Illinois Division

The Illinois Division of USA Fencing has three missions:
*To promote the sport of fencing in Illinois
*To sanction official USA Fencing local competitions
*To assist member clubs in the Illinois Division

Thursday, July 20, 2023

 

2023-2024 Illinois Division Competition Schedule

Here is the Illinois Division 2023-2024 Competition Schedule!

This schedule of events was formed at the Illinois Division Annual Meeting on July 23, 2023. Look for more local tournaments to be added as the season goes on. It includes local events as well as all North American Cups, Summer Nationals, and all the SYC, RYC, RJCC events that are scheduled in our region. GLHSFC High School events are noted for reference and are based only on past seasons' dates, and the NCAA events are not known at this time. Please consult your high school coaches for official GLHSFC info.

Be sure to check askfred.net for registration details on local tournaments. Regional and National events, along deadlines, etc. are posted on the USAFencing.org Tournament Browser.

See you on the strip!

Monday, July 17, 2023

Joy! The Annual Meeting of the Illinois Division has been created on Zoom! If you are an Illinois Division member of USA Fencing we welcome you to participate! It's Sunday July 23 at 2pm. We will elect officers and discuss business related to the Division. At the end, the tournament hosts will propose dates for the new season's local tournaments. You can join via the following link. There will be a waiting room so that all entrants can be validated prior to entrance.

Click here to join the Zoom meeting!

Here's a link to the agenda!

Here's a link to the new bylaws we'll vote on!

Here's a link to the Competition Schedule we'll be working on!

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

2022-2023 Illinois Division Competition Schedule

Here is the Illinois Division 2022-2023 Competition Schedule!

This is the schedule of events that was formed at the Illinois Division Annual Meeting on July 24, 2022. In addition to local events held by clubs, it includes all North American Cups, Summer Nationals, and all the SYC, RYC, RJCC events that are scheduled in our region. GLHSFC High School events are noted for reference, but the NCAA events are not known at this time. We will update this spreadsheet as more details are known.

Be sure to check askfred.net for registration details on local tournaments. Regional and National events, along with Covid protocols, deadlines, etc. are posted on the USAFencing.org Tournament Browser.

See you on the strip!

Monday, July 18, 2022

Illinois Division Annual Meeting

The Division's annual meeting will be held on Zoom again this year.

Here is the info. Upon entering the Meeting ID and Passcode in Zoom, you will be admitted to the waiting room. Each participant will be admitted from the waiting room individually once verified.
Topic: USA Fencing Illinois Division Annual Meeting
Time: Sunday July 24, 2022 11:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 243 867 6800
Passcode: 519026

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

USA Fencing Cancellation Policy Reminder

Greetings, it’s Meredith Delgado. You know me as a bout committee chair both here in Illinois and at Regional and National events I want to remind all of you about the National Withdrawal policy as we head to Minneapolis this weekend. 


In June 2021 a policy was put into place that requires a fencer who knows they will not be competing in their National events to notify USA Fencing of their withdrawal the day prior to their event no later than 5 pm (tournament time zone). Failure to notify them could result in a fine of $250 and suspension of membership until it is paid. 


The notification is simple. It’s as easy as sending an email to withdrawals@usafencing.org.  Include the fencers name, their event(s) and their membership number.  Include a brief description of your reasoning for withdrawal.


It is also important to notify USA Fencing immediately if you need to withdraw the day of your event.  Send the email as soon as you know you are not fencing.  


If you are in the venue and become ill or injured make sure to go to Sports Medicine and have the appropriate paperwork completed.  If your event is starting immediately you or someone should notify the tournament bout committee chair right away so they know you are having your paperwork completed.  With later starts it’s best to visit both Sports Medicine and the Bout Committee Chair. 


It is always best to send your email immediately to USA Fencing as per above once you know you are not going to fence, for whatever reason.  I can’t promise you won’t get the fine, but communication is key to this policy.  


Thursday, October 7, 2021

Coming Soon - Referee Clinics featuring Fernando Delgado and Sean Shumate

The Illinois Division is sponsoring two remarkable seminar opportunities in November.

Do you watch fencing and sometimes feel confused by or disagree with the referee's calls?

Are you a fencer yourself who wishes to understand the rules more deeply so you can improve your game?

Certified Referee Instructors
Fernando Delgado and Sean Shumate
Are you someone who has enjoyed the thrill of competition and now wants to give back to the fencing community?

Are you already a referee who needs to attend a seminar to remain current?

If you are reading this, it is very likely that you would benefit from and ENJOY attending one of our upcoming referee clinics, which are absolutely FREE to Illinois Division members of USA Fencing.

The clinics will both be held in vibrant fencing clubs in the Chicago area. The first is scheduled for November 7th at the Bronzeville Fencing Academy and will feature Fernando Delgado, an experienced foil, epee, and saber fencer, referee, and coach. Fernando Delgado is a 25 year USA Fencing ranked national referee and local organizer of regional, national, and Saber World Cups. If you wish to be evaluated for a referee rating after attending, you can do so the following Saturday. You can learn more about this clinic and preregister on askfred by clicking here.

The second clinic will be held at Fencing Center of Chicago on November 14th. It will be conducted by Sean Shumate, whose extensive credentials include: He's an international referee rated B by the FIE in epee and saber; he was a referee at the London, Rio, and Tokyo Paralympic games; and he has been a referee at NCAA Championships. Mr. Shumate is a current member of the USA Fencing Referee Commission focusing on Referee Development and is on the Domestic Assigning Committee. He's also been spotted coordinating referees at NACs. Learn more and preregister here.

Join the fun. Come to a clinic. Take the exam. Get observed. Wear the blue blazer! 
Or... just come to learn and enjoy the company.

If you'd like to know more about becoming a USA Fencing referee, click here, where you'll also find links to the official rule book and study guide.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Illinois Fencer Named National Champion

August 31, 2021

Judith "Jude" Offerle has returned home to Illinois as National Champion in Veteran 70 Women's Foil, having won GOLD at the USA Fencing Veteran National Championships in Atlanta over the weekend. Offerle has earned a berth on the World Team for the 16th time in foil and for the 4th time in saber, having also placed 6th in Vet 70 Women's Saber at the tournament.

Ms. Offerle began her fencing journey one half-century ago in 1971 at the University of Notre Dame, fencing for the legendary Coach Michael DeCicco, a long ago inductee into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame. Women could only fence foil then. Notre Dame won the women's team event in the 1974 Collegiate Midwest regionals, the precursor to the NCAA regionals. However, women were not invited to the NCAAs for another 6 years.

Jude currently fences at RedStar Fencing Club Chicago and is coached by Peter Habala. She has fenced and earned medals all over the world, including an individual bronze in saber and a team gold at the Veteran World Championships in France in 2015. When she is not fencing, you may see Ms. Offerle sporting a navy blazer as a national referee. 

While living in New York Ms. Offerle was an officer of the Westchester/Rockland Division for more than a decade through the 1980s. Her coach in New York was another USA Fencing Hall of Famer, Allan Kwartler. She took a pause in competition when she moved to the Chicago area in 1992, but resumed when her son began fencing for New Trier High School and Notre Dame.

Congratulations on becoming National Champion, Jude, and thank you for all you've contributed to the sport of fencing in Illinois and beyond!

Breaking- The FIE Veteran World Championships were to be held in Daytona Beach, Florida in October 2021, but the status of the tournament is uncertain at this time. An announcement was made this week postponing the event due to travel restrictions presented by Covid-19 that make it difficult or impossible for fencers from around the world to enter the United States.