CEO Update - Government advice & event information

Hello everyone

With the updates today from Governments at Westminster & Holyrood around Coronavirus I wanted to re-share the advice from NHS and the key stakeholders.

Before I do that, there are a number of events within the Fencing community which have been postponed, including the World Junior & Cadet Championships and the FIE calendar itself for 30 days. The Foundation for Scottish Fencing Youth Development Series final scheduled for Saturday March 14th has also now been postponed. When anything changes with these or other events we’ll share it and if we haven’t shared it, please let us know or tag us in your own social broadcasts so we can re-share. Our community collaboration is key here and can help maintain a steady flow of information.

The messages from Westminster & Holyrood today informed us all of the next phase of the plan to defend against the impact of coronavirus minimising the peak number of cases. The advice to help central and devolved government remains the same as we shared over a week ago which is – 

·       Pay scrupulous attention to personal hygiene particularly frequency and intensity of hand washing

·       Maintain social distancing of up to 2 meters from other people when appropriate.

New advice from UK Chief Medical Officer and UK Chief Scientific Officer is summarised as

·       If you have a new, continuous cough please self-isolate for 7 days

·       If you have an increased temperature (above 37.8 Celsius) please self-isolate for 7 days

With the cancellation of Challenge Wratislavia 2020 and postponement until the end of June this has also had a knock-on effect on the stated Youth Home Nations which has now been postponed and is moving to a new date – which is yet to be confirmed.

The entire sporting calendar is in flux and you will see football, rugby and lots of other sports affected – particularly those with large spectator attendances within stadia.  The Scottish First Minister has stated gatherings of 500 people and above will be cancelled from Monday 16th March 2020.

Currently, the only Scottish Fencing event still within the calendar for the foreseeable future is the Scottish Schools Championships on June 13 & 14 at Bathgate Academy. If this event is affected we will let you know immediately. 

With the First Minister & Prime Minister stating schools, colleges and universities will remain open for now, our reliance on the school and education sector for facility provision means any closures will impact clubs and events for a period of time. We’ll make sure support is available should this happen but as ever, the best solutions in these times are those found collaboratively.

To summarise, please maintain scrupulous personal hygiene – particularly hand washing – and keep an eye on club mates, friends and family. Tag us in your social media if you have any event, club or athlete information to share and we’ll help get the message out there.

Vincent Bryson

Chief Executive

Scottish Fencing

2020 Youth 5-Nations

Scottish Fencing planning for the Youth Five Nations which are scheduled to be held in Manchester on the weekend of the 27 and 28 June 2020.

We have sent invites to all Scottish fencers who are currently on the British Fencing junior and cadet rankings. Our plan is to build a squad with the final team being selected from this group. If you are on the junior and cadet rankings and not got an invite, please get in touch to let us know if you are available and interested in selection. Email -  admin@scottish-fencing.com  by 12 March

We are also looking to build squad numbers so are asking coaches to nominate fencers who are close to competing at British cadet level but haven't got a ranking yet. 

We are aiming to run training sessions similar to the Pathways training for Challenge Wratislavia and want to open this up to all fencers who are looking to broaden their fencing experience. So squad members don't have to be available to compete at the Youth Five Nations, they just need to have a desire to widen their knowledge. Again get in touch if you would like to take part in some extra training. (minimum age 13).

We aim to keep costs of the training sessions to a minimum but we will need to cover hall hire and other costs.

Please note that any fencer selected for the Youth Five Nations will need to pay travel and accommodation, as well as a contribution to staff and event costs. We don’t have an estimate of what these are yet.

When we first made these plans the dates for Challenge Wratislavia were not the same weekend as the Youth Five Nations. As of yet we don't know how this will affect the Youth Five Nations but please get in touch if you are interested in either selection or the squad training.

POSTPONEMENTS - CW2020 & Scottish Youth Championships

Scottish Fencing are disappointed to hear of the postponement of Challenge Wratislavia 2020. We do of course empathise with the organisers decision to accept the risk of spreading COVID-19 is beyond the acceptable level and we will stay engaged with the organisers should the event have an alternative date presented for later in 2020.

There are lots of athletes worldwide keen to take part and of course we in Scotland are no different with more than 30 aiming for this event as a key part of their development. Our staff team are working with all the Pathways Squad athletes and their families as the event was due to be the sporting pinnacle of the programme. If a viable alternative is offered for athletes from the tournament organisers we will discuss it within the Pathways Group.

Our own Scottish Youth Championships were also coming up on 25/26 April. We have also taken the decision to postpone this event until later in 2020. I realise this isn’t perfect either but there are so many unknowns regarding the spread of COVID-19 and potential affected areas and impacts. We feel it is easier now to make this call and give clarity to our admittedly disappointed athletes but we aim to reschedule the SYC’s for a later date in the year.

In the meantime, we ask that the Fencing community in Scotland does what it continuously does best – come together and support each other. Our advice offered yesterday on social channels via the Deputy Chief Medical Officer still stands which is maintain a high degree of personal hygiene with particular emphasis on hand washing and please do pay attention to the relevant websites such as Foreign & Commonwealth Office for travel (FCO here) and your Local Authority & Scottish Government comms channels for any updates closer to home.

Thank you

Vincent Bryson

Chief Executive

Scottish Fencing

Mental Health Awareness Workshop - October 3rd 2019

Scottish Fencing are delighted to be working in partnership with Just Fun Activities to deliver Mental Health Awareness Workshops for our members. 

The physical, mental and emotional well-being of all our members is deeply important to us, and to our clubs. To supplement the great work being done in First Aid and Child Protection courses, we are delighted to be offering these new workshops.

Mental Health Awareness Workshops last approximately three hours and are a fantastic first step for people of all ages to deepen their understanding of mental health, mental health issues and emotional well-being. The workshop will discuss issues such as Stress Management, Emotional Well-being and Understanding Anxiety & Depression, which can affect anyone at any time. 

By attending this workshop, members will be able to discuss mental health more confidently, understand the common misconceptions around mental health, better understand the impact of stigma and discrimination and identify the positive impact that being active has on physical AND mental health.

We all have a role to play in gaining a better understanding of our own mental health and recognising the mental health of others.

This workshop is aimed at coaches, parents, volunteers and fencers, aged 15+.

Mental Health Awareness Workshop

Welwood Primary School

Dunfermline

KY12 0NP

Cost - £10pp

TO BOOK CLICK HERE!

For more information, contact Blair Cremin - Pathways Manager - on blair.cremin@scottish-fencing.com.

2019 Highland Open Report.

The Highland Open Fencing Tournament 2019 and Scottish Team Selection for  

Elgin Duellist Callum Sutherland

Elgin High School was the venue for the UK’s most northerly open fencing tournament last weekend (28 & 29 September) when over 100 competitors from fencing clubs as far afield as Shetland, Orkney and Hamburg competed for the Highland Open Men’s & Women’s Foil, Epee and Sabre titles.

Robin Paterson, Head Coach at Elgin Duellist Fencing Club and organiser of the annual fencing tournament, said “this was the seventh year in a row that we have held the Highland Open in Elgin and, on so many different levels, it has been our best competition yet. The standard of fencing across the 3 weapons in both the Men’s and Women’s events was exceptionally high with many members of the Scottish Team competing. We also attracted the largest number of European fencers to date with 10 members of ETV Hamburg Fencing Club making the trip to Elgin especially to take part in this year’s tournament. Overall, entries were 20% higher compared to last year.

My fellow club coaches were also extremely gratified that 13 members of Elgin Duellist Fencing Club grasped the opportunity to test themselves against the best fencers in the country by entering the competition. For our Club, this is the biggest entry in any competition we have ever achieved.

Ranging in age from 13 to 49, the following Elgin Duellist Club members competed over the 2 days in the following weapons:-

Callum Sutherland (21, Elgin Men’s Foil & Epee), Alex Keddie (32,Elgin, Men’s Sabre), Robin Paterson (49, Elgin Men’s Foil), Casper Hawkins (17, Forres, Men’s Foil), Jon Goulding (49, Forres, Men’s Foil & Epee), Skyler Rainbird (17, Cullen, Men’s Foil), Oran McKenna (17, Hopeman, Men’s Epee), Fleur Hamelin-Stewart (37, Hopeman, Women’s Foil), Hebe Mucke (13, Garmouth, Women’s Foil), Rebecca Gilchrist (16, Grantown on Spey), Ellis Jiggins MacKenzie,(14, Rothes, Men’s Sabre), Irena Waszyrowska (14, Roseisle, Women’s Epee)  and Nathan Goureau (14, Forres, Men’s Sabre).

Robin added, “another reason why this was the best ever Highland Open is that on the Saturday, fellow Club Coach, Callum Sutherland won the Men’s Epee title.  In a hard fought final against Todd Kozlowski from ETV Hamburg, Callum eventually edged ahead of the American born student to win 15-13. This was the icing on the cake of a brilliant month for Callum after he received confirmation 2 weeks earlier that he had been selected as a member of the Senior Scottish Men’s Epee Team to represent Scotland in the Home International in Dublin later on this year.

Having joined Elgin Duellist Fencing Club at the age of 10, Callum is an inspiration for our young Duellists. Over the years, Callum has grown as a fencer, winning the Scottish School Under 16 Boys’ Epee title in 2013/14 and then competing at the highest level in the UK to come 3rd in the Elite Epee in Newcastle this summer. Along with Alex Keddie and myself, Callum is also a Club Coach specialising in Epee. Winning the Men’s Epee title is a poignant moment for me, in that I won the same title in 2004 when I was 34 and Callum was then only 6 years old! We are all very proud of what Callum has achieved.”

In the Men’s Epee, Scottish Cadet Team member Oran McKenna had a tough draw and was knocked out at the direct elimination stage and came in 23rd and Jon Goulding was 27 overall.

In the third year in a row, the Women’s Epee final was won by Mimi Figge (Wallace Fencing Club) who beat Nenah Verkaik (University of Stirling Fencing Club), 15-11. Irena Waszyrowski from Elgin Duellist Fencing Club also fenced very well in only her second senior competition to secure 13th place.

In the Men’s Sabre, Scottish Internationalist Toby Carter beat fellow Scottish Team and Club member Ethan Llewellyn (Salle Ossian), 15-10.  Elgin Duellist Sabre Club Coach, Alex Keddie secured a very respectable 8th place and Nathan Goureau and Ellis Jiggins-MacKenzie gained excellent experience of what fencing at this level is all about by securing 14th and 15th places respectively.

 In the Women’s Sabre event, Elsie Llewellyn (Sancroft Blades) beat Charlotte Wilson-Smith (Salle Ossian, (15-8).

On the Sunday, last year’s runner up Charlie Broughton (Salle Holyrood) could sympathise with Calum De-Sainte-Croix (Wallace Fencing Club) when Calum lost 15-13 after leading most of the way in Men’s Foil final.

Elgin Duellist Club Champion, Casper Hawkins fenced brilliantly in a direct elimination fight against ETV Hamburg veteran, Karl Becher, losing 15-10.  Skyler Rainbird also fenced very well in his first competition securing 18th place and Jon Goulding fought another hard DE fight to come in 17th overall.

In the Women’s Foil competition, there were 3 Elgin Duellists competing.

Hopeman’s Fleur Hamelin-Stewart competed in her third Highland Open, came in 12. Hebe Muckle from Garmouth demonstrated why she is the Club’s Women’s Elgin Duellist Club Champion by securing 10thplace and only losing her direct elimination fight by 1 hit to secure 10th place. This ranking is even more outstanding since this is Hebe’s first ever Fencing Tournament.

Also competing for the first time, Rebecca Gilchrist from Grantown-on-Spey did very well to secure 14th place.

If you are interested in the Highland Open Fencing Tournament, long-term Elgin Duellist Fencing Club member, and University of the Highlands and Island’s Media Studies & Film student, Sean Saul has produced a short film on north of Scotland fencing. Shot at last year’s tournament and at Culloden and Elgin Duellist Fencing Clubs the film show cases the intense level of competition involved in this sport. Search for ‘Fight Perfection’ on youtube.

Men’s Epee

1. Callum Sutherland, Elgin Duellist FC

2. Todd Kozlowski, ETV Hamburg

3T. Tom Hoffmann, Dingwall FC

3T. Robert Blackburne, Dunblane FC

Women’s Epee

1. Mimi Figge, Wallace FC

2. Nenah Verkaik, University of Stirling FC

3T. Elisa Sedat, Aberdeen City FC

3T. Olivia Connolly, Wallace FC

Men’s Sabre

1. Toby Carter, Salle Ossian

2. Ethan Llewellyn, Salle Ossian

3T. Calum De-Sainte-Croix, Wallace FC

3T. Richard Wilbraham, Dundee City FC

Women’s Sabre

1. Elsie Llewellyn, Sancroft Blades

2. Charlotte Wilson-Smith, Salle Ossian

3T. Taylor Manson, University of Aberdeen FC

3T. Joana Pielsticker, ETV Hamburg

Men’s Foil

1. Charlie Broughton, Salle Holyrood

2. Calum De-Sainte-Croix, Wallace FC

3T. Rolf-Peter Kassner, ETV Hamburg

3T. Jonathan Woollard, Wallace FC

Women’s Foil

1. Nenah Verkaik, University of Stirling FC

2. Kirsty Urquhart, Culloden FC

3T. Chloe Campbell, University of Stirling FC

3T.  Fiona Coyle, Salle Holyrood

Elgin Duellist Fencing Club was established in 2007 and meets every Thursday during term time at Elgin High from 6.30 to 9.00pm.