Well, it is disappointing that we find ourselves in yet another emergency brake/lockdown.  We had hoped that the regional system would stay intact, and that we could run our April break camp and continue training as we were.   

In the meanwhile, we will do Zoom again for the entire club weekly THREE times:  Tuesday/Thursday at 7 pm and Sunday at 10 am (to allow us to be done so you can enjoy the nice weather). 

Finally, I know how very disappointing this is for many of us, if not all of us.  Taking control of the controllable things in a bout is a skill every successful fencer can do, and letting go the uncontrollable things is equally important.  We cannot control how the situation outside of the our world is unfolding but we can control some things in how we respond.  Getting regular exercise, keeping skills sharp, sleeping and eating well as well as just showing up for life (or Zoom class) are all things that we can control.  And they matter!  These things will make a huge difference in how we navigate this next storm. 
If any of you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to reach out to myself or Robyn.  You are all our chosen family.

Running April 12-16. Click here to register

Thanks for all for making our Fright Fight event a lot of fun (and safe).  It was nice to see so many of you again, and congratulations to the fencers who competed (and thank you to Robyn for making the rather excellent skull trophies, filling the loot bags etc).
And, I was the Dread Pirate Roberts - not Zorro!


All training is as usual this week and we restart Joga for the month of November.
It is Saturday at 4 pm this week.  Usual instructions.


Parent-Athlete Tournament
We are trying to figure out how to replace our annual near Father's Day parent (sibling) versus athlete event in early December.  Clearly Covid has altered our ability to do this in any large format but we are working on some plans.  Start considering who would like to be stabbed by their child!

Coming this Sept to SFO, new classes for a new, COVID-19 reality.

• Munchkin and Me: for ages 6 and under, plus their parent or guardian
  
• Fencing Day-Class, for children being homeschooled this fall
  
• Saturday beginner classes
  
• Adult only fencing Monday evenings
  

COVID-19 safety protocols remain in place until further notice.

For further information on any of these classes, please see the programs or store portions of the website, or email info@stratfordfencingclub.ca

All training times are running as per usual for the next week. Safety protocols are still in effect for all groups, and again, a big thank-you to the parents/guardians and athletes for working so very carefully within the new protocols.

We are hoping with stage 3 coming for the province, that we will see some combination of the groups and will let you know as soon as this information is released and confirmed with the OFA.

Some of our athletes in the Ontario Fencing Association's Youth Development Program have had the very special experience of Zoom classes with some of the world's top fencers.  Thus far they have trained with athletes who have attended 12 Olympics between them, won three medals there (all gold), multiple, multiple world championships and world cups and who are in the top 3 ranking in the world at present. What a great experience for them.  
Our sport is truly lucky to have access to such a high calibre of athlete and even better people as human beings, or as our tradition notes ' mensch'.



Darren and Robyn

Earlier we sent a note indicating that we are NOT able to hold day camps under the present Ontario regulations.  We hope to do so in August as usual but wait until at least July 15th to see what is allowed for daycamps.

Instead, we are planning to operate our evening and Sunday training in July as usual in lieu of this, with the costs remaining the same as usual operations. 

We understand that some have holidays planned, and we ask that you let us know whether to expect you.  Given that we missed 2.5 months of training, and more importantly its importance in terms of health and socialization for the athletes, the coaches think this is the best path forward rather than another shut down.

This also allows us to move along in the return to play phases as outlined by the OFA.  If all is well, then in September we will have moved through the phases and brought into the new normal of a post Covid-19 world.  Again, July will see training as our usual evening and Sunday times with few exceptions.

The following are the planned suspensions of training in July:

• Pre-elite July 1: NO training as Canada Day.
• Elite: NO Saturday morning training in July. 

The store has been updated to include July regular payment options, including for beginner and minifence classes.