We are asking everyone who has anything to do with the region to complete this questionnaire by the end of November so that we can produce a snap shot of what is going on in the region and what we can do to help develop everyone further.

With all this information we will produce a document that will form the basis of an application for a grant to help with the development across the region.  If you have the time, take a look at the England website for details: www.englandfencing.co.uk

We will be using the base data for our future mailing list – if you do not want to be on it, you have the option to opt out, but please do the survey.

Many thanks, in advance, for your assistance – we will update you with our progress.

Next competition

The age group team competition is in 3 weeks, on Nov 20, details are on the website.

We will be awarding our rather wonderful ‘Sportsmanship Award’ for a foil star as we did last year, this year we also have one for an epee star.  These awards are about sportsmanship, not about being the best fencer – not that you shouldn’t strive to be both.

We have also the possibility of holding some basic sessions with an armourer to show fencers and/or parents about some basic upkeep of weapons – if you would like us to spend 10-15mins on this, please email June: secretary@southernfencing.org.uk.

Details have been put up by BF on kit recalls, please check out the website for details as we need you to ensure you are safe to fence.

Training Day

We are going to hold a training day or two the weekend of January 7/8.  Saturday 7 will be held at Oxford and we will have coaches in all three weapons.  If there is sufficient demand we will book the Sunday, at another venue.  There will be a £20 charge for the day.  To book your place, please email June: secretary@southernfencing.org.uk- please specify the weapon as numbers in each group will have to be controlled, also say if you would prefer Sunday if available or indeed if you would like both.

Over this weekend we will also be holding potential coach course attendee assessments so if you think you might like to become a coach or you are already a coach and would like to move up, our coach educators will be on hand to put you through you paces to see if you are ready to take a place on a course.  Our course for level one and two (any/all weapons) will be planned over the following few months with different opportunities for you to attend training and assessment days.  Please email our coach co-ordinators Olly and Lee:  coaching@southernfencing.org.uk to let them know you would like to book a slot with our educators to assess you and to arrange to tell you how the course will run.

Also on the Sunday there will be a first aid course for those of you who need one – Mike is very good and some of the course will be fencing specific.  There will be a charge for this certificated training.  We will confirm the amount when we have the numbers of you who would like to attend – you will have to cover the course cost, the region will cover the other expenses (will be somewhere between £20 and £40, so we need a full house to keep the costs down).  If you would like to attend the first aid course please email June: secretary@southernfencing.org.uk

Upcoming Competitions

• The Epee and Sabre Adult and Age Group competition. This will be held at Reading University on Sunday, 15 January.
• The Foil Age Group competition. This will be held at St Barts, in Newbury, on Sunday, 26 February.

For those entering the Age Group competitions, the British Youth Championships will be held over the May Bank Holiday, 5-7 May 2012.

 Other Notices

Club officials/coaches – are you a new club, a growing club, a club with out of date kit – please check out the BF website for details of the lease to buy option for new fencing kit.  BF/EF have arranged for an amount of kit to be available that you can tap into.

FYI – parents….  There is a parents group now formally recognised by BF.  They have their own website www.bfparentsgroup.co.uk so feel free to check it out.

Members of the BF board have been attending ‘road shows’ around the country to talk to fencers and families answering your questions about fencing – would you like us to arrange for one at either the January or February competitions?  Please let me know by Nov 20 if you would, and I will see if I can arrange one.

Shortly you will receive a link for a survey that we hope you will all participate in.  It is to provide us with information about what is happening around the region and to help us create a development plan that can be used to form part of a submission for additional funding to help across the region

Sunday, 20th November  -  Team Competition, this year at Bradfield School

There will be Epee and Foil competitions and three age groups this year

Please see the Entry Form for details:
(http://new.southernfencing.org.uk/calendar/age-group-team.htm)

A special plea for refs and boxes please

w/d 7/8 January  -  training weekend, all weapons

details will be released next month but, meanwhile, make a note and please keep the dates free

please note… coaches/everyone we will be offering a first aid course on one of these days as well

please also note… anyone considering doing a coaching course next year should make themselves available to attend at least one day of this weekend

He will be greatly missed by his family and all his fencing friends.

Matthew Thompson

http://www.britishfencing.com/news/notices/?n=300

http://www.britishfencing.com/news/notices/?n=301

Based  on further advice received after the Board’s notice yesterday, British Fencing has suspended the use of this protective  equipment whilst further enquiries are made, by the British Fencing  Safety Committee, as to its fitness for purpose.

The Southern Region has a Duty of Care towards our fencers and safety is paramount and our first concern. Therefore it has been decided to suspended the use of plastrons, jackets and breeches from Sword Price Fighters with immediate effect at Southern Region competitions, until a decision is made to either continue or remove the suspension.

GUIDELINES ON SAFETY IN FENCING FOR FENCERS, COACHES, REFEREES, CLUBS AND COMPETITION ORGANISERS

We have been tasked with creating a friendly volunteer family/force

All are welcome! Whilst fencing experience may be useful, it is not necessary
We know training will be provided where necessary
We know we will look after you (but we don’t yet know all the details)
We know we will work you hard, but most of all…
We know we will do our very best to make it enjoyable and exciting

Please come and join us to make these Championships a fantastic experience for all.

For full details on the form: Senior Europeans Fencing Champships 2011 Volunteers

We look forward to your company

Rochelle, Lorraine, Chris, Maggie & Eileen

Our congratulations go to all three.

This is an achievement for both clubs and one that we hope to see all around the region.

Having got Salle Eton through the mire of paperwork and courses David Oakden has agreed to act a mentor. If your club is going through the process, or thinking about starting it and want to talk to someone who has been there, please email David (see contacts)

The information we were given for finding our new venue caused problems in so far as if you had an old satnav it couldn’t get you there and there were roadwork’s nearby that caused folk delay. We chose to give folk a bit extra time to arrive so from the beginning of the day we were a little behind. We try very hard to ensure every foil fight has a competent referee, again ref’s are folk who volunteer to give of their time learn how to referee, and then to referee. It is always hard to ensure there are enough folk around to referee at a county, regional or Open competition and this sometimes causes delays waiting for someone suitable to be available.

Apologies to the u12’s who, yesterday, had to stop but who were then able to start again and compete their competition – with hindsight it might have been handled differently, but hindsight is a wonderful thing most of us wish we had.

Those of you going to Sheffield to represent the region, very well done and good luck.

I will be in Sheffield with Eileen (near the entrance with the BFA kit), please come say hello and tell us how you are doing (good or bad!) – we especially like to close up and come watch you when you get into the last four so make sure we know; mind you one of us will try and pop along any time we can (if you want us and you tell us).

Badges will be available at the team competition for anyone who hasn’t already got one. These are to warn on the none fencing arm. As soon as there is news on the hoodies we will put it on the website.

Finally, I would like to thank BB&O for the Epee and Sabre competition last November and Hampshire for yesterday, Milind and Ian for their computer skills, Eileen for handling all the entries, Harry for coping with armoury for many more fencers than the youngsters that he is actually there for, all those who refereed and helped with food and all of you who chauffeur and support the fencers and to the staff at Bradfield College and Reading University Sports Centre for looking after us and look forward to seeing many of you at the team event in March in Reading.

If you could spare some time to help at a competition please let us know

Your help will make a difference

If you have any pictures (or videos) from the competition please feel free to send them in.

Click on the picture for a closer view and details.