Women’s Fencing Symposium

Date: Sunday February 3rd

Time: 10am-5pm. Main events from 12pm.

Place: St John’s Primary School, 494 Maroondah Hwy, Mitcham

Cost: Free!

RSVP: Please register by January 30th for catering

Update: We’ve had a few enquiries, so we’d just like to confirm that YES, you can still come and join us on Sunday even if you haven’t RSVP’d yet.
We’d love to see you there, and someone will run out and get more coffee and cake if we need it.

Join the Facebook Event Here

The Women’s Fencing Symposium is supported by Change Our Game, an initiative of the Victorian Government.

Who is it for?

Current fencers
Former fencers
Prospective fencers
Friends and Relatives of fencers
Referees, coaches and club administrators
Any other women with an interest in the sport

What is Happening?

Guest Speakers, with audience Q&A
Fencing session, meet other women and girls in fencing, exchange ideas and feedback
Fencing Have-a-Go, for those who want to find out what it’s all about
Coaches and Administrators discussion forum
Women-only Sports Massage course (sign-up required)
Trading Post, advertise kit you want to sell/swap or give away, services and club events
Lunch and Afternoon tea provided, catch up on the latest in the fencing community
Door Prize & Raffle, donations welcome.

How to get there?

St John’s Primary School
494 Whitehorse Road (Maroondah Hwy)
Mitcham

The school carpark is entered via the west-bound service lane, enter via Elizabeth street. You can park anywhere on the asphalt.
Go to the left of the main gate toward the tennis courts and look for the signs to find us.
Mitcham train station is located behind the school – but you may need to walk around the long way to enter the school grounds.

Guest Speakers

Tais Rochel – Olympic Fencer & Coach

Tais Rochel started fencing when she was 6 years old and went on to represent her country in the 2016 Olympic games. She is a current coach for the Australian National Foil Team.

Lauren Foote – Change Our Game Ambassador

Lauren is the captain of the Victorian Roller Derby League, who won the World Championship title in 2017. She also works as an exercise physiologist.

Lauren wants to help young girls and women stay active and to step into leadership roles where they can be equally respected as their male-counterparts are.

Autumn Pierce – Women’s Health East

Autumn Pierce is the Health Promotion Manager at Women’s Health East, a regional health promotion agency working across three key priority areas: Advance Gender Equality, Prevention Violence against Women, and Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Women.

She has a Master of International Public Health and years of experience working across the prevention spectrum, both her in Australia and abroad. She is excited to join us to share her passion for equity in all settings, especially sports.

John Sfinas – Natural Corrective Podiatrist

John has been an podiatrist for 25 years, with a special interest in Sports Podiatry and Biomechanics. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Sports Podiatrists, and a member of the Australia Podiatry Association and Sport Medicine Australia.

In 2004 he co-founded the Foot Posture Centre. Victoria’s first manual therapy centre. Specialising in relieving peoples foot and leg pain naturally, thorough foot mobilisation and corrective exercises. Straightening and strengthening peoples poor foot posture without orthotics, medication or surgery.

Guest Coaches

Victoria Wilks

Vici will be coaching our fencing session for current fencers – so bring your kit to participate in this special training session!
She started fencing when she was 18, in her 1st year at Sydney University. She did 3 years of foil and then quit fencing.

A few years later Vici took up Modern Pentathlon and epee and was coached by John Fethers. She competed at 8 consecutive world championships for pentathlon with best results of 14th and 16th. During this time she also competed in world championships in epee, including the first unofficial women’s world champs in Orleans and the first official world champs in Lyon.

Vici started fencing again in 1999 after her daughter was born as a way of keeping active. She won a veterans world title in 2010 in epee and in 2014 in modern pentathlon under the coaching of Nic Mihailescu.

Laura Goodin

Laura will be coaching our Beginners class for prospective fencers. Laura is a writer, bell-ringer, and fencer who loves working with beginners – especially adult women!
If you want to give the sport a go, come and let Laura show you just how much fun playing with swords can be.

Draft Schedule

9:30am	Sports Massage Course	Auditorium	Sign-up Required
10am	Club Administrators Discussion	Main Hall	Morning Tea Provided
12pm	Networking Lunch	Main Hall	All Welcome
1pm	Guest Speakers
2:30pm	Afternoon Tea
3pm	Fencing Session	Durkin Hall	Beginners Welcome
	Creating Inclusive Environments	Auditorium	Facilitated Discussion
	Tea and Talk continues.	Main Hall
4:30pm	Packup

Whitehorse Chevaliers Fencing Club

Fencing in Melbourne's East