Maestro Janine Sahm has been working to secure us a permanent home at
a four-year institution, and the game is *not* up yet! The program
has a temporary home through Santa Clara Continuing Education, so
work will continue as it always has. There's some work to be done to
get a permanent home, but I am confident that it will happen, and we
will enjoy *at least* another 30 years of the program.

Sean Hayes
Maestro d'armi
Northwest Fencing Academy
www.fencingacademy.net


On Dec 17, 2008, at 7:55 PM, <2@...> wrote:

> Maestro Hayes,
>
> Is this to be the last graduating class of the Fencing Masters
> Program at
> San Jose State University? I had previously heard that it was no
> longer
> receiving sponsorship.
>
> Blessings,
> Rez
>
> "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask
> where the
> good way is, and walk in it..."
>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com]
>>> On Behalf Of Sean Hayes
>>> Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:55 PM
>>> To: Tattershall@yahoogroups.com; classicalfencing@yahoogroups.com
>>> Subject: [CFML] Fencing Masters Program Final Exams
>>>
>>> The Fencing Masters Program at San Jose State University held Winter
>>> Examinations this past Saturday, December 13, 2008. Eleven
>>> candidates
>>> presented themselves for examination for certification as Master,
>>> Provost, or Instructor at Arms in classical Italian fencing theory
>>> and pedagogy. The program, founded by Dr. William M. Gaugler in
>>> 1979,
>>> employs the pedagogical methods of Italy's celebrated Scuola
>>> Magistrale, the great military master's school of the 19th and early
>>> 20th centuries. Dr. Gaugler is a graduate of Italy's Accademia
>>> Nazionale di Scherma, the school that succeeded the Scuola
>>> Magistrale.
>>>
>>> I am pleased and proud to announce the results of those tests,
>>> naming
>>> the candidates with their new titles:
>>>
>>> R.E. "Puck" Curtis III, Master at Arms
>>> Eric Myers, Master at Arms
>>>
>>> Tony Barajas, Provost at Arms
>>> David Borland, Provost at Arms
>>> William Byrne, Provost at Arms
>>> Kevin Murakoshi, Provost at Arms
>>> Jeremy Tavan, Provost at Arms
>>>
>>> David Coblentz, Instructor at Arms
>>> David Cogley, Instructor at Arms
>>> Dr. Sydney Thomson, Instructor at Arms
>>> Ricardo Vargas, Instructor at Arms
>>>
>>> In addition, three Provosts who had tested in prior exams completed
>>> their final requirements and were awarded their Master's
>>> certifications:
>>> Dr. Greg Hicks, Master at Arms
>>> Gary Murray, Master at Arms
>>> Daniel Williams, Master at Arms
>>>
>>> The candidates have prepared for one year (instructor), two years
>>> (provost) or three years (master) with masters who graduated from
>>> the
>>> program, either at the San Jose program directly, or at the
>>> satellite
>>> locations at Sonoma State University or at the University of Oregon.
>>> Each level has as a prerequisite the prior level, so that the
>>> candidate for the Master's certification has already taken and
>>> passed
>>> the Instructor's and Provost's exams.
>>>
>>> After passing their written exams, the 11 candidates submitted
>>> themselves on December 13 to a board of five fencing masters for a
>>> grueling all-day examination on fencing theory and practical
>>> application of their skills. The parts of the exam consisted of oral
>>> exams on fencing theory and practice, practical exams on the giving
>>> and taking of group lessons and individual lessons, and finally to
>>> stand before the board and teach any action or combination of
>>> actions
>>> that board wished to see.
>>>
>>> During this final portion of the exam the candidates were
>>> expected to
>>> develop and execute a lesson plan for complex sets of actions that
>>> they had not prepared beforehand, and to refine and perfect the plan
>>> while undergoing questioning and scrutiny from the board. the
>>> requirements become harder at each level. As an example, Provost
>>> (now
>>> Maestro) Eric Myers was required to teach Provost (now Maestro) Gary
>>> Murray at epee to execute a blade seizure in fourth, followed by
>>> feint by glide with an advance and disengagement with a thrust to
>>> the
>>> arm, followed by an arrest with a reassemblement and thrust to the
>>> arm, followed by recovery backwards and retreat with parries of
>>> second, counter of second, third, and counter of third, followed by
>>> change of engagement to fourth and riposte by glide, countered by
>>> Mr.
>>> Myer's parry -riposte and Mr. Murray's execution of second intention
>>> indirect - a complex parry-riposte pattern used against an opponent
>>> who habitually ripostes in the same line - with a final thrust. The
>>> action was executed in time and with mobility, meaning that Mr.
>>> Myers
>>> had to drive Mr. Murray back and forth on the fencing strip at high
>>> speed, and press Mr. Murray to execute this complex chain of actions
>>> at equally high speed. The final action was performed flawlessly
>>> several times.
>>>
>>> All candidates performed very well under this intense pressure, and
>>> clearly demonstrated the requisite knowledge and skill of a
>>> professional fencing teacher.
>>>
>>> The board was comprised of five fencing masters, all graduates of
>>> the
>>> SJSU program:
>>>
>>> Ralph K. Sahm, Military Master at Arms - Director, SJSU Fencing
>>> Masters Program
>>> Janine Monteleone Sahm, Master at Arms - Assistant Director, SJSU
>>> Fencing Masters Program
>>> John P. Sullins, Military Master At Arms, Sonoma State University
>>> Sean Hayes, Master at Arms, University of Oregon
>>> Paul Scherman, Master at Arms - Faculty Member, SJSU Fencing Masters
>>> Program
>>>
>>> Please join me in congratulating the students on their
>>> accomplishment!
>>>
>>>
>>> Sean Hayes
>>> Maestro d'armi
>>> Northwest Fencing Academy
>>> www.fencingacademy.net
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> --
>>> The CFML is sponsored in part by Twin Arms Fencing, featuring custom
>>> Italian foils. www.twinarmsfencing.com
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> --
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>>>
>>>
>>>