It’s official….we have moved to our new home!  The DFA/My Gym move was successfully accomplished during the holiday break.  We are in a brand new building in a brand new space!  We are north of Walmart and right at the Monterey freeway on and off ramps.  We are on Dinah Shore Drive, bounded by Monterey and Portola.

Our address is 73-760 Dinah Shore Drive, Suite 103D, Palm Desert, CA, 92211.  You can’t miss it, the big, blue My Gym sign is right above our entry door and, yes, DFA now has it’s very own front door!

We’ll have a few items to shake out, but that will all happen as we start to settle into our new space.  It is much more streamlined and modern and we have lots of windows!

DFA will re-open on Tuesday, January 3.  I’m looking forward to welcoming our fencers, and parents, to our new club home.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

January 7, 2012, 3-weapon tournament at Hemet High School.  Close of check-in 9:00 a.m. saber, 10:00 a.m. foil and 12 noon epee.  Please pre-register on AskFred.net.

February 4, 2012, 3-weapon tournament at College of the Desert.  Same schedule as above.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous new year, and blissful fencing.

Leslie Taft,

The Fencing Coach

NEWSY DFA NEWS:

Well, we’re all moved in to our new location.  Spent the Christmas vacation moving and just settling in.  First folks to come and have a look were Claudia Bueermann and her mom, Laura.  First student to get a lesson in the new place, Lorenzo Servitje.  First student to forget we moved and drive to the “old” location was Seth Howell.  Too much fun!!

COMPETITION NEWS:

Our division qualifier for Summer Nationals will be held at Hemet High School on Saturday, March 24, 2012.  Summer Nationals will be held in Anaheim this year!  More information can be found at www.usfencing.org.  I suggest that if your fencer would be interested in competing in a national championship, here’s the chance in our own backyard!  Come to the qualifier at Hemet, qualify and then head to Nationals!  It is such a wonderful experience and so rarely held in an area close to us.  Summer Nationals will be June 29-July 8, 2012, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

DFA CLUB NEWS:

GOLLY AND WOW…DFA celebrates its 9th anniversary this February!  Wow, 9 years in business teaching fencing!  Wow!  Thank you for making it possible!  Come by on Saturday, February 25, from noon to 2:00 p.m., cake, refreshments, reminisce, fencing.

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

February 4, 2012, 3-weapon tournament at College of the Desert.  Close of check-in 9:00 a.m. saber, 10:00 a.m. foil and 12 noon epee.  Please pre-register on AskFred.net.

March 24, 2012, Division qualifier at Hemet High School for Summer Nationals.  Schedule will be posted to AskFred.net.  Please pre-register.

Have a great February, wonderful Valentine’s Day and as always, blissful fencing.

Leslie Taft

The Fencing Coach

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

December 3, 2011, 3-weapon tournament at College of the Desert.  Close of check-in 9:00 a.m. sabre, 10:00 a.m. foil and 12 noon epee.  Please pre-register on AskFred.net.

January 7, 2012, 3-weapon tournament at Hemet High School.  Same schedule as above.

NEWSY NEWS:

We have had an international flavor at the club this month.  We have Aaron Villasenor, member of the Mexican National Team, currently in residence with us, fencing saber, foil and epee.  He is presently pursuing his U.S. immigration status.

We also had Donna Vakalis, member of the Canadian Pentathlon Team, working out with our epee fencers.  What great fun for our fencers to have such good visiting fencers to work out with!

DFA HOLIDAY SCHEDULE:

Regular fencing schedule December 1-23.  DFA will close Saturday, December 24 and re-open Monday, January 2.

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed Hanukkah and Christmas and, as always, blissful fencing.

Leslie Taft

The Fencing Coach

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

November 6, 2011, J.O. Quals to be held at College of the Desert.

Close of check-in times have been posted to AskFred.net.  Please pre-register.

December 3, 2011, 3-weapon tournament at College of the Desert 

Close of check-in 9:00 a.m. sabre, 10:00 a.m. foil and 12 noon epee.  Please pre-register on AskFred.net.

NEWSY NEWS:

We had an exciting October.  We participated in the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade.  The theme was “Circus Carnival”.  We decorated the cart with a clown face and a big top on the roof of the cart.  BIG thanks go to Mark Johnson, who built the frame for the big top and Diane Whan who did all the cart decorations.

The kids wore their fencing uniform with big clown ties and had red clown noses on their masks.  Our “clowns” included:  John Phillips, Ellis DeVoe, Danny King, Nick Richardson, Chandler Pollett, Claudia Bueermann, Arturo Perez-Hunt, Chris Espejo, Sara Rosenblum, Devin Shaw, Isobelle Mendoza and Angel Garcia.

Our other adventure of the month was our trip to the Marine Base at 29 Palms.  Dr. Col. Joyce Teters invited me to again come and participate in their Health & Fitness day.  Lucky for me this trip, and for the Marines, I had three DFA helpers with me:  Seth Howell, Ellis DeVoe and Arturo-Perez Hunt (R2).

We were with the Marines from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  We all took various groups of Marines, gave them an introduction lesson and let them spar.  All total, we worked with about seventy-five Marines!

But the prize of the day went to R2.  At one point, R2 had lined up in front of him, at attention, seven Marines!  I think he was the shortest drill instructor they ever had!  And they certainly remained at attention and did everything R2 asked them to do.  If a Marine came up and asked to spar, R2 would inquire if they had had their intro lesson.  If not, R2 would escort them to his teaching area and begin the lesson!

DFA NEWS:

We have lost Harvey Mudd as a venue.  David Powell at Hemet High School has made arrangements with his school to help us out and host our division tournaments.

Well, everyone knows Max is back, and that is a big fencing boon to our epee fencers.  Russell, too, has returned for a few months, and that has made Thursday night epee fencing extra exciting and competitive!

We have a new, visiting saber fencer, Aaron Villasenor, from the Mexicali National team!  He is fun, he is fast and he’ll be with us for several months.

J.O. QUALS CLOSE OF CHECK-IN TIMES:

  9:00 a.m.          Junior Men’s & Women’s Epee

10:00 a.m.          Junior Men’s & Women’s Foil

11:00 a.m.          Junior Men’s & Women’s Saber

12:00 p.m.          Cadet Men’s & Women’s Epee

  1:00 p.m.          Cadet Men’s & Women’s Foil

  2:00 p.m.          Cadet Men’s & Women’s Saber

Wishing everyone a happy and blessed Thanksgiving and, as always, blissful fencing.

Leslie Taft

The Fencing Coach

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

October 15, 2011, 3-weapon tournament at Hemet High School.  Close of check-in 9:00 a.m. sabre, 10:00 a.m. foil, and 12 noon epee.  Please pre-register on AskFred.net.

November 6, 2011, J.O. Quals at College of the Desert.  Close of check-in times will be posted on  AskFred.net.

DFA NEWS:

We will again be in the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade!  Last year we took first place!

The date is Sunday, October 23.  The theme is “Carnival” as in a circus.

Diane Whan, Mark Johnson and I are the creators and builders of the golf cart “float” which will be decorated as a big clown hat with big clown shoes.  If anyone is interested in helping, please let me know.

If your fencer is interested in being in the Golf Cart Parade, please let me know and I’ll have you sign the waiver.

We had a lot of fun last year and did take first place so, who knows about this year, but certainly we’ll have a lot of fun.

Wishing everyone an outstanding October and blissful fencing,

Leslie,

The Fencing Coach

UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS:

September 17, 2011, 3-weapon tournament at College of the Desert.  Close of check-in 9:00 a.m. saber, 10:00 a.m. foil and 12 noon epee.  Please pre-register on AskFred.net.

October 15, 2011, 3-weapon tournament at Hemet High School.  Times as above for COD.

DFA NEWS:

DFA re-opens on Thursday, September 1.  We will have our regular fencing schedule that Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  DFA will be closed Monday, September 5th for Labor Day.

I have kept everyone’s fencing lesson day and time the same.  If you need to make a change, just let me know.

NEWSY NEWS:

I had the pleasure and privilege to work with Sharon Deady, the theatre teacher at Shadow Hills High School.  Sharon put on a 3-day summer theatre boot camp and asked me if I would come and teach stage sword fighting.  We had twenty-five students and it was fun to gear up the students and let them actually fence each other and then tailor the fencing actions to theatrical fencing.

Wishing everyone a super September and a wonderful, new fencing season!

Leslie, the fencing coach

                                        Protein Promotes Hydration and Recovery

Thirty years ago, scientists thought water was the best fluid replacement.  While that’s still largely correct, sports beverages are sometimes superior because they provide water, energy and electrolytes.  Milk might be even better, because it sustains water balance longer and provides a protein source that can promote tissue adaptation and repair after exercise.

British researchers, led by the legendary sports nutritionist Ron Maughan, found that low fat milk (2 percent) restored and sustained body water levels in dehydrated people better than water or a sports drink (Br J Nutr. 98:173, 2007).  Because of urinary fluid losses, subjects were again dehydrated one hour after consuming water or sports drinks, while they remained hydrated after consuming milk or milk plus sodium.

A review of literature by British researcher Suzane Leser concluded that consuming protein in a post-exercise rehydration beverage increases absorption of electroyltes and boosts levels of plasma proteins which promote long-term hydration after exercise.

(Nutrition Bulletin36: 224, 234, 2011).

DFA Fencing Coach Leslie Taft receives a congratulatory kiss from her mom, Betty.

Top Row: Costa Nichols, John Phillips, Ellis Devoe,

Danny King, Nick Richardson, Masaki Yamada.

Bottom Row:  Brendan Helliwell, Juan Martinez,

Erin Stigall, Leslie Taft, Cory Hutchinson.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

DFA will be closed the month of August and will re-open Thursday, September 1.

SEASON’S RECAP:

We had a wonderful fencing season.  Highlights include:  1st place in the Palm Desert Golf Cart Parade; Max Barber coming back to the club; Max, Danny King and John Phillips earning ratings in their respective weapons; our pentathlete Rendy Lynn Opdycke taking 3rd place in women’s epee at the April Haacke und Slasche and earning her D’2011 rating in epee; John Phillips competing in his first Junior Olympics; Ellis DeVoe’s 8th place finish at the April Haacke und Slasche; and DFA winning so many trophies and finishing 1st place in the San Bernardino Division.  We all merit a well earned rest!

Costa Nichols went to the National Championships in Reno, Nevada, July 5-8, and took 1st place, winning the Gold Medal in Veteran Men’s Saber!!!

Nick Richardson, and family, biked portions of the Oregon Coast.  Nick logged in 479 miles!  Maybe, next summer, it will be the Tour de France!

Also pedaling this summer is Claudia Bueermann, biking the Lewis & Clark Trail.  We’ll hear about her adventures in the September newsletter.

DFA BUSINESS:

When we re-open in September, our fencing schedule will remain the same.  If anyone needs to change a lesson day or time, just let me know.

Our first fencing tournament of the season will be Saturday, September 17, at College of the Desert.

Wishing everyone an awesome August and blissful fencing.

Leslie Taft,

The Fencing Coach