Hello Everybody! Guess what… It’s my birthday! I, Ally Daily, have made it another year around the sun. So today in honor of me (Haha!) I thought we could use this blog to focus on my favorite activity at camp… FENCING!
Fencing was first brought to Camp Foley by Rivers Patout, with the only equipment being 2 sabers and 2 masks, not even a jacket! In 1961, with the donation of used fencing equipment from the Notre Dame fencing coach, Walter Langford, the fencing program really took off.
LARP Fencing, or live-action role play fencing, was introduced by Yours Truly in 2014, which mixed fantasy storytelling with the sport of fencing. This activity had the campers roaming around the grounds of Camp Foley slaying dragons, rescuing villagers, and journeying to far off places only real
in our imaginations. It included campers creating alternate identities and choosing a special magical power that could be used during their battles. Campers stayed in character and made decisions and acted scenes along with duel and group fencing matches
Like in the Olympics, Camp Foley offers three types of Fencing, epee, saber, and foil. Each weapon had distinct rules and target areas. Epee is the biggest sword and has the largest target area. You can hit your opponent with the tip of the blade anywhere on the body and it counts as a point.
A saber is the second-largest weapon and looks the most like a rapier or pirates sword. It’s special because you can use not only the point of the sword to score but also the blade! The target area for a saber is from the waist up.
Foil is the third weapon we have here at Foley, and it is definitely the most prominent. The foil weapon is the smallest of the three and has the smallest target area. In what I like to call the life jacket area, a point can only be scored in foil fencing in the chest and back of the fencer. So if you’re keeping up, that means arms, legs, and your head DO NOT count and are in fact off target. All three ribbon awards a camper can earn at camp are in Foil fencing, the novice, basic, and advanced. The basic and advanced awards is on the path to a camper achieving their silver and gold paddle awards as well.
To keep it straight…
Foil, for those fencers too lazy to protect the other 2/3s of their body.
Epee, for those fencers who are too lazy to follow any rules,
And Sabre, for those fencers who just don’t get the point.
hehe Get it?
Exciting news for 2020 regarding this awesome activity… WE GOT NEW SWORDS! That’s right people! This summer joining the collection are two new weapons. A Sabre and an Epee! This particularly exciting because it brings the total number of epees and saber up to an even number allowing more duels to happen in one
class period! Get ready for Epee and Sabre fencing classes in 2020!!
Fencing has been a part of Camp Foley since 1959 before girls even starting coming. It was introduced at Camp Foley by Rivers Patout. They started with only 2 sabres and 2 masks, not even a jacket! It wasn’t until 1961, with the donation of used fencing equipment from the Notre Dame fencing coach, Walter Langford, that fencing really took off.
Fencing is a wonderful part of Camp Foley and was my favorite activity to teach. I’m so lucky I discovered this sport as a camper and now can call my self a fencer in my own right. And I’m so proud of all the fencers I’ve trained over the years, and the many more
fencers yet to come. On Guard, Fencers Ready? FENCE!