If you're using a phone browser to view the results, use this link

If you're using a phone browser to view the results, use this link

Fencing North Committee Meeting – 27^th May 2019

Meeting Opened: 7:10pm

Present: David Elder, Amanda Hopkins, Katie Logan, Mary Black, Murray McGuire-Barnes, Matt Houtman.

Confirmation of the Previous Minutes: Katie moved that the minutes of the April meeting be accepted. David seconded. All in favour.

Matters Arising: As discussed last meeting, proposed changes to the wording of the School/Club affiliation tiers have been drafted, but not yet put to the FeNZ board.
  Murray rose some privacy issues with clubs releasing member information to Fencing North for affiliation collection. Amanda will look into drafting a privacy policy for Fencing North and Fencing New Zealand following the regulations of the privacy act.
  The banners mentioned at previous meetings have been completed and will be displayed at future North fencing competitions.

Health and Safety: There were two incidents at North competitions in the previous month. During setup, a piste trolley tipped over onto a fencer’s leg and caused an ankle injury; David will look into getting the trolleys redesigned so that they are less prone to tipping. Another fencer suffered a twisted ankle on the concrete floor of the Genesis Lounge. Fencing North acknowledged that this different surface might caused difficultie, but also that it is normal practice for major competitions to fence on a concrete based; the organisers will monitor the situation to understand whether the surface is appropriate for our needs.

Treasurer’s Report: Amanda presented the Treasurer’s Report, noting that we are in better financial health following the successful tournaments this month. Mary seconded her report. Motion carried.

Payments: The executive signed off reimbursement for a number of expenses incurred by David on behalf of Fencing North in the previous month, to a value of c. $1000.
  Amanda proposed the Fencing North write off a number of petty expenses both owing to and owed by the society from the previous year. David seconded. All in favour.

Competitions: There will be three competitions in the upcoming month: the Secondary School Teams events – foil on the 8^th-9^th, sabre and epee on the 16^th – and the third Secondary School individual competition on the 29^th.

Venue for June 16^th: Due to an event at Trusts Arena on the 16^th of June, we will not be able to use the main gym for the Sabre and Epee team event. Trusts has offered to facilitate finding an alternative venue; David will work with them to achieve this.

Naming of Tournaments: This year there has been confusion about the names of some tournaments – in particular, those named ‘Foil’, ‘Epee’ or ‘Sabre’ when they are in fact open for all three weapons. David proposed that we advertise these tournaments without the specific weapon in their names in future. Murray seconded. All in favour.

Large and Small Competitions: Following discussions after the previous Secondary School competition, the committee discussed how to implement better practices for running large competitions. The committee also discussed how to increase participation in the smaller open competitions.

Affiliations: David reported that a large number of fencers have competed in tournaments without being affiliated to Fencing New Zealand. In future Fencing North will enforce affiliation more strictly at competitions.

Tournament Sub-Committee: Katie proposed that Maja Saran be appointed to the tournament sub-committee. Amanda seconded. All in favour.

National Secondary School Teams: Fencing North will be holding the National Secondary Schools event in September this year. The teams event of this competition caused a lot of difficulty last year when the regions had to select regional teams on short notice. Katie suggested that the format of this competition should be discussed and set soon to avoid similar issues this year.
  David proposed that we put together a subcommittee for organising this tournament, comprised of himself as Chair, Katie, Murray and whoever else thye should invite. Katie seconded. Motion carried.

FeNZ News: David reported the news from FeNZ:
  A new automatic email address, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., has been set up to direct people to clubs and the Fencing New Zealand website. It will be advertised on Fencing North’s new banners.
  Nour Malak from North has been selected to compete at Asian Champs. Best of luck to Nour.
  FeNZ has put together a sub-committee to investigate a complaint laid against a coach. Fencing North would like to take the opportunity to remind all of our coaches that they are expected to behave with appropriate conduct at all times.

Other Business:

Fencing North Survey: Fencing North has commissioned a survey for members so that we can configure our goals for the short to mid-term future.

Fencing North Subscription: Our Fencing Time licence is up for renewal. The committee discussed whether it would be useful to purchase a server connection for simultaneous access on multiple computers; David will inquire about what is done at larger national competitions.

President’s DFA: David proposed that he be granted Delegated Financial Authority to spend up to $1000 without committee approval for this year. Katie seconded. Motion carried.

Gear Borrowing: Mary suggested that we come up with a centralised way of tracking borrowed Fencing North equipment. Katie will look into a solution for this.

Meeting Closed: 9:06pm.  

Fencing North Meeting – 29^th April 2019

Meeting Opened: 7:13pm

Present: David Elder, Amanda Hopkins, Katie Logan, Vicky Fan, Neil Young, Mary Black, Kyle Nankivell, Matt Houtman, Judit Fliszar, Ryan Yan, Sunnie Sun, Murray McGuire-Barnes, Matt Stanley.

Confirmation of the Previous Minutes: David moved that the minutes for March be accepted. Neil seconded. Motion carried.

Matters Arising: The committee discussed the new affiliation tiers which were mentioned at the previous meeting and have recently been placed on the FeNZ website. Judit pointed out that the wording of the new tiers is very confusing and off-putting, especially to new fencers and parents; David agreed to raise this issue at the upcoming FeNZ meeting.
  In the previous meeting the committee had discussed referee per diems. David had raised this at the following FeNZ meeting and confirmed that Fencing North could not offer more than the official FeNZ rate of $50 per diem.
  Murray noted that insufficient equipment had again been a problem for some schools at the recent secondary schools competitions. David agreed to email schools in advance of the next competition and remind them of their gear requirements.
  David mentioned that he had made an error in the distribution of FIE gear to clubs, and may need to recall some equipment to rectify this.

Health and Safety: Neil reported that he had not received notice of any incidents this month.
  The committee discussed ways of making large competitions safer. Judit suggested that we could invite any spectators with medical expertise to make themselves known to tournament organisers. Ryan presented some diagram of piste setup which would provide more space for fencers and referees. These will be trialed at upcoming competitions.

Treasurer’s Report: Amanda gave the treasurer’s report. She reported that the society was in better financial health with competition fees coming in, although referee per diems have not yet been paid. Katie moved that her report be accepted. Vicky seconded. Motion carried.

Payments: Some payments are outstanding to David Elder for expenses related to moving equipment from Massey to Trusts Arena. Fencing North thanks David, Katie, Jess Gracie and David’s family for their help with the move.

Competitions: Fencing North has three competitions in the upcoming month: Larsen Foil on the 11^th, Secondary School Individuals #2 on the 18^th, and Fenton Epee on the 25^th.

Tournament Sub-committee: Katie moved that Ainslie McGuire-Barnes be appointed to the tournament sub-committee for this year. Amanda seconded. Motion carried.

Referee Sub-committee: Mary moved that Ryan be appointed to the referee sub-committee. Amanda seconded. Motion carried.

FeNZ News: David reported news from FeNZ:

• Steve Clark is beginning to organise a national high performance development programme.
• Although the FeNZ insurance currently does not include clubs, Richard Johnston is looking to arrange a special deal for affiliated clubs with our provider, Marsh.
• The feedback that Fencing North received about the recent National Under-20s event was passed on the FeNZ. It was acknowledged that the repechage format was poorly organised and communicated. However, since this format provides more fencing to competitors and will be used at Asian Champs there is a desire to implement repechage in national competitions going forward.
• FeNZ voted to end the trial of high-performing female fencers being permitted to enter men’s national events.

Other Business:

Training Camps: Two coaches have approached Fencing North about organising training camps this year. There is also some interest in coach training. The committee agreed to support any proposed camps.

Meeting Closed: 9:05pm.

If you're using a phone browser to view the results, use this link

[/pb_text][/pb_column][/pb_row]

Fencing North Committee Meeting – 25^th March 2019

Meeting Opened: 7:08pm

Present: David Elder, Amanda Hopkins, Katie Logan, Murray McGuire-Barnes, Sunny Sun, Nour Malak, Kyle Nankivell, Neil Young, Vicky Fan.

Confirmation of the Previous Minutes: Katie proposed that the previous minutes be accepted. David seconded. Motion carried.

Matters Arising: David reported that the pricing for the new membership tiers discussed in the previous meeting has been altered, as some regions are constitutionally required to charge a regional levy to all members. Therefore, the FeNZ fees for the beginner and social membership tiers have been waived so that regions can charge their own fees if necessary. Fencing North’s affiliation levy will remain at $0 for all membership tiers for 2019.
  The record of the FeNZ strategy meeting will be circulated to all members in the near future.
  There has been some progress in recruiting volunteers for tournament assistance, coaching coordination and publicity/marketing.

Health and Safety: Neil and Vicky reported an incident from the North U17s competition: one epee competitor’s mask flew off when it was struck by the opponent, due to incorrect tongue configuration and a fatigued elastic strap. There were no injuries, but the committee considered this a serious safety risk. In future tournament organisers will emphasise the importance of safe and functional equipment at competitions and ensure that all referees check competitors’ masks before the bout begins.
  It was also observed that occasionally basketballs would roll across the pistes during fencing due to the shared nature of the Trusts Arena. David will attempt to move as many competitions as possible to enclosed courts.

Treasurer’s Report: Amanda gave the Treasurer’s report. The accounts are currently missing information on competition receipts and payments; the officers will attempt to fill in missing figures before the following meeting. Neil seconded Amanda’s report. Motion carried.

Payments: Fencing North has received its first invoice from Trusts, which will be paid in arrears. Hall hire is still owed to Auckland Grammar, who have not yet invoiced us.

Competitions: The following month sees the beginning of our Secondary Schools Circuit, with SS Beginners on April 6^th and SS Individuals #1 on April 13^th.

Referee per diems/incentives: Neil reported that referees have been somewhat discontent about the per diem rate for competitions, and that there has been general confusion about how much and when they will be paid. The committee discussed the issue and concluded that it was necessary to sort out the books before setting a new rate for referees. David will raise the issue at the next FeNZ meeting to ensure consistency throughout the country.

FeNZ News: The FeNZ AGM was held on March 17^th. Congratulations to Alice Boyd, who was elected to the FeNZ board.
  In late 2018 FeNZ received a package of beginner fencing gear from FIE. David is arranging distribution of the equipment to clubs throughout the North region.
  The National U20s championship was held recently, on the 23-24^th of March in Christchurch. Nour reported that she received some complaints from youth fencers about the competition, particularly surrounding the repechage format. Although they appreciated getting more fencing time, there was lack of communication surrounding the format, which led to confusion and extremely long periods of waiting for no clear reason. David will will discuss this feedback with FeNZ and Fencing North will take it on board for future competitions.

Other Business:

Training Camps: David reported that some coaches have approached him about obtaining Fencing North support for training camps. The committee agreed that Fencing North would be happy to either run or facilitate such camps.

Marketing Banners: David presented some concepts for marketing banners to the committee. These banners would be displayed at the Trusts Arena reception full-time and could be borrowed by clubs for promotional exercises.

Competition Results: Neil, on behalf of Kyle MacDonald, noted that results for the last several competitions are not yet online. Katie will attempt to rectify this issue as soon as possible.

Competition Equipment: Murray commented that issues had arisen at the previous competition due to insufficient and faulty school equipment. Schools and clubs will be advised of the gear requirements for competitions and reminded to check their equipment before sending fencers to compete.

Meeting Closed: 9:00pm.

If you're using a phone browser to view the results, use this link

[/pb_text][/pb_column][/pb_row]

If you're using a phone browser to view the results, use this link

[/pb_text][/pb_column][/pb_row]

Fencing needs you!

To help grow our wonderful sport, we need referees who understand the game - who know the rules and are comfortable to make the call. Therefore, we are holding a referee development course on the 16th-17th of March!

This course is designed for beginner referees who are experienced fencers, or referees with some experience who want to know more. Topics will include: Positioning, hand signals, penalties, gravitas, confidence, weapon testing at the piste, piste management, safety, filling out a score sheet correctly.

There will be a class session on the 16th from 1-5pm. The format will include both discussion and practical assessment, with fencers handy to allow you to practice your skills and get feedback on the day. Attendees will also get a chance to referee the following day at the North U17 competition. There your practical skills will be assessed and feedback given.

Hosted by Neil Young, Laura Harvey and Jess Gundry - a great group of experienced referees giving you the knowledge you need - and it's FREE!

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - spaces are limited.

Venue is Trusts Arena - upstairs in the Heron Coaches Lounge (turn right out of the elevator).