Formed in December 1995, the Red Deer Fencing Club gives Central Alberta athletes the opportunity to train and compete in the different styles of fencing.
Drawing members from around Central Alberta and as far away as Edmonton, the club is on the upswing, says club president Norm Wiebe.
“We have a lot of recreational fencers, probably I would say the majority, about 80 per cent of our club, is recreational so these fencers usually train once or twice a week.”
They’re developing skills, having fun, making friends and they are learning something that is a little unusual and kind of cool, says Wiebe.
“Typically age 10 is a good time to start fencing,” says Wiebe, “and we have a lot of kids in the 10, 11, 12 range — probably the under 13 segment of our club makes up the majority our club.”
About 80 per cent of the members of the club are recreational fencers.
The more advanced and competitive athletes in the club are also developing their skills and under the direction of new head coach Petar Toshkov, the club is on its way to being very competitive in the province and the nation.
Toshkov, a former Bulgarian national team member and Olympic athlete and coach, has joined the Red Deer club and is bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the club.
Wiebe hopes that will translate into developing more athletes who will go on to compete at the national level.
The club just finished its winter season and is now training in the gymnasium at Grandview Elementary School five days a week through to the end of June.
The fall training session will start up again in September.
Through the winter, the Red Deer club travels to several competitions and hosts their own competition in the spring.