About Us
IFC Mission
To promote and teach the Olympic sport of fencing to students of all ages and skill levels and provide a friendly venue for members to practice their sport.
History
The Illinois Fencers Club is a member operated non-for-profit sports association that has been serving beginning, recreational, and competitive fencers for more than 40 years. It has grown from a place where senior fencers would practice and have a good time to a full service club with a youth program, adult classes, and free fencing for all our members.
Facility, Hours of Operation
IFC meets in the lower level of the Mount Prospect Park District's Lions Recreation Center, 411 S Maple St, Mount Prospect, IL, three blocks from the METRA station. The air-conditioned facility houses a gymnasium, stage, ballet studio, and meeting rooms. It is located on an 16-acre site with 180 parking spaces, the Big Wave Pool, tennis courts, band shell, and baseball and football fields. Map
IFC has space for nine USFA regulation-size rubber strips and electrical scoring apparatus for each.
| Club Hours | |||
| Sunday | CLOSED | Most local USFA Tournaments are held on Sunday | |
| Monday | 5:00 - 9:00pm Classes, lessons | 7:30 - 9:50pm Open fencing, all weapons |
9:50 - 10:00pm clean up Lights out at 10:00pm |
| Tuesday | 5:00 - 9:00pm Classes, lessons | Clean up when finished | |
| Wednesday | CLOSED | ||
| Thursday | 5:00 - 9:00pm Classes, lessons | 7:30 - 9:50pm Open fencing, all weapons |
9:50 - 10:00pm clean up Lights out at 10:00pm |
| Friday | CLOSED | ||
| Saturday | 10:00am - 3:00pm Classes, lessons | 10:00am - 1:00pm Open fencing, all weapons |
Clean up when finished |
Events
IFC Tournaments
IFC has scheduled four USFA sanctioned tournaments this season.
- IFC Fall Open Tournament
November 27, 2011: Senior Women's Foil, Senior Mixed Foil, Senior Mixed Epee, and Senior Mixed Saber
- IFC Foil & Saber Challenge
March 11, 2012: Y12 Mixed Foil, Senior Mixed Foil, Senior Mixed Team Foil, Y12 Mixed Saber, Senior Mixed Saber, Senior Mixed Team Saber
- IFC Dominick Epee Challenge
April 22, 2012: Y12 Mixed Epee, Senior Women's Epee, Senior Mixed Epee, Senior Mixed Team Epee
- IFC Youth tournament
June 3, 2012: Y10 Mixed Foil, Y12 Mixed Foil, Y14 Mixed Foil, Y12 Mixed Epee, Y14 Mixed Epee, Y12 Mixed Saber.
Engraved medals with the IFC logo will be awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. The winner of each event will fence for free in that event at the next IFC tournament. Tournaments are held at Central Community Center, 1000 W Central Rd, Mt. Prospect, IL. Locker rooms with showers are available. Event details and registration information are available on askFred.net
Classes
We offer a continuing program of fencing classes of 8 to 10 weeks in duration for kids, teens, and adults. Classes include Introduction to Fencing for Kids, Intermediate Foil, Advanced Foil, Competitive Foil, Intermediate Epee, Advanced Epee, and Basic Fencing for Adults. Learn More.
Clinics
IFC offers three one-day clinics for competitive fencers taught by Ina Harazanova.
- Conditioning Clinic, September 9, 2011
- Pre-Competitive Clinic, January 7, 2012
- Summer Nationals Clinic, June 16, 2012
Achievements
Notable national achievements include:
- 1st place, Veterans 50-59 Men's Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2006: Tim Glass
- 1st place, Senior Women's Team Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2005: Christine Dominick, Anna Paul, Ina Harizanova
- 1st place, DIV IA Women's Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2004: Christine Dominick
Recent national achievements of current members include:
- 3rd and 5th places, Veterans 70+ Men's Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2011: Bob Baldwin and Dick Dunlop, respectively.
- 6th place, Veterans 50-59 Men's Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2011: Tim Glass
- 1st place, Men's Epee, USA Collegiate Fencing Club National Championships 2011: Maciek Zmyslowski.
- 3rd place, Division 2 Men's Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2010: Michael Slater
- 6th place, Veterans 50-59 Men's Epee, USFA Summer National Championships 2010: Tim Glass
- 5th place, Junior Men's Epee Team, USFA Junior Olympics 2010: Maciek Zmyslowski, Taylor Caruso, Patrick Ozga
IFC fencers have won countless medals in local and regional tournaments, including the following major events.
- 1st and 2nd places, Men's Epee Burton Open at Northwestern University 2011: Maciek Zmyslowski and Misha Heber, respectively.
- 1st, 7th, and 8th places, Men's Epee USFA Midwest Division Championships 2011: Tim Glass, Mikhail Heber, and John Lartz, respectively.
- 2nd and 5th places, C and under Men's Epee USFA Illinois Division Championships 2011: Carl Lyday and Gabriel Weininger, respectively.
- 1st place Youth 14 Men's Epee and 3rd place Youth 14 Men's Foil, Super Youth Circuit, Houston: Gabe Weininger
- 1st and 2nd places, Men's Epee Burton Open at Northwestern University 2010: Maciek Zmyslowski and Michael Slater, respectively.
Nationally ranked IFC fencers for the 2010-1011 season include: Bob Baldwin, Veterans 70+ Men's Epee; Sammie Doro, Youth 14 Women's Epee; Dick Dunlop, Veterans 70+ Men's Epee; Tim Glass, Veterans 50-59 Men's Epee; Misha Heber, Cadet Men's Epee; John Lartz, 50-59 Veterans Men's Epee; Doug Varney, 50-59 Men's Epee; Gabe Weininger, Youth 14 Men's Foil and Youth 14 Men's Epee; and Maciek Zmyslowski, Junior Men's Epee.