Welcome to the home of the Lightning Fencing Club in Winnipeg, Canada.

The Lightning Fencing Club was founded in 1993 by David and Patricia Howes.

The club started with a few members from the local military base, where David served at Air Command Headquarters. As time went by, the membership grew beyond the confines of a "base" club and extended its reach into the general population. At the club's peak it boasted a membership of over 100.

Currently, Lightning Fencing Club is the largest fencing club in Manitoba. We are the only club to instruct in all three disciplines (epee, saber and foil) at all ages. We have an armband program for our younger members to assist them in developing their knowledge and physical skills.

At Lightning we have a strong coaching team comprising a head coach and many senior coaches. We have a dedicated and wonderful group of junior coaches that volunteer their time to assist the younger and less experienced fencers. Lighting is built on a concept of community and team work.

Daria Jorquera Palmer
Head Coach

Daria was on the Canadian national team for 12 years, 2011 Pan Am games sliver medalist.
Daria is a long-standing member of the Lightning Fencing Club and has been working as a club coach for 17 years. She was a coach for the 2013 Canada Summer Games where she represented Manitoba and coached the athletes at the week long event in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Since 2013 she has been assisting Provincial Coach, Ayach Bounacha with the Provincial Squad program, and travelling across Canada and to the US when necessary.   

Maia Bacchus
Senior Coach

Maia is currently a coach at Lightening fencing club and has coached various community projects and camps over the past 8 years for kids, teens and adults. She is a former international competitor within the sport of fencing and has competed and placed in various events across Canada and the U.S. When she isn’t attending zoom university, you can usually find her in the gym coaching or at practice with Manitoba’s provincial fencing team!

Lucas Hamlin
Senior Coach

I started my fencing journey here at lightning fencing club when I was 13, I am now 24 and have loved the sport ever since. I competed on the provincial fencing team a few years in, alongside some of the other great coaches at this club. These days I am an insurance broker and try and spend as much time as I can outside when I’m not working. We take pride in trying to provide a fun but constructive environment for our athletes to thrive and believe everyone should give fencing a try!

Noah Merz Lakser
Senior Coach

Noah has been fencing for ten years. He fences and coaches foil. In addition, he is a referee. Outside of fencing, he is a student at the University of Winnipeg.

Anthony Densmore
Adult Class Coach

Anthony started fencing at Lightning Fencing Club in 1999, and has been coaching since 2013. He fences foil and epee. As a coach, Anthony focuses on building plasticity. He breaks the actions down into a few basic movements, and teaches those movements independently of each other. Once mastered, he teaches the fencers to combine those movements in different combinations to create a large variety of actions. When he's not fencing, Anthony spends his time with his wife and two children, training for triathlons (he completed an Ironman in 2018), and working as a professional engineer.

Sara Bacchus

Senior Coach

Hayden Thiessen

Senior Coach

Liam Prokopowich

Senior Coach

President (2023-2025)

Seema Goel

president@lightningfencingclub.ca

I am delighted to be serving my second year as the board President for the Lightning Fencing Club (LFC). As a fencing mom (similar to a hockey mom but so much cooler) I understand the leap you've taken to start your child in this discipline. True they get to wear a brilliant costume and carry a sword, but what's with all the new lingo? Piste? Lamé? An FIE blade? A repost? How can you tell if they scored a point in the bout? These mysteries are part of the thrill of being initiated into the wonderful and generous world of fencing. Serving on the board provides the opportunity for me to connect with all the members of club, assist in cementing ties between the kids, parents, and coaches, and to contribute to the ongoing success of Lightning. As the longest continuous running fencing club in Winnipeg, Lightning has a tradition of fostering deep friendships, supporting athletes in competition, and connecting them to opportunities to advance their skills in the discipline.

I relocated to Winnipeg just over a decade ago. I am a curator, writer, and sculptor, and also teach in the Landscape Architecture program at the University of Manitoba. I currently also serve on the Winnipeg Arts Council Board and am the past VP for the Manitoba Craft Council.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any queries, suggestions, or feedback regarding LFC. I look forward to seeing you at the club!

Vice-President (2024-2026)

Shauna Weiss

info@lightningfencingclub.ca

My name is Shauna Weiss and I am happy to serve on the board of Lightning Fencing Club.
I have two children who participate in the club. In my day job I work as a school librarian.
I value the opportunities the club provides for young athletes and look forward to supporting its growth as a member of the board. 

Treasurer (2024-2026)

Volker Flach

treasurer@lightningfencingclub.ca

Member at Large (2023-2025)

Ainsley MacDougall

My name is Ainsley MacDougall and I’m a Lightning Fencing board member. I’m also a proud parent of one of the club’s athletes. I love being a part of a group that works so well together, with the goal of making this club better and better each year.

Member at Large (2023-2025)

Jessica Loewen



Web Officer

Hope Johnson
websupport@lightningfencingclub.ca

My name is Hope. I started fencing at Lightning when I was 11 years old, which, much to my surprise, led to me competing with the provincial team for years. I have since moved on to fencing with my university varsity team in Ottawa, but I will never forget the friends and skills Lightning gave me. While you might not see me around often these days, I’m still very involved – just it’s through a computer in my dorm room now. I’m so happy to still have a chance to be involved and get to see the next generation of fencers grow.

Constitution and Policies

Lightning Fencing Club - Winnipeg
Constitution 2019

Lightning Fencing Club is a non-profit volunteer organization, whose purpose is to promote and develop the sport of fencing in Winnipeg.

Article I: NAME

The name of the organization shall be Lightning Fencing Club - Manitoba and for the purposes of this document will be referred to as the “Club”.

Article II: PURPOSE

2.1 The Club will operate for the following reasons:

To encourage and promote both recreational and competitive fencing in and out of the community of Winnipeg;
To provide instruction in various aspects of fencing;
To encourage and support club members interested in competitive or high performance fencing through provincial, national & international competition; and to liaise with other fencing clubs.


Bylaws 2019

Article I: GENERAL

1.1 These bylaws relate to the general conduct of the affairs of the Lightning Fencing Club, referred to as the "Club" in these bylaws.

1. 2 Definitions: The following terms have these meanings:
Board - the Board of Directors for Lightning Fencing Club
CFF - Canadian Fencing Federation
Employee - a member who has signed a contract for payment with the Club for their services
Member - shall include all categories of membership pursuant to Club constitution and bylaws
Member in Good Standing - a member of the Club, who has paid his/her dues, has not ceased to be a member and has not been suspended or expelled from membership, and has not been designated by the Board as a member not in good standing due to disciplinary judgement.
MFA - Manitoba Fencing Association
Officer - a member of the Board of Directors who has signing authority for the club regarding financials
Senior Coach - as designated in accordance with the Coaching Policy and Senior Coaching Contract

1.3 Unless otherwise specified, meetings of Members and meetings of the Board will be conducted in accordance with the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.


Article II: MEMBERSHIP

2.1 Every Club member will be registered in one of the following membership categories:

General Member: Those members who have registered as active participants in the Club
Associate Member: Those members who are not active fencers, but wish to have a role in fencing as a volunteer.

2.2 All members must have a current membership with the MFA and CFF.

2.3 The Membership year will run from August 1 to July 31 to align with the MFA/CFF year.

2.4 Members and guests shall at all times observe the policies, rules and Code of Conduct of the Club.

2.5 All members have the right to participate in registered classes, social activities of the club, and borrowing of equipment in accordance with the Equipment Borrowing Policy.


Article III: GOVERNANCE

Composition of the Board

3.1 The Board shall consist of five (5) members in good standing, who hold the voting positions of President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and two (2) Member-at-Large positions, one 2-year term position, and one 1-year term position); plus one Senior Coach.

3.2 A Senior Coach with the Club will be an ex-officio (non-voting) member of the Board, and will be selected in accordance with the Coaching Policy.

3.3 Members of the Board must be elected/selected. Board positions are considered volunteer positions;
Board members are not remunerated for their service.

Powers of the Board

3.4 The Board is responsible for the operations of the Club, including but not limited to: ensuring coaches’ contracts are in place, liaising with the MFA, setting policies and guidelines regarding club operations, managing the club finances and day-to-day operations.

3.5 The President, Vice-President, and Treasurer shall be officers of the Board and shall have financial signing authority for the Club. Two officers are required to sign each cheque.

3.6 The Board will set membership rates.

3.7 The Board has the responsibility to review any member status in accordance with the Code of Conduct, the Conflict of Interest and all other Club policies.

Election of Board Members

3.8 All members in good standing, unless disqualified by being less than 18 years of age or holding a position of employee with the Club, have the right to stand for Board positions. For members in good standing who are less than 18 years of age, one (1) parent/legal guardian may stand for board positions on their behalf.

3.9 Elections - the following board positions are elected as follows:

        a. The President and Member-at-Large (2-year term) will be elected on an odd            numbered year at the AGM for a two-year term. A president and Member-at-Large (2-year term) may hold office for only four consecutive terms, unless no opposition.
        b. The Vice-President and Treasurer will be elected on an even numbered year at the AGM for a two-year term. A vice-president and treasurer may hold office for only four consecutive terms, unless no opposition.
        c. The Member-At-Large (1-year term) will be elected annually at the AGM for the one-year term, and may hold office only for four consecutive terms, unless no opposition.

3.10 Board members elected at the annual general meeting (“AGM”) will assume their roles no later than July 15.

a. The time between the AGM and July 15 shall be considered the Board Transition Period. During this time, existing board members are still completing their terms, switching over bank authority and the like; they will remain responsible for all club operations until documentation has reflected the change, but will be in place no later than July 15.  Newly elected board members who have not yet started their terms shall be included in the activities of the existing board during the Transition Period in order to ensure proper orientation to and smooth transition of Club operations to the new Board.


Duties of Board Members

3.11 The duties of Board Members are addressed within the Portfolio Listings and Committee Terms of Reference. All board members must actively assume various portfolios relevant to the operation of the Club.


Resignation and Removal of Board Members

3.12 A board member may resign from the Board at any time by presenting his/her notice of resignation to the Board. This resignation shall become effective the date on which the request is accepted by the Board. Where a board member is subject to disciplinary investigation or action from the Club, a resignation will not necessarily stop said investigation or action.

3.13 An elected board member may be removed before the completion of term by majority vote of the Board members present at a board meeting, provided the board member has been given notice, and provided an opportunity to be present and heard at such meeting.


Filling a Vacancy on the Board

3.14 In the event that a Board member gives up his/her position for any reason, the duties of that person may be assumed by a volunteer from the general membership.

a. The Board shall post the available position for a minimum of 7 calendar days.
b. The successful member will fill the vacated position for the remainder of the existing term, subject to ratification at the next AGM.
c. If the membership does not ratify the incumbent, an election must be held at the AGM to replace that member for the remainder of the term. In such case, the elected replacement shall assume the Board position upon the adjournment of the AGM.

Meetings of the Board

3.15 The Board shall hold a minimum of two (2) meetings per year, to be held at any place or time as determined by the Board. Meeting minutes will be taken and made available to the membership.

3.16 Board quorum shall be two-thirds / sixty-six percent (66%) of the filled positions, and remains in effect until the meeting is adjourned. Board business will be conducted by majority vote.

3.17 Meetings of the Board will be closed to members and the public, except by invitation of the Board.

Subcommittees

3.18 The Board may appoint such sub-committees or volunteers as may be required to advise the Board on matters affecting the Club, or to run facets of Club programming on behalf of the Board.

3.19 The Board will appoint a standing Audit Committee to review the financial information with the Treasurer on an annual basis.

Financial Management

3.20 The management of the Club financial matters shall be conducted by the Board. Financial data shall be recorded and kept. Financial report will be presented at the AGM.


Article IV: MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

4.1 Meetings of Members shall include Annual General Meetings and Special General Meetings. A minimum of 21 days’ notice is to be provided for general or special meetings.

4.2 The Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be held once per year and shall be normally held at the end of regularly scheduled programming.

4.3 Special Meetings of the Membership may be called at any time by the Board or as petitioned to the Board by a minimum of 5% of the membership. Special Meeting notification shall include all business to be transacted at that specific meeting.


Voting at Meetings of Members

4.4 All members in good standing have the right to vote on all business conducted at Member meetings.
Members over the age of 18 years have one (1) vote; members under the age of 18 years, one (1) parent/legal guardian is allowed to carry the vote on behalf of that member.

4.5 At the beginning of each meeting, the Board may appoint one or more scrutineers who will be responsible for ensuring the votes are properly cast and counted.

4.6 Ordinary business of the Club shall be decided by majority vote of the membership.

4.7 Proxies are permitted for annual or special meetings of the membership. Only a member eligible to vote can issue a proxy submitted direct to the board. The Club will make available a proxy ballot. The form must include detailed options for instructing the proxy relevant to the meeting agenda. The signed form must clearly indicate the member, and proxy instructions.


Article V: QUORUM

5.1 The quorum for the Member Meetings shall be 20% of the membership. In absence of quorum, elections may still be held.


Article VI: AMENDMENTS TO CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

6.1 Any changes to the Constitution and Bylaws shall only be made after approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership present at the general meeting. Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws can only be moved by members in good standing.

6.2 Amendments to the constitution and bylaws which have passed will be effective immediately upon adjournment of the meeting, unless otherwise specified in the motion.


Article VII: DISSOLUTION

7.1 Upon the dissolution of the Club, any funds or assets remaining after paying all debts will be distributed to an incorporated non-profit Canadian organization as determined by the Board.

coming soon

coming soon

Lightning Fencing Club (Manitoba) has always been a sport club "owned" by the current members.

We are also a registered nonprofit organization in Manitoba.


Elected members form the Executive governing body (Board) of the club.

Board members are elected at Annual General Meetings (AGMs) to govern the affairs of the club.

The Board members are legally responsible for the activities of the club and as such, bear legal responsibility in the event that there is any legal action taken against the club. The Board members have the sole responsibility to enter into contracts and manage the financial affairs of the club. No one other than the Board can speak for or enter into agreements on behalf of the club, in any matter.

Members of the club are welcome to submit comments, suggestions and ideas to the Board for the purpose of asking the Board to consider new or modified programming, issues with how the club is running and complaints about any issues they may have with governance, personnel or other matters. The Board members will listen and act as deemed financially and legally prudent, without bias. Communications with the members via email have frequently encouraged comments and suggestions.

The Board members are elected at an Annual General Meeting (AGM) as described in the current constitution/by-laws.

The AGM is a yearly occurrence where the Board members report on the financial health of the club and hold elections of Board members who's terms are ending. Nominations of those wishing to fill those positions are typically provided prior to the AGM however nominations may be made at the meeting. Those people currently in the positions may stand for re-election if allowed by the constitution/by-laws.

The members (members 18 and older or a parent of a minor child member) attending the meeting are eligible to cast a vote.

The positions for Vice-President and Treasurer are currently elected on even numbered years for a 2 year term.

The position of President is currently elected on an odd numbered year for a 2 year term.

The current Board consists of an odd number of people. The President carries a vote in the event a decision must be made on matters before the Board and there is a tie.

The Board is composed of unpaid volunteers.

Other business may be brought up at the AGM and depending on the nature of the business, may be voted on or deferred to an advisory committee for study. Such committees typically meet to discuss the deferred matter and create a final proposal that may be voted on at a special general meeting or the following year's AGM, if the issue is not critical. A call for volunteers to be part of an advisory committee may be made at the meeting.

Any advisory committee formed should have an Board member as part of the committee.

When an AGM is scheduled, we encourage as many members as possible to participate. Your input is essential for good governance. When you are informed about all of the issues presented at the meeting and you participate in the discussions, you are therefore in a good position to make informed decisions.
Effective June 22, 2019, a new constitution has been adopted. Major highlights:
The term Executive has been changed to (Governing) Board.
Two Members-at-Large positions have been added to the Board and a non-voting senior coach will be allowed to sit on the board. 

Legal etc....
Articles appearing as webpages on this site may have originated from websites on the WWW. Any slight modifications made are to enhance readability; the content was not altered from the original. All articles are provided with a link to the original source website, if the origin is known. These links are not checked regularly, so it is possible that the link may no longer exist. If you find a dead link, please send me an email.
Images appearing on this site are from various sources including many original photos.
The copyright owner of any material reproduced on this site, may request removal if it is deemed to unfairly infringe on their rights as authors. Please contact: info@lightningfencingclub.ca

No fee is charged to make this information available.

Other legal stuff: No one has permission to create or maintain a presence on ANY social media service using the name Lightning Fencing Club (LFC) if it refers to the legal entity existing in the city of Winnipeg in Manitoba Canada. Permission can only be granted with the express written permission of the Lightning Fencing Club executive Board; the legal representatives of the club. Permission is only granted with caveats attached. Any social media account created must be sanctioned by the Lightning Fencing Club governing Board. Any social media account created without our (LFC) permission is unauthorized and is in violation of our policy. Such social media accounts created without our (LFC) permission must be deleted or the administrative login name and password must be surrendered to the LFC Board.

We take the publication of member photos (and identification), particularly minors, very seriously and will defend our right to refuse permission for anyone other than the Lightning Fencing Club Executive to publish in any medium, including any social media. Please notify us if any pictures of your child show up under our name and you would like them removed.  We try not to post any pictures without permission, but sometimes errors are made and we will correct them immediately upon notification.


Key: LFC - Lightning Fencing Club (Manitoba Inc.)  

ATTENTION: Please log-in to the CFF website to register with the CFF and the MFA.
If you do not have an account, please create one.
Those members who were registered by the club may have us do it again for the new season.
If you want to do it yourself, contact us for the log in information.

Registration Instructions and Fee Schedule
Fees are payable in two parts.

PART 1

The required Association fees are payable on-line via credit card.
All registered fencers in Manitoba are required to submit these fees.

Please go to http://fencing.ca/purchase-a-cff-licence/ to log in or to create an account and follow directions.

GO HERE FOR LIGHTNING REGISTRATION INFO AND FORMS.


LIGHTNING FENCING CLUB

Note: for accounting simplicity, we reserve the right to round up to the nearest $5.00

Note: Fees are subject to change prior to the start of the fencing season in September.

The CFF and MFA fees are payable via a secure on-line transaction server that accepts major credit cards.

A CFF/MFA/LFC receipt will be sent to the email address that was entered during the on-line registration process.

Please keep a copy of this receipt for your records, and submit a copy of the receipt to Lightning Fencing Club, as proof of registration.


Lightning Buddy Discount:

When 2 or more people register together (ex: friends, family members)
Lightning offers a discount on the CLUB portion of the fee for each person.

Lightning Equipment Discount:

If you happen to have and use at least two pieces of your own safe and useable fencing gear (glove not included), the above discounts would apply.
This would be any two items from this list: mask, jacket, sword, chest protector, body cord.

Restrictions:
1)One discount type per registration (either buddy discount OR equipment discount)
2)No discount on the club upgrade fee

The Lightning Fencing Club provides the necessary fencing gear for new members to use at no cost.

You do not have to buy++ anything to learn to fence. However, if you wish, you can buy your own equipmentfrom local sellers or via the many companies that sell on-line.


Note: Fencing gear is provided to registered Lightning Fencing Club members during participation in Lightning fencing programs. This gear is owned by Lightning and is available to participants for the duration of their current membership. All loaned gear remains the property of Lightning Fencing Club

++LIGHTNING FENCING CLUB reserves the right to require all participants to purchase their own basic fencing glove. ($35)

RECEIPTS for club fees will be issued upon receipt of any payment, upon request.
Receipts will be provided to the person who fills in the registration form for the minor child.

Legend:
CFF : Canadian Fencing Federation
LFC : Lightning Fencing Club
MFA : Manitoba Fencing Association
FIE : FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE D'ESCRIME (International Governing Organization for Fencing)

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