IWFC and PFC will donate to the Red Cross and to the Humane Society Sunday evening to help with the recovery from Monday's tornadoes. Contributions can be made at club sessions Thursday and Sunday or you can contribute online by clicking here and using the Miscellaneous Payment button at the bottom of the page.

The new patches are here! (Same excellent design as before.) You can buy one at any club or class session for just $5. Ditto for the vinyl 'country oval' sticker (see image above). The patches are sewn on the non-weapon arm of your fencing jacket (or wherever you want on your fencing bag, book bag, etc.). The stickers are sun- and waterproof, perfect for those back windows! (And they're both primarily white, not gray. That's just how the photo came out.)

More fencing! The Poquoson club sessions are now two hours instead of just one! Club starts at 6:00 and runs through 8:00.  Remember, your IWFC dues also cover attending PFC practices so now's the time to play with the new kids on the block!

Four months for free! Join the US Fencing Association now and your membership will automatically be extended to the end of next season! That's right, instead of expiring at the end of this season, July 2008, your membership will not end until July 2009! You can join online at USFencing.org or you can pick up a membership form at any club or class session. There are competitive and non-competitive memberships available as well as family options. NOTE: The USFA has just reminded members that rates generally go up every four years and this is year four. So join (or renew) now before the rates go up!

• Do I have to join? Of course not! But your membership helps the national organization which trickles back down to help even small clubs like us.

• Okay, aside from a warm, fuzzy feeling, what do I get if I do join? Not that the warm fuzzies aren't reason enough, but you also get:

  • A subscription to American Fencing magazine, USFA's quarterly publication

  • Secondary medical/accident insurance covering all USFA sanctioned activities (contact the USFA National Office for policy specifics)

  • Voting privileges for members 18 and over as of February 1st of the membership year (and we have an election coming up)

  • Discounts on travel and fencing equipment

  • USFA membership card -- because it's just darned cool to whip it out 'by accident' to impress people! (Oh, and it's required to enter tournaments)

The next Poquoson classes have been scheduled as well. The next beginners and intermediate classes will start on July 13 and will be held at the Poquoson Primary School.

• The beginners class will be from 5:00 to 6:00 and will run ten weeks, ending on September 21. NOTE: The July 13 class will be from 4:00 to 6:00 to allow time for paperwork and equipment fitting.

• The intermediate class will be from 6:00 to 7:00 and will be eight weeks long, ending on September 7.

The calendar will be updated soon for the summer and fall months so keep an eye there to see the dates that will be skipped due to one holiday or another. Registration will be done via the Poquoson Parks and Rec department as always.

Fencing camps? Very possibly! Stay tuned, details will be posted as they're settled!

Want to be kept in the loop on club news, such as when the next class will be offered?  Click here to be added to our email list so you can be notified of when a new class is scheduled, as well as receive other club-related announcements.  (Addresses are used solely by the coach for this purpose.  They are not shared or made public in any way.)

Can I enter that tournament?  What equipment do I need?   Can I take pictures?  How do pool scoresheets work?  Answers to these questions and more can found here!  How to Go to a Fencing Tournament was written for both fencers and non-fencers.  Right-click on the link and choose 'Save Target As' or 'Save Link As' to download the .pdf file to your computer or left click the link to open it in your browser window. 

To our friends in the UK: Looking for the fencing club in the original Isle of Wight, the one that really is an isle and is located just off the coast of England?  Please visit the Solent Swords crew (and say 'hi' for us when you do!).  But of course, if you find yourself in southeastern Virginia, USA, feel free to stop by and say hi to us, too! 

Questions?  Comments?  Suggestions? Tell us!

This site was last updated on 4/30/08.

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