The class will start on September 2. Contact us via the contact link above to reserve your spot.

It’s a 4 week class meeting Tuesdays from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM starting on 9/2. It is limited to 10 participants, and have 3 spaces available as of 8/18. The cost is $100 for the class, plus you’ll need to purchase a fencing glove and inner underarm protector for $25.

With Lydia moving onto college, we appear to have a new champion in the club! John Vivian, in his first competition since joining Dark Horse after moving from GA, won the E & Under foil competition at the Back to School Brawl. He walked away with a victory over 37 other fencers and a shiny new D rating. Breck O’Donnell also fenced in the E & Under. Breck and John both came out of the pools undefeated however Breck ran into a lefty in the DE that took him out, leaving him with a top half finish at 17th.

In the Y10 Foil competition, Kyle Raymond continued his streak of success by winning the competition. Kyle also fenced Y12 Foil, where he placed 6th, right behind Joseph Boudreau in 5th place.

In the C & Under epee Jim Mcmath finished well into the top half at 10th.

In the C & Under saber competition, Ethan Robertson finished 9th, Tom Lauzon finished 11th, and Greg Lauzon finished 13th.

Well done everybody!

The fall beginners class starts on Aug 6 and will meet Wednesdays from 6:30 - 7:30 for 8 weeks.  The cost of the class is $20 per person plus 2 months club membership ($40/mo individual - $80/mo family), plus approximately $30 per person for required safety equipment.

If you are interested in joining  the class please contact us to reserve your place in the class.

Results of the first week at US Summer Nationals:  Nicki “Flicka” Thornton fenced in three events –Womens’ Y-12 saber, Y-14 saber and Y-12 foil.  In the Y-12 saber event, she placed 25^th out of 45.  In the Y-14 saber event, she tied for 65^th place out of 80 fencers.  In the Y-12 foil, she placed 53^rd out of 100, just behind Simone Unwalla of Virginia Academy of Fencing, who came in 52^nd.   

Update from Coach Tom
Ron, Greg and I represented Dark Horse at the Sabre Team event in San Jose. We were seeded 25th out of 32 and went up against the 8th seed, a team from UCLA. I regret to report that we did not win, but we made a respectable showing losing 21 to 45. Greg turned out to be our star
for the day scoring 10 of our 21 points. Ron scored 5 and I scored 6.

Lydia Pappas won the Women’s Foil event.
Coach Ron Thornton won the Men’s Saber event. Greg Lauzon finished 5th, and Tom Lauzon finished 7th.

Yea Team!

Lefties Rule! That was a fact on this very hot and humid Saturday, 7 June, across all three events fenced in the “Road to San Jose Veterans Fencing Tournament”, held at the NTGOC. A left-handed foilist, epeeist and sabrist won each of the events. In the foil event, eight men and four women from across the region competed for the mounted Red Knight of Blenheim first place trophy. Mr. Dave Copeland, of Out-of-Nowhere fencing club and Mr. Dave Ando, of Chester Knights, officiated as the foil event referees. Representing DHFC in the foil event was Coach Ron Thornton, E-rated foilist. Coach Ron made it to the final round where he faced C-rated Mr. Dan Vunck, Richmond Fencing Club, for the prize. It was a closely fought battle, but left-hander Vunck prevailed. Coach Ron received the second place trophy.

As the foil event entered the semi-final round, the epee event began. But not before we announced that a catered lunch prepared by our own fabulous Coach/Chef Lincoln was ready. He elegantly prepared and served pork barbeque, beef brisket, and Mediterranean pita bread, assorted fruits and vegetables, and lots of delicious cakes, and of course energy drinks to the competitors and guests. It was fantastic, and he received rave reviews. Between bites, the epeeists became serious combatants once again.

Eight epee fencers, all men, fenced in one pool. Mr. Ando officiated, until the arrival of a third referee, Mr. Wayne McCulloch. Upon his arrival the fencers dual-stripped (fenced on either fencing strip II or III, as soon as their bout was called), which accelerated the otherwise slow event. Mr. Jim McMath was the sole representative of Dark Horse. The semi-final and final rounds were dominated by high-rated fencers (A and B-rated). Mr Kaz Campe, an A-rated epeeist, with the DC Fencers Club, faced off against Mr. Rinaldo Campana, a B-rated epeeist, with the National Institute of Health (NIH) fencing club. Mr. Kaz Campe, a lefty, prevailed to win the mounted Silver Knight of Blenheim trophy.

The saber event was the smallest event, with six competitors, including two from DHFC, Coach Ron and Coach George. Mr. McCulloch officiated. Coach George was eliminated by Mr. Don Malnati, NIH fencing club, in the semi-final round, but he won a third place trophy. Mr. Malnati, a lefty, then faced Coach Ron for the last mounted armored knight trophy. They exchanged touches, but in the end, Mr. Malnati was victorious to make it a clean sweep for left-handed fencers that day. Coach Ron, a righty, won the second place trophy. In summary, Dark Horse Fencing Club won three trophies, two second place and one third place trophy.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Coach Ron and Coach Lincoln for helping with the time-consuming preparations on Friday evening, and again to these fine gentlemen for their support throughout the tournament – but especially for the chef’s fantastic lunch as he sweltered in the 100+degree kitchen. A very special thank-you goes to Bryan Gomez-Wong, who worked an eight-hour shift, running the registration desk and computer system, and recording, printing and posting results.

Every competitor made glowing remarks about how much they enjoyed themselves. In the words of the Virginia Division’s Treasurer, Ms. Dorothy Carney, who served as bout committee chair for the tournament, “Thanks to Dark Horse Fencing Club for a great vet’s tournament today. The venue is lovely, the tournament was smooth, and the fencing (I can speak for foil, at least), was complex, collegial and completely enjoyable. The free gourmet food selection was exquisite. Fabulous job, guys!”

It’s our intention to host another Veteran’s tournament in November, either the 8th or 15th. Veterans (ages 40+) start now to plan out your training schedule so you peak in November.

(via Coach George)

The points are totaled and the results are in. The Dark Horse champions for the 07-08 fencing season are:

Foil: Lydia Pappas
Saber: Tom Lauzon
Epee: Danny Strock

The overall point leader was Nickki Thorton.

Well done all! With Lydia going off to college we are guaranteed a new foil champion next year.

Dark Horse is hosting The Road to San Jose on June 7th. It’s a Vets tournament. Register at Ask Fred.

The first place trophies:

pic050508_3.jpg

Originally uploaded by ChrisOD

The final bout in the annual Charles Ash Memorial Tournament featured Breck O’Donnell vs Eric Whalen-Kelly. Eric was the victor, defeating Breck 15-13 to take home the autographed foil.

Ethan

Originally uploaded by ChrisOD

Ethan won Spring Dragonslayer Saber competition. All those push ups courtesy of Coach Gregg are apparently working!