Author hvfcadmin

Robert Gastaldo-Brac (Head Coach – Foil, Epee)

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Robert grew up in the UK and started fencing at the age of 14; soon after he was the Hertfordshire U16 Champion. That was in the mid 70’s, and Robert has been involved in fencing in one form or another his entire life. He captained the London Team against Counties (“the rest”) in 1983, fenced for Salle Allen and the London Polytechnic Teams, represented London at foil and fenced in tournaments all over Europe. Robert has been a coach in New Zealand since 1985. In 1987 he attended the Olympic Solidarity Coaching and Fencing Course. He coached at Upper Hutt College, Marsden School, Victoria University and Wellington High School, where he coached juniors as well as international level fencers.

The list of his credentials and contributions to the sport is extensive:

  • A fencing referee for over 25 years,
  • Wellington and National Representative for foil,
  • Fencing representative on the NZ Olympic Committee,
  • Previously Wellington President for Fencing and served as Treasurer over the years,
  • National Treasurer for FENZ at various times (20+ years)
  • Manager on National School trips
  • Manager for NZ Commonwealth Champs (Newcastle 2002, Aus)
  • Tournament organiser.
  • Robert was taught by the best of British fencing: Mike Law, Derek Allen, Roy and Angela Goodall (fencing and coaching training) and legendary Hungarian Master Coach Bela Imregi, who produced many world-class champions.
  • Since Dec 2014, Robert has been High Performance Coach for the Sports Wellington Athlete Development Programme and he was selected for the Sports Wellington Advanced Coaching Course.

Russell Johnson (Senior Coach – Sabre, Foil)

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I have been fencing at HVFC for the past 16 years starting at the age of 7. I have been coaching in 2011 by helping our senior coach with group work.

I have achieved my OFMA level 1&2 coaching qualifications for foil. This is an internationally recognised coaching standard which I have been able to utilize as part of a wider coaching team, and now as an independent coach since 2013.

I attended the Ultimate Fencing Camp 8 at the beginning of 2020. This was an excellent learning experience where I was able to experiment with the way that I think about running fencing lessons. This was hosted by Italian maestro Enrico Di Ciolo.

In terms of individual achievements, I have represented NZ in foil and sabre at Australian competitions as an U13, U15 and U17 fencer. Last year I represented NZ in the Oceania Fencing Championships where I won the U20 sabre title. I have also represented New Zealand at the South East Asian Championship in 2017. I have held a number of national sabre titles such as the North Island Open Sabre, NZ Secondary School Sabre and NZ U20 Sabre titles.

Training Monday 26th of September

hvfcadmin

We have had a few inquiries as to whether we will be training this Monday the 26th. 

We will be running our usual Monday class from 7pm – 9pm tomorrow. This class is still targeted towards our senior fencers.

Please stay tuned for any updates regarding training throughout the school holidays. We are expecting to run a couple classes to make up for the short classes that we missed this term.

If you have any questions or queries regarding, please do not hesitate to contact us at huttvalleyfencing@gmail.com.

Training Cancellation 29th of September

hvfcadmin

Due to conflicting bookings of the St Bernards Gym, there will be no fencing on Thursday the 29th of September.

We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. We will be running a catchup session during the school holidays which will be taking place on Monday 3rd of October. This class will be targeted toward everyone in the club and the session times are as follows.

SessionTime
U13 Fencers6.00pm – 7.00pm
13 years+ Fencers7.00pm – 9.00pm

We are trying to secure more dates for sessions during the school holidays. We will keep you posted with any updates.

** NO Training Thursday 29.09.22 **

Central U11 & U13 #3 2022

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Wellington Swords Club and Fencing Central invite you to attend the Central Under 11 and Under 13 #3 Competition 2022 on Sunday 18th September at Wellington Swords Club.

Sunday 18th of September

EventRegistrationEvent Start
Under 11 Epee8:30am9:00am
Under 13 Epee10:00am10:30am
Under 11 Foil11:30am12:00pm
Under 13 Foil1:00pm1:30pm

Entry fee: $20.00 for one weapon, $30.00 for 2+ weapons.
IMPORTANT – Entries are due by Friday 16th September and will only be accepted by completing this form – LATE entries will NOT be accepted.

Gear Requirements

Whites: 350N Plastrons, 350N Fencing Jackets, and 350N Fencing Gloves & Breeches with Long Socks are required for Epee. Track pants for Foil – No Bare Skin will be allowed at all.
Mask: Masks must have 350N Foil Bibs, Head Wires and Safety Straps.
Weapons: U13 – Size 3 and smaller, U11 Size 2 and smaller
Lames must be in working condition & chest plates MUST be worn.

Entry Form
Gear Rental Form