Scottish Fencing Board strategy sessions

The Board of Scottish Fencing plan to host three strategy sessions for members to attend in the coming weeks.

The intention for the strategy sessions is to gather thoughts, opinion and answer questions based on the latest iteration of the #ForgingTheFuture strategic plan which will be presented to attendees at the sessions. We will publish the strategy beforehand on Monday 21st March.

Each session will be chaired by a member of the Scottish Fencing Board, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.

There are 3 events scheduled, please register for your chosen session below. All sessions will take place online.

 To register click here.

George Liston

Chair - Scottish Fencing

Departure of CEO

Scottish Fencing can today confirm that Vincent Bryson, CEO, will leave his role at the end of March to take up a new post outside sport.
George Liston, Chair of the SF Board, highlighted the great contribution Vinny has made to Scottish Fencing in his five years leading the staff team.

George said:

“It is with mixed feelings that I tell you Vincent Bryson will be leaving Scottish Fencing in the coming weeks. I say mixed, as our loss is tempered by the fact that he has been successful in securing a significant post outside sport. We have benefited greatly from his experience and expertise throughout his tenure and wish him well in his next job.
Vinny’s contribution has been excellent. He has established a high-quality relationship with our strategic partner sportscotland, culminating this year in a significant uplift in our funding. He built his network across the wider sports community and brought in new ideas that have challenged us and assisted the sport to grow. During the pandemic he became a leading voice for sport in its dialogue with sportscotland, and the Scottish Government. He fought vigorously for all sports and for fencing.
It is Vinny’s ability to make connections, develop a strategy and encourage participation that his new employer will value most. For our part, on top of his hard work we won’t forget his sense of humour or his fascination with 1980’s tracksuits.”

Stan Stoodley, SF President, commented:

“Vinny worked hard for us and has personally been willing to rise to every challenge, from developing strategy to feeding Twitter to laying pistes. His recognition of the importance of the volunteer workforce in sustaining fencing has supported the growth of referee, coach and athlete pathways, delivering improvements at all levels of our sport.”

Sheila Anderson, HR Director said:

“The role of CEO in SF is one of shaping the strategic direction and plugging the gaps. Vinny did both with great success. He has created a harmonious staff team which has worked together to deliver for Scottish Fencing. He built the capability of the staff, enabling us to encourage and support clubs to be at the forefront of the Scottish Government's Changing Lives agenda. This will be a lasting part of his legacy with us.
The effectiveness of his relationship with British Fencing has resulted in work on joint projects, sharing ideas and learning across the staff teams. We look forward to continuing this work. I am glad to have worked with Vinny and wish him every success”

We are currently considering our staff structure in the light of Vinny’s departure. As a result of a successful increased investment bid we have scope to adjust the shape of the team to best use their skills in line with the development we are aiming for.

Please keep an eye on our website and social channels for more information.

Scottish Fencing Board
15 March 2022

Veteran Home Nations selection

The Scotland team selected for the Veterans Home Nations match in Bristol on 9 April is:

Women's Foil:

Sheila Anderson, Ruth Davidson, Helen Pitt. (NTR - Maria Cabrelli)

Women's Epee:

Karen Grant, Lorna Smith, Maggie Tait

Women's Sabre:

Viv Frith, Roz Graham, Michele Narey, Yvonne Walls

Men's Foil:

Rory Gibson, Mike McKay, Nick Mort, Paul Stanbridge

Men's Epee:

Andrew Brown, Niall Campbell, Malcolm Downie, Hugh Kernohan

Men's Sabre:

Keith Davidson, Richard Foster, Lindsay Rodgers, Paul Vaughan

2022 Scottish Open

This year’s Scottish Open took place at Inverclyde National Sports Training Centre in Largs. It was a great pleasure to chat with so many familiar faces from across the fencing generations and welcome them to our 6 weapon home event. The main hall at Inverclyde has recently undergone lighting improvements which enhanced everyone’s experience.

The fencing was very exciting to watch with many youngsters surprising their older opponents. The increasing complexity of fencing rules with its 3 P’s in foil and epee had lots of people chatting. Each day I witnessed many hard fought bouts with only the slightest margins in timing defining the win. Everyone was enjoying themselves. The full results are here on Fencing Time Live.

This year it was encouraging to see an increase in participation in our women’s events and we will actively encourage this trend going forward.  

A women's sabre match about to begin with an older women about to fence a younger competitor

Viv Mills was also in attendance at the event chatting with competitors and coaches about upcoming opportunities to develop parafencing within clubs and competitions as part of our commitment to developing fencing as an inclusive sport.

I would like to thank all the competitors that came along to Largs, the referees who supported the event and especially the volunteers that helped to set up and manage DT. In order to build and improve upon our collective experience of our Scottish Open and make it an outstanding event that people will look forward to coming to in the future I would like to encourage anyone interested in becoming a referee/para-referee, learning about DT, armoury, competition floor management for able bodied/parafencing and general volunteering to contact  me at president@scottish-fencing.com and I will seek to put you in touch with others who can help to develop your skills and knowledge.

A group of women referees with clipboards making their way to the hall to begin the poule matches

We will shortly be sending out a feedback questionnaire looking for ways to improve our event and I’d greatly appreciate you taking the time to fill it in and send it back to us. Thanks.

Looking forward to seeing you on a piste soon.

Stan Stoodley,

President, Scottish Fencing

News Update from Hugh Kernohan

Good afternoon everyone.

I write this to you all from the Inverclyde National Sports Centre where we will be hosting the Scottish Open next week. Fear not, I haven’t turned up ridiculously early for the Men’s Epee but thanks to sportscotland the board and staff team have been hosted here for 24 hours for our first face-to-face gathering since February 2020.   Apart from meeting in person some of the newcomers we had only ever seen on a screen, our purpose was to discuss our plans for the next strategic cycle. 

Shortly we will be publishing the next iteration of the #ForgingTheFuture strategy, covering the period up to March 2025.   We will hold a number of online sessions, hosted by the directors, to let members have the opportunity to ask questions on how we plan to put the strategy into effect and offer suggestions to strengthen those plans.   The staff team will also be in attendance.   When the sessions go live I encourage anyone interested to sign up:  it will be good to see you there.

On the competition front, I would like to offer my congratulations to those who competed in the recent Scottish Student Sport fencing beginners event, and my best wishes to those within the student community who are planning to head south for the BUCS Nationals this weekend.   I hope you travel safely and fence well.  If you have any media to share from BUCS, please do use the #ForgingTheFuture hashtag so we can re-share. 

On behalf of everyone within SF I’d like to extend the same thoughts to those travelling abroad on GBR duty this weekend. The commitment shown and sacrifices made to compete at this level are no small thing and you go with our best wishes.  I hope you enjoy the experience and learn from it.

Closer to home, we have the Scottish Open next week but also have the rescheduled Scottish Youth Championships for Under 20’s on 19 March at Bathgate Academy. Entries are now open and you can access them here.  As ever, we look forward to seeing the next generation of Scottish Champions.

Also on the weekend of 19-20 March, across both days , we have our first face-to-face coach education opportunities for a long time.   Please have a look here and sign up – our coach educators are looking forward to seeing you.

Coming up over the next few weeks will be updates on new Steering Groups run by the board and opportunities to volunteer as part of these, and in other areas of Scottish Fencing effort where you may wish to contribute your time and expertise. If you have a passion for digital media, competition delivery, or coaching then we will certainly have something for you.

Thank you and have a great weekend.

Hugh

Hugh Kernohan – Governance Director

#ForgingTheFuture

 

 

 

 

Scottish Open Announcement and FAQ’s

Para Fencing Events

Please note: Due to low entries the para events won’t take place. However, we are postponing these rather than cancelling them. We hope to run another event later in the year. Details to follow soon.

Age Limits

The limit to ages is now on the date of the event rather than 1 January. If you are now eligible to fence in the Open and would like to compete email us at admin@scottish-fencing.com and you can pay the £45 lower rate.

Please note: Many of the events are busy and we are now setting limits on entries to:

  • Women’s Epee – 28

  • Women’s Foil – 28

  • Men’s Epee – 42

  • Women’s Sabre – no limit yet

  • Men’s Sabre - 35

  • Men’s Foil - 35

While we have set limits there is a chance spaces will come available so it is worthwhile adding your name to the waiting list.

Contact Information

Liz Anderson

Email – admin@scottish-fencing.com

Mobile - 07803 207349

Welfare Officer – Ross Morrison

Email – safeguarding@scottish-fencing.com

Mobile – 07950 902245

Photography/Social Media

If you would prefer not to have your picture taken or feature in any website/social media posts please email admin@scottish-fencing.com in advance of the event. Remember to also mention this to DT on the day of the event.

Event Schedule

Saturday 26 February 2022

Check in / Event Start

09.30 / 10.30 Women’s Foil and Men’s Epee

12:30 / 13:00 Women’s Epee

Sunday 27 February 2022

08.30/ 09.30 Men’s Foi l and Men’s Sabre

12.30 / 13.00 Women’s Sabre

Frequently Asked Questions

COVID Protocols

We appreciate your cooperation with the following protocols which are in place to keep everyone safe.

Please do not arrive at the venue if you have any Covid symptoms. We will refund anyone who is unable to compete due to Covid.

Face coverings

All competitors, spectators, coaches and event staff are required to wear a face covering when not fencing or warming up.

Lateral Flow Testing

Competitors, spectators, coaches and event staff are required to take a lateral flow test 24 hours before the event and then again on the morning before they leave for the venue. (or in the morning before they go for breakfast if staying at Inverclyde House).

Scottish Fencing staff and officials may check your lateral flow test result on arrival, please have your result confirmation text or email to hand.

As per Scottish Government guidance we will not check Covid passports as there are competitors aged U18.

In line with current advice we would recommend that you test in the run up to the event and post event as follows:

•             1 Week before the event: Test twice weekly with one test on the day of the event.

•             1 week after the event: Test twice weekly

•             Ongoing after the event: Continue to test twice weekly

Order rapid Lateral Flow tests to your home: https://test-for-coronavirus.service.gov.uk/order-lateral-flow-kits

Collect rapid Lateral Flow tests from your nearest coronavirus test site: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/

Collect rapid Lateral Flow tests from your nearest pharmacy: https://maps.test-and-trace.nhs.uk/findatestcenter.html

How to do a rapid Lateral Flow test at home and get advice on the test result: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19/test-and-protect/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-do-a-rapid-lateral-flow-device-lfd-test-at-home

Check in Scotland

All coaches, officials and spectators are asked to check-in on arrival at the venue using the Check-in Scotland QR code which will be available throughout the venue.

 

Equipment

Each fencer is personally responsible for making sure that his or her clothing and equipment conform to BF rules and are in good condition. Neither SF nor the organisers of the competition, nor any official or referee involved in the competition is responsible for these matters, or for any accident, loss or damage to persons or property however caused

All fencers must wear the correct kit as per British Fencing rules.

This will include FIE chest protectors (m.25 4(c) ) and 800N sabre gloves (as per the rule at https://www.britishfencing.com/urgent-safety-notice-sabre-gloves/)

 

Equipment Stand

Please note there will be no equipment stand at the event.

Armoury

Armoury services will be available at the event provided by Paul Thomson.

First Aid

First Aid cover is by MX Medical.

Spectators

Spectators will be permitted at the event. As a guide we would recommend that each fencer brings no more than one coach and one spectator.

Catering

There is a café on site at Inverclyde which will be open during the event.

Weekly News Update & Performance Consultant appointed

Hello everyone

There are a few items to cover in this week’s news update with the major news being the appointment of our Performance Consultant.

Keith Cook has been appointed to the role and we are delighted someone of Keith’s calibre is joining the team. As the outstanding submission within the tender process, the panel were delighted to hear his thoughts on how we could maximise the next 7 months to prepare the team to deliver its strongest performance at the upcoming Commonwealth Championships in London.

This is an exciting time for all those keen to represent Scotland in London this year. Adding Keith’s expertise is critical to forming the team, its environment and its values and his clear experience as a Coach, athlete and mentor will be key skills for the team to draw upon. We can’t wait to see what the future brings.

This past week also saw success at home and abroad for Scottish athletes and its great to see so many people able to compete as restrictions become further reduced. As ever, if you can tag Scottish Fencing in any of your social media posts it would be great and we can share these too. On that note, we will shortly be advertising training opportunities for clubs and volunteers to get some social media training from an external training resource. Any member can access this and we would love to help create a new field of volunteers for clubs to own and “take over” fencing social media. We will release confirmation of dates and times next week.

At Scottish Fencing HQ, Clare Queen has been continuing to engage with clubs and members since she joined the team in January and you can keep track of where she has been out and about on the SF social channels. Recent highlights were a visit to Braveheart Fencing in Glasgow (pics on facebook) and also some engagement with Scottish Student Sport to help support some on-campus initiatives.

As mentioned last week, we are approaching a busy competition time with Scottish Student Fencing Beginners happening this weekend and in a couple of weeks we have the Scottish Open. Please have a look at the Scottish Open FAQ document here.

Thank you again to everyone who has entered these events and also thank you to those who attended the recent Foundation for Scottish Fencing YDS in Edinburgh last weekend. The next YDS event is on March 27th back at St George’s school in Edinburgh.

One of my favourite fencing-related emails arrived a few days ago in the form of the “The Duellist” – a wonderful newsletter from Elgin Duellist Fencing Club which is beautifully presented by Michael and Robin. If you aren’t on the mailing list please do contact the club or even better, get a read here. It’s a wonderful way to spend 20 mins with a coffee and a biscuit as the club updates on activities large and small.

Thank you again to everyone (family, coach, club committee, volunteer, friends) who keep the fencers motivated and committed to the sport. It’s great to see the community come together as we begin resurfacing from the pandemic and as my colleagues have written in previous weeks I look forward to seeing faces old and new on or beside a piste soon.

Sheila

Sheila Anderson – HR Director

#ForgingTheFuture

News Update - Paul Vaughan - SF Performance Director

Good evening everyone

A “warm” welcome to the sunnier climes of February – the bad joke here is outdoor fencing is no longer required but if its grown on you then good luck and keep going!

Moving away from my humour and awful dad jokes, it was great to see so many of the fencing community enjoying themselves at competitions foreign and domestic last week. So many of the images on social media were heartening to see and of course any sort of fencing is great fun at the moment. I may or may not have finished 11th at the Stirling Sword Sabre myself…

Coming up over the next few weeks we have the Scottish Student Sport (SSS) Beginners event which you can enter via PlayWaze here – please do consider supporting this beginners event if you are eligible to compete, it should be great fun. 

This coming weekend we also have the Foundation for Scottish Fencing Youth Development Series event in Edinburgh. Please do check the Foundation facebook page and other social channels for more info including check-in times and other crucial info. 

At the end of February we of course have the Scottish Open in Largs. We are delighted to be hosting the event after what seems like an age, indeed the last Open was in November 2019 so once again I’m looking forward to seeing friends old and new enjoying themselves on the piste. If you havent already entered (and you really should have by now 😉) then please check out the link here.

Throughout February, we also have a multitude of international representation at Cadet, Junior and Senior level as a clutch of Scottish Fencers were selected for various upcoming GB squads and events. We also have a few coaches and support staff from the Scottish fencing community travelling as well so a hearty congratulations to everyone selected – well done! 

A last call here for those who have yet to complete the British Fencing Equality Survey which was emailed to all members. Please do fill it in if you can as it provides a vital picture of our membership  landscape and really does help us tailor future programmes at British and Scottish level. 

Lastly, our Chair George Liston shared in last weeks brief update a number of opportunities to join the coaching team for the commonwealth championships would go live this week. These Lead Weapon Coach vacancies are now live on the SF website and socials and if you have any queries please contact Clare on Clare.Queen@scottish-fencing.comwho can get the best answer for you.

Our Performance Consultant post has now closed and the panel met this afternoon to review the applications. We will announce the successful tender next week.

Meantime, wherever you are getting your fencing fix this weekend please enjoy it and look after yourself and those around you.

Paul Vaughan – Performance Director

#ForgingTheFuture

Recruitment - Commonwealth Fencing Championships - Lead Weapon Coaches

Scottish Fencing wish to recruit three Lead Weapon Coaches to support the preparation and performance of the Scottish Team for the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in London from 9-20 August 2022.

This is a positive opportunity to be part of a successful Scotland Fencing Team at a unique Commonwealth Fencing Championship. To participate as a team coach at a high-level event, honing your skills in team training and development as part of a small, dedicated group of coaches, matching your motivational and tactical skills against other countries from cadets to veterans.

We invite applications from coaches who are qualified at Level 3 in their chosen weapon. 

The closing date for applications is 17.00 on 14 February 2022. Please complete the attached application form (either written or as a voice recording) giving a short summary of your relevant coaching experience and personal qualities which will support your application to admin@scottish-fencing.com

The role description is attached below, please refer to this when preparing your application.

Scottish Fencing is an equal opportunities employer and would welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith or disability. All appointments are made purely based on merit and ability. If you require any assistance to apply please contact Clare Queen at clare.queen@scottish-fencing.com  

Lead Weapon Coach Role Description

Lead Weapon Coach application form