Ottawa Fencing

🇨🇦 July Newsletter

Happy Canada Day!

From everyone at Ottawa Fencing, we wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable Canada Day! We hope you have a wonderful summer filled with family, friends, and plenty of sunshine.

Summer Training Begins Monday, July 6

Our off-season training program begins Monday, July 6 and will run:

Monday: 6:00–9:00 PM

Wednesday: 6:00–9:00 PM

Thursday: 6:00–9:00 PM

Each training day will begin with conditioning or fencing-specific ABC work (Agility, Balance, and Coordination)from 6:00–7:00 PM, followed by fencing training.

Our strength and conditioning coach, Christie, will usually lead the Wednesday and Thursday 6:00–7:00 PM sessions. Occasionally, she will move one of those sessions to Monday from 6:00–7:00 PM, depending on her schedule.

These conditioning sessions are for everyone—competitive athletes, recreational fencers, and those simply looking to improve their athletic ability. Developing strength, agility, balance, coordination, and movement skills benefits every fencer, regardless of experience or competitive goals.

We encourage everyone to come out and put in the work during the summer months. Consistent off-season training is one of the best ways to prepare for a successful season while having fun with your teammates.

There is no additional charge for these sessions—they are included in your annual membership.

Private Lessons

Private lessons will continue throughout the summer.

If you would like to arrange lessons, please contact Paul to coordinate a schedule.

Lesson availability will be somewhat limited, as Phil is away for the summer and Ben is recovering from an accident. We appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility, and we expect to be able to accommodate everyone who is looking for lessons.

August High Performance Camp

There are only 4 spots remaining in our High Performance Camp, taking place August 17–21.

If you're interested in attending or would like more information, please contact Paul as soon as possible to reserve your spot.

Membership Payments

If you are on the monthly payment plan, please send your payment to:

[email protected]

If you paid by installments during the season, congratulations—you've completed your payments for the year! Your next payment will not be due until September.

Need Equipment?

If you are looking to purchase or replace fencing equipment before the new season, please contact Dan Gervais.

📧 [email protected]📞 613-794-7800

Dan carries a wide range of fencing equipment and can help ensure you have everything you need for the upcoming season.

Thank You for an Incredible Season

Congratulations to all of our athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and families who helped make the 2025–2026 seasonsuch a tremendous success.

The hard work, commitment, and positive club culture throughout the year led to outstanding performances and continued growth at every level of the club. Thank you to everyone who contributed to another memorable season.

We hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved summer while continuing to stay active, and we look forward to building on this year's success as we prepare for an even bigger and better 2026–2027 season.

Have a fantastic July, and we'll see you on the piste!

🇨🇦 Happy Canada Day! Bonne fête du Canada! 🍁

Aujourd’hui, nous célébrons notre pays, notre diversité et les communautés qui rendent le Canada si exceptionnel. À Ottawa Fencing, nous sommes fiers de rassembler des athlètes, entraîneurs, arbitres, bénévoles et familles de tous les horizons, unis par une passion commune pour l’escrime.

Today, we celebrate the people, values, and community that make Canada such a special place to call home. Together, we strive to build a welcoming, respectful, and supportive environment where every fencer has the opportunity to grow, challenge themselves, and succeed.

Nous vous souhaitons une magnifique journée remplie de fierté, de bonheur et de moments précieux en famille et entre amis. Happy Canada Day! Bonne fête du Canada!

❤️🤍 Proudly Canadian. Fierement canadien. Proudly Ottawa. Fièrement Ottawa. 🤍❤️

⚜️ Vive la francophonie! ⚜️

En cette Saint-Jean-Baptiste, we celebrate the language, culture, and traditions that enrich our communities and bring us together.

At Ottawa Fencing, nous sommes fiers d’évoluer dans un environnement bilingue où le français et l’anglais se côtoient chaque jour, sur et hors de la piste.

Bonne Saint-Jean-Baptiste à tous! Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day! 🎉

BilingualCommunity

☀️🤺 SUMMER FENCING IS ALMOST HERE! 🤺☀️

Ottawa Fencing is excited to launch our 2026 Summer Program!

This summer we are welcoming **Christie**, our new Strength & Conditioning Coach, who will be working with athletes on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6:00–7:00 PM. Her focus will be on developing agility, balance, coordination, core strength, and overall athleticism. Best of all, there is **no additional cost** for these sessions!

📅 **Summer Training Schedule (begins June 22, 2026)**

**Monday (6:00–9:00 PM)**
• Coach Ben Manano

**Wednesday (6:00–9:00 PM)**
• 6:00–7:00 PM Strength & Conditioning with Christie (starting July 8)
• Coach Jihad Kabbaj

**Thursday (6:00–9:00 PM)**
• 6:00–7:00 PM Strength & Conditioning with Christie (starting July 9)
• Coaches Ben Manano & Jihad Kabbaj

⚠️ Our final Saturday training session will be **June 20** before we transition to the summer schedule.

# # # Summer Focus

✅ Strength Development
✅ Athletic Movement Skills
✅ Physical Conditioning
✅ Technical Fundamentals
✅ Building a Strong Foundation for 2026–2027

We also encourage athletes to take a **2–3 week break** during the summer. Late June and early July are often ideal times to recharge physically and mentally. Our programming is designed so athletes can step away for vacations and return without missing a beat.

# # # Private Lessons

Summer is the best time to improve technique. Private lessons will focus on:
• Technical development
• Correcting fundamentals
• Building strong fencing habits
• Preparing for next season

Athletes who continue lessons throughout the summer often make some of their biggest technical gains.

# # # New & Recreational Fencers

We are also offering:

🤺 **Adult Fencing Program**
• 8-week program
• Wednesday evenings at Saint Paul University
• Coach Conor Power

🤺 **Introductory Fencing Mini-Sessions**
• Three separate 2-week sessions
• Tuesday evenings at TRYumph Gymnastics Academy
• Coach Conor Power

The mini-session format is perfect for fitting around summer holidays and vacations.

📍 Registration:
https://app.amilia.com/store/en/tryumph-gymnastics-academy/shop/programs/133117

# # # Summer Camps

From beginner to high-performance athletes, we have camps for everyone this summer!

☀️ Camp Information & Registration:
https://app.amilia.com/store/en/tryumph-gymnastics-academy/shop/programs/123899

Please help us spread the word by sharing with friends, family, coworkers, and anyone interested in trying fencing this summer.

We look forward to a fantastic summer of training and development!

🏆 Ontario Championships Recap – Ottawa Fencing Shows Incredible Depth and Dominance! 🏆
This year's Ontario Championships showcased the strength of Ottawa Fencing across every age category, from Under 9 through Veterans. Our athletes earned medals across multiple weapons and demonstrated the depth of our development pathway from beginner to high-performance and veteran competition.
🥇 GOLD MEDALS
• Thomas – Under 15 Men's Sabre
• Mason – Cadet Men's Foil
• Mason – Junior Men's Foil
• Sacha – Senior Men's Foil
• JC – Veteran 40 Men's Foil
🥈 SILVER MEDALS
• Sebastien – Under 13 Men's Foil
🥉 BRONZE MEDALS
• Alvin – Under 9 Men's Foil
• Eason – Under 15 Men's Foil
• Mason – Senior Men's Foil
• Richard – Veteran Men's Foil
• JC – Veteran Men's Foil
• Lucy – Senior Women's Sabre
• Charlotte – Cadet Women's Épée
⭐ Youth Championship Highlights
⚔️ Under 9 Men's Foil
• Alvin – Bronze Medal
⚔️ Under 11 Men's Foil
• Ethan – 9th
• Alvin – 18th
⚔️ Under 11 Women's Foil
• Emerson – 16th
• Lorian – 18th
⚔️ Under 13 Men's Foil
• Sebastien – Silver Medal
• Thor – 10th
⚔️ Under 13 Women's Foil
• Emily – 11th
• Talia – 14th
• Evelyn – 22nd
• Emerson – 30th
⚔️ Under 13 Men's Sabre
• Leo – 10th
⚔️ Under 15 Men's Foil
• Eason – Bronze Medal
• Sebastien – 5th
• Thor – 14th
⚔️ Under 15 Women's Foil
• Emily – 6th
• Tina – 18th
• Talia – 23rd
⚔️ Under 15 Men's Sabre
• Thomas – Gold Medal
• Leo – 12th
⭐ Cadet, Junior, Senior and Veteran Highlights
⚔️ Men's Foil
• Mason – Gold Medal (Cadet)
• Keith – 9th (Cadet)
• Eason – 13th (Cadet)
• Alex – 17th (Cadet)
• Liam – 20th (Cadet)
• Mason – Gold Medal (Junior)
• Eason – 13th (Junior)
• Keith – 14th (Junior)
• Sacha – Gold Medal (Senior)
• Mason – Bronze Medal (Senior)
• Eason – 15th (Senior)
• JC – 22nd (Senior)
• JC – Gold Medal (Vet 40)
• Richard – Bronze Medal (Veteran)
• JC – Bronze Medal (Veteran)
⚔️ Women's Foil
• Charlotte – 6th (Cadet)
• Evelyn – 10th (Cadet)
• Charlotte – 9th (Junior)
• Evelyn – 11th (Junior)
⚔️ Women's Sabre
• Lucy – Bronze Medal (Senior)
• Lucy – 8th (Junior)
⚔️ Épée
• Charlotte – Bronze Medal (Cadet Women's Épée)
• Dorian – 13th (Cadet Men's Épée)
• Charlotte – 7th (Junior Women's Épée)
• Dorian – 14th (Junior Men's Épée)
• Sandra – 25th (Senior Women's Épée)
• Richard – 15th (Veteran Men's Épée)
• Richard – 7th (Veteran 50 Men's Épée)
• Sandra – 12th (Veteran Women's Épée)
• Sandra – 10th (Veteran 50 Women's Épée)
What stands out most is Ottawa Fencing's strength across every stage of athlete development. From our youngest fencers competing in Under 9 and Under 11 events to provincial champions in Cadet, Junior, Senior, and Veteran categories, Ottawa Fencing athletes consistently demonstrated that our program continues to produce some of Ontario's strongest competitors.
Congratulations to all athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers, and families who contributed to this outstanding championship weekend. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment continue to build one of the strongest fencing communities in Canada.
🔴⚪ One Club. One Team. Ottawa Fencing. ⚪🔴

# OTTAWA FENCING NEWSLETTER

# # June 2026

# # IMPORTANT: ACCOUNT AND PAYMENT REMINDER

As we approach the end of the fencing season, this is a friendly reminder to ensure that all membership fees, lesson fees, competition coaching fees, and outstanding balances are up to date.

If you are unsure of your account status or have any questions regarding payments, please contact us directly.

Thank you for your continued support of Ottawa Fencing and for helping us provide quality programming for all of our athletes.

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# # Armband Test Date Change

Please note that the upcoming Armband Test has been moved from **Saturday, June 13** to **Saturday, June 20, 2026**.

**Location**
Laframboise Hall – Lower Level Gymnasium
Saint Paul University
233 Main Street, Ottawa

**Schedule**

**Yellow, Green and Blue Armband Tests**
2:00 PM (Close of Registration)

**Orange Armband Test**
3:30 PM (Close of Registration)

There is no pre-registration required. Parents are welcome to stay and watch. Fencers must be dressed in proper fencing attire (no shorts permitted).

For complete information, visit:
**armband.ottawafencing.ca**

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# # # A Fantastic Championship Season

As we move into the summer months, I would like to congratulate all of our athletes, coaches, officials, referees, and families on an outstanding championship season. Over the past several weeks, Ottawa Fencing athletes have represented our club with pride at the Ontario Youth Provincial Championships, the Quebec Provincial Championships, and the Canadian National Championships.

The commitment shown by our athletes throughout the year continues to produce excellent results and, more importantly, continued growth as fencers and people. These accomplishments are the result of countless hours of training, support from families, and the dedication of our coaching staff and volunteers.

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# # Ontario Youth Provincial Championships Highlights

Ottawa Fencing athletes delivered several outstanding performances at the Ontario Youth Provincial Championships.

Congratulations to our medalists:

🥇 **Thomas** – Gold Medal, U15 Men's Sabre Provincial Champion

🥈 **Sebastian** – Silver Medal, U13 Men's Foil

🥉 **Eason** – Bronze Medal, U15 Men's Foil

🥉 **Alvin** – Bronze Medal, U9 Men's Foil

These results reflect the hard work and perseverance our athletes have demonstrated throughout the season. We are incredibly proud of all athletes who represented Ottawa Fencing at the championships.

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# # Quebec Provincial Championships

Ottawa Fencing athletes continued their strong performances at the Quebec Provincial Championships, earning numerous medals and top-eight finishes.

Special congratulations to:

🥇 **Ethan** – U11 Men's Foil Provincial Champion

🥇 **Emily** – U13 Women's Foil Provincial Champion

🥇 **Armand** – U13 Men's Sabre Division 2 Provincial Champion

🥇 **Sébastien** – U13 Men's Foil Provincial Champion

🥇 **Sébastien** – U15 Men's Foil Provincial Champion

🥈 **Talia** – U13 Women's Foil

🥈 **Lorian** – U11 Women's Foil

🥉 **Eason** – U15 Men's Foil

🥉 **Eason** – Cadet Men's Foil

🥉 **Alvin** – U11 Men's Foil

These performances demonstrate the continued strength and depth of Ottawa Fencing's developmental programs and the bright future ahead for our athletes.

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# # Canadian National Championships

The Canadian National Championships once again showcased the best fencing talent in the country. Ottawa Fencing athletes competed with determination and professionalism against Canada's top competitors.

# # # National Championship Medalists

🥉 **Amina** – Bronze Medal, U13 Women's Épée

🥉 **Mason** – Bronze Medal, Cadet Men's Foil

🥉 **Amelie** – Bronze Medal, Veteran Women's Foil

🥉 **JC** – Bronze Medal, Veteran Men's Foil

Congratulations to these athletes on reaching the national podium and representing Ottawa Fencing at the highest level of competition in Canada.

We would also like to congratulate all Ottawa Fencing athletes who qualified for and competed at the National Championships. Representing your province and club on the national stage is a tremendous achievement and an important milestone in an athlete's development.

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# # Coach Development

Good luck to all Ottawa Fencing coaches who are continuing their professional development through the Ontario Fencing Association Coach Development Clinics being held in both Toronto and Ottawa this month.

Coach education is an important part of building a strong fencing community and ensuring our athletes receive the highest quality instruction possible. We are proud to see so many of our coaches pursuing Community Instructor, Instructor Beginner, and Competition Introduction certifications.

Thank you for your commitment to lifelong learning and athlete development. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this training will have throughout our programs.

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# # Summer Camps Are Almost Here!

# # # Fencing Development Camp

Designed specifically for Learn to Train and instructional fencers looking to develop their skills and prepare for their next Armband level.

Camp participants will focus on:

• Technical skill development

• Footwork and bladework fundamentals

• Tactical awareness

• Physical literacy and athletic development

• Preparation for Yellow, Orange, and Green Armband evaluations

The week will conclude with an official Armband Evaluation, providing athletes with the opportunity to earn their next level and celebrate their progress.

This camp is open to both Ottawa Fencing members and athletes from other clubs.

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# # # Ottawa Fencing High Performance Summer Camp

# # # August 17–21, 2026

Ottawa Fencing is proud to host our annual High Performance Summer Camp featuring:

**Paul ApSimon**
Head Coach, Ottawa Fencing

**Benjamin Manano**
Competitive Coach, Ottawa Fencing

**Gábor Fekete**
Special Guest Coach from Hungary

Coach Fekete brings over 23 years of international coaching experience, including work as Hungary's National Cadet and Junior Coach and current Head Coach at Ferencvárosi Torna Club.

The camp is open to competitive fencers in all weapons and will focus on:

• Tactical development

• Advanced footwork and bladework

• Competition preparation

• Structured bouting

• Small group lessons

• Strength, mobility, and athletic development

Registrations continue to arrive from both Ottawa Fencing athletes and fencers from across Canada. Spaces remain limited.

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# # Looking Ahead

June marks the conclusion of another successful competitive season. This year Ottawa Fencing athletes earned provincial and national medals across multiple age groups and weapons, from our youngest developmental athletes through to our veteran competitors.

These achievements are a testament to the commitment of our athletes, the support of our families, and the dedication of our coaches and volunteers. Success in fencing is never the result of one individual—it is built by an entire community working together.

As we move into the summer training season, we encourage all athletes to continue setting goals, embracing challenges, and taking advantage of the many development opportunities available through our camps and programs.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to another outstanding season at Ottawa Fencing.

We look forward to seeing everyone on the piste this summer.

**Paul ApSimon**
Head Coach
Ottawa Fencing

🌐 [www.ottawafencing.ca](http://www.ottawafencing.ca)

⏰ REGISTRATION DEADLINE THIS SUNDAY! ⏰

Planning to compete at the 2026 Ontario Provincial Championships for Cadet, Junior, Senior, Veteran, or Para Fencing?

Make sure you are registered before Sunday, May 31 at 11:59 PM. Late fees apply after the registration deadline. (Ontario Fencing Association)

📍 Canada Games Park, Thorold, Ontario
📅 June 6–7, 2026

This is your chance to compete for an Ontario Provincial Championship title and finish the season strong!

Don’t wait until the last minute—secure your spot today.

🔗 Registration and event details:
https://fencingontario.ca/event/ofa-cadet-jun-sen-vet-para-championships-25-26/

JuniorFencing SeniorFencing VeteranFencing ParaFencing RoadToThePodium

Ottawa Fencing May Update: What's New? - http://eepurl.com/1h1FgnKaB-/

🇨🇦 Canadian Championships – Day 4 Update 🇨🇦

Another strong day for Ottawa Fencing at the Canadian Championships!

🥉 Mason fought to a Bronze Medal in Cadet Men’s Foil with an excellent performance and a hard-fought day of fencing.

👏 Emily finished 7th in Under 13 Women’s Foil, showing tremendous determination and composure throughout the event.

👏 Serene placed 10th in Senior Women’s Foil in a very competitive field.

After four days of competition, Ottawa Fencing athletes have continued to demonstrate outstanding effort, resilience, and competitive spirit on the national stage.

Championship highlights so far:
🥉 4 Bronze Medals
🔥 8 Top 8 Finishes
⚔️ Strong performances across youth, cadet, junior, senior, and veteran events
💪 Countless hard-fought bouts and valuable competitive experience

A huge congratulations to all of our athletes, coaches, and families for the dedication, preparation, and support throughout the championships. Thank you to everyone who helped make this week a success both on and off the piste.

Go Ottawa Fencing!