Thursday, March 28Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

The Fencing Club

As a society, you were shortlisted for BUCS Club of the Year last year. Is it safe to say it has been a successful year?

Definitely, our place on the shortlist was the icing on the cake of a brilliant year. Before winning club of the year and the Sophie Christiansen award at colours ball we ran a multitude of events outside of fencing and even took a group to Paris for the X-Systra fencing challenge. Members of our committee have also become increasingly involved with the sport beyond the university scene. Our fantastic Women’s team also celebrated a perfect season, conceding no matches and taking home the cup!

You clearly have some talented members, but can people with less experience join?

Of course! We are working on a new beginner’s course for the new year to make the club even more accommodating to novice fencers. We are always open to new members, whether they aspire to join a team or just want to keep fit and have some fun!

Do you have any advice for potential new members?

Get stuck in! Fencing is a brilliant sport and our club’s social side is fantastic too. We have all the kit you need to get started and, as mentioned, we have a new and improved beginners course in the works. If you are an experienced fencer you are just as welcome, come along to team try-outs in the first few weeks. We go to the pub after every training session and have socials every fortnight too, so there are plenty of chances to get involved.

What are you most looking forward to this coming year?

This year we are looking forward to taking our level of fencing up a step, as well as running more opportunities for fencers of all levels to get involved in competitions with other universities. We are also enthusiastic about continuing the extra work done by the club, beyond the sport itself and even beyond the university.

In your opinion what is the best thing about being a part of the fencing society at Royal Holloway?

Royal Holloway Fencing not only offers an opportunity to get involved with a fantastic sport but also boasts an incredible social culture, it’s a great place to meet new people and make friends for life.

Can you tell us something interesting about the society that people may not already know?

As well as winning club of the year, we won the Sophie Christiansen inclusivity award. This was due in part to our huge involvement with women in sport. The club ran a ‘Women in Sports’ panel discussion with three highly successful women athletes. On top of this, the club was very active in the BUCS This Girl Can campaign. We also have many LGBT members.

What can people do if they want to get involved this year?

Keep an eye on our social media and come and see us in freshers’ week! We will have events all week aimed towards both freshers and returning students. Our BBQ at The Happy Man is a great chance to come along and meet the committee as well as current and other prospective members. Come see our demonstrations around campus if you’d like a chance to see what the sport is all about!