Salem High School Fencing League Handbook for Athletes and Parents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Salem High School Fencing League Handbook for Athletes and Parents 2014 Sponsored by Salem Classical Fencing a nonprofit organization 2455 McGilchrist Street SE Salem, Oregon 97302 503-375-9209 Welcome Thanks for your interest in fencing in the Salem High School Fencing League. The league is recognized by several area high schools as a “community based club sport”. Historically, students from these schools have participated in the league: Blanchet Catholic School Homeschool students of Salem North Salem High School South Salem High School Sprague High School West Salem High School This handbook includes the following information: Overview of fencing Organizational structure League fencing Fees Volunteering Expectations of fencers Earning a varsity letter Explanation of Glicko individual rating system Checklist for participation The following forms should be filled out and returned to complete your registration: Parental Code of Conduct Equipment Check-out Form Participation Agreement and Explanation of Inherent Risks School Sports Pre-Participation Physical Examination Form, including a cover letter for the physician Recording Release Form Salem High School Fencing League Contact List Nanci Keatley, high school fencing coordinator – [email protected] Jill Summers, executive director and instructor – [email protected] Mary Keatley, assistant instructor – [email protected] Salem High School Fencing League Handbook revised 11/4/2010 page 3 Overview of fencing Note: While it is customary for fencers to refer to the tools of their sport as “weapons”, modern sport fencing weapons are no more weapons than are lacrosse sticks, fishing rods, or tennis racquets. They are swords in name only, with no sharp edges or points anywhere upon them. It should also be noted that fencing has a better safety record than all other commonly offered high school varsity sports—combined (statistics available on request). Broadly, fencing is the art and sport of swordplay as it developed in Europe. The origins of fencing trace back to ancient times, but modern sport fencing has its roots in the Renaissance. Today, modern fencing has three disciplines, each of which uses a different weapon: foil, épée, and sabre. The weapons of modern sport fencing were all in use by the very late 19th century as fencing increasingly was practiced as a recreational pursuit instead of as training for a life-threatening duel. As dueling became less socially acceptable (as well as illegal), fencing competitions grew in popularity. While competitive fencing has been featured in every modern Olympiad since the first Olympic Games in 1896, it was not solidly established as a sport until 1913 when the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) was created in order to foster international fencing competitions. Today, the FIE is headquartered in Switzerland and it remains the international governing body for competitive fencing, including in the Olympics. In the United States, there are two national governing bodies for fencing, each with different goals and rules: the U.S. Fencing Association (USFA) and the much smaller American Fencing League (AFL). The USFA is recognized by the FIE and is the pathway to Olympic competition. All USFA competitions are electrically scored with a single referee. The fencing is highly athletic with very fast bladework. It is very difficult for most people, even many fencers, to follow the action. Competitive collegiate (NCAA) fencing in the United States uses USFA rules. Competition in the AFL does not lead to Olympic competition. A human jury composed of four “side judges” and a director visually judges all AFL competitions. The fencing is athletic, but because the action must be perceptible to a human jury (rather than a machine), it is somewhat slower than USFA fencing. This makes AFL fencing an excellent spectator sport. The Salem High School Fencing League uses AFL rules adapted slightly for high school use. Foil Foils, in their most primitive form, were originally developed as training weapons in the early 1600s. They were never designed for combat—solely for training. The modern foil weighs about a pound. It has a flexible blade with a rectangular cross-section. The target area is the torso. Touches must be delivered with the point of the foil to be valid. Foil fencing is “conventional”, meaning that the action is subject to strict rules of right of way as to when one may attack and when one should defend. Violating right of way does not result in a page 4 revised 12/11/13 Salem High School Fencing League Handbook penalty, but the fencer does so at his or her own peril and the opponent’s touch may be given priority – even if the fencer touched the opponent first. The goal of foil fencing is to score touches on the opponent’s valid target area within the context of the right of way—without being touched oneself. The Salem High School Fencing League currently focuses on foil. Épée The épée is a 19th-century weapon that was designed for dueling. It was ideal for so-called “first blood duels” where the object was to simply draw blood. The épée weighs about 1½ pounds and has a stiff triangular blade. The target area for épée is the entire body from head to toe. Touches must be delivered with the point to be valid. Épée fencing is “unconventional”, meaning that there are no rules as to when one may attack and when one should defend. Of the three weapons, it is the one closest to actual combat. The goal of épée fencing is to score one touch without being touched oneself. There is virtually no room for error. Sabre The modern sporting sabre was developed in the early 20th century to replace the heavier dueling sabre for use in competition and in the salle (the older design resulted in a heavy- handed and often brutal “sport” that was prone to injury). The sporting sabre weighs about a pound. It has a flexible Y- or I-shaped blade and a wrap-around guard. The target area for sabre is everything above the waist, including the head, arms, and hands. Touches may be delivered in any of three ways: with a thrust using the point, with a cut using the leading edge of the blade, or with a counter-cut using the last one-third of the back edge of the blade. Sabre fencing, like foil, is “conventional”, meaning that it is subject to strict rules as to when one may attack and when one should defend. The combination of conventionality and three different modes of attack make sabre a fast and complex activity. The goal of sabre fencing is, as in foil fencing, to score touches on the opponent’s valid target area within the context of the right of way—without being touched oneself. Salem High School Fencing League Handbook revised 11/4/2010 page 5 Welcome Thanks for your interest in fencing in the Salem High School Fencing League. We hope you find this information helpful and informative. Organizational structure The Salem High School Fencing League is an outreach effort of Salem Classical Fencing in cooperation with Salem-Keizer high schools (both public and private) and homeschool families in the Salem area. SCF organizes and conducts fencing meets for the benefit of the student participants. SCF and the league are independent from, and receive no funding, in- kind services, or supervision from the Salem-Keizer School District. Salem Classical Fencing is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that was founded in 2004. The board of directors provides oversight. The executive director manages day-to-day operations. SCF has a part-time teaching staff of five people, and an executive director. Nanci Keatley is the coordinator for the league. Mrs. Keatley has been teaching since 2005. In addition to coordinating the high school fencing league, she also teaches epee and foil classes, and coaches competitive level fencers. Mrs. Keatley is accredited as an instructor (moniteur) of foil and epee by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association. Additional instruction will be provided by James Ciaramitaro, Mary Keatley, and Jill Summers, who are accredited by the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association. League fencing The fencing season begins with a three day after-school training camp on the week of January 6th. Regular practices start January 13th. Weekly meets begin on January 16th and continue through March 13th. The season concludes with the Salem High School Fencing League Championships (both individual and team) on March 15th, with the best team receiving the Ciaramitaro Sword trophy and having their names engraved on it. Salem High School Fencing League meets are held weekly, with every club meeting every other club once during the season. The season culminates in a championship, with each club’s regular-season performance determining its seeding for the championships. For the 2014 season, all meets take place on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. (usually done by about 9:00 p.m.) at Salem Classical Fencing. A schedule available online for your convenience. ALL fencers are required to be at EVERY meet! Practices Four days of “boot camp” will be offered starting Monday, January 6th. The first day will be used to check out equipment and get to know the other students. Tuesday and Wednesday will focus on fencing technique and tactics. For these three days, practices will be from 4:30- 5:30 p.m. Thursday’s practice will be at 7:00 p.m. and will be used as a mock meet so that fencers understand how team and individual meets are run, and also learn how to do the tasks page 6 revised 12/11/13 Salem High School Fencing League Handbook required of meet hosts. Attendance at three of these is required, and especially encouraged for Monday and Thursday.