HHSFC Store is Open

Hey HHSFC Fencers and Fencing Families! Some of you have asked if you can pay your membership fees online, and at the time we didn’t have anything set up to take credit card payments. However, that has changed!

I’m happy to announce that our store is now open! You can pay for your membership fees and for a couple of other items by using our online store associated with our Teamapp site. At the moment, we have the club t-shirt and the team uniform patch for sale there. We may be adding a few more items depending on interest, so keep checking back to see if we have anything new for you. If you would like to see something added to the store (equipment? uniforms? team jackets?) please let me know as soon as you can.

To view the store, go to: https://www.teamapp.com/clubs/5364/store. The site may require you to login or sign up if you’re not already registered. For students, if you have already turned in a completed registration form, use the email address that you listed on your form.

Any questions, just let me know!

HHSFC and the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope that your holidays and vacation have been restful and enjoyable so far. And I hope that you’ve been keeping up with some independent practice of your fencing skills.  😉

We will resume our regular practice schedule on Tuesday, January 6. If you have friends interested in learning about fencing, invite them to a practice. It’s never too late to join!

January opens the season with big tournaments for high school fencing. If you are interested in competitive fencing, this is the month for you. The Midwest High School Open is scheduled for January 17 at Culver, however the registration page is not yet on AskFRED. Registration fees are usually between $20 and$25 per fencer. The Indiana Middle and High School Championship is also typically scheduled in January, however this also has not been posted on AskFRED yet. As soon as any of the information becomes available, I will forward it to everyone. If you are not familiar with or have not registered a profile with AskFRED, read our previous post, Getting Ready for Competitive Fencing. If you have any questions about AskFRED, just let me know.

If you intend to compete, you will need the following gear:

• BASIC GEAR:
  • Fencing jacket
  • Plastron (underarm protector)
  • Fencing glove
  • Knee-length socks
• COMPETITION GEAR:
  • Fencing knickers
  • Foil mask with lame bib
  • Mask cord
  • Foil lame
  • Foil body cord
  • Electric foil

You should already have all of the basic gear which we use for practices. If you do not have all the competition gear required, I may have some that you can borrow, depending on sizing and availability. I have a limited number of knickers, lames, body/mask cords, masks and electric foils. So if you intend to compete but need to borrow equipment, you must let me know in advance what you will need and for which event(s). Equipment will be available on a first come, first serve basis. Email me your requirements with sizes and any other information.

new foil mask with lame bib and mask cord ($55-$75)

foil retro fit bib ($13-$15)

If you would like to save some money on a new mask for competition, consider an easy mask upgrade by getting the retro fit lame bibs which adhere to your current mask. Check with your equipment vendor for the correct size for your mask. For example, if you bought your medium-sized mask from Absolute Fencing Gear, you can order the medium-sized retro fit bib for $13. Add a mask cord for $6.50 (from Absolute Fencing Gear) and your mask is ready for competition. This is a significant savings since it would cost $55-$70 for a new mask already fitted with a foil bib. (These price quotes do not include any of the club discounts that we get from some of the equipment vendors.) If you have any questions about equipment, do not hesitate to ask. I’d rather that you got the right equipment the first time you order it rather than go through the frustration and added expense of returning/exchanging equipment.

As always, if you and/or your parents on competitions and equipment, just ask. Looking forward to seeing everyone at practice in the new year!

Club Equipment Order

I will be placing the first club equipment order on Tuesday, October 21. If you would like to order any equipment, please have your order and money ready for on by practice on Tuesday. For those of you considering competition, there will be a few events where a lame bib will be required on your mask (foil fencers). If you have any questions about equipment, contact me as soon as you can with your questions.

If you are looking for some inexpensive items to round out your personal arsenal, check out our Gear for Sale category of the blog. We have some odds and ends that might interest you. 🙂

DIY Hard Blade Cover

I recently ran across an article at Fencing.net that describes how to make a hard blade cover from materials found at your local hardware store (or maybe even laying around in your garage or workshop). This is an easy project that will save some “wear and tear” on transporting your equipment. If you are not familiar with power tools, ask a parent or some other knowledgeable person to help you out. Click on the link below to read the entire article, complete with step-by-step photos:

How To: Make a Hard Blade Cover by Craig Harkins

Put On Your Thinking Caps

We’ve completed our first fundraiser, and thankfully we were able to raise some funds for the club. Now that we are past the Thanksgiving holiday and into the start of fencing season, we are in need of some bright ideas on what to do for our next fundraiser.

So put on your favorite thinking cap and come up with some bright ideas. If your parents or friends have an idea of what we can do for our next fundraiser, please pass it on. We have a stiff goal to reach ($5,500), and we have quite a hill to climb if we intend to get equipment for competitions. We have some equipment loans which help us in reaching our goal. By borrowing the equipment for the season, we don’t have to raise as much money to purchase the equipment we need. Discuss it with your teammates, friends, family, cousins, etc. and let’s see what bright ideas we can put into action!

If you have any questions about our budget and what we’re raising money for, contact any of the club officers or myself.

Current fundraising progress as of 11/30/13

Fundraising Schedule

Here is a copy of the fundraising schedule:

November 12th

• Morning (7:10-7:20~)
  • Jacob G.
  • Jacob M.
  • Jack S.
• Afternoon (2:30-2:50~)
  • Grace H.
  • Sarah M.
  • David T.

November 19th

• Morning (7:10-7:20~)
  • Heather B.
  • Jacob M.
  • Jack S.
• Afternoon (2:30-2:50~)
  • Luis M.
  • Devin N.
  • Jack S.
  • Kiyomi T.

November 26th

• Morning (7:10-7:20~)
  • Jacob G.
  • Jacob M.
  • Jack S.
• Afternoon (2:30-2:50~)
  • Grace H.
  • Logan K.
  • Sam S.
  • David T.

December 3rd

• Morning (7:10-7:20~)
  • Kyler B.
  • Heather B.
  • Luz R.
• Afternoon (2:30-2:50~)
  • Grace H.
  • Sarah M.
  • Devin N.
  • Jack S.

Know your times. Make sure all of the money earned makes it to our Treasurer, Sam. Do not eat a cinnamon roll without exchanging it with money. Be polite and courteous even if the customers are not. Don’t do anything stupid. Smile. 😀

New Registration Forms for 2013-2014

Our first practice is tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to it! The new registration forms are now available and can be downloaded here:

Fencing Club Registration 2013-2014

Please download and print the file. Once you have all the pages filled out and all the signatures, turn in the form to Coach Schafer as soon as possible. As always, if you have any questions, contact Coach by email or by phone.

See you at practice on Tuesday!

Electric Gear for Competition

As I mentioned at practice the other day, if we intend to compete with other schools in meets and tournaments, we have to start thinking about purchasing electric equipment. For USFA tournaments, the requirement is that you have a minimum of two electric weapons and two body cords in addition to any other electric gear such as a lamé (foil and saber only), special mask (saber), overglove or cuff (saber), mask cord, etc. For the upcoming tournament in April, you can probably get the minimum in order to compete:

Foil – 1 electric weapon, 1 body cord, 1 foil lamé

Épée – 1 electric weapon, 1 body cord

Saber – 1 electric weapon, 1 body cord, 1 electric saber mask w/mask cord, 1 overglove

I’ve taken the time to do some comparative shopping for everyone. Attached to this post is a chart of vendors and the different sets they offer for beginning electric equipment. The chart  is grouped according to weapon type. There are some obvious deals (cheap prices), but it all depends on what you can and want to purchase at this time. If you intend to continue with fencing next year, I would suggest you consider buying a set that will provide you with the minimum USFA requirements for competitions.

Why two weapons? Murphy’s Law runs rampant at meets and competitions. With the use and abuse that weapons go through during the course of a bout or competition, it is not uncommon for a weapon to fail or get damaged. (Sarah would be happy to recount her experience with this for you!) If that should occur, you would be given a limited amount of time to come up with a replacement weapon (but not enough time to repair it). If you do not have a back-up weapon, you will be forced to forfeit the bout.

Click the link below to download the electric starter sets information (PDF) When ordering sets, there are often multiple options based on the type of weapon (type of point, type of grip, etc.). If you have any questions about equipment, please do not hesitate to contact me (phone, text, email, FB, comments on this blog).

Electric Starter Sets

Club Discounts on Fencing Equipment, Revised

Since we first started the club back in November, we have accumulated a short list of equipment vendors that are wiling to offer a discount for club orders. A few will even honor the offered discount to individuals, meaning that you can place your equipment order directly with the vendor and not through the coach in order to get the discounted price. As an update, I am including here a list of the vendors and their respective discounts:

Absolute Fencing (http://www.absolutefencinggear.com/shopping/)

• Discounts: Absolute brand gear – 20% off; European brands (except Leon Paul and Negrini) – 15% off; Leon Paul and Negrini brands – 10% off; Starter sets – 5% off.
• Ordering Method: Orders must be placed through Coach.

Physical Chess (www.physicalchess.com)

• Discounts: Start at 10% and go as high as 30% retail prices; Items already on Sale and discounted Sets are not eligible for additional discounts.
• Ordering Method: Orders must be placed through Coach.

Blue Gauntlet (www.blue-gauntlet.com)

• Discounts: 10% off all regular retail prices (clearance, sales, and starter sets are not included).
• Ordering Method: Order directly online and include note in comment box to please include discount for the Harrison High School Fencing Club. Orders can also be placed through Coach.

Triplette Competition Arms (www. triplette.com)

• Discounts: No discounts but their uniforms are made in the USA; can make custom-fitted uniforms.
• Ordering Method: Order directly from Triplette.

Fencing.net (www.fencing.net)

• Discounts: 20% off house brand individual items; 15% off German (FWF) items; no discounts on starter sets.
• Ordering Method: Orders must be placed through Coach.

Fencing Star (www.fencingstar.com)

• Discounts: 10% off their standard equipment (made in China).
• Ordering Method: Orders must be placed through Coach.

Once you’ve determined what gear and equipment you want that needs to be ordered through the Coach, fill out our ordering form or email your list of items to the Coach.

As always, if you have any questions contact me.

Club Discount on Fencing Equipment

The information provided in this post has been updated. Please see “Club Discounts on Fencing Equipment, Revised.”

I’ve heard back from Absolute Fencing, and we qualify for the discount now. This will mean that if you want to receive the discounts they are offering, the order will have to be placed by me as the Coach. We will have to work on a case-by-case basis on how you can pay for your order.

The discounts they are offering the club are as follows:

• Absolute brand gear – 20% off
• European brands (except Leon Paul and Negrini) – 15% off
• Leon Paul and Negrini brands – 10% off

Since sets are already discounted, we can only get 5% off any set ordered. Let me know via email or in person if you would like to place an order.

Club Orders
Here’s the outline of the process for placing a club order. Please note that club orders are only available to members of the club.

1. Visit Absolute Fencing Gear’s website and compile a list of the equipment you would like to order and email it to abschafer@gmail.com

   To:	abschafer@gmail.com
   From:	FencingMom@yahoo.com
   Subject:	August Equipment Order for Kim

   Dear Coach Schafer,

   I would like to place an equipment order for my daughter. She will need the following:

   STANDARD 5-PIECE FOIL SET
   [SPF002] —
   (Inventory number found on Absolute’s site very important.)
   Mask Size: Medium
   L/R Hand: R
   Jacket Size: 38
   Jacket Type: Front-Zip
   Glove Size: Medium
   Weapon Grip: Visconti Medium
   Blade Size: 5
   Bag Color: Pink 😀

   Thanks!
   Janie

    

2. Coach Schafer will compile everyone’s orders into a single shopping list and submit it to Absolute Fencing Gear Inc. for pricing.
3. Absolute Fencing Gear Inc. will review the club order. They will check their inventory and based on the item or how many they have in stock they will apply a discount on the items. Once they have priced everything they will send an invoice to the club.
4. Coach Schafer will email the invoice to the members that ordered equipment along with a spreadsheet indicating how much each member owes.
5. Each member writes a check (make payable to “Anita Schafer”) in the amount they owe.
6. Once all of the payments have been collected Coach will place the order using the club account with Absolute Fencing Gear. It usually takes 2 – 3 days for the equipment to arrive and can be picked up at practice.

Coach Schafer – click here for email