News: May 26, 2025

May-June Foil-Epee Training Schedule

Competitive Foil & Epee Saturday Schedules May 26 – June 26

Monday – Tuesday – Wednesday

Before 4:30	Lessons by Appointment
4:30 – 6:30	Monday & Wednesday: Emphasis on Foil Training for Summer Nationals Tuesday: Emphasis on New Epee Training
6:30 – 7:00	Fencing-Specific Strength & Conditioning for All! All competitive fencers should participate!
7:00 – 8:30	Competitive Men’s & Women’s Epee: All levels welcome

Saturday, May 31 & June 8

9:30 -  11:30	Competitive Foil
10:00 – 11:30	Youth Class
11:30 – 12:00	Fencing-Specific Strength & Conditioning for All! All competitive fencers should participate!
12:00 – 1:30	Competitive Men’s Epee: All levels welcome
1:30 – 3:30	Competitive Women’s Epee: All levels welcome

Tournaments

Saturday May 31 – Sunday June 1: Red Door Opens, Des Moines

Sunday, June 9: TCFC Opens

Saturday, June 14 & June 21

9:30 -  11:30	Competitive Foil
10:00 – 11:30	Youth Class
11:30 – 12:00	Fencing-Specific Strength & Conditioning for All! All competitive fencers should participate!
12:00 – 3:00	Competitive Men’s & Women’s Epee: All levels welcome

June 28 – July 6

Summer Nationals: No Foil or Epee Competitive Training

CBA will be open for bouting and lessons by appointment.

Watch the whiteboard by the stairs to the fencing floor for details.

Summer Nationals Field Trips

The 2025 Summer Nationals are at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.  The full schedule is at https://www.usafencing.org/summer-nationals-2025#Event_Schedule. CBA fencers are encouraged to plan field trips to watch the high-level events in their weapons.  As a wise person once said, it’s hard to emulate what you haven’t seen.

The CBA coaches intend to be available to help CBA fencers observe the fencing, and to advise on shopping for equipment: all of the vendors will be there.  Due to uncertainties, it is recommended that fencers stock up on equipment from vendors’ current stocks, as virtually all fencing equipment is imported.

 A signup sheet will be posted on the Tournament Bulletin Board at CBA.  Please sign up for events you wish to watch: this will help the coaches plan their travel schedules.

CBA Tournament Preparation Standards

Fencers who represent CBA in competition are expected to present themselves in a manner that brings credit to CBA.  That means:

Ø  Bring at least two working weapons, body cords, mask cords.  If you don’t have two of each, arrange in advance to rent them from CBA.

Ø  Uniforms should be in good condition and clean: wash them the day before the tournament.

Ø  Masks and gloves should be in good condition and clean.  Foil and epee gloves can be machine washed and air-dried.  Epee masks can be washed in the dishwasher.

Ø  Long socks are required for all weapons.

Ø  Bring two weapons, two body cords, and a weapon wrench to the strip for each bout.

Ø  Weapon-specific masks are required for foil and epee.

Ø  All CBA fencers should have a CBA patch sewn on the shoulder of their unarmed hand.  See Tyler for a patch.

Special Training Guests

Sam Garrett and Karen Chiem will be joining us for training in early June. Sam is a nationally-ranked men’s epee fencer who is currently fencing at Wayne State University.  Karen fenced foil and epee at the University of California, San Diego and was 8th in Division III Women’s Epee at the 2022 Summer Nationals.