A Centuries Old Sport... Now Online!

The first website I decided to visit in my journey around the internet was, naturally, the website for my own fencing club, the Blackstone Vally Fencing Academy. Immediately noticeable is the pop of the black and red (club colors) in contrast to the bland gray of most of the homepage. The name of the club is at the top of the page in black letters on a red background. The phone number and email address for the club are directly beneath it, these in white lettering on a black background. Visitors to the website are then welcomed to the Blackstone Valley Fencing Academy and its "dedicated facility" in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Beneath this welcome are two pictures, one of the inside of the club and the second depicting the facade of the old mill building in which the club is located. Following these pictures are several announcements, including the offer of a photo op and information about an upcoming tournament. On the left hand side of the homepage is the navigation bar with such buttons as "Class Info," "Coaches," "About Us," and "Membership". Beneath the navigation bar is the club emblem: a black circle with the words "Blackstone Valley" curved along the top half in red letters, and "Fencing Academy" curved along the bottom, also in red letters. In the middle, one can see a fencing mask with a sabre and epee crossed in an 'x' behind it and a foil positioned vertically behind it. In other areas of the site, the pictures and descriptions are years old, but still relevant and accurate. The site certainly comes across as not being professionally made, but that adds to the impression and reality that although the club is small, it is a tight knit community. Perhaps the most telling sentence on the whole site is the following: "You will find a place to train where winning is secondary to helping participants hone their skills and  gain a deeper understanding of the sport of fencing." This is very clearly the mission that my coaches Anne and Michael Olson have when it comes to teaching their students. It is, I believe, what fencing is all about and what every club should strive for- a supportive community concerned with the strengthening of athletes as people, not just producing new world champions. 

http://www.bvfencing.com


The next site I looked at was the NEUSFA, or New England United States Fencing Association website. The logo, located at the top left hand corner, is a cartoonish epee dividing "neusfa" on top and the New England Division of the USFA on the bottom. The site's header identifies it as the "Website of the New England Divsion of the U.S. Fencing Association, established in Boston in 1892 as one of the original Divisions of the AFLA [Amateur Fencers League of America]". Ironically enough, the navigation bar and general setup of this site is more sparse than that of the BVFA website. The only four buttons you'll find are the "Home," "Tournament Info," "Contact Us," and "Where to Fence" buttons. Clicking on the "Tournament Info" button, however, will surprise the average person, as it contains a results archive dating back to 1997. The "Where to Fence" button also contains a surprise, with a list of almost sixty fencing clubs between recreational organizations, college clubs, and high school teams. While this site is clearly meant for those already involved in the fencing subculture, it reveals to the non-fencer that fencing has a much bigger presence, at least in New England, than anyone would think. 

http://www.neusfa.org/Home/tabid/65/Default.aspx


If you're still reading, props to you. The next (and final) site I visited was that of the United States Fencing Association, which is the official governing body of fencing in the country. This is the organization with which you must register in order to compete in and earn national ratings at competitions. The USFA website is the most professional and appealing by far. There are links to everything from vendors that sell fencing equipment, to the organization's Facebook page, to updates on how U.S. fencers are faring in national and international competitions. While this site, too is geared more towards those already involved in fencing, it is also newcomer friendly, with its "Fencing 101" button and ease of navigation. The pictures and graphics, as well as the bright colors on the homepage convey the grandiose and romanticized nature of fencing and is appealing to fencers and non fencers alike. While it does have the feel and look of a large organization's website, the USFA site still has a tangible sense of support and community through the information it supplies. It seeks to keep those fencers in the national and international spotlights connected with those of us fencing in local clubs across the country, because even though there are more of us than you'd think, we're still a minority in the sports world. It's nice to feel the same sense of community and dedication to the sport in all three of the above websites, because that's truly what fencing is about- community. 

http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Fencing.aspx