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Fencing:=20 Start of new season=20

The first=20 week of September heralded the start of the new = fencing=20 season 2006/2007 at the St. Paul Fencing Club.=20

The committee and members are gearing up = for the=20 eventful months ahead and planning to improve = upon the=20 success achieved during the previous months. A = full=20 training programme has been designed for all the = club=20 members in preparation for the forthcoming = competitive=20 events at both club and national level. The = first club=20 competitions for the U-10, U-13, U-16, novice = and senior=20 categories have been scheduled for the last week = of=20 October.

Norman Martinez, the club=92s = top fencer,=20 will once again be leading the senior men=92s = team as well=20 as coaching and promoting Epee (one of the = fencing=20 =91weapons=92).

Norman, who is the = current national=20 champion (2005/06) at both Foil and Epee, also = took gold=20 in the foil category at the Malta Open in June = 2006.=20

The senior men=92s team is also = strengthened by=20 the presence and perseverance of the = long-standing=20 members Alex Micallef, Alex Mallia, John = Delicata, John=20 Sammut and Marcus Muscat Baron. Susan Ronald = will be=20 setting the standards in ladies fencing after = making it=20 a double yet again in 2006 by winning the = national=20 championships in both weapons.

Following = hot on=20 her heels for the honours this year are Petra = Ellul=20 Mercer, Christine Borg Bonaci, Anya Soldotova, = Rebecca=20 Thomas and Petra Kogelnig, together with a = dedicated=20 group of novices and youngsters showing constant = improvement.

In the male grouping, Pierre = Bianchi=20 is the foremost junior challenging the senior=20 categories, along with Kurt Mifsud, Paul Borg = and Andre=20 Zahra =96 all vying for higher placings this = year. This=20 August, Pierre led an SPFC group comprising Kurt = Mifsud,=20 Luke Valletta and Mark Borg to a ten-day = training camp=20 in Hungary, where all four left a very positive=20 impression of the level of fencing in Malta.=20

Another club member, Chris Zarkov, = participated=20 in an intensive three-day coaching seminar in = Bulgaria=20 with the scope of further exchanges between = fencers from=20 the two countries.

During the months of = September=20 and October the SPFC will be organising = beginners=92=20 courses for children and adults. These courses = are=20 designed to promote fitness as well as learning = the=20 basic skills of the sport.

Another = aspect of the=20 courses is the appreciation of the art, history = and=20 technique of swordplay which augments the course = material and can also be useful for all stage = and film=20 enthusiasts. All courses lead to certification = by a=20 qualified coach.

The SPFC is a member of = the=20 National Fencing Association =96 Malta which in = turn is=20 affiliated to the European and World Fencing=20 Confederations.

The SPFC is at the = moment=20 receiving applications from children and adults = who wish=20 to try out this activity. For further = information the=20 SPFC may be contacted on 21486841 or=20 = 79994622.