Open to All High School and Middle School Kids

Weekly Open Bouting Location: NJFA, Maplewood Time: Saturdays, 4-8 PM (weekdays if successful) Cost: Free for first time, $5 thereafter Skill Level: 5th to 12th grade, all skill levels Weapon: Foil, Épée, Sabre *Email edwinkim777@gmail.com to sign up.* Background. I am a father to 2 fencers in middle school. With the large number of fencing clubs these days, my kids have found it a little difficult to find many kids with similar skill level to fence at their own club. As many of you know, COVID has made this situation substantially worse. As a result, I am trying to organize a place and time for kids from all over NJ to come together and fence for fun. It doesn’t matter what club you are affiliated with. This is open to everyone. Just to let you know that I’m not affiliated with any club although NJFA was gracious enough to provide the space. And, I am getting nothing for this; this is pure charity for me. All money goes to NJFA. I’m just a father that wants to find fencing partners for my children and place for them to have fun. Instead of fencing the same partner at their local club, you get to fence kids from different clubs and schools. You will finally can fence others with similar skills as you. I believe that tournaments are overly competitive and doesn't really foster a love for the sport. It's also a waste of time because you only get to fence a limited number of times. Here, you get to fence as many times as you want. Limited Number of Spaces. Unfortunately, due to strict COVID protocols, there will only be 12 fencers allowed per weapon per age group in the facility. The first age group will consist of boys and girls from 4th to 8th grade. The second group will be 12 boys and girls from 9th to 12th grade. Please contact me at the email before you show up! Procedure. When fencers arrive, they will be automatically placed at the bottom of a waiting list. When it’s their turn to fence, they will be called to the strip. If you don’t want to fence, you can simply elect to pass and take your name of the waiting list until you’re ready. While waiting their turn to fence, kids will be gathered in the same general area and will be encouraged to talk and interact. Because this is going to be a regular weekly event, I am hoping that everyone will eventually get to know each other. If this turns out to be successful, I’m hoping that I could hold this twice or even three times per week. If I can convince my daughter to help out, I am also hoping to video-tape fencers who want to know how they fence. Videos of your fencing will be uploaded to your private cloud drives and erased from the camera. Critique of your performance and recommendations on how to improve can be provided by experienced fencing coaches. Mini-Tournaments. Every month, I’m going to hold a quick direct-elimination tournament. The winner will get a small prize or award. Cost. The first time will be for free so you can decide if it’s fun or not. If you decide you want to come again, it’ll cost $5 per visit (which is really cheap). Strict COVID Protocols. Every Saturday, fencers will be sent a simple questionnaire about their medical condition which they have to respond to. When they enter the premises, their temperature will be taken and they will have to sterilize their hands. Fencers will be encouraged to wear a transparent face shield off the strip in lieu of a face mask. (You can purchase this yourself or from from me for $2. This is to encourage socialization.) Conclusion. When I fenced in high school, Masters was the largest and most successful club in NJ. It succeeded in large part because the fencers had a lot of fun so they wanted to come to the club every day. I’m hoping that I can replicate that same environment here. If you are interested or have additional questions, please feel free to email me at edwinkim777@gmail.com. Thanks, Eddie