Check the photo section for pics of SFO athletes in action in November tournaments!

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PS we don't have an X account - and have no idea why the X Post icons are now showing up on our newsfeed.

The athletes of Stratford Fencing Club continued in the tradition of excellence set by many previous recipients who have been recognized by the city of Stratford for Provincial, National and International success in fencing.  This year we had Team Canada Athletes:  Ellie Davies, Blake Degroot and Spencer Orr.  Orr and Davies each were medallists at the Pan American Championships as cadets and juniors. Blake Degroot is on scholarship to university in Italy where he continues to represent Canada internationally at both the senior and junior level with an eye to participate in Los Angeles in 2028.

We had a near sweep of Provincial champions or podium medallist or Provincial number one ranked athletes with  Quintin Vollmer (u15 Champion, silver cadet), Spencer Orr (cadet, junior champion, silver in senior,  #1 in cadet, junior), Ellie Davies (cadet champion, #1 in cadet, silver in Junior), Scott Bell (Veterans champion or were you second?), Cohen Bernard (silver Provincials u15, #1 in u15), Joshua Kim (bronze u11, #2 in u11) and Gordon Ye (bronze junior). Gordon Ye is fencing for McMaster University while pursuing a degree in engineering.

Of course, we have had other fencers who medalled in many tournaments in Canada and the USA.  We are proud to recognize the accomplishments of countless hours of work to achieve this success with our world class coaching staff.  (Accompanying photos)

There are schedule changes this week as Darren is still away until Nov 8.

All weekday lessons will start at 6 pm, including private lessons with Coach Alecs and Robyn.

TUES: 6 PM ELITE AND 7 PM COMP (Alecs)
WED: 6 pm pre elite (Robyn)
TH: Halloween....club closed

No Saturday training

SUN: 10 am Elite (Robyn) and 11 am competitive (Robyn). 1 pm Beginner (Alecs) 3pm Minifence (Robyn)

Due to a frankly surprising enthusiasm for All Hallows Eve, Coach Alecs and Coach Scott have hereby cancelled Oct 31 fencing for all pre-elite, competitive, elite, adult and recreational  fencers (adults and recreational we will leave up to Coach Scott to address). Dress warmly, be safe, and be ready to train with extra dedication Sunday next, candy fuelled or not... and leave the Halloween treats at home please!

The first tournament of the season is under the belt for many people, and congratulations to all who fenced.  Robyn and I were impressed by the improvement in every single fencer this weekend, independent of results, and this is the true measurement.  Everyone moved forward in the results, how they responded, selected actions and in attitudes/confidence.  Well done!  if you haven't paid attention, there is a bit of an arms race in foil right now with many strong clubs producing strong athletes and our group more than held their own and produced excellent performances.
And especial congratulations to Parker Lambert who managed his first podium in a very strong cadet group! (see photos)

And, given the arms race that seems to be in fencing right now, Robyn and I must mention our parents who demonstrated the most appropriate attitudes and responses to an ever increasing miasma of parental interference that is plaguing sport in general.  Sadly fencing is not immune to this but our group, as one official told me, seems to be happy to support their athletes and to be positive.  Well done to the Moms and Dad (and siblings).


Schedule:
All is as usual this week except it is Thanksgiving Weekend!  Enjoy the seasonal weather, turkey and family.  No training for any classes on Sat/Sunday.
- Darren, Robyn, Alecs and Scott.

The United States Fencing Association  just released a short article on the purpose of sport.  I include it here but would add the following points:

1. Sport promotes healthy bodies - these sleep better, eat better, have longer lifespans, better general health and avoid obesity in later years; and we are evolutionarily selected to be active in development of our brains so evidence on the mental and neurological benefits across the board due to sport involvement is overwhelming.  Whether in keeping depression at bay or simply improving cognition/attention/acuity, the empirical evidence is solid that active bodies mean healthier minds. 

2. Sport is not a platform for parental success via social media. Your child's sport acumen is one part genetics (that's you), one part access (that's also you) but a whole lot of luck if you meet the right coaches or development path.
  
Here is the entire article:
The Purpose of Sports for Our Children

Why did we encourage our children to participate in sports? For most of us, it’s because we believe sports can teach valuable life lessons, build strong character, and promote lifelong health. Ultimately, it’s about shaping their future on and off the field. This is a common goal shared by many parents. However, as our children advance in competition—whether striving for spots in national tournaments, earning scholarships, or simply securing a place on the team—the pressures and intensity of sports can cause us to lose sight of this original purpose.


The greatest gift sports can offer is not a trophy or a ranking, but the invaluable development of character through the highs and lows of competition. Sports provide an unparalleled platform for fostering personal growth. To ensure our children truly benefit from these opportunities, we must guide them to focus on how they respond to challenges, both in sports and in life.


Here are some key principles to keep in mind:

1. It’s not about avoiding challenges; it’s about how our children respond to them. Help them understand that challenges are inevitable in both sports and life. They act as a catalyst for growth and resilience. Pay close attention to how our children respond to challenges, and encourage them to embrace those challenges and quickly shift their focus to solutions.
2. Encourage focus on what is controllable, rather than outcomes. Winning and rankings are the byproducts of effort, attitude, problem-solving, and unwavering self-belief. Focusing on these qualities will naturally lead to success.
3. Challenge our children to believe in themselves during difficult times. Everyone has off days. In these moments, there is only one right choice: choosing to believe in themselves, even when it’s hard.
4. Foster adaptability in challenging conditions. Whether overcoming unfavorable circumstances or facing tougher opponents, adaptability is key to success both on and off the field.
5. Promote humility and the relentless pursuit of growth. No matter how skilled our children become, the journey of improvement should never stop. Humility will keep them grounded and open to learning and evolving.

As our children improve their response to challenges, become more process-driven, and develop confidence and adaptability, they will grow into resilient individuals with strong character. Our primary purpose should be to guide our children in leveraging sports to build these incredible life skills. If they happen to become great athletes along the way, that will simply be a bonus.

I hope everyone is enjoying both the summer and the Olympics.  
We are so happy (there is still another foil event tomorrow) to see our friends on the greatest sporting stage and to do well.  An especial shout out to Eleanor Harvey who won the first ever Olympic medal for Canada.  Many will have trained with Eleanor over the years, especially those in the HPP program or the very old guard when she was a part of our extended Ontario training group with Joshua McGuire at our sister club Dual Nature. 
Of course, Robyn and I could not be happier than to see our adopted son, Filippo (Pippo) Macchi win the silver medal in men's foil.  Many of you will have spent time with Pippo when he was last with us a year ago and will be seeing him again in the near future.  And risking being thrown out of both Canada and Italy, we were so happy for our close friend Ralf Bissdorf as he coached a masterful squad to win the women's team gold for the US.
At one point, Robyn and I realized that we have shared dinners with every one of the women's final four, or even hosted them in our home!  And, of course, our extended fencing family is deep and we were proud to see them all succeed and crushed when they lost. Today I am sad for our Italian epee fencers friends from Milan who lost in the prelims.  Tomorrow, I hope to be happy for our Italian friends from Future Champions Camp to continue the vibe set by Pippo.


LOOKING AHEAD:
a. We start the season Tuesday 3rd September at 7 pm.  The OFA/CFF have provisional tournament schedules out and I believe membership is not open as yet?  
b. If you are in the elite, pre-elite and competitive programs, and are not continuing to fence,  or you want to change levels (remember you must be invited to the elite/pre elite), then let us know so we can plan accordingly, including locker space.
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c. Robyn is in the process of updating the calendar and store parts of the website and will add the competitions as they become confirmed.



Training Opportunities in August
1. There is a small group coming from Japan to train with the OFA.  If you are interested, please watch out for them 20th August to 26th August at Vango.  This is an OFA event, so the fee will be paid to the OFA.
2. Amber Fencing Club has just hired a new head coach, Tomasso Marchi (formerly Swedish National Coach and from Livorno, Italy) who is a close friend.  They are a relatively new Markham club with younger fencers and I believe will be happy to have any SFO athletes for bouting, particularly our stronger fencers.  I will let you know if there are formal times.
3. Elite team fencers who have club keys can fence anytime they wish without my permission.  Just make sure you turn the alarm on on exiting.  Also, Darren will be doing some work so avoid those areas.


FINALLY
Thank you to Cohen, Lyn and Quintin who stepped up to run our camps this year.  Many of you may be aware that I (Darren) had a small medical scare/issue that was diagnosed in early May and treated in late June.  It went as well as it could and everything is fine now but there was a little bit of anxiety/process/treatment as we went forward and a lot of thanks for the medicine of today.  This meant I was not always able to do what is normal for me.  It was absolutely necessary for Cohen, Lyn and Quintin to step up as a result, and they did a great job. Robyn and I extend our thanks and gratitude to them all.

Congratulations to all our fencers for an amazing season full of improvement and excellence as people. EVERY member of the club was an all star. Each person succeeds publicly and struggles privately, often only known to a few and we need to recognize how amazing just showing up can be at times.

A huge Thank You for the families/friends who celebrated our athletes yesterday and who showed their support to our community as well as their own athlete. Especially as we said farewell to Joshua Kim who is returning to Korea and our uni bound grads: Gordon Ye and Blake Degroot. Every year we graduate athletes to life but this year we are losing three really key people in our community who have been keystones in everyone's success and models of what fencers should be (and sometimes not, but that is youth).

Here are our awards this year:

Overall Club Champion 2024: Blake Degroot

Competitive Group Champion: Maggie Sousa

U12 Champion: Hwan Sin

Dave Davies Cup 2024: Hwan Sin and Alba Moore shared the title.

Spirit of Sport: Gordon Ye

Coaches Choice: Maggie Sousa and Kiran Simmons

Richard Wong Volunteer: Dunphy Burdett LLC ( Tim Stock Bateman)

Tradition Mutual Emerging Talent: Hwan Sin

Male Fencer of the Year: Spencer Orr (Snr) Cohen Bernard (Jnr)

Female Fencer of the Year: Ellie Davies (Snr) Xanthe Marchanton (Jnr)

There are a few announcements this week and a reminder:


Announcements:
1. All Club Championship is this Sunday from 11 am followed by the Dave Davies Cup followed by Club Awards.  Format is as below:


11 am: Start of Club Championship ALL AGES/LEVELS.  Top 8 go into the Club Championship finals and the remainder re-poule into divisions for Dave Davies Cup final event.  


330: Dave Davies Finals (both divisions - preelite/u12 and competitive)
350: Club Championship Finals
415: Club Awards
Spectators are welcome at any time but certainly for the finals and the awards.  We don't have access to the giant BBQ so we are opting to not have food present. But we will have snacks, coffee and other things for guests and athletes.   Athletes may order pizza (Price to be split amongst them, so bring cash if they want to do this).  We usually open the bay door but if the heatwave continues, may need to cram into the club.


2.  All training/lessons are normal this week.  If your athlete is not present for lessons, please let Darren know so he is aware as it is a busy week for students and many have trips, exams, assignments as we limp into July.  There is no Saturday training as we need to prepare for the next day.


3.  Summer Camps:  If you have not let us know when you are coming, please do. We need to set the numbers for the coaching staff.


And a reminder



Finally:
While we shift to Summer camps and then close the club in August - we do charge monthly fees for those months in our elite, competitive and pre-elite programs as those programs, as per written and published policy, are 10 month programs that we charge over 12 months to lessen the monthly burden. You are responsible to pay fees accordingly.  Our new fee session is September to June.

There are but a few things of note, and to heed:


1. All training this week is as usually scheduled, including Saturday morning for the Elite group (even with the Dave Davies Cup).


2. Summer Camps:  SFO is late getting our Summer Camp schedule up and running, blame the Olympics and obligations related to that for the coaching staff.  But we are planning to run camps each week of July and including the first week of August.  The costs are as follows:  Elite are free (but you must let us know when) while competitive and pre elite are half price.  Each camp starts at 9 and ends at 4 pm. Click here for more information / to register:  https://www.stratfordfencingclub.ca/store/c7/fencing_camps

Volunteer hours can be earned in the camps for those needing them.

A reminder that we have a total 10 month fee paid over 12 months in our agreement for monthly programs.  Should you withdraw before the end of the 12 months, months previously paid are prorated accordingly with the expectation of full payment.


3. The 2nd Dave Davies House Cup will take place on Saturday April 6th.  It will start at 1 pm as below and the cost is $10 per person to fence (goes to referees).  Spectators are welcome.
Elite Team: 1 pm
Competitive Team 12 and older: 230 pm
Under 12 or pre-elite: 330 pm.

If people are interested after in going to Jobsite Pizza for a pizza and beverage after, we will do this.  Of course, it is on your own dime.