Hello Fencing Fans!

The school year may have started but that doesn't mean it's too late to come out and give fencing a try. Come by gym 1 (the basement) of IM West any day Monday through Thursday at 8:00 pm and we would love to get you introduced to the team and this excellent sport. Just remember, wear work out clothes and shoes you can run in.

In other news! Coming up on October 8th, we will be hosting our very own individuals fencing tournament. This means that if you are, or know of, a fencer who is registered with USFA and would like to compete against us and other regional fencers you simply need to preregister with askfred.net. Walk-ins are also welcome but the tournament fee will be greater for those who did not preregister. Of course, we would love to have some spectators as well! If you're not really into the sport itself but you would like to see what all the fuss is about, come check us out! More information about the tournament will be coming later.

Go Green!

Hey There Spartan Fencing Community!

We are busy gearing up for the beginning of the school year and the start of the collegiate fencing season. If you are currently a student or going to be a student or if you are a faculty member at MSU you are invited to join the MSU Fencing Club, no prior experience necessary! We will have a booth at Sparticipation and will have several sets of club members giving fencing demonstrations in the surrounding area. Feel free to approach any of us and ask questions!

Sparticipation will take place this year on Tuesday, August 30th from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. It will be the main event of several activities known as “Spartan Spectacular”, all of which will be held on or around Munn Field. Munn Field is located north of Shaw Lane between Birch Road and Chestnut Road near Breslin Center. Spartan Spectacular includes: Sparticipation‘11/Fall Welcome Cookout/Spartan Spirit/ Fireworks Finale! All are encouraged to stay around and enjoy any and all events.

For those of you that are unable to come to Sparticipation, we are starting practice the next day, Wednesday the 31st, in the basement of IM West from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Wear athletic clothing and shoes that you can run in. We will provide all equipment necessary for you to explore the fantastic sport of fencing.

Thanks Folks and we hope to see you all there!

Come join one of the top collegiate clubs in the nation and learn how to fence!

We will be offering group beginner lessons for the first several weeks of spring semester 2011. Newcomers will be taught basic footwork and blade work, and then be integrated into regular practice with the weapon squad of their choice. We will provide all the equipment - just wear athletic clothes (and bring your student ID).

First practice will be Monday, January 10th in the basement gym of IM West. Tentative start time is 9:00 PM. Feel free to check out the rest of the site for more information, or email fencing@msu.edu if you have questions.

Hope to see you there! GO GREEN!

Hello again, online MSU fencing community! We at the university fencing club have some exciting news for you!

On November 21st at IM West we will be holding the first annual Michigan State vs. University of Michigan head to head tournament!

The event will consist of two primary portions; a traditional three-fencer team event beginning at 10:30 AM consisting of all of our veteran fencers, and an individual event following that for all of the newcomers between our universities that didn't compete in the team event!

Both events will have all three weapon categories represented, and it's sure to be an exciting matchup! Individual awards will be handed out to the Most Valuable Men's/Women's rookie fencers on both sides, as well as an overall team champion!

You won't get a better opportunity to see what a real fencing tournament is like. Come out and support the team! We hope to see you all there! GO GREEN!

I'm here to tell you about the outstanding results posted by your Spartan fencers over the prior few weeks at Chicago and Ohio state!

Despite some struggles on the Men's side of the strip at the university of Chicago, the team posted competitive results, ending the day 4-1 overall, topping Illinois, Indiana, case western and Iowa, losing only to the host school Chicago. Leading the charge were rookie foilist Nate Wilson for Men's foil and rock solid competitor and team captain Harriet McTigue in the Women's Saber category.

Two weeks later on this past Sunday, the team traveled to do battle in Columbus Ohio. Despite a significantly less experienced lineup, the Spartan fencers improved their results from the weeks past and posted an impressive 7-3 overall record, dropping only to Purdue, Indiana and the Ohio state University. Standout performances came from the entire Men's foil lineup as they battled to an 8-2 record on the day, including a dramatic upset over the Ohio State. The lady Spartan épée squad posted similarly impressive results, matching the 8-2 record of Men's Foil on the day.

Overall, an excellent start to the semester. Keep it up, Spartans! GO GREEN!

Hello again online MSU Fencing community!

With the start of a new school year comes another competitive season for the team. So we're looking to start our practices early and often, and hoping you'll come and join us!

Never fenced before? No problem! Last year, 78% of our traveling team had no experience fencing prior to coming to MSU, with a number of members competing in their first year! A squad of fencers that still ended up as the #3 collegiate fencing club in the country!

So come and see how much fencing at MSU is. Our first practice is at September 1st at 8:00 PM in the basement of IM West. You can also find us at Sparticipation at our booth or fencing on the grass.

Don't worry about equipment! We can provide all the gear you'll need (Just bring workout clothes, shoes and your student ID for building admission).

If you have any other questions, look around the website or watch our recruitment video here. Of course, feel free to shoot an email to our Club President, Shaina Selbig at fencing@msu.edu. We hope to see you at practice! GO GREEN

Hello again online MSU fencing community!

Well our fencing year has concluded with the academic year, and in preparation of our next season we've elected some new officers! So, without further ado, here are your officers for the 2010-11 fencing season!

Congratulations to all of our officers! We look forward to your assistance in guiding the team through another successful competitive season.

As a closing note, All fencers in the East Lansing area should be aware of our Summer Practice Schedule. We're currently slated to practice from 7-9 PM in the usual spot, the basement of IM West. Current members and those interested in learning about fencing alike are welcome to join us!

Any other updates to the summer schedule will be posted here. In the meantime, we hope you have a great summer and look forward to getting back to work in the fall. Go Green!

Hello again online Spartan fencing community! It's time for one last post-tournament rundown, and we couldn't have asked for a better one to close the season on.

Last weekend the MSU fencing team got up at five in the morning, jumped on a bus with the University of Michigan and got on the road to the east coast, ending up in Swarthmore Pennsylvania with 38 other teams for this years annual Club Fencing Championships!

The first day saw the team weather a grueling schedule, with individual squads facing off against up to 13 different opponents in the day in a best of three bouts matchup. The team wasted no time in securing seeds near the top of the pack, with Womens Saber clinching the first overall seed and other squads like mens foil not far behind, sitting on the days end.

Still, the best was yet to come. Day two saw a resurgence from the Womens epee squad, as they surged to finish 5th place overall with especially brilliant performances coming from Erin VonKronenberger. All three squads from the mens team cracked the top 16, including an impressive upset from the Mens epee squad over the Army team, owing to some excellent bouts from Chris Walsh and Steve Moyers.

Despite losing a second day opening round against Chicago by one touch, the Mens foil squad still managed to lead the mens team with a 10th place finish. Standout performances came from Jake Rathbun, the only male spartan fencer to qualify for the individual tournament, with several of his teammates on all of the squads falling short by mere touches. the Mens saber squad followed a very similar path to their 11th place finish, suffering a disappointing first time loss to Northwestern University but rebounded and thrashed their opponents until the final touch of the day.

Womens foil struggled the most of the MSU squads, suffering from injury and fielding a squad that had absolutely no prior experience in the club championships. Despite these setbacks they rallied behind squad captain and president Shaina Selbig, refusing to give up and contributing to the tremendous womens team success overall.

But no stars shone brighter than those on the MSU Womens saber squad. Both team captain Meg Holt and freshman phenom Harriet Mctigue earned berths into the individual portion of the tournament, both finishing in the top 8 of all the competitors in the tournament. Mctigue missed winning the individual tournament outright by a single touch, but still helped an equally productive teammate Katie Friederichs seal the deal in the team saber portion of the tournament, taking home 1st place for MSU.

At the end of the day, the MSU team found itself in a familiar position; the winners circle. The combined efforts of the team saw the Womens team take 2nd overall in the country behind only Florida, with the help of the mens team we ended up taking third place overall! Not only did the MSU team improve upon their fourth place finish from last year, but they did it despite losing over half of the travel squad from the previous year to graduation.

On the whole, it is impossible to be disappointed with the results this team has earned through the year, and with a majority of the team returning for more in the fall it's in the cards for the team to make an even bigger splash competitively next year. To all that have supported us in our endeavors and helped make this experience possible, we sincerely thank you. It's been a truly delightful year to be a Spartan fencer. Go Green!