New Fencing Club Holds
First Tourney in Sharon

The new Upper Valley Fencing Club will host its first Green Mountain Division tournament on Sunday, Feb. 10 at the Sharon Academy. Scores of fencers from Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts are certain to attend, and entrants are expected from Quebec, Maine and southern New England.

"We're a new club, and we're excited to be hosting fencers from all over," said UVFC fencer Bill Craig of Thetford Center. "It's our chance to thank the Green Mountain Division for all the great meets we attend through the year—and, of course, to whup a few friends from other clubs, right here on our home turf."

Success in this United States Fencing Association-sanctioned event will earn fencers national rankings in foil and epee, the two most popular weapons.

Fencers of all skill levels are welcome to register and compete. There will be a "mixed" and an "E-and-under" event in each weapon. In "mixed" competition, a beginner might find herself facing an "A"-rated fencer; the "E-and-under" event is restricted to unrated, beginner and intermediate fencers. The meet is listed on askfred.net, the popular international fencing site, where fencers can preregister and find directions.

The one-year-old UVFC has fencers ranging in age from grade school to 60+, and beginners are always welcome. The club emphasizes fitness, fun and the development of skill and form over competition. It meets Monday and Wednesday evenings at Tracy Hall in Norwich.

For further information, contact William Craig at 802-785-2030 or williamcraig@yahoo.com.

Fastest Sport?

Is fencing the world's fastest sport?

The tip of a fencer's blade is said to be the second-fastest-moving object in Olympic competition—after the bullet that leaves a rifle in shooting events!

While there are plenty of arguments about which sport is the fastest, fencing is probably the fastest human-powered sport, according to William Craig of the UVFC.