventual gold medalist Maggie Snider from the Iowa City Fencing Center.

Division 1 national championships were held in conjunction with this NAC, so we also got to watch the top fencers in the country, including our Olympic athletes, compete.

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Thanks for Learning to Fence with Us

We would like to thank everyone who came to our Learn to Fence sessions last weekend! We had 8 kids in our first session, where we learned footwork and basic epee and saber actions. We plan to hold more Learn to Fence sessions in May, so check back for updates!

Kids Learn to Fence
Our first ever kids Learn to Fence class!
Young fencers first bout
Sarah referees two of the youngest fencers.
Kevin referees the girls' first ever fencing bout.
Kevin referees the girls’ first ever fencing bout.

More pictures on our facebook page!

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Learn to Fence March 29 and 30

If you’ve ever wanted to try fencing, your chance is coming soon! RDF is pleased to announce our next Learn to Fence sessions:

Saturday, March 29
Kids (ages 7-12): 9 am-12 pm
Teens: 12-3 pm

Sunday, March 30
Adults: 1-4 pm

Cost is $25 per person and all equipment is provided.

Students will learn basic epee and saber fencing actions, rules, and get to fence each other. Please wear athletic clothes, including pants and close-toed shoes. Class size is limited, so sign up today! If you have any questions, give us a call at 329-0329 or email us at rdf@reddoorfencing.com.

Learn to Fence Registration

reddoorfencing Tournament Results, Uncategorized

Frosty Open Results

Ames, IA – Two RDF epeeists competed at Iowa State University Fencing Club’s Frosty Open tournament in Ames on Sunday. Jim Musgrave placed 2nd and Sarah Timmons Powell finished 8th of 28.

mixed epee medalists Frosty 2014
Mixed epee medalists at the Frosty Open in Ames: (from left) tied for 3rd, Joe Butler and Alex Bucevicius from Lincoln Fencing Club; 2nd place Jim Musgrave from Red Door Fencing; 1st place Colin McChesney from Twin Cities Fencing Club.
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Courage League Kids Learn to Fence

Urbandale, IA – Several RDF fencers visited Courage League Sports – a really cool adaptive sports facility – for Family Fun Night. Tonight’s theme was Olympic sports. We brought a bunch of gear from the club, everyone suited up, we handed out weapons, and let the whacking commence! After a few minutes, the kids were hitting, disengaging, and parry-riposting like pros! We also made friends with Caylin, who used to fence in high school and jumped at the opportunity to wield her saber again when she heard about Olympic Family Fun Night. Special thanks to Coach RJ for working with Courage League to arrange our participation in this great event.

RJ and young fencer
Coach RJ demonstrates a block, or “parry” in fencerspeak. “Ok, now it’s your turn!”

 

RJ, Sarah, and Caylin and Courage League kids.
RJ, Sarah, and Caylin fence with their Courage League partners.
Fencing girls at Courage League
Don’t let these girls fool you – they may be little, but they know how to hit!

 

Father-daughter saber battle at Courage League
Coach RJ stands back as a father-daughter saber battle begins.
reddoorfencing Tournament Results, Uncategorized

Icicle Invitational Results

Lincoln, NE – On Sunday, four RDF fencers participated in the Icicle Invitational tournament hosted by the Lincoln Fencing Club.

Of 48 fencers in mixed epee, Jim Musgrave placed 10th, Sarah Timmons Powell placed 16th, and Mike Timmons placed 23rd. Sarah was also 2nd of 15 in women’s epee.

Of 15 fencers in mixed saber, RJ Lesch placed 10th.

Full results are posted here on askFred.

RDF fencers at the Icicle Invitational: (from left) Mike Timmons, Sarah Timmons Powell, Jim Musgrave, RJ Lesch
RDF fencers at the Icicle Invitational: (from left) Mike Timmons, Sarah Timmons Powell, Jim Musgrave, RJ Lesch
Jim counterattacks
Jim doesn’t quite get the counterattack in this mixed epee bout.

 

RJ lunges
RJ attacks LFC’s Josh Bush in mixed saber.

 

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New Fencers Start This Week

First of all, we would like to thank everyone who came to our two open house events this weekend. We had so much fun introducing so many people to the sport we love! We hope everyone had fun and that we’ll see some of you back this week.

Youth Beginner Epee (for kids ages 7-12) starts at 5:00 tomorrow (Monday), and Adult Beginner Epee (ages 13 & up) will start at 6:15. There are still spots in both epee classes, so walk-ins are welcome to sign up on site. Please arrive a few minutes early if you have not yet completed a registration form and waiver.

Online registration for Youth Beginner Epee

Online registration for Adult Beginner Epee

Beginner saber fencers will start on Tuesday. We still have room for more fencers, so walk-ins are welcome to sign up on site. Please arrive a few minutes early if you have not yet completed a registration form and waiver.

Online registration for Beginner Saber (all ages)

If you have any questions, contact us.

Fencing: fun for all ages!
We had people from age 6 to age 70 learn about fencing at our open house.
Photo credit: Lindsay Timmons