Hi All
That’s the year wrapped.
Thanks to you all, we have been blown away by the support you have given the club over the last year. When we have been able to fence you have been there. And whilst its been a strange year we have a lot to be thankful for. We were one of the first sports allowed back in any sort of numbers, first with the under 18s and then open to all. Competitions have been harder to arrange but we managed to have the County Epee at the centre and the Sussex Fencing Union also managed to run the open at Burgess Hill. This competition drew lots of people in from all over the country, a sign people really wanted to get back to competing. Lewes Fencing Club was well represented, which was good to see, including Finley coming the highest ranked under 18.
We also re worked the groups so we could extend our offering, we now have the
Mini’s, this is our group for 6-10 years olds, Claire managed to secure some funding from The Chalk Cliffe trust so we could buy some plastic kit for this group. It runs between 9am and 10am on Sundays, as expected the numbers are currently quite low, if you have any friends with kids this age please do mention it to them.
Steamers, this is group for 11-13yo, this group uses non electric weapons and are preparing for the next group.
Tweens and Intermediates: This group is specifically aimed at those who want regular group coaching, whilst there is no upper age limit we do expect everyone up to the age of 18 to join it. I for one can certainly see how well people have improved by regularly joining this group.
Whilst the groups do have age brackets, they are there for initial entry requirements and we plan to move people around as they acquire the skills to fence in the upper groups.
We run taster sessions for Mini’s and Steamers most Sundays and are starting to build up people for the 14+ beginners group, If you have any friends or families interested please get them to contact us or complete the form here.
We also wrapped our Adult beginners course on Sunday, it was good to see a nice sized group, we look forward to welcoming you back in the new year. For those of you who missed a few, don’t worry join up and we will catch you up 😀 If you have any questions about joining please just get in touch.
We had our Christmas social at the South Down Sports club, thanks to all that came, the food was again plentiful and good.
Competition
There is competition early in the new year for the younger fencers in the club, it is being held on Sunday the 16th January at the Triangle in Burgess Hill. Entries can be made at https://allentries.co.uk/competitions/view/SCS-Y2122. Please note you will need a BFA Competition license to fight, these are the kit requirements
Under 14 – Size 2 blades, 350N plastron, 350N breeches – Born in 2008 and 2009
Under 16 – Size 5 blades, 800N plastron, 350N breeches – Born in 2006 and 2007
More details, e.g. timings for check ins etc. will be given closer to the day. As it is a club day, we unfortunately will not be able to have any committee there.
You will need two blades to enter the competition, and whilst we should be able to lend blades we cannot stretch to two per person, so there may need to be some sharing going on. You will need to pick up this kit on the 9th if you are interested.
If you have any questions about entering this competition please get in touch.
Next Term
We start back on the 9th January for a 6 week term, ending on the 13th February, fees will be £36 for adults and £30 for students and concessions. Please make payment here http://www.lewesfencingclub.org.uk/purchase/ Remember being a member gives you access to kit and also one to one coaching.
PAYG remains the same at £10 for adults and £8 for concessions per session, PAYG is only available to those with their own kit.
The administration of the club is one of the biggest things we do so it is appreciated if you can make payment asap so that we know who is returning.
Last thing to say
Thanks again for a terrific term and we hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Claire, Della, Gordon, Lewis and Simon.
Welfare
If you feel something is not safe please tell one of the committee members who will look to rectify it. You can talk to us during the session, or after the session via email, enquiries@lewesfencingclub.org.uk . If the issue is specifically welfare, ie child-related or you do not feel comfortable emailing the main email please use welfare@lewesfencingclub.org.uk this will go directly to our Welfare officer (Claire Cox).
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