Visit our website
LOGO
MAKING THE POINT
March, 2014
In This Issue
Resources
MindBody Online
FROM THE COACH
"The coach is a teacher;
his subject is the fundamentals"
-Jack Ramsay
RECENT RESULTS:

 

Baylor Invitational - 2/22/14 

D & Under Mixed Foil:   

C. McGurk, Bronze 

  

Mixed Foil:
C. McGurk, Silver 

...................  

GHSFL Championships - 2/22/14

Final standings for the

2013-14 HS season


Men's Epee
D. Munlin, 20th

Women's Epee: 
E. Prestwich, 18th
A. DeMario, 23rd
...................
 

KSU Owl Social - 2/22/14 

E & Under Senior Mixed Epee:   

C. Viana, Bronze
T. Furnish, Bronze
R. Courtney, 10th

  

Senior Mixed Epee:
M. Callahan, 8th

...................

  

Junior Olympic
Fencing Championships - 2/17/14 

Cadet Men's Epee 

D. Munlin:
136th out of a field of 208

...................

 

Punctured Heart - 2/15/14 

C & Under Senior Mixed Foil 
 C. McGurk: Bronze + renewed E rating for 2014

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

For more events, check askfred.net. Georgia division tournaments can be found here. We have also made a suggested list of youth tournaments that can be found HERE.   

 

Yellow Jacket Open
Div III and Open Foil, Epee, and Saber
Hosted by GT Fencing Club at Tech
March 1-2
$20 for the first event, $15 per additional event
Ides of March
Y10&Y12, Y14, C&Under, Mixed Epee events 
Hosted by NAFC March 8th and 9th
$25 for the first event, $15 each additional event
NAFC Lockers
Fencers, this is a reminder that you must keep your lockers clean (smelling nice with all of your gear INSIDE the locker). If your locker is inactive for longer than a month, you will lose the space.
Warriors Wanted
ON VIDEO

Videographers and fellow NAFC fencers Kayna and Scott Wilbur and Tracy Johansson have produced a beautiful video for our Warriors Wanted ad series! Many thanks to Connor McGurk and Daniel Betor for being the fencers in the shoot. 
Meet Troy Pope
Troy has been fencing for around ten months and has only recently started competing. 
 
"UGA Open was a learning experience. I won three out of five pool bouts in the open saber event, which was better than I thought I would do. Competing is fun because it helps enforce coordination, footwork, and timing. " 
 
"I want to compete more," he says, "to continue to get better." Eventually, he'd like to earn a high rating and start fencing internationally.
 Like us on Facebook
Facebook Reviews
If you have a Facebook account please stop by NAFC's page and give us a review, we'd love to hear from you!
Click here to go to our Facebook page.
Individual/Private
Lessons & Packages:*
 
Would you like more coaching to help step up your game? NAFC has private instruction packages!
 
CHOOSE FROM: 

Individual/Private Lessons 

One-on-one instruction with any of our coaches in any of the three weapons.

$25 for a 20 minute session, pay as you go.

 

Package Option 1:
Four 20 min. session: $20 ea., ($72 for the 4 sessions) 

Package Option 2: 
Eight 20 min. sessions: $18 ea. ($136 for the 8 sessions)
  
   
To book either of these packages,
click here

*Must be used within a month of purchase.
Set Up Your
Online Membership Account

Pay for membership or special events, and schedule individual lessons all at your convenience!
CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH US!
For ages 8 and up, this is a fun and unique way to celebrate a birthday!

NAFC will provide:

*
All necessary fencing gear
* Napkins, cups, plates and tablecloths
* Certified, experienced coaches to lead the activities and supervise the fencing
* One FREE fencing class coupon for all participants - to be redeemed at a later time
* A FREE t-shirt for the birthday boy/girl
(indicate size needed when booking party)

Details and order forms can be found here.
Lost & Found
Missing a water bottle, jacket, or anything else? Make sure you check our lost and found. Any items left for more than 30 days will be thrown away or donated.

Build strength, physical stamina, and cardio vascular endurance while improving your reaction time. This fun and fast paced program utilizes the speed, heavy, duck & roll and reflex bag along with a variety of drills.

 $35 per month,
class me
ets 2x per week
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6 - 7 p.m.

Ages 8 & up. Equipment provided.   

Click here to register!   


Stay Connected!

Like us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter
Join Our Mailing List
 
NAFC wants YOU! No matter what type of warrior you are, fencing is the perfect outlet for your strength and stealth! 

Epee Armory Clinic
with  
Leon Paul's
Bill Murphy
 

Join us April 5th from 2 - 4 p.m. for a hands-on armory clinic with Leon Paul's Bill Murphy!
B ill manages Leon Paul USA. He holds a Prevot d' Armes certificate from the USFCA and is a USFA certified Level 1 armourer.

Previously he has served as:
- Fencing Sports Equipment Coordinator - 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
- Weapon Control Coordinator - 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
- US Team Armourer - 2004 Athens Paralympic Games
- US Team Armourer - 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games
- US Team Armourer - 1998 La Chaux de Fonds (World Championships)
- US Team Armourer - 2003 Trapani (World Championships)
- US Team Armourer - 2006 Torino 2006 (World Championships)
- US Team Armourer - 2009 Belfast (World Championships)
- Armourer at countless NAC's and National Championships.

Bring your broken weapons to work on, or work on one of ours. You'll learn the latest rules for wiring, how to fix sockets, canting for French grips and more.

Cost $25 per person.
NAFC will not hold classes on 3/8 due to our Ides of March tournament!
Meet, Eat, Defeat!  

 

Join us on Friday, March, starting at 6pm. This Friday's main dish is Pulled pork BBQ, provided by the Albritton family! 

 
Please bring a side dish, appetizer, or desert to share. Cost is $5 per person, or $20 for the family.

Help support the gym by providing a main entree one Friday out of the year!
We currently need volunteers for the first Friday in June. Please sign up in the gym and we'll send you a reminder a week before. Meal needs to feed 35-40 people. Proceeds go to necessary expenses around the gym.

Free Massage!

On Friday, March 7th, come for Meet, Eat, Defeat, and the tournament and then have a free massage courtesy of Lisa Aspy, certified massage therapist and founder of Sundance Massage Center.  Have that trouble spot worked on and find out how massage can benefit you!   

2014 SUMMER CAMPS

Summer camp dates and information are now online! NAFC is offering two Beginning/Intermediate sessions for those wanting to try their hand at fencing and one Competitive session to prepare fencers for summer nationals and tournaments. 
Click here for information or to register!



"Famous Shamus" at the Camp Expo! He has an awesome smile!
We had a great time meeting potential fencers and parents at the Atlanta Parent Summer Camp Expo on February 22 at Town Center Mall!

Join us and learn Olympic style fencing with fun games, fencing drills and bouts. Discover the 3 weapons: epee, foil and saber. All necessary gear will be provided and lunch is included in the fee. Camp runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
 
Be sure to take advantage of the early bird registration discount! We look forward to introducing new fencers to the fun and excitement of the sport this summer!

Amy Weghorst talks with parents and potential fencers at the Expo.

Teenager, Her Mother Find New Opportunities Wheelchair Fencing

 

To most people, Elle looks like most 14-year-old girls. During the day, she walks around the halls of her middle school in Atlanta, surrounded by her classmates. But after school, she straps into a wheelchair, grabs her weapon and gets ready for battle. That's because Elle is a wheelchair fencer. It all started when Elle's mother signed her up for a summer camp at North Atlanta Fencing Center, or NAFC. Elle tried it for a few days. She enjoyed it but struggled physically. When she was just six years old, she was hit by a golf cart. One of her legs was badly broken and the muscles were severely damaged. She went through five surgeries, a blood transfusion, and a year of rehabilitation. For the most part, she recovered, but her leg still holds her back sometimes. In this case, her leg helped her find a new passion: wheelchair fencing. Both Elle and her mother are excited about Elle's new love and the opportunities it is opening up for her.    

 

Elle:

How did you become interested in fencing?
My mom wanted me to try out something different. She decided to sign me up for a summer camp at North Atlanta Fencing Center. I became enthralled with the sport right away.

 

Why did you switch to wheelchair fencing?
I still have problems doing certain things that involve heavy use of my legs because of the accident. In fencing, you have to do some serious leg work. It was particularly difficult for me because my lead leg was the one that was injured. But I really enjoyed fencing. So, when John Terris, one of the coaches at NAFC, told me about wheelchair fencing, I jumped on the idea. I called my Mom and told her I wanted to do it. At first, she thought it was a joke.

How did it feel when you made the switch to wheelchair fencing?
I was pretty happy that I could finally do a sport that I like and am physically able to do. I'm so glad I made the switch. I love wheelchair fencing. It makes me happy and gives me self-confidence.

How do people usually react when they find out you're a wheelchair fencer?
They usually stare at my legs and give me a dumbfounded look. I always have to pull up the leg on my pants and show them my leg. After that, they're wowed and ask tons of questions.

 

What are your goals for wheelchair fencing?
I really am dedicated to the sport and want to go as far as I can. In fact, I'm hoping to go all the way to the Paralympics in 2016 or 2020. 

Elle's Mom Cyndi:
How did you feel when Elle started fencing?
I was very thrilled to put Elle into fencing camp. I've always wanted to fence, and it was exciting for me to enroll her in a sport that I just knew she would love. It was different, and she's just a different kind of kid. 

How did you feel when Elle said she was making the switch to wheelchair fencing?
When she called me at work to tell me she qualified to be a Category A Wheelchair Fencer, I thought she was joking, and said, "Please, Elle. You're just out of shape. You're not disabled." She replied, "Mom, you don't know how my leg feels." It was that moment that I realized that I really *didn't* know how her leg felt or what her capabilities truly were. It seemed odd to me because she walks, can run some, and can do most things able-bodied people can do. I never really thought that she had a disability.
After the initial surprise of Elle's news that she could wheelchair fence, I asked her, "So, what do you do, joust?" I imagined a fencer needed one arm for fencing and another to move the chair, I asked, "Do you go around in circles?" It was quite comical. Elle gave me the typical teenager look and explained how the chairs are locked into frames and how it works. YouTube helped me to understand wheelchair fencing.

What is it like watching her wheelchair fence?
I cannot aptly describe the feeling I get when I watch Elle. She never fit the athletic or physically competitive personality. It really surprised me how focused she is when she is being coached and how she retains everything they teach her. Sometimes, I leave for a couple of hours while she fences because she is better able to focus on what Julio, Dennis, and her teammates teach her. Sometimes, I'm a distraction, so I try not to be the overzealous sportsMom. She takes criticism well, and works really hard to apply the lessons
Curtis Lovejoy (right), one of Elle's (left) mentors, talks her through a defeat and gives her advice on how to strive
to be better the next time.
she is taught. At the January 2014 NAC, she cried after a defeat, and then I really knew how much fencing meant to her. She was so upset. I cried with her. She really wanted to do better. I had to remind her she'd only been fencing for 6 months. One of her mentors gave her some very good advice afterwards and talked her through the defeat and how she could strive to be better the next time.

How do people react when they find out your daughter is a wheelchair fencer?
They are surprised. Believe me, I've gotten snarky remarks about it. People don't understand it because she can walk and because she isn't paralyzed or an amputee. They don't understand how wheelchair fencers are categorized by their disability. She's that "in between" kid. I've had to deal with questions like, "Have you tried more rehabilitiation so that she can able-body fence?" "Wow. She's going to go to the Special Olympics?" I was surprised to find out that people don't know the didn't know there is a difference between the two events. People have no idea, really. I can;t be angry; I just try to educate them. Elle's Aunt said, "So... ne day, I'm going to walk into Publix and see her plastered on the front of a Wheaties box in a wheelchair, brandishing an epee?!" My reply: "You just might." Most people I talk to about wheelchair fencing think it's just wonderful, are amazed, and ask a lot of questions. I really appreciate their genuine interest. It's an opportunitiy for us to build recognition and awareness for the sport.
 
How do you feel about Elle's goal of competing in the 2020 Paralympics?
You have no idea how excited I was for her to tell me she had a goal to go all the way to the Paralympics. Such a lofty goal had never been expressed to me by Elle. The week of the fencing camp, after I digested that she could qualify to wheelchair fence, I asked her, "Will they need medical records to establish your injury for qualification in competition?" Imagine my surprise when she responded, "We don't have to worry about that until I go to the World Cup." Wow. "Well, alrighty then. I guess you know what you're doing," was my reply.
And she has an amazing support system. The last evening of her week long summer camp, I met with her coaches, Julio Diaz and Dennis Aspy. They were so excited about her. I wanted to cry. She has long arms. She's tall. She's smart and the perfect age to groom for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. 

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
I love Elle's dedication to the sport, her coaches and her teammates. We have a fencing family - friends that I am so glad came into our lives.
To follow Elle's journey to the Paralympics, check out her GoFundMe site. You learn more about fencing here

Copyright © 2012. All Rights Reserved.