Return Guidelines in October

We’re cautiously looking forward to our return to fencing classes during the first week of October…starting Tuesday, October 6, 2020. Here’s what you need to know about either returning or transitioning to classes.

We have two different sets of students, students that were in the program prior the pandemic closure and families that started late in the summer with private lessons. I’ll split the information below:

Families That Were Attending Classes Prior To The Pandemic:
The schedule will be largely the same with very minor changes. Below is the listed times and age groups. I know I graduated some students up to a higher age group because of their competitive status. Follow the age groups and times unless you were put in another class. Also, there are 2 teen and adult classes, continue attending the day and time you were attending prior to the pandemic closures. Let me know if you have any questions.

Ages 7-12: Tuesdays, 6-7PM
Ages 13-18 & Adults: Tuesdays, 7-8PM

Ages 13-18 & Adults: Wednesday, 6:15-7:15PM

Ages 40+: Thursdays 6:15-7:15PM

Families That Started During The Summer:
For students that are ages 7-12, the only day and time available for classes are Tuesdays from 6-7PM.

For students that are ages 13-18 or Adult, there are two days available:
Tuesday, 7-8PM
Wednesdays, 6:15-7:15PM

I will be trying to put the new teens and adults on Tuesdays from 7-8PM. Depending on the class sizes, I may move some people around.

Requirements For Students And Families:

• Face masks are required. Fortunately, weather is cooling off so the temperature in the fencing club is going down. But the coaches has been teaching 3-4 hours a night with a face mask on, so 1 hour class with a mask is doable.
• Parents are asked not to be in fencing room during class. We love our parents, and we prefer that they be there so they can see what their children are doing…but for the time being to meet the requirement of 30% capacity and below, we are asking families to drop off their children, then wait for their children either in their vehicles or enjoy some of what Downtown Fayetteville has to offer.
• Equipment is NOT returned, they must be dropped off in the USED box. We are sanitizing our equipment before they are returned.
• Decrease the amount of things you touch while in the fencing room. We are cleaning and sanitizing the fencing room every night. But we can all help by reducing what we touch to only what we need to touch, mainly the equipment you are using.
• Practice Social Distancing. I know we have lots of friends in class. Especially our youth class, they like to run around, play tag, and generally be with their friends, but let’s practice social distancing while we are in class, in addition to keeping our masks on.
• Wash Your Hands and Use Hand Sanitizer. Please remember to wash you hands and use hand sanitizer after utilizing the restroom.
• The Water Fountain will not be available. Please bring your own water bottle for class.
• If you are not feeling well, have had a fever in the past 48 hours, skip class! It’s ok, class will still be there. If you’re sick, or not feeling well, stay home. Let Coach Gerhard know by text, but stay home.

Private Lessons
I know everyone has probably been enjoying private lessons. Unfortunately, if you’ve been with us before, you know my availability for private lessons is very little when regular classes are going.

I have some time after Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday classes, but not much. Priority for private lessons will be those that were receiving private lessons prior to the closures.

Some of the senior athletes may be available to provide private lessons for students between the ages 10-13. If you are interested in doing so, you’ll have to organize with those athletes for their times and fees.

Video Classes
I will continue to do video classes through October. And I may continue to do some supplementary videos in November, but not the full classes.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at allamericanfencing@gmail.com or 910-644-0137.

Conclusion
We are trying to make returning to fencing as safe as we can. We are fortunate that we are not a big club, so we can keep numbers relatively low. Not sure if we can do tournaments any time soon. But we need everyone’s help! Help us keep healthy and safe so we can continue to provide classes.