Veteran Fencers: Guildford International
Veteran fencers who have entered the Guildford International need to be aware of the current regulations and advice in Scotland in force until 15 January. These state that:
(a) adult non-professional contact sports are not allowed in indoor spaces; and
(b) people should avoid travelling to other parts of the UK to attend events, celebrations and other activities, if they are not permitted in Scotland.
In other words, we are not allowed to run adult competitions in Scotland, and the official advice is not to travel outside Scotland for that purpose.
It is, of course, for individuals to decide whether or not to follow the Scottish Government’s advice on travel. However, in relation to Commonwealth selection, no Scottish Veteran will be penalised for missing the Guildford International.
We've drawn BVF’s attention to the Scottish Government’s position. BVF have already updated their selection policy in current circumstances.
UPDATED - SF guidance effective from December 26th 2021
Good afternoon everyone.
We have today published our revised guidance for Fencing based on the outcome of the First Minister’s update to parliament on Tuesday 21st December. The new changes come into effect from December 26th 2021 and will last for 3 weeks.
We expect a further update from Scottish Government on 11th January.
The news for adult fencing is that no adult indoor contact sport is permitted from the 3-week period from December 26th to January 15th (dates inclusive). This includes sparring with an adult or coaching an adult. Whilst this is extremely tough to swallow, it is not ambiguous however I accept it will provide challenges for club delivery to continue should clubs still wish to offer their U18 members the chance to continue their sporting journeys over the Christmas period and into the New Year.
However adults ARE permitted to conduct coaching activity with an Under-18 athlete. Please do read Section 47 of the SF Guidance (link is above)
If clubs have the opportunity or flexibility to conduct activity outdoor we ask that you conduct a risk assessment for the activity and pay particular attention to weather conditions on the day.
We understand this is not easy for every club to do. Winter conditions make it doubly difficult.
The Scottish Youth Championships are currently scheduled to take place on the weekend of 15/16 January - we wrote to entrants a couple of days ago and indicated we still expect to run this event although the Under 20 element of it may need to be moved to the Sunday or rescheduled altogether. As mentioned above, we expect a further update on Tuesday 11th January.
We will update everyone with any changes to SYC’s when we have further information.. Whilst it is primarily an U18 event, we do need adults for refereeing and critical volunteer roles so there are many factors to consider. Scottish Government and sportscotland have confirmed we are still able to use adult volunteers for event delivery which is of course welcome news.
When there is more information to share we will share it, in the meantime I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable christmas and I hope to see you in the New Year.
Vincent
Rankings - December 2021
Commonwealth Fencing Championships 2022
RANKING LISTS – DECEMBER 2021
These lists include current members of Scottish Fencing (ie those with valid memberships who have identified their nation as Scotland in their BF record) except those who have identified their nationality as other than British.
Senior Rankings are here (corrected 30 Dec 21); (original)
Cadet Rankings are here
Junior Rankings are here
Senior, Junior and Cadet selection will be published as soon as possible.
These lists may include fencers who are not eligible to be selected for Scotland because they do not hold a UK passport: it is a requirement of the Commonwealth Fencing Federation rules that Home Nations competitors hold a UK passport. The lists may also include fencers who do not wish to fence for Scotland.
If you fall into either of these two categories please notify Paul Vaughan, performance@scottish-fencing.com so we can remove your name. If you think you should be on the list, or that there are any errors, please also notify us.
The points totals are the best three results achieved since 1 September, taken from the BF Ranking lists published at the beginning of December. The Results columns gives the total number of scoring results recorded on the BF tables.
The lists will be updated as soon as possible after the BF lists are updated.
We would like to extend our thanks to Hugh Kernohan for his support in compiling the SF Rankings.
Paul Vaughan - Director of Performance
Updates to Scottish Fencing Guidance December 2021
Good afternoon everyone
Scottish Fencing has today received notification from sportscotland and the Scottish Government regarding changes to guidance for sport.
You can read the updated guidance here
As per the government briefing held today and contained within the guidance, there are opportunities to maintain fencing and indeed to go about your fencing activity as you have recently been doing.
However, the messages from government are clear around the requirement for everyone to minimise their physical contact with others unless absolutely necessary. For fencing in Scotland, this choice remains with members, clubs and facility providers.
As methods of good practice, we encourage every fencer to take a Lateral Flow Test prior to attending any club or fencing session. Some facility providers may ask for proof of the test or indeed for proof of vaccination which is their choice to request this.
We ask everyone to consider whether they should be mixing with other households at the moment. We know how much you love your fencing and staying active so if you are attending a session, please make sure you continue to clean your hands regularly, wear a face-mask at all times except during your fencing activity and take a Lateral Flow Test before leaving your home. (order Lateral Flow Tests here).
Clubs should continue to keep accurate records for Test and Protect. Covid Officers should also take this opportunity to review practices and perhaps consider the following –
can the club offer more space?
can the club improve ventilation?
Maintaining booking systems and attendance lists are also important elements in battling the virus and supporting any test and protect follow-ups. We know fencing clubs were excellent at maintaining these systems and we ask if you can, to keep maintaining them.
This is obviously a moving picture, and we will be here to answer questions until the 21 December when the office closes for the holiday. If there are any significant changes before the office returns on the 6 January we will endeavour to keep you informed. Meantime, please do take care of yourself, your club mates and those closest to you.
Vincent Bryson
CEO - Scottish Fencing
AGM Award Winners 2021
Scottish Clubs and fencers have shown their determination and resilience to work hard for the benefits of all despite the challenges that they have faced during these difficult times.
Parents, coaches, volunteers , fencers, Scottish Fencing and British Fencing staff worked together to support the aspirations and ambitions of those within our fencing community. The Scottish Fencing Awards shine a light in recognition of the effort and commitment demonstrated by members in their journey and development towards their goals.
This year we have seen some remarkable achievements from many individuals and clubs and on behalf of the members of Scottish Fencing and the board as President I would like to say congratulations.
The Crosnier Quaich Award for Performance
Jaimie Cook who’s outstanding achievements both at home and abroad are an inspiration to all our upcoming youth. Jaimie with the help of his club and supporting network is an example of what can be achieved.
(Picture credits Nikki Bruckner
The Crosnier Coaching Award
Kevin Milne who has demonstrated his commitment to help meet the inclusive needs of those in his community. Helping to reduce the barriers to participation and promote active lifestyle engagement through fencing.
The Sword of Merit Award
Moya Nelson, lead Coach of the Orkney Fencing Club for her dedication to the development of her own coaching skills and unwavering support of her club members needs despite the significant challenges faced by the clubs extreme northeasternly location.
As president of Scottish Fencing I would like to recognise all those nominated by our community. These are examples of what you can achieve through vision, commitment, service to the needs of others, resilience, hard work and above all effort to achieve personal accomplishment, community, physical , mental and emotional well being .
Stan Stoodley
President Scottish Fencing
Sword of Merit - 2021
These are the nominees for the Sword of Merit 2021. The Board look forward to announcing the winner at the AGM on the 13 December.
1.Georgina Usher
Georgina Usher (Salle Paul) for guiding British Fencing through the pandemic with grace and fortitude. She forged a path with little guidance from the British Government and worked collaboratively with Scottish Fencing to establish a close and mutually beneficial relationship. Add to that her outrageously successful fencing career and her spectacular recent return to the piste after a competitive absence of 7 years and I believe she is an extremely worthy nominee.
2. Forth Valley Fencing Club
I would like to nominate Forth Valley Fencing club for the following reasons Excellent coaching across all 3 weapons Great adult and junior coaching classes Listening to members and adjusting junior age classes for the youngest members to both have their own group and to mix with the older ones Being Covid secure with great ventilation in the Salle and online bookings to keep tabs on the numbers.
3. Moya Nelson
Moya has been involved with Orkney Fencing Club for many years, currently as lead Coach, Chair and Armourer. She is an inspiration and makes an outstanding contribution.
She ensures year-round fencing for members, supports those travelling to competitions and encourages coaches from the mainland to run summer camps.
Her greatest strength is her ability to organise, co-ordinate, support others and her enthusiasm for the sport.
Moya has embraced the learning available online. As part of the changing lives programme, shows her willingness to understand the future of community sport development, focused on the sustainability of Orkney FC.
4. Karen Grant
Over the last six years Karen has become spokesperson for the Scottish Vets when talking to SF and BVF. Supporting the maintenance of fencing as a life-long pursuit contributing to physical and mental health.
Many people want to compete and enjoy representing Scotland, less are willing to take on the work to make it happen, to be the front of the organisation. Karen has been willing to co-ordinate the team, handle the money, call the meetings, convey the decisions, deal with the occasional fall out, and fence. By acting as our ambassador, giving us a good reputation for fun, laughter, and efficiency she is an inspiration to us all.
In addition to volunteering in Scotland she is also Treasurer of EVF, contributing at an international level, supporting the development of veterans fencing world-wide.
5. West Lothian Fencing Club
WLFC is exemplary and deserves recognition for its significant contribution to fencing. This fairly new, three weapon club has a family feel and has fencers of all ages; it is inclusive, accommodating a wheelchair fencer and welcomes fencers/coaches from other clubs. WLFC is also the lowest priced fencing club in Scotland (fees were even suspended during lockdown). Collaborations with other clubs have helped members to upskill and network with the wider fencing community. The club also has a development squad of 10 young fencers who are starting to win medals and gain recognition. In summary, WLFC has made fencing accessible to low income families within the Central Belt of Scotland, as well as fencers with disabilities. We kept fencing during lockdown with Zoom sessions and then outdoor fencing when it was allowed which kept us all as one club and keeping up with our fencing skills.
Scottish Fencing Annual Report
Hello and thank you for taking the time to read and view our Annual Report, which aims to provide members in particular and any others who may be interested with an overview of the year’s activities.
You can view a brief video of this years accomplishments here
The beginning of this year saw a continuation of remote working for Board and staff teams and the imperatives of protecting all those in the fencing community meant that, in common with all other indoor sports in Scotland, fencing as we had come to know it over many years had not resumed. The Board and Staff Team used this time to strengthen links within the sport, and with other sports, disseminating changes to constraints on activities as these were directed, providing assurance of consistent understanding across the Scottish fencing community. When constraints – and weather – allowed, a number of clubs delivered training sessions outdoors and focus and ingenuity enabled the delivery of some training activities. Amazingly, during lockdown not one, but two new clubs were formed: one, Forth Valley Fencing Club, obtaining its own premises.
Then fencing resumed! This happened at different rates, for different age groups, but the desire to compete that had built over roughly eighteen months was released, with many Scottish fencers competing within Scotland, across the UK and overseas since they were able to do so, gaining many creditable results as they went. All may not have returned to what was once considered “normal”, but fencers were once more able to meet friends and adversaries and do what we all love. Importantly, Governments were articulating the importance of sport in improving both physical and mental health and aiding communities’ recovery from the effects of the pandemic and this approach will have significant impact over the coming years, providing the fencing community with challenges and opportunities to evolve.
On the Board, I judged the health of the organisation by the level of engagement in this spring’s election of Directors: three years earlier, there had been three candidates for three vacancies, this year, we had seven candidates for four vacancies and following the election welcomed Mhairi McLaughlin and Stan Stoodley to the Board. In September, we were pleased to welcome two new Independent Directors to the Board: Giles Lomax brings extensive experience which we hope to draw upon to strengthen SF’s coaching and athlete pathways; Jude Salmon has a strong interest in the wider social outcomes sport can offer and we aim to utilise this in strengthening links with the Active Schools network and reestablishing fencing in those areas of Scotland where its presence has declined.
This period has been particularly challenging for our Staff Team, working to maintain links with clubs whilst, like many others, working remotely. Liz Anderson has worked hard to support members throughout. Vincent Bryson has maintained a coherent team, cooperated extensively with other Sport Governing Bodies and chaired a body of his peers from across Scottish sports, working with sportscotland to ensure that the interests of sports and participants were communicated effectively to Scottish Government Ministers throughout. Finally, the indomitable Blair Cremin, having worked hard to develop talent-development pathways and nurture the person-centred approach to the development of young fencers in particular, left Scottish Fencing to assume a challenging and high-profile role at a professional football club with a strong community-development ethos. Congratulations, Blair! Thank you for all that you have done. However, sunshine always appears after a storm and we were very pleased to be able to welcome Clare Queen who joins us from Scottish Golf as Scottish Fencing’s first Head of Pathways and Community Change.
I would like to thank sportscotland and our Partnership Manager Barry Cook for the continuing support and continual engagement in improving how we work together. Finally, thanks to all fencers, coaches, parents, club committees and all our members for your enthusiasm and I look forward to seeing you on or by a piste soon.
George Liston
Chair
Special Correspondent (back from their sickbed) RoundUp 4/5 December
It has been a busy weekend of fencing spanning the continent as Scottish fencers put on their Great Britain patches to compete in FIE junior World Cups.
In Luxembourg, at the Epee World Cup, Isaac McKerr (Edinburgh Fencing Club) came through his poule with 3v 3d to be seeded 87th for the DEs.
He then won his L128 15-11 against the 44th seeded fencer to set up a L64 against Urban from Poland. In a close affair Isaac lost out 10-7 to finish the highest placed GB fencer in 60th. A very good result.
Rachael Lever also went 3v3d in her poules to be seeded 98th going into the DEs where she faced the 31st seeded Russian, Rustamova. Unfortunately Rachel lost out by the narrowest of margins 15-14 to finish 101st.
At the junior foil World Cup in Poland Jaimie Cook (Salle Holyrood), making his junior GB debut, and Joe Donaghue (Fencers Club London) took to the piste. Both eased through the poules, Jaime v5d1 and Joe v4d2.
Joe then narrowly lost out in the L128 15-12 to finish 90th.
Jaimie also lost out in the L128 to finish 68th.
In the team event Jaimie anchored GB to a L16 victory over the Ukraine 45-34, winning the final leg 11-2. In the L8 they came up just a little short against a strong Russia team losing 45-32 with Jaimie again anchoring. Next they faced Denmark where they lost by a
Single hit 45-44 before finishing their day with a match against Hungry which they narrowly lost 45-43 to finish 8th.
A Sabre Junior World Cup was taking place in Poland with Rory McLellan (Salle Ossian) fencing for GB. Rory was 1v5d in the poules and unfortunately missed the cut to finish 127th.
In the women’s event Charlotte Wilson-Smith went 2v4d in her poule this put her 106th which meant she just missed the cut for the DEs.
A legion of cadets made the trip south for foil BRC.
David Kelly (33), James Havard (38), Michael Ramage (39), Marco Scully (40) and Euan Drummond-Murray (41) all made the L64, while Merryn Ulferts-Kilpatrick (32), Lauren Byrne (20) reached the L32. All of these were part of the large Salle Holyrood team participating.
Imogen Cook (Salle Holyrood, 10th), Abigail McVinnie (Salle Holyrood 11th), Sophie Schofield (Forth Valley Fencing, 15th) and Lev-Jac Hu (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 16th) progressed as far as the L16.
Ann-Emma Hu (Edinburgh Fencing Club) just missed out on a bronze losing in the L8 to finish a very good 5th.
Nye Ulferts-Kilpatrick (Salle Holyrood) continued his impressive season by winning bronze. 4th seed out of the poules he stormed through his DEs before losing to eventual winner David Sosnov in the L4.
More Scottish epeeists headed south for the Elite Epee and u17 BRC events in Manchester.
In the u17 event Nathan Brown (Forth Valley Fencing) went out in the L64 to finish 38th. Haldane Falby (Forth Valley Fencing, 25th) and Lucas McKerr (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 26th) both reached the L32 before bowing out. Murdo Glen (Forth Valley Fencing, 12th) had a good day making the L16, while Adam Howie (Edinburgh Fencing Club) and Angus Scott (Forth Valley Fencing, 11th) met in an all Scottish L16 with Adam claiming a L8 place 15-11. In the L8 Adam lost out 15-7 to finish an excellent 7th.
In the women’s event Rachel Chalmers (Forth Valley Fencing, 39th) lost by a single hit 15-14 in the L64.
In the senior men’s event Calum Sutherland (Elgin Duelists, 9th) and Jonathan Woollard (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 11th) both reached the L16 in a strong field. Both fencers put out Scottish team mates on route Calum beating Jamie Firth (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 22ndT) and Jonathon beating Dylan Morrison (Edinburgh Fencing Club 20th). Also reaching the L32 ,were Alex Papadopoulos (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 17th) and Campbell Thomson (Brixton, 22ndT). Mark Lauchlan (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 36th), Hugh Kernohan (Salle Paul, 37th) and Jack Wilkie (Edinburgh Fencing Club, 57th) all bowed out in the L64.
Apologies if I have missed anyone and for missing a couple of weeks through illness. It was brilliant to see Calum and Georgina’s great form continue at the Welsh Open.
#ForgingTheFuture
Scottish Fencing Awards - 2021
Every year Scottish Fencing presents three awards:
· The Crosnier Quaich for Performance,
· The Crosnier Coaching Award, and
· The Sword of Merit which is to recognise and reward an individual, club or organisation that has inspired or excelled.
As part of Scottish Fencing’s new tradition of opening up the awards to public nominations and vote the Scottish Fencing members will decide the winners for the Crosnier Quaich Performance Award and the Crosnier Coaching award. The Board of Scottish Fencing will decide the winner of the Sword of Merit Award.
We will announce all the winners at the Scottish Fencing AGM on the December 13th. Use this link to find out more about the Scottish Fencing AGM.
You can read about the nominations below and use this link to vote for the award nominees.
Please note there is one vote per member and we will only count votes that have a valid membership number.
Voting closes at noon on December 10th.
Crosnier Quaich – Performance Award -2021
Whilst there have not been many competitions there have still been some outstanding results for Scottish fencers this year. Below are the 2021 nominees.
1. Calum Johnston
Calum Johnston (Edinburgh Fencing Club) for winning the British Senior Epee title for a third time. A record for a Scottish fencer I am told and the first person to do it since Jon Willis. It is incredible that he has never won this award before given we don’t have senior British Champions every year.
2. Jamie Cook.
Since competition started back in June Jaimie, aged 16, has consistently excelled in competition, reaching the finals of every event he has attended:
June: Fencer’s Club London Senior Open, 3rd
July: British Cadet Ranking Competition, London, 1st; British Junior Ranking Competition, 1st
August: British Cadet Ranking Competition, Herts, 1st; British Junior Ranking Competition, 1st
Sept: British Cadet National Championships, 2nd; British Junior National Champion
Oct: British Under 23 National Champion
Nov: British Senior National Championships, 2nd
Jaimie is currently No 1 in the GB Cadet and Junior Rankings and No 3 in the Under 23 Rankings.
Crosnier Coaching Award -2021
This award recognises the hard work our coaches do in our clubs developing the sport and bringing the fencing community together.
1.Alex McLeod
Alex McLeod (Dunedin Fencing Club) for having the courage to start an entirely new club from scratch in the middle of a pandemic and putting the changing lives agenda at the top of the clubs agenda. The club is a charity with hopeful mission (To build strong and resilient people through fencing), vision ( A club that invests in the physical and mental wellbeing of its fencers to develop people who are happy, healthy and active members of society.) and values (Physical & mental health, service to others, fencer-lead, openness & accessibility and true athletes). His is a template that all new fencing clubs should follow.
2. Moya Nelson
Moya is lead Coach of Orkney Fencing Club with members aged 10-62. It is a strong community club welcoming those who need additional facilities and help to enjoy fencing. The advent of the pandemic and lockdown was a blow to this small community.
Moya worked to mitigate this using zoom to run strength and conditioning sessions ensuring everyone knew the club would survive the pandemic. She ran a summer camp this year with mainland coaches and fencers to stoke people’s passion to return to fencing.
She has been on local radio encouraging people to join, running the adult beginners session. She has not been put off by the variability of the numbers who turn up, but keeps volunteering, offering people the ability to be all they can be, at whatever level.
3. Naomi Farmer
Naomi is one of our prominent female sabre coaches. She is a coach at Edinburgh Fencing Club where her focus is on introducing young people to sabre fencing, building their enthusiasm and skills.
She was selected to be a member of the coaching group that accompanied the Scottish Team to the 5 Nations in Dublin and has worked on the two Pathways Squads. Within these squads she has contributed to the ethos and positive energy around these groups. Making the online sessions enjoyable when Covid ended the in-person sessions. On her recent video as Lead Weapon Coach she explained her philosophy of train hard and believe in yourself on the day of every competition.
4. Kevin Milne.
Kev runs a fun, inclusive and affordable club of which my son and I are members. The club has always been really well-run but the efforts Kev has gone to during lockdown have really brought to the fore just how dedicated and pioneering he is. Kev kept us all training for free during lockdown over Zoom and as soon as it was safe to train outdoors, we were. Members from other clubs were able to train with us whilst their clubs remained closed and while restrictions allowed. Kev always strives to provide an excellent service for a low price to keep fencing affordable and be wholeheartedly deserves recognition for his achievements.
