club location

we operate out of the basement of westdale united church, 99 north oval in hamilton. enter through the door marked ‘church office’ in the middle of north oval. there is lots of free street parking available nearby but the church car park is by permit only, and they do issue tickets, including during evenings and at weekends.

health precautions

all fencers are expected to bring, and use, hand sanitiser.

masks are welcome, but are not required. except fencing masks. those are required!

as an alternative to shaking hands at the end of a bout, we encourage fencers to salute and tap blades if that is more comfortable

hand sanitiser should be applied immediately before touching any of the scoring equipment.

if you are unwell, or if anybody in your household is unwell, please stay home.

paying fees

All payments are done using an online invoicing system. invoices are sent by email, and can be paid by e-transfer or credit card. we no longer accept cash payments.

program fees are listed here. if you have any questions, please talk to your coach.

note that we do not offer any refunds for missed classes.

please wait to receive an invoice before initiating an e-transfer payment.

waiver forms

please make sure you have filled out our electronic waiver form before your first class.

membership fees

all fencers who have completed a ‘learn to fence program’ with us are required to hold an active membership with the ontario fencing association. this is important because it provides your insurance coverage. you can purchase a membership from here. if you are only intending to fence at the club, you need a recreational membership. if you are interested in attending competitions, you will eventually need a competitive membership. if in doubt, please talk to your coach. once you have purchased your membership, please send a copy, along with a note of your CFF license number, to westdalefencing@gmail.com.

we also charge a club membership fee of $90 per season (does not apply to fencers in the ‘learn to fence’ or youth programs).

class times

our adult learn to fence program is currently running from 6:30 - 8:00 on thursdays.

other classes run from 5 - 6:00 on thursdays, 5 - 7:00 on mondays and our youth program runs on saturday mornings from 9:00 - 10:00 or 10:15 - 11:15.

times may shift a little periodically. most classes are by invitation only and at the time of writing, all of our programs are full.

what to wear / bring

fencers should wear athletic clothing. shorts are fine for warm up games but long trousers are required for fencing.

fencers should wear closed athletic shoes. please bring dry, clean footwear to wear indoors.

peanut free snacks and water are strongly encouraged.

note that winter coats, and any wet clothing or footwear should be left in the hallways. there are plenty of hangers and hooks in the corridors.

buying equipment to get started

the club provides all specialised equipment for the first 10 weeks or so. after this, we ask you to consider starting to purchase your own equipment as priority for club equipment is given to newer fencers. when the time comes, For new fencers getting started in the sport, people have had good experiences starting off with the absolute fencing 10 piece foil starter set with the following options:

removeable bib

ultra comfort glove

elite stretch jacket

elite stretch pants

elite stretch plastron

absolute signature series II lame

advance foil with pistol grip w Visconti grip, size 5

note that this is a US-based vendor and prices are in USD. there may also be customs and brokerage fees. there are many other vendors and you can also buy equipment separately, but many of our parents have told us that the absolute fencing starter set is a convenient and cost-effective way to get started.

for those who prefer to use a canadian vendor, other people have reported good experiences with the Imex 11-piece starter set.

One of our parents put this guide together that may be helpful.

please note that we make no guarantees regarding either the vendors, or the equipment on this site. the options listed on this page are simply a series of suggestions based on positive experiences that our coaches and fencers have had in the past with both the equipment and the vendors. there are many other options for equipment (many of which will be much cheaper than the options listed here) which you can find by browsing the internet or talking to other fencers / parents. just for transparency, we have no financial ties to any vendor listed on this site, and receive no incentives for pointing you to any particular vendor or piece of equipment - the information presented here is purely based on previous experiences of our fencers and coaches.