Ann Arbor/ Plymouth Michigan fencing clubs

[french grip foilist]

So, I am going up to michigan for them summer and I am planning on bringing my fencing gear up there, and I would like to know some of your recommendations for a fencing club in or around the ann arbor or plymouth area, particularly a foil club if you can find one. I did a search on google beacause the usfa website wouldnt load for me and I only found two clubs in that area, one of them seems to be really in to medieval combat and not so much into competitive foil and the other one I know nothing about because there website was down. So just please give me a few names and numbers, and hopefully Ill be seeing you in your club around late june early july.

[KidLazy]

Ann Arbor Dueling Society, Underground Fencing Organization, and Schoolcraft College are nearby. Renaissance Fencing Club is a bit far but very good foil fencing there.

[kuroutesshin]

I fence with a small club Marshall/Battle Creek, which is roughly 45 minutes away. If you'd ever like to fence, PM me. Other than that, UFO/ Salle d'Etroit is close by in Livonia and hosts a great number of tournaments. I would assume the UM team practices with the AADS folks over the summer, but being a Spartan myself I couldn't say for sure.

As I understand it, Renaissance is moving around, so the address may not be correct. I fence with Tri-Blade in the summer, when I'm away from school.

ANN ARBOR DUELING SOCIETY
C/O BILL EMERSON
49450 CROSS ST
BELLEVILLE, MI 48111
Phone:
Fax:
www.aaduelist.org
emerson1@msu.edu

RENAISSANCE FENCING INC.
C/O STANNA STONER
MAILING ADDRESS:
3172 MERRILL AVE #102
ROYAL OAK, MI 48073
PRACTICE ADDRESS:
LIFE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
3193 ROCHESTER ROAD
TROY, MI
Phone: 248-930-0747
Fax:
www.renaissancefencing.com
renfencing@earthlink.net

UNDERGROUND FENCING ORGANIZATION
36745 AMRHEIN RD
LIVONIA, MI 48150
Phone:
Fax:
http://www.undergroundfencing.org
underground.fencing@att.net

TRI-BLADE OF BATTLE CREEK
C/O CRAIG SMITH
9550 ELWOOD
BATTLE CREEK, MI 49014
Phone: 269-274-6278

ericmyst1@yahoo.com
tribladeacademy@gmail.com

[magius39]

I fence all around michigan and if your after quality competitive foil fencing go to RFC. Mondays are good, thursdays are OK as well.
Epee - go to UFO on thursdays/tuesdays.

Hope to see you at some tournaments later in the summer.

Never been to AADS, but I know some good fencers who live around there and you could get in touch with or carpool over to RFC or UFO with.

[garyhayenga]

As I understand it, Renaissance is moving around, so the address may not be correct.

The address for Renaissance is currently correct. They meet Mondays and Thursdays, though they are also apparently open on Tuesdays now as well, I don't know what kind of turnout they get then.

The Ann Arbor Dueling Society meets at the Ann Arbor YMCA on Thursday nights from 8:00 - 10:00. Some of the UofM fencers sometimes show up there. I'm not sure if any of them are planning on doing so this summer.

I'm not sure when the foilists show up at Salle d'Etroit in Livonia, Tuesdays perhaps.

What level of foilist are you?

[french grip foilist]

I am currently a D but I am fening at well above C level and I probably should be a C but I took a couple month hiatus. But my coach said I could be a B after state games if I place well, and depending on who shows up

[garyhayenga]

I am currently a D but I am fening at well above C level and I probably should be a C but I took a couple month hiatus. But my coach said I could be a B after state games if I place well, and depending on who shows up

Then you might want to travel over to Renaissance, which is admittedly a hike, but that's where the higher level foil fencers in the area fence. It takes me about an hour to get there from Ann Arbor.

gary hayenga

[kuroutesshin]

You're moving to a very epee-heavy state. Epee has the most fencers, then foil, and sabre lags behind in a hemhorraging third- it's a rare event when someone wins a rating in sabre.

UFO hosts Sunday Singles in all three weapons, as well as a few multi-weapon tournaments. WMFA doesn't hold many tournaments (two a year, I think) but their foilists and competition are top-notch (they should be, having a Nemecek to coach). I can't say how often GLSC hosts foil events- Dan and Kim Rahl are both primarily epeeists, and the Schmitter Open is an epee-only event.

Good luck finding some good foil tournaments!

[KidLazy]

You're moving to a very epee-heavy state. Epee has the most fencers, then foil, and sabre lags behind in a hemhorraging third- it's a rare event when someone wins a rating in sabre.

Having the most, not necessarily make it "heavy." In my opinion Michigan is very foil-heavy with people like gary, mike, jon, sam, ann, justin, and so on.

[kuroutesshin]

Having the most, not necessarily make it "heavy." In my opinion Michigan is very foil-heavy with people like gary, mike, jon, sam, ann, justin, and so on.

Isn't that what heavy usually means? There are excellent high-level foilists, sabreists, and epeeists on all counts, but the numbers just aren't there. I can name six talented epeeists and sabreists as well- the point being that it's harder to get a large number of foils or sabres into one place to have a good show.

Sure, you might run into those folks at a tournament- but we can't get to every one every week.

To get back on track- good luck in your club search. There are some great clubs and great fencers in Michigan. We're a fun bunch.

[garyhayenga]

Isn't that what heavy usually means? There are excellent high-level foilists, sabreists, and epeeists on all counts, but the numbers just aren't there. I can name six talented epeeists and sabreists as well- the point being that it's harder to get a large number of foils or sabres into one place to have a good show.

Sure, you might run into those folks at a tournament- but we can't get to every one every week.

To get back on track- good luck in your club search. There are some great clubs and great fencers in Michigan. We're a fun bunch.

We have six talented sabrists in Michigan??? Where are they hiding? I can only think of *one*.

This is thread drift of course. French Grip Foilist is clearly not interested in the epee or sabre.

But what I think KidLazy is referring to is that of the fencers in Michigan who have gotten Senior points in the NAC's in the last five years (and several of them were making finals), they are almost all foil fencers. And no that doesn't include me, I haven't had Senior points since 2001 (Veteran's points don't count).

I think there is only one epee fencer who's still in Michigan who has gotten Senior points in the last five years, and that's Zingerman from Israel who's at Wayne State.

gary hayenga

[KidLazy]

I can name six talented epeeists and sabreists

What!? There are!? Six each!? Really!?

as well- the point being that it's harder to get a large number of foils or sabres into one place to have a good show.

Again, having a large number is not necessarily mean it will "have a good show." For example, a 500 people D&U tournament is hard to win, but a very small 5 fencers tournament consists of only world cup winners will be 1,000,000 times harder to win and what a great show that will be.

[LordShout]

If you're going to do foil in SE Michigan RFC is the place to go. UFO does get a few foilists in the E-C range midweek, somewhat more relaxed foil then RFC for sure.