THE SWORDThe magazine of the membership since 1948 British Fencing Magazine JANUARY 2019 KRUSE STARTS SEASON WITH BONN GOLD P6 VETS WORLD CHAMPS REPORT PP7–10 HOLLYWOODS COLBY BOOTHMAN TALKS FENCING PP11–12 FEATURE: FENCERS CLUB LONDON PP15–18 JANUARY 2019 THE SWORD 1 JANUARY 2019 Editor: Karim Bashir British Fencing 1 Baron’s Gate Welcome to THE SWORD 33–35 Rothschild Road London W4 5HT T: 020 8742 3032 E: [email protected] Print Cambrian Printers Llanbadarn Fawr Aberystwyth Ceredigion SY23 3TN T: 01970 613059 Typeset by: JS Typesetting Ltd T: 01656 788551 E: [email protected] Advertising Kruse #2 in the World! (Source: FIE) Karim Bashir M: 07855 252546 E: [email protected] 4 ON THE BOARD British Fencing accepts no responsibility for the contents of 6 BONN GOLD FOR BRITAIN’S WORLD #2 KRUSE advertisements and reserves the right to refuse inclusion. 7 VETERANS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, LIVORNO, ITALY The Sword, a quarterly magazine founded in 1948, is distributed to 11 FEATURES all individual and club members of Interview with Hollywood star Colby Boothman British Fencing and its affiliates. It Fencers Club London can also be obtained on subscription – UK £20 20 DEVELOPMENT Overseas airmail £26 – direct from Introducing British Fencing’s new Activity Finder HQ. Contributions are welcome. Bradford Fencing Club to host Leadership in Fencing Course Photographs should include the Progressing with Premier names of those pictured and the photographer. The GB Cup returns for the Second year Mental Links To Excellence Views expressed in The Sword do not Text Book Technique or Encourage Multiple Solutions? necessarily reflect those of British Fencing. No part of the magazine may Welfare – Behaviours, The role of the Coach be reproduced without permission How to Photograph Fencing from the editor/photographer. 30 GAME REVIEW Cover photo: Kruse Tops Podium at Season Opener in Bonn. 32 LETTER TO THE EDITOR Photo: Augusto Bizzi 33 OBITUARY Safeguarding Hotline Liz Behnke, Equality and Safeguarding 35 RESULTS Manager M: 07526 003030 BRITISH FENCING twitter.com/britishfencing Follow us on Facebook www.britishfencing.com NEXT DEADLINE: 11th FEBRUARY 2019 JANUARY 2019 THE SWORD 3 ON THE BOARD On the Board – Caryl Oliver In this issue of The Sword we continue our series of interviews with members of the Board of British Fencing by talking with Caryl Oliver. Epee Women taken in 2016 the pathways for fencers, referees, coaches, Last and by no means least I am Team volunteers and administrators. We have a lot Manager for the England Senior Teams. A job I of valuable and often hidden talent available share with Lindsay Bottoms. to our sport that we could be using! As well as that, you are President of I don’t really measure the time I spend on European Veterans Fencing, which is in British Fencing as it is woven into my life great health. Tell us about that role. and I will take whatever time is necessary for whatever is at hand. I care quite passionately I was elected President of European Veterans about fencing so working for the sport is not Fencing (EVF) in 2016 and inherited a talented really a burden or a chore – it also explains and enthusiastic Board. Because we all believe why I find it so difficult to say “NO” when that Europe is the epicentre of fencing, all our Caryl Oliver in her Aussie Colours – asked to do things for the sport! Board and members are incredibly supportive Individual, Age Group & Team Gold medals of our approach and initiatives on their behalf. You also have international duties. What do at the Jersey Commonwealths 2009 they entail? Our first task was to update the Constitution and Competition Regulations so that EVF Thanks for taking the time to speak with us. I am an active competitor on the Veteran was able to bring in some resources to better Please would you explain your role on the circuit and delighted to still represent GBR support veterans fencing in Europe. That we Board and how much of your time is spent at European and World Championships. One have hosts for all Championships up to 2022 fulfilling your responsibilities? of my ambitions is to one day be the oldest tells me that we have got something right! fencer at one of those events! I am an elected member of the Board and We are currently developing a Veterans Circuit joined in 2014. I come to the table with a I also have a role in leading a small group of and Ranking System for Europe which will lifetime experience as a competitive fencer, passionate Epee Fencers – we are called Epee encourage fencers to participate outside their a businessperson and someone who has been Women. Our focus is to build team spirit by own country and hopefully, be an incentive for involved in a range of other boards both in training together when we can and competing smaller countries to stage competitions. We sport and business. together outside the UK against those people are also experimenting with a 75+ category to we might meet at Euro and World Events. During my time on the Board, British Fencing keep up with the ever ageing fencing fraternity In St. Maur in France this year, Epee Women has gone from significant funding to virtually and exploring the possibility of holding from the UK, snagged silver and bronze! no funding which has required a bit of a Veteran fencing events during down time at change in the way the Board works. Where I have also been a member of the FIE Veterans some of the World Cups, to strengthen the before we set policy and let the Executive Committee where I was instrumental in decreasing gap between seniors and veterans. Team get on with it, we are all now taking on pressing for team events at the Veteran World Our biggest challenge is the growing number working group responsibilities to help deliver Championships and then developing the of fencers participating in the European support to the Executive team, fencers, format that is used for those team events. Championships, which alternate between coaches, organisers and clubs. I manage the Southern Region Veterans for the a team competition one year and individual My current priority is creating a map of all the Winton Cup, which is a fantastic celebration the next. In 2019 we are preparing for 1,700 opportunities that are open to someone who of fencing and a well-timed training weekend fencers and have extended the event by a day gets involved in fencing. This includes showing for the World Championships. to avoid needing to find 40 pistes and asking 4 THE SWORD JANUARY 2019 fencers to start at 7.00am! We are working Commonwealth Individual and Team events in hard at not having to limit entries as this goes Jersey in 2009. against our fundamental principle of maximum Returning for London 2012 must have been participation. a massive adventure? My personal challenge at European Championships is to fulfil my duties as I knew that Hilary was Sport Manager for the President and compete without losing focus Games so the minute the job advert came out on either role…. for a Fencing Services Manager I was ready with my application – along with hundreds of You spent some time Down Under but others I gather. fencing was still central to what you did? I was interviewed via Skype from an internet I went to Australia in 1977 having missed out café in Provence where I was training at on selection for the Montreal Olympics by one the time. I received a telephone call on place! I lasted about 3 months there before the morning of my event at the World I organised for my fencing kit to be sent out Championships in Croatia telling me that I to me, partly because I wanted to fence and had the job and asking if I could start at the partly because fencers were the obvious group end of that month (October 2010)! I agreed for me to establish new friends in a strange to try and get there for a December start and country! we raced home to pack up 30 years of life in I first lived in Sydney but within a short time I Australia in order to move back to the UK. The was persuaded to move to Melbourne to be on local charity shop loved seeing me pull up with the organising committee for the 1979 World another carload of stuff that I was not taking Opening Euro Team Championships in Championships. I quickly got involved in the with me! The move was stressful, exciting Alkmaar – May 2018 administration at a State and National level. I and overwhelming but paled as an experience represented Australia/Oceania at the FIE and when compared to the intensity of two years preparing for and delivering the Olympics and was a member of the Propaganda Commission get the numbers and resources we needed for Paralympics. for some years – in those days you paid more Fencing! of your own airfares to get to FIE meetings, so My first day on the job was not the most And you are still active on the piste? it was a big commitment! auspicious. I was knocked down the escalators Australia was actively involved in the Region in the Tube and arrived at the very smart I foolishly thought that I could keep up my and we were among a group of Nations who LOCOG offices in Canary Warf with torn fencing while delivering the Games but as where the first to be invited to compete clothes and bleeding limbs! My first words soon as they were over I did get back into in China when it was just opening up as a were ‘I’ve come to start work, do you have a training.