USFA - Central Florida Division

Jim Campoli Trophy Revealed!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 05/09/2010

At the 2010 Division Championship, we unveiled the Jim Campoli Club Trophy. This trophy is awarded to the club with the most accumulated points at the tournament. As many of you know, Jim has been a big part of this division for nearly 40 years. I even have AFLA magazines from the late 1960's that mention Jim fencing saber at local tournaments. Until recently, Jim has worn many hats at the same time and he serves as a great example to all of us. He currently serves as an officer and has coached, officiated, administered tournaments and fenced! Jim is also the owner of the Dunedin Fencing Club. Thanks for all of your hard work, Jim! You deserve much more than this trophy, for sure!

Candidates for Office 2010-11

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 04/12/2010

Hope to see you at the annual meeting in May, but if you can't make the trip, submit your absentee ballot! All candidates must submit their intention to run for office by Monday, April 19. Contact the secretary.

Jay Avelino Will Be Missed...

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 04/04/2010

Ken Drewke has just asked me to notify the division that Jay Avelino has passed away from heart failure. Neither Ken, nor I, have any information beyond what is posted below.

A wake/memorial is being held at Jay’s home on Sunday, April 11, between 1PM and 4PM. Unfortunately, I have no contact information.

I’m certain most of us knew Jay. We was a fantastic referee in Central Florida known to officiate in French. He was also the only referee able to give the written test. Jay worked very hard for this division, volunteered much of his time, and he will be missed.

Our web site does not have any type of forum installed, but if anyone has a few words, please send them to me and I will post them on the home page.

Very proud to have known you Jay. You will be missed. - Kirk Rowley

Jay was a selfless and dedicated proponent of our sport. He helped us with Bankuti on several occasions, for which we are very grateful. - Jim Lane

Please send me condolences to his family and my prayers to them. - Don Patricio

Jay was a selfless individual who truly embodied the values of the game of fencing. He was always willing to devote his time to the betterment of his teammates; and as a director, he did a wonderful job of keeping our tournaments fun. As a fencer, he was a fierce competitor, a man whose spirit on the strip demanded nothing but the absolute best out of the many opponents in this division who he defeated throughout his dominant career. Anyone who ever had the privilege of crossing paths with Jay will forever be inspired by the many positive values he instilled in us. RIP Jay. You will be missed. - Damien Lehfeldt

Jay was a true gem for the fencing community. He was a great competitor, a great coach, a great referee and a true gentleman. He will be sorely missed by myself and the community. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. - Morgan Hunter

To me, Jay was what I always tried to be, as a sabreur, a referee, and a gentleman. He was a good friend, a brother-in-arms, and a fine representative of our sport. It will be hard to imagine tournaments without him - Ray Blair

In the years that I've been doing tournaments, Jay has always been a cornerstone of the events. Good natured and always ready to explain the complexities of the rules. I was always glad to draw him as a referee. From my self and many others; A Final Salute to you Jay. - Mark Jones

Qualifier Announced!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 03/07/2010

First, I want to thank all who participated in the referee seminar this weekend. Twenty-five or so attended from Gateway and Central Florida. Most were potential referees, while several of us were updating our rules interpretation. Though the day was long, this training should help to bring more consistency to officiating in these parts. Mary Mahon did a superb job of presenting the information verbally and with video examples. All said and done, it is now up to us to execute this training as best we can.

I absolutely must mention that the state and our division have a few more referees! I do not know all that have passed the written exam, but Gateway can add at least one new ref, and Central Florida can add at least four!

Moving on, this season's Nationals Qualifier will be held at the Sarasota Fencing Academy and Club on April 10 & 11. The events are currently being setup on AskFRED, so give me a day or two to get that complete. This tournament will include the Division's RYC.

Finally, as already mentioned in a previous message, the Division's Championship and Annual Meeting will be held at the Venice Y's Fencers' Club on May 8 & 9. Again, this is also in the works on AskFRED, so check back in a few days.

Yergler on U.S. Team!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 02/11/2010

Jonathan Yergler won the Junior Men's Epee at the San Jose NAC and has made the 2010 US Junior World Championship Team. The tournament will be held in April in Baku, Azerbajian. This will be the third time Jonathan has represented the US at a World Championship. As a Cadet, Jonathan made both the Cadet and Junior Men's teams for the 2008 World Championships held in Acireale, Italy. Jonathan is a member of Central Florida Division, currently attending Princeton University and fencing with their NCAA Div1 team.

ByLaws Passed!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 02/11/2010

The new bylaws have been unanimously approved by the Officers and participating members of the Executive Committee. They are available for download from the link to your right.

To summarize, the membership voted at the last annual meeting to allow absentee voting for office versus proxy voting. To accommodate this change, it was necessary to require candidates to announce themselves no less then 45 days prior to the annual meeting and Division Championships so that their names can be included in the required parcel post. This post is sent no later than 30 days prior to the meeting. An absentee ballot will be included in the post and on this website.

If you have any questions, contact me or Ken and we'll be happy to answer them.

Caretaker Named!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 02/03/2010

Jim Burcham has been named Caretaker for the greater Orlando area and east coast! Thanks for volunteering, Jim, and thanks to all who submitted a request to be the caretaker. We are in the process of transporting 4 complete strips to Jim's workshop in east Orlando. Contact information can be found here.

Also, the officer-approved draft of the new bylaws has been passed to the Executive Committee for a vote. This version contains important changes to voting procedures as discussed at last season's annual meeting. Stay tuned for more.

Finally, the referee clinic will be conducted on Saturday, March 6, at 44 South Main Street in Winter Garden. There is plenty of time for additional participants, so sign-up! Mary Mahon is currently designing a flyer to be distributed to all clubs.

Ref Clinic a Go!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 01/28/2010

All right! Saturday, March 6, is a firm date for the seminar and written examination. The seminar will be conducted by Mary Mahon, a highly rated international referee. It's not too late to sign-up ($75 fee), so email the Secretary as soon as possible!

Ref Drive Hits Speedbumps!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 01/17/2010

With great disappointment, among the officers as well as the supporting referees within the Division, we did not reach the minimum number of participants required to hold both a clinic and observation tournament.

While the drive will continue, and tournament organizers are encouraged to follow the guidelines posted in our "initiative" document, it is time to implement Plan B. Existing and potential referees may now register to attend the seminar for $75 per head. This is an excellent opportunity to update your rules knowledge and seminars are required by the FOC to maintain certain ratings.

The deadline for registration is Saturday, January 23. Please email the secretary with your name and weapon of choice. The target date for the seminar is mid to late February and will be located within the Division boundaries.

Officers Meeting, 12/2009

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 12/20/2009

Click here to download minutes of the meeting as a PDF! Important information regarding referee training, absentee voting, summer qualifers and more!

We Need You! More Refs!!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 11/15/2009

As seen at War of Roses 2009!! Click the image for a larger version. Follow this link for the FOC study questions. More to follow!!

Classical Fencing Workshop!

posted by Jason R Seachrist, Division Secretary, 09/29/2009

Tampa Bay Fencers presents this workshop on October 10. The instructor will be Mr. Kim Moser, founder of the Palm Beach Classical Fencing School. Click here to view the flyer for more information.

Stay and Play Goes Away!

posted by Ken Lauver, Division Chair, 07/29/2009

Announcement by Kurt Aichele on USFencing.org

Central Florida Division

United States Fencing Association