BRITISH FENCING MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021 CLUB FOCUS PP8-18 HEINZER INTERVIEW PP19-21 LYNDON MARTIN HONOURED PP31-32 WELCOME TO THE SWORD 4 2021 MESSAGE FROM THE CEO 22 COACHING Georgina Usher Community Fencing 31 ROUND UP Welsh Fencing Honours 6 NEWS Does “Talent Need Trauma?” IWAS Athlete of the Year Honours Awards 2021 24 DEVELOPMENT New Year – New Opportunities Working Together 33 BOOK REVIEWS 8 CLUB FOCUS #TheGreatIndoors 35 RESULTS A Club with Legacy at its Heart Lockdown Connections Teagan’s Tale Athlete Wellbeing ZFW’s Female Focus 29 FEATURE The Fencing School, Battersea Diary of a Fencer Elgin Duellist FC Extends Participaion DIARY 19 INTERVIEW with Max Heinzer (SUI) P30 Ben Andrews Editor: Safeguarding Hotline: Cover photo: Overseas airmail £26 – direct Karim Bashir, British Fencing Liz Behnke, Equality and BF sets its sights on the future. from HQ. Contributions are 1 Baron’s Gate, Safeguarding Manager welcome. 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Next deadline: 5th February 2021 January 2021 | 3 THE SWORD 2021 MESSAGE FROM THE CEO Georgina Usher The variations in restrictions across the Throughout this time, we have worked country in 2020 created a unique and closely with our Home Nation Associations ever-changing environment to navigate and the closer collaborative relationships as we continually updated our advice and that have formed will make our sport guidance to members, clubs and activity stronger. One example is the ongoing providers across the UK. The Home Nation discussions around aligning performance Return to Fencing working group came pathways between BF and Scottish together to ensure that where possible Fencing. Another is the work being we supported each other and aligned in done between England Fencing & BF to the guidance provided. Where clubs and create a continuous pathway for referee activity providers were able to re-start, development, from club refereeing to we are very grateful to all the coaches and international refereeing. volunteer Covid Officers who road-tested the guidance and provided feedback and We have also used this opportunity to suggestions. create and publish the development framework for future Olympic fencers, As a result of these activities, we now have based on a significant amount of research a wealth of tested resources, including and data. The resulting Fencer Pathway sets of marketing assets available to will form the foundation of all the work support clubs and activity providers across that BF do within the Athlete Development the country as they start to re-open and Programme (ADP) which is now responsible provide opportunities for people to re- for alignment and delivery of all funded Georgina Usher engage with fencing. programme activity to athletes on a journey to the Olympics. Our clubs have told us that future facility As we enter a New Year, I felt it was access is a significant concern, both The primary objective of the ADP is important to take a moment to reflect on availability and cost. We will continue to to produce athletes that are resilient, one of the more challenging years in the work with stakeholders across sport to independent and high performing with history of fencing in the UK and look for the raise this to the attention of Government. a true sense of self value that in turn positives as we come together to rebuild If you are concerned about local facility inspires others to achieve success. To do our future. availability and have the time to write to this we will continually be working on the your MP, please do so. Your feedback does whole person approach and will continue Many of us have been forced to adopt new make a difference and strengthens our to develop and challenge ourselves and ways to work, new ways to keep in touch case. those we work with to be better – a better with our friends and family and new ways to keep fit and keep involved with the sports that we love. At BF we too have adapted - to find different ways to continue to support our members, our clubs, our coaches and our partners whilst also advocating and lobbying to Government and funding bodies on behalf of our sport. I’m so grateful for all the efforts of the BF team who, from the moment the first lockdown arrived, responded so creatively to the changing needs of our community. January 2021 | 4 NGB, better coaches, better athletes, thus We have significantly increased our THE SWORD collectively better people. Our values of communication activities, using many honesty, respect and excellence form the different channels (e.g. email, website, foundations of this, as they do for all our Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn work. etc.) to reach and engage with many win and some fun opportunities to earn different audiences (e.g. current/potential ‘booster’ points. At the time of writing, we await the members/clubs/fencers/activity partners). outcome of our bid for UK Sport funding We have created and shared a huge Like many National Governing Bodies we from April 2021. Whilst we are not eligible amount of content, from #ITriedFencing remain dependent on our membership for World Class Programme funding at this and #FitToFence through to our new online income. We are extremely grateful to all time, we have applied for ‘Progression’ Strength and Conditioning sessions for those members who have stayed with us investment which will be largely focussed competitive members. during these times and in doing so have on creating the system and structure for helped to ensure that fencing is well placed Olympic success in 2032. A significant to recover quickly as restrictions ease. part of our funding bid is a programme to support the development of a 2032 Serving the membership remains the cohort of fencing coaches who by 2028 foundation of what we are and what we do, will be able to train and support a cohort of not just as British Fencing but all the other Olympic level fencers in the UK. Home Nation associations as well. Our individual membership model underpins Feedback from BF’s application was all of our activities and it is vital that as our extremely positive. However, the ability sport re-opens, we continue to embed the of UK Sport to invest in more sports will BF/Home Nation membership requirements be directly linked to the outcome of the Our online community discussion and to remain sustainable over the coming Government’s Comprehensive Spending consultation events, on a variety of topics years, so we can continue the work that Review which determines the total amount have proved to be extremely popular we do. of money that UK Sport receive. and based on your feedback we’d like to keep these going. They are certainly a In closing, the events of 2020 gave many Thanks to support from the National more efficient and cost-effective way to of us working and participating in sport Lottery, we have been able to provide come together as a community to share the opportunity to reflect more deeply on more online learning to our community, ideas, views and challenges. It’s been the part that sport plays in our lives and particularly in the areas of safeguarding, fantastic to put faces to names and also what we want out of that experience in the coaching and athlete development. We see have the opportunity to explore a topic future for ourselves and others. Above all the future of all our people development in more detail - rather than trying to fit else we want people, when they participate work (volunteers, officials, coaches and in a conversation in between rounds at a in fencing to be safe, feel welcomed and athletes) as a modular, blended learning fencing competition! have fun. structure, combining online training, webinars, virtual classrooms and face-to- Talking of competitions, at the time of ‘Safe’ is not just about making sure we face opportunities. writing we are not envisaging a fast return are wearing the right equipment and to ‘normal’ competition as we are bound following the hygiene protocols. It is by restrictions on numbers particularly for about safeguarding the welfare of all our those age 18 and over. We will inevitably participants, embedding good safeguarding need to start small and local, and we principles and practice into every aspect of will be encouraging organisers to adopt our sporting offer. It’s also about making different formats which comply with local sure our fencers, our volunteers and our restrictions on indoor sport participation. coaches are covered by insurance, and that means in our community clubs everyone One of our top priorities this year will be to should be a member. support our clubs and coaches to restart and rebuild their clubs. As part of the work ‘Welcomed’ means being inclusive, helping to encourage people back to club fencing, people overcome the perceptions that we have created a new GB League – this they might have of our sport, so that is a fun opportunity for club fencers to everyone in fencing feels they can truly earn points for competitive sparring at ‘belong’, irrespective of ability, age, gender, club nights.