This summer has been a busy one for our club members.
There were plenty of graduations and many of our team members are moving on to college teams.
Andrew Bednarski graduated from Penn High School and was accepted to Notre Dame and will be fencing for the Fighting Irish.
Nick Tilley graduated from John Adams High School and will be joining the work force for a year.
Giles Goetz graduated from Clay High School and will be attending Purdue University.
Jamie Eppich graduated from Concord High School and will be attending Ohio State University and will be fencing for the Buckeyes.
Jennifer Thomas won a full scholarship to Wayne State University in Michigan.
Randi Tinkham who will be going to graduated school at the University of Alberta, in Edmonton.
Club members also traveled to Poland with Coach Janusz. The seven Escrime du Lac fencers that accompanied him were, Brian Casas, Ben Garceau, Dianna Hagerty, Marc Mathias, Lee Ann Zhart, Andrew Bednarski, and Dan Pratt.
They made an official visit to South Bend's sister city, Czestochowa, Poland on behalf of Mayor Steve Lucke
The group met with the mayor in his office prior to their trip and delivered official greeting to the famous Polish city.
Dawn Hagerty also did some traveling to the summer program at the International School of Performing Arts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She spent two weeks there in August in a program for musical theatre and opera students.
Dawn also had a part in the production of Fiddler on the Roof at the Fire Fly Festival in July.
With the school year just starting, there won't be time for club members to catch their breath after this lazy summer.
Escrime du Lac is taking advantage of local media outlets to let the public know about all our club has to offer.
The past few Sundays, the club has had an ad in the Intermission section of the The South Bend Tribune.
In addition, we have been running 30 second spots on cable channel 5, which is the Community Bulletin Board channel
Club members were also on television August 22. The club volunteered to answer phones on WNIT's pledge drive that night. We were there from 6:00 to Midnight and dinner was provided for the volunteers by Domino's.
Our volunteers that night were: Dave and Susan Eppich, Steve and Michele Kastner, Jim Leighton, Doug Farmwald, Beth McLaughlin and George Efta.
It was a fun evening and a chance for the viewing area to learn more about fencing and Escrime du Lac. Jim and Doug even did some fencing during a couple of breaks.
Talk to Mike Hagerty if you have any ideas about getting the club in the public eye.
If you are just coming back to the club from the summer break, you probably noticed things look different. Escrime du Lac has a bright new look for the fall.
The fencing area walls have been repaired and painted.
The work (and there was plenty of it) was started on August 6. Thanks for this wonderful work go out to: Susan Eppich, Christy Keil, Arnold and Edye Casas, the Goetz family, Teri and Tianna Joy, Arlen Hammond, Jim and Joan Mathias, and Mike Hagerty.
The work in fencing area is a good start, but there is still much to be done.
Joan Mathias has already started work on painting the club crest on the wall of the fencing area and will be painting silhouettes of fencers on the walls of the fencing area in the near future.
In other good news, the air conditioning in the club is now working, which we'll enjoy the rest of this summer and for summers to come.
The next project is the front lobby. Plans are to fix this it up and use it as a reception area. If you are asking yourself how you can help the make club look it's best, here are some ideas:
We always need people to help clean, paint and do repair work. Anyone with carpentry or carpet installation experience would be particularly welcome.
If swinging a hammer isn't your style, we could use donations of furniture that is still in good condition for the front lobby area. We are also in need of a vacuum cleaner that works.
Lastly, renovations take a lot of money, and club dues are not enough to cover the cost. If every family would pitch in at least ten dollars, we can all make the club look it's best.
If you want to donate funds to help fix up the club, you can make the checks out to the Fencing Advisory Associates. You can put the check in the FAA box at the club or you can send it to Teri Joy at 13721 Anderson Rd, Granger, IN 46530. If you have any questions or suggestions about repairs at the club you can call Teri Joy at 272-5102.
There is a new face around the club this season. Rose Saari is our new part- time youth coach.
She brings to this position experience she gained as a member, and team captain, of Notre Dame's fine fencing team, which finished second in the NCAA this year.
Rose, who graduated this may with a degree in Philosophy, says she started fencing in a PE class at Notre Dame, and in her sophomore year got on the fencing team as a walk-on.
A native of Marquette, Michigan, Rose says that the Martial Arts she studied in her hometown helped her with fencing because "in martial arts you learn muscle control and body control, which is useful in fencing. Some of the stances are also similar."
Competitive fencing is still an interest, Rose says, but her primary focus right now is coaching. Although she has no formal training as a coach, she says that "when you are on a team, you help each other out."
She adds that team members learning from each other is why walk-ons on the Notre Dame fencing team did so well.
Rose, will also be helping people at her full time job as an Assistant to the Executive Director at the Center for the Homeless. She says that the Center may become a national training center because of the quality of their programs.
Rose will be coaching at the club on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays so come down and welcome her to the club.
Where can you go to have fun, food, awards and meet the mayor of Mishawaka? The answer is the Indiana Fencing Academy's Annual Awards Program, where we will recognize the achievements of our fencers over the past year.
The event will take place on Saturday, September 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be hors d'oeuvres and a buffet-style dinner from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00p.m. Mayor Robert Beutter will be at the club around 7:00 to present an award to the club from the city of Mishawaka. After the mayor makes his presentation this year's master of ceremonies, Bernie Garceau, will present the awards to our fencers. New to the event this year is a silent auction. Funds earned from the auction will be combined with funds earned from concession stands and go for club improvements and new equipment. Anyone wishing to donate items to the auction should call Denise Hagerty at 272- 4959. Some suggested items are: holiday decorations, baked goods, blankets, or small appliances. Items should have a value of at least $10.00. Family members of fencers are encouraged to attend this event. As the invitations state, reservations are needed by September 1, but please try and call as soon as possible. Call Teri Joy at 272-5102 to RSVP. You can also call Teri if you are interested in donating fruit and/or vegetables for hors d'oeuvres.A successful ending of the 1996-1997 season took place during Nationals in California, but we can't celebrate too long.
The new season is coming and we have to be well-prepared for coming competitions. It is more important this year because our club will organize two big National Circuits here in South Bend.
All friends and members of our club will see how we will fence. In order not to disappoint them, we have to train more than usual with the new program and be ready.
On Guard!!!
"Coach am I too old for Summer Camp?"
It was during one of my weekly Tuesday night beginner sessions that I saw a Summer Camp poster on the wall. I started thinking that this may be an excellent opportunity to learn more about this wonderful sport.
This was the beginning of my mini adventure at Fencing Camp, June 22- 27.
As a new fencer, I've been taking lessons for less than a year. I started after experiencing a critical birthday and boredom with my normal workout routine. My pattern has been to come weekly for a group lesson, and then to stay for bouting, schedule permitting.
With daughters Kaitlin and Holly ensconced at Camp Fire Camp Tawachi for the week, I thought I could schedule at least or one or two days of camp. Coach Janusz assured me that I was welcome for as long or little a time as I could attend.
As it turned out, I actually attended the Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning sessions. When I arrived, it was already a humid 80-something degrees in the gym, and I started sweating on cue. We started about
10 a.m. with a warm-up. The other fencers were at least one half to two thirds younger than I, and that much older in experience. I managed to keep up for the first hundred or so laps around the gym.We continued the process with the normal stretching. (Thankfully, no one said anything about my cracking knees). Then, it started in earnest. It was a series of exercises, with another French-sounding name that reminded me of scenes of boot camp from Bill Murray's "Stripes".
Basically, our group of about fifteen fencers circulated around the floor, performing different sequences of footwork, while alternating an in-between lap of jumping, hopping, and sweating. There were about twelve different sequences written on the board, with an intentional aerobic lap to be performed between each step.
I lasted up until the sixth step of Advance-Advance, Jump/Forward Jump/Back, Lunge-Recover, Leap/Leap, and then shamelessly surrendered my challenged body to the in-between lap. This torture lasted several hours (about thirty minutes).
The next activity was focused blade work by different weapon. Here is where I felt simultaneously like a beginner and glad I came. We alternated between two coaches, each of whom offered feedback on the particular drill at hand.
As the drills combined a series of at least three actions, I was both lost and intrigued by how much the sport of fencing has to teach. Everyone from coaches to fellow campers were very encouraging. I often heard "now don't give up," and "don't get discouraged."
The next day's routine was much the same without the extended footwork. We broke in the afternoon for swimming. On the last session Wednesday, I returned to find that the other fencers were still swimming and caught in a thunderstorm.
Perhaps the experience of Summer Camp embodies the elegance, sportsmanship and fair play that makes up this sport. With a precious free hour before I had to pick up my kids, I went next door to the tanning place next door and enjoyed a 30 minute massage on an electric waterbed. This soothing of a tired body was a well-suited ending to this beginner's adventure at Summer Camp.
As always thanks go out to all the wonderful volunteers that donate their time and effort to make the club better and better.
Thanks also go out to Teri Joy, Denise Hagerty, Coach Janusz, Beth McLaughlin, and Edye Casas for helping out on this month's newsletter.
If you have ideas, suggestions, or you want to work on the next newsletter, drop a note in my mailbox at the club or talk to Edye Casas.