Archive for June, 2011

We will be closed for the 4th of July this weekend.  July 1-4 is yours to spend how you will.  We expect you back at the club starting on July 5.  Unless you’re in Reno at Summer Nationals/NAC-F.

Over 50 fencers came to Salle Mauro this past week to train with some of the world’s top men’s and women’s foilists and coaches in preparation for Summer Nationals/NAC-F. Training strategies, tactical bouting, one-on-one work, and situational games helped hone the minds and bodies for their final push.

The camp was headlined by Italian Men’s Foil team members Giorgio Avola and Valerio Aspromonte and French Women’s Foil team members Corinne Maitrejean and Astrid Guyart. Also joining us were Martin Bundschuh, member of the bronze medal German Junior Men’s Foil Team, and Greg Birck, silver medalist in the French Cadet Mere’s Foil Championship. These fencers trained with us and also worked extensively with our youth fencers to show them the steps necessary to achieve their full potential.

Coaches Mauro Hamza, Director of Foil, USA Fencing, and Edouard Dumont, a French national coach, led additional coaches in giving lessons to students, leading training exercises, and giving strategic and tactical advice.

Thanks to all our participants, and especially our guests, Astrid, Corrine, Edouard, Giorgio, Greg, Martin, and Valerio.

Via! Via! Via!

Extended galleries of the camp can be seen here, here, here, and here.

A video of the camp is up here.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Chinese Men’s Foil Team has withdrawn from Camp Victory this year while at Havana. Despite having finalized their travel arrangements and housing for the camp and a strong national camp with our team, their government decided they would return to China to rest for the Asian Games. We want all fencers to know we take our responsibility to the fencers coming to our camp seriously and have scrambled to bring in other world class fencers to work with you.

Joining us now from Italy are World #11 Giorgio Avola and World #8 Valerio Aspromonte. Giorgio took silver in this season’s Paris World Cup and has top 8 finishes in Venice and St. Petersburg. He just placed 10th in Havana Valerio won this season’s Venice World Cup and placed second in the European Championships. He just placed 5th in Havana. Together they helped the Italian team to Men’s Foil gold in 2009 and silver in 2010 at the World Championships, as well as the current #1 world ranking. Both are excited to be working at this camp with Coach Mauro.

From France we are joined by French Women’s National Team members Corinne Maitrejean and Astrid Guyart. Corinne placed 7th at the 2008 Olympic Games, 6th at the 2009 World Championships, and is currently 6th in the world.  She recently placed 3rd at the Seoul Grand Prix.  Astrid is currently 14th in the world and won the Mediterranean Games in 2005 and placed 8th at the 2009 World Championships.  She recently placed 3rd at the Shanghai World Cup and is the reigning French national champion.

Also joining us will be Martin Bundschuh of Germany and Gregoir Birck of France.  Martin is a veteran of 2010′s Camp Victory and placed 29th at the 2010 Junior World Championships.  Gregoir placed 2nd at the 2010 French Cadet National Championship.

Although the Chinese withdrawal disappoints us, we are very excited by our new line-up and think these new fencers will bring a high level to the camp.

Our coaching staff will consist of Coach Mauro Hamza, Director of Men’s and Women’s USA Foil; Edouard Dumont of Paris, long-time friend to this camp and coach of several French Cadet and Junior national champions; and Daniel Gorman, long time Salle Mauro coach.

During the summer, our adult classes will undergo a couple of changes.

The Daytime class on Tuesdays and Fridays will move to 2:00-3:00pm through August 14.  Starting August 15, we will return to our previous time of 1:00-2:00pm.

Our open adult fencing on Wednesdays will move to Thursdays for the same time frame.

We hope to see everyone working hard this summer.  Come enjoy our new and improved AC.