16/01/12  Olympic tickets available for British Fencing members

British Fencing are happy to announce the availability of more than 3,000 tickets in all price classifications to be made available to members for London 2012 Fencing events. Tickets will be distributed by ballot, allowing all members with full membership effective 15th February 2012 to apply in the first round of ticketing, and other members to apply in any remaining rounds of ticketing.The British Fencing website will soon launch an application portal for members to register their interest, and a payment system for online payment.

16/01/12  Regional Championships

RFC fencers turned up in good numbers at last weekend's championships, held at the University of Reading. We won half of all the epee events run on the day... Noam Rosenbaum won the U12 Boys, Odette Hornby won the U14 Girls, Tom Hyatt won the U16 Boys, Verity Howell won the Ladies and Alain B. won the Mens in a closely contested final with Dave H.  Well done to all who competed.

14/01/12  Back by Popular Demand

We will be running another Juniors and Adults Development course, along the same lines as last year.  Costs will be confirmed shortly, but will be closely comparable to 2011.

Junior classes will start at 19:00; senior classes will start at 20:15.

Provisional dates are...
Course 1 (footwork & distance): April 11th, 18th, 25th, May 2nd
Course 2 (attack): May 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th
Course 3 (defence): June 13th, 20th, 27th, July 4th
Course 4 (competition & psychology): July 11th, 18th, 25th, August 1st

If you would like anything in particular to be included in any of the classes, let Alain know.   Each class will have a 15 minute warm-up, 15 minute footwork session, and 30 minute technical lesson.

Cost is £10/lesson, OR only £20 for a whole course (4 lessons!).  Courses will run subject to numbers (we need a minimum of 7 for each course to run), so if you're interested then use the PayPal button below to pay now; please include a note as to whom it is for, and which course(s).

You can also pay online (30-91-11; 02493258) - please drop us a note saying which course(s) your payment is for.

12/01/12  Big Brother

We've been contacted by the television programme, Big Brother 2012, looking for future candidates.  If you're intrested in applying then send us an email.

07/01/12  Rebecca Wins Aldershot

Congratulations to Rebecca Mayle who won the 2012 Aldershot open, her first open victory. Verity came third and Nick came second in the plate. Also Odette came 16th in her first senior open competition.

06/01/12  Me2 Club - Free Training

The Me2 Club are offering free inclusion training - aimed at helping children and young people with additional needs into mainstream activities.  Training covers a range of topics such including Autism, behavioural difficulties, and inclusion - all provided locally and for FREE!  For more information, click here.

14/12/11  Return Match vs. RMAS

A date has been fixed for our return - away - match vs. the Royal Milirtary Academy Sandhurst.  If you are interested in taking part on Wednesday 18th January 2012, then let Phil know at the Club or send us an email.

14/12/11  Rebecca - Congratulations!

Huge 'Well done!' to Rebecca, who was 16th at the recent competiion in Klagenfurt; this has assured her of selection for the European Championships, and has bumped her up to 2nd place in the British rankings which means she's in hot contention for selection for the World's.  As if that's not enough to be proud of, Rebecca has also been selectd to represent Guernsey in the forthcoming Commonweath Youth Championships.

10/12/11  We're in the papers

A write up and photos from the match against Sandhurst are in this weeks Reading Chronicle and Fridays Reading Post.

10/12/11  Southern development day

The southern region (the bit of the country we live in) is running a development day on Sunday the 8th of January in Wycombe. There will be a day of fencing training, referee training course and (optional) exam and a first aid course. Details and forms can be found here . The club will cover the cost of anyone who wants to do the first aid or refereeing courses.

01/12/11  More Inter-Club Matches

RFC are looking to arrange more inter-Club matches, with potential to play against Luton and Northampton Fencing Clubs - at Luton - in the first quarter of next year.  If you are interested in taking part, please email us or speak to Phil at the Club.

30/11/11  RFC vs. RMAS

RFC hosted the first of what we hope many more matches to come against officer cadets from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), with three mens and one ladies teams fielded by both sides.

Our teams consisted of Al B., Gareth Williams, Phil B (Men's A), Ed Hornby, Russ North, Simon Wilkie, Steve Bateman (Men's B), Steve Allison, Nick Marks, Ghyslain Pramayon, Jeff Rosenbaum (Men's C), Verity, Rebecca and Sam... and many others who came to watch and support (thank you!).

All teams fenced well and had a good evening, albeit slightly one-sided... Men's A won 45-14, Men's B won 45-17, Men's C won 45-17, and our ladies won 45-28.  Many of RMAS' fencers were relatively inexperienced, but they will no doubt be hungry for revenge when they host a return match early next year!

04/11/11  Army Match - Your Club Needs YOU!!

RFC is holding a friendly team match against the Army on Wednesday 30th November.  It will be taking place at the club itself, and we will be fielding 2 mens and 1 ladies epee teams - if you're interested in taking part, please speak to Phil.  In any case, please turn up to offer your support!

22/11/11  Badges!

We have new badges!  They'll be distributed to all of our paid-up members as soon as the new website is launched.  There is, however, one condition - you need to have completed a Membership Form.  So, if you haven't already completed one then please do.  Do it.  Do it now!

21/11/11  Southern Region Age Group Team

Well done to all our youngsters who represented the Club at Bradfield College.  Our U20 team came 2nd, U16 team came 5th, and our U13 teams came 1st and 2nd.

15/11/11  Olympic Test Event

To British Fencing members: the BFA has been allocated a small number of guest passes for the Olympic Fencing Test Event as part of the "London Prepares Series", which will be held at the ExCel Centre on 26-27 November. The event will be for Mens Foil Individual and Team, and will include teams from France, China, Germany, Great Britain A, Great Britain B, Italy, Russia and the USA.
To apply, contact British Fencing Head Office (with 'Olympic Test Event' in the subject header). Passes will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and minors will need to be accompanied.

15/11/11  Miller Hallet

Anyone who wants to fence in the Miller Hallet team competition (details here) on 26/27 November, please email us or speak to Phil at the Club as soon as possible.  You will need to pay a deposit (c.£10) which will be reimbursed after you have taken part - to pay this, click the PayPal button under the 'Christmas Meal' notice posted 25/10

07/11/11  County Results

Well done to all RFC fencers who competed at the County Championships.  Every Reading fencer won a medal!  Boys U14: Felix, 2nd; Gilrs U14: Odette, 1st; Mens: Gareth & Ghyslain 3rd, Phil B 2nd, Al B 1st.

04/11/11  Army Match - Your Club Needs YOU!!

RFC is holding a friendly team match against the Army on Wednesday 30th November.  It will be taking place at the club itself, and we will be fielding 2 mens and 1 ladies epee teams - if you're interested in taking part, please speak to Phil.  In any case, please turn up to offer your support!

24/10/11 Medals at Allstar

Congratulations to Edgar Hornby and Sam Hughes who both came third at the Allstar Open.

25/10/11  Christmas Meal

The 2011 RFC Xmas Dinner is due to be held on at 7.30pm on Monday 12th December at the Carluccio's restaurant in Forbury Square, Reading. All members are welcome to come and join in the fun! If you would like to come, then you will need to confirm your attendance by the 1st of December by emailing your menu choices to Verity (ptortus@gmail.com) and paying a £10 deposit to RFC (by bank transfer, cash, cheque or PayPal). The menu can be found here.
For PayPal, click the icon below (it's £10.35, as PayPal charge 35p commission - please add XMAS in the notes/comments section)

 

24/10/11  BF Parents

To any parents of U20 fencers, this link may be of interest to you.

24/10/11  Ed H.

Well done to Ed Hornby, following a good result at the BSC in Newcastle, is now ranked 10th in the Cadets, and who has qualified for the Cadet Squad going to Klagenfurt, Austria, this December.

9/10/11  Sylvia silver at World Championships

Congratulations to Sylvia Brown who came second in the ladies sabre at the Veterans World Championships (in addition to 5th in the foil and epee).

28/09/11  Heston Blumenthal

Right, well... Channel 4 are filming a new cooking series on television with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal; each episode visits a local club (which is where RFC could fit in).  We need 3 people prepared to cook a simple dish, and roughly 15 spectators(/tasters).  If you are interested, please email us or speak to Al as soon as possible.

28/09/11  Reminder - closed next Wednesday (5th October)

Remember, we are closed on Wednesday 5th October!  You can check out the calendar here.

27/09/11  World Veterans Championship

Good luck to Niall, Nigel and Sylvia who are all competing at the world veterans championships in Croatia. You can follow their progress here

24/09/11  Pete 'Lazarus' Whiteside

We are VERY glad to pass on the message that our friend and ex-coach Pete is actually alive and well.  Not an insurance scam, just the result of greatly exaggerated rumours.  Phew!

19/09/11  Rebecca Wins Manchester Cadet

She fenced brilliantly all day, only dropping 2 points in her poule and then going on to beat Ellie Cormack in the final.

07/09/11  Breeches and Safety

It has been brought to the clubs attention that in order to meet our insurance requirements all fencers fencing electric epee must wear breeches. Effective immediately you will only be allowed to fence epee at the club if you are wearing breeches- the only weapon that can be fenced without breeches is non-electric foil. The British Fencing safety guide lines can be found here. Contact details for equipment manufaturers can be found in the links section of the website.

7/08/11  Reading fencers at the Triagular

Three Reading fencers competed at the Southern Region inter Country competition. Dave (BB&O) came first in the individual epee with Rebecca (Hampshire) second. Full results can be found here.

23/6/11  Southern Development Day

The Southern development day is happening on Sunday the 10th of July in Newbury. There will be sessions aimed at parents, helpers and fencers on all aspects of fencing: foot work, blade work, fitness, club development, long term fencer development and injury prevention...... Ray Stafford, president of England Fencing, will even be there. All this for £25. The closing date for entry is the 6th of July (email entries are acceptable) for more information see the poster, and fencer and non-fencer/helper entry forms.

20/06/11  Rebecca third at London open

Congratulations to Rebecca Mayle who came 3rd at the London Open.

19/06/11  RFC KIT SALE

Clearance sale on RFC kit - click here for info.

22/05/11  Southern Region Senior Championships

Well done to all RFC members who competed at the 2011 Southern Region Senior Championships. In the mens Al B 1st, Phil B 2nd, Dave H 3rd and Phil S 10th (in his first competition); Verity came 3rd in the ladies. Al B also won the Master at Arms competition.

17/05/11 Junior AND Senior Development Courses

Following the success of the Club's first 'Junior Development Programme', we will be running a second Junior AND first Senior course, following the same format.  Classes will run on the following Wednesdays:
June 22nd
June 29th
July 6th
July 13th
July 20th
July 27th

Junior class: 19:00-20:00
Senior class: 20:15-21:15

Cost will be £25 for all 6 lessons, or £5 per lesson.  Further details to follow soon!

17/05/11 Facebook

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09/05/11 IMPORTANT - SwordPriceFighters

For anyone who has SwordPriceFighters kit, please note the following from British Fencing:
"Based on further advice... British Fencing has suspended the use of this protective equipment whilst further enquiries are made, by the British Fencing Safety Committee, as to its fitness for purpose".
For full info check the BFA News page.

08/05/11 Southern Region Senior Epee (and sabre)

The Southern Region Senior epee competition is being held on the 21st of May at Southampton Solent university. This is an ideal first competition as it is fairly small, friendly and usually won by someone from the club (Last year Phil won the mens and Rebecca the Ladies). Entry forms can be found here.

14/4/11  AGM

The Club's Annual General Meeting will be held on 1 June, with elections taking place at the same time.  This is an ideal opportunity to get involved with the Club and its development; to stand for election fill a Nomination Form (one per post you wish to stand for).
Nomination Form
Role Descriptions

10/4/11  Junior Course

Reminder that the Junior Development Programme starts this Wednesday.  Go to the Juniors page to find out more and to pay if you haven't already.

10/4/11  British Academy of Fencing

Well done to Robin Salt, Harry Gulliver, Mick Johnson and Al B all attended a week-long BAF course at Denstone College, Staffordshire.  Robin passed his Grade 1 Epee, Harry passed his Grade 3 Foil, and Al passed his Grade 3 Epee.

7/4/11  Challenge Wratislavia

Well done to Edgar who came 20th out of 163 at Challenge Wratislavia a very strong Polish cadet competition.

3/4/11  Winton Cup

Well done to all RFC members who competed at the 2011 Winton Cup for Southern Region.  Both epee teams were entirely Reading: Phil B, Al B, Dave Hillier and Gareth Williams for the Men's; Verity Howell, Sam Hughes, Mariette Mason and Hannah Mitchell for the Ladies.

3/4/11  Minutes

Minutes from the last Club Committee meeting can be found here.

10/1/11  Phil B...

...ran the Reading Half Marathon again this year - picking up a few injuries on his way (he's getting older)... Donations again are going to a good cause - please click here to if you would like to give online.  Thank you!

18/3/11  Junior Development Programme

Prices now confirmed for the Junior Development Programme - £25 for upfront payment of 6 lessons; or £5 per lesson.  Go to the Juniors page to pay online

13/3/11  Junior Development Programme

Following its last committee meeting, RFC has an important announcement for its juniors members and parents.

We will be launching a Junior Development Programme - please click the link for details - with each lesson including a group warm-up, footwork, and skills session.

The Club will open on Wednesday's, 19:00-20:00, and the initial programme will run on the following dates:
April 13th
April 20th
April 27th
May 4th
May 11th
May 18th
(6 lessons total)

Prices are to be confirmed, but will be approximately the same as a one-to-one lesson (which only lasts c.20 minutes).

Please note: the course will run as a trial period - if successful, we will run another one; if attendance is poor then we will not... it is up to YOU to make it work.
ALL PARENTS/JUNIORS: PLEASE EMAIL US ASAP TO INDICATE IF YOU ARE/ARE NOT INTERESTED.

9/3/11  Committee Meeting Minutes

The Club committee had a very productive meeting and the minutes can be found here.  Please feel free to read - we have published a load of documents on our Resources page, too.

15/2/11  Peter Herd - Just Giving

As many of you know, Peter Herd was a regular member of RFC who sadly and suddenly passed away toward the end of last year.  Peter's mother, Caroline, has set up a Just Giving page in his memory with proceeds going to Diabetes UK.  Please click here to go to it directly - thank you

14/2/11  Medals at the Hampshire Open

Congratulations to Sam who came 2nd and Dave 3rd at the Hampshire Open (the first year that they have run epee). Also James D L8, Gareth W L16, Alex P L16 and Jenny D L16.

29/1/11  Facebook & Membership Forms

There're still a few members yet to complete and send us one of the new Membership Forms.  Please can you do so and bring it along to the club with you, or e-mail it to us.
Also, if you haven't already, feel free to join our Facebook page - you can get in touch with other members, give us ideas on the new website we're developing, view existing and upload your own photos, and much more.  Click the lil' picture below to go to it.

24/1/11  Southern Region Results

Congratulations to all our youngsters who competed at the Southern epee championships this weekend.  Well done in particular to Alex and Rhea who made their competition debuts; we also had a number of medal winners and will update again when the full results become available.

24/1/11  Rising Star

Big well done do Ed Hornby, 14, who has been selected for the first time to represent Great Britain in an upcoming U17 competition in Germany. Ed started on a beginners course at RFC just 2 years ago and so has made huge progress in such a short period of time, so congratulations to him for this honour which has come on the back of a lot of hard work and dedication (and brilliant club members and coaches, of course!).  Good luck, Ed!!!

9/1/11  Aldershot

A good number of RFC members competed at what was a relatively small but strong event.  Well done to Phil B. who came 5th in Mens Epee, Elliott Hawkes who came 3rd in the Mens Epee plate in his first competition, and congratulations to Verity who came 2nd in the Ladies Epee and made her second Open final.  Full results can be found here.

18/12/10  Membership Pack

Our Membership Pack has been updated - it can also be found in the Membership, Resources, and Beginners section of the website.

14/12/10  Christmas do

The RFC Christmas Dinner at Giraffe in Reading was a success, with a good time had by all.  Thanks to all who were able to make it - we had two packed tables - and also to Verity who organised everything superbly.

16/11/10  Peter Herd

Peter Herd died very quickly and unexpectedly on Monday last following a sezure which lead to his heart giving in. Peter was just 17 and had been with RFC since May 2009. Our condolences go to Peter's family.

08/11/10  BB&O

Well done to all RFC members, who again cleaned up at the county championships.  Medal winners included...
U14 Girls Epee: Odette Hornby, 2nd.
U16 Boys Epee: Ed Hornby, 1st.
Womens Epee: Verity Howell, winner.
Mens Epee: Alex Paige 3rd, Phil B. 2nd, Alain B. 1st.
Mens Sabre: Al B., winner.
Master-at-Arms: Al B.
For those interested in doing local competitions, check out the Southern Region's calendar here.

08/11/10  Junior Piste

With such a strong junior membership, every night one piste (the one nearest the car park, if that makes sense!) will be reserved for junior members to use up until bedtime (9pm).  No big ugly adults will be allowed on the piste before then.  Make the most of it!

06/11/10 Duc de Guise

Is not a popular Duck dish.  It is a friendly competition run in Blois, France, on 12 December.  If you're interested then one of our members, Jon Nottingham, can provide entry forms and help with accommodation.  Email us to get in touch with him!

24/10/10  Elite Epée

Rebecca Mayle won the U16 girls event on Saturday, with the best result in the mens event coming from Alex Paige and Steve Bateman, who both made the L16 of a very tough event.

17/10/10  Juniors, Bedford, BB&O

So, a few competitions this weekend, and a good one for Reading.  In the U17 and U20 British Championships, Rebecca Mayle did exceptionally well in the Juniors, finishing 8th, with Alex Paige and Ed Hornby making the L16 and L64 respectively..
At the Beford, Verity came 6th in the ladies event, with the best result in the mens being Phil B. who came 5th.
At the BB&O Mens Foil Championships, Wilson Ku came 5th and Alain B. won, defending his title for the sixth successive year.  And he hates foil.

12/10/10  New membership form

The club is in the process of working towards achieving Clubmark status and as part of this process we need to introduce the attached Membership Form (this replaces our current 'Joining Form') to augment the information that we hold on our members. Please fully complete the form (entering N/A for any section that is 'not applicable') and return it to the club as soon as you can either via anyone on the committee, one of the coaches, email (enquiries@readingfencingclub.net) or ordinary post.
Please be assured that the information that you provide is not shared or disclosed to any third parties. If you have any concerns or questions regarding this request then please email the club or speak to Alain directly (as he is our 'Clubmark' man).

Membership Form

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