Foil & Epee Coaches Wanted

Job Summary: We are seeking skilled and passionate epee and foil coaches to join Rain City Fencing Center. As a Fencing Coach, you will be responsible for instructing and guiding athletes in competitive fencing, developing their skills, and fostering a positive and supportive learning environment. The ideal candidate should possess mid- to high-level knowledge and experience in fencing techniques, strategies, and training/coaching methodologies.

Why Rain City Fencing Center

Rain City Fencing Center (RCFC) is the fastest-growing fencing club in the Pacific Northwest. We offer a unique and rewarding opportunity for coaches passionate about inspiring athletes and fostering a love for fencing. As a community-focused competitive club, RCFC emphasizes inclusivity, sportsmanship, and personal growth, creating a supportive and positive environment for both athletes and coaches while training fencers for success at all levels of competition.

Responsibilities:

  • Develop and deliver engaging training sessions that reflect RCFC philosophy and values.
  • Teach proper fencing techniques, strategy, and etiquette to students of all skill levels.
  • Adapt instruction to accommodate a diverse group of learners, from recreational participants to competitive fencers.
  • Instruct athletes on footwork, blade-work, and tactical strategies.
  • Conduct group and individual training sessions, ensuring a safe and effective learning environment.
  • Evaluate fencers’ performance and provide constructive feedback and guidance for improvement.
  • Prepare athletes for competitions, including physical conditioning, mental preparation, and game strategies.
  • Support athletes during competitions of all levels.
  • Organize and oversee fencing classes, clinics, and workshops.
  • Foster a positive team culture that emphasizes sportsmanship, discipline, and respect.
  • Collaborate with other coaches, staff members, and parents to support the overall success of the fencing program.
  • Assist with development of Assistant/Youth coaches

Preferred qualifications:

  • Prévôt or higher certification preferred
  • 2 or more years of experience developing competitive fencers at the regional and national level
  • Current USA Fencing membership, SafeSport training, and NCSI background check

To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and any relevant certifications or references to: gregj@raincityfencing.com

Edriss Ndiaye / Arwen Borowiak Elite Foil Training Camp

Date: August 25-29, 2025
Time: 2:00 – 8:00 PM daily
Price: $50 deposit, $700 due at start of camp

Click here to register on our membership system, Zen Planner

Clinics with Olympians Lee Kiefer and Gerek Meinhardt

KM Fencing and Rain City Fencing Center present a series of clinics with 3-time Olympic Champion Lee Kiefer and 5-time Olympian Gerek Meinhardt!

These clinics will cover exercises for unleashing the competitive spirit while finding joy and creativity within fencing. There will be two half-day clinics for foil fencers: one for kids Y12 and younger, the other for fencers Y-14 to adult. There will also be a Town Hall meeting on Sunday which all fencers and parents may attend. Each session also includes time for photos and autographs!

Registration online through our membership system, Zen Planner:

Temporary Practice at Highland Community Center

From August 22nd through September 11th, we’re getting our floors completely refinished. While we’re closed, we are renting temporary practice space at Highland Community Center. Practice sessions will be every Monday and Thursday except Labor Day, 5:30-7:30 PM.

Coach Greg will lead a short warmup and footwork practice, then there will be open fencing time. We will have three strips with machines, plus additional practice space. Since space is limited, please reserve a spot through our online calendar. There is a $10 drop-in fee to help cover the cost of renting the community center.

Coach Greg will be giving lessons; Coach Spencer will be available for lessons on some of the days. Contact your coach about lesson availability. Lesson priority will be for students preparing for the North Texas Roundup SYC and the Veteran World Championships.

Click here for directions to the community center.

See the map below for allowed parking locations. We recommend carpooling if possible since parking is limited. Monday practices will be in the gymnasium; Thursdays will be in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Face Masks Optional Starting March 12th

Following the recent updates to CDC guidelines, as well as Washington State and King County recommendations, there will be some changes to our COVID policies this month.

Effective March 1st, 2022, proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result is no longer required to enter RCFC. We do still strongly encourage all of our fencers and their families to get fully vaccinated.

Starting March 12th, 2022, face coverings will be optional for all students, staff, and spectators. You are still welcome to wear a face mask if you want to.

The exception to the mask-optional policy is at tournaments. USA Fencing still has a nationwide mandate for tournaments at all levels — all fencers, spectators, coaches, and officials must wear face masks at all times. If USA Fencing decides to alter this policy, we will update tournament websites accordingly.

We will still require proof of vaccination or negative COVID test at large regional tournaments. Check the tournament website for details.

We look forward to seeing your smiling faces soon!

COVID-19 Mitigation Policy Updates

Last updated December 22, 2021

RCFC is open for all of our usual in-person activities. There are currently no capacity limits for classes or open fencing.

We have updated our protocols which are designed to minimize the risk of exposure for students, parents, and coaches. We continually evaluate these protocols for feasibility and effectiveness, and adjust them as necessary.

Note that while we will attempt to minimize risks as much as possible, there is no way that risk can be completely eliminated. Members of high-risk populations should still stay home. Clients will be required to sign a waiver agreeing to our COVID-19 mitigation policies. An email containing a link to a brief safety reminder video will be sent prior to each lesson (WA state requirement).

Surfaces and Objects

Based on newly available data, including a recent study on surface transmission via sports equipment, we have scaled back some of our surface and equipment policies.

  • All of our staff wear appropriate PPE including face coverings at all times. There is a transparent barrier at the front desk to help minimize risk of transmission.
  • We strongly recommend that customers pay their bills online through our membership system. In person, our credit card terminal supports contactless payments such as tap-and-go and Apple Pay. When paying in person with a credit card, signatures are not required.
  • Doors to the main restrooms are propped open to avoid contact with door handles.
  • All students should bring water bottles with them. Please put your name on your water bottle! At our water fountains, there is no drinking by mouth, only filling water bottles.
  • During open fencing, scoring machines should be turned on and off with the tip of the weapon if possible.
  • We have installed no-touch soap dispensers and faucets in all restrooms.
  • The weight room is limited to 1 person at a time. Sanitizing equipment before and after use is required, using the sanitizing spray provided.
  • Props for games (balls, pool noodles, etc.) and club electric equipment (foils, lames, body cords) are quarantined after use until the following day.

Distancing

  • Students should check in at the front desk, and avoid congregating closely while waiting for their class or lesson.
  • If possible, parents and other non-fencers should wait in their vehicle or leave after checking in their child and come back at the end of class. Otherwise, parents should wait upstairs. If possible, only one non-fencer should accompany a minor fencer into the club.
  • Enter through the front doors only. When possible, exit through the double doors between the two gyms.
  • After saluting: no handshakes, high-fives, or elbow bumps.

Hygiene and Screening

  • All standard CDC recommendations (hand washing, control coughs and sneezes, stay home if any symptoms, etc.) are in place.
  • Fencers and parents should self-monitor symptoms and check their temperature before they leave home. We will conduct a no-contact temperature check of everyone who enters the club. Anyone with any COVID-like symptoms or a temperature over 100 will not be allowed in the club.
  • Parents should check their child in at the front desk.
  • Students should wash their hands on arrival. They may do so in the restrooms or using the kitchen sink upstairs.
  • Hand sanitizer, tissues, and trash cans are available throughout the facility.
  • Students should come for class a few minutes earlier than usual to avoid backups in the restrooms.
  • All employees are screened for symptoms daily.
  • Cloth or surgical masks are required for everyone while in the building. This includes underneath the fencing mask.

Fencing Equipment

  • Fencers who have their own gear should bring it, use it, take it home every day, and wash/disinfect it after each use.
  • Fencers who have their own gear should not borrow any club gear.
  • We strongly recommend that students purchase their own gear, or at least their own glove and mask, after their two months of classes. We will do our best to maintain our retail inventory at appropriate levels.
  • Retail uniforms which are worn to check for size and not purchased will be kept out of active inventory for at least 24 hours.
  • For students who do not have their own gear, each student will be allocated their own set of club gear, which will remain at the club. All club gear is labeled with index numbers, which will be recorded for each student. We will place each student’s set of gear in a separate plastic storage bin where they can access it before class and return it afterwards. Each student only wears one particular set of gear, and each piece of gear is only worn by one student.
  • Club gear will be washed/sanitized every other week, then put back out into bins.

Vaccination

  • All of our staff are full vaccinated.
  • Per King County mandate, all fencers age 12 or older, plus all spectators and family who will be in the building more than a few minutes, must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test on entry. We record that our staff have verified vaccination status in our membership system.
  • We strongly recommend that all of our fencers get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

Vaccination/Test Requirement Starts November 6th

On October 25th, King County established a vaccination mandate for “certain businesses such as gyms and fitness facilities”. We have not heard back from them as to whether RCFC is subject to this mandate. However, we have decided that the prudent course is to follow it regardless.

Starting Saturday, November 6th, we will require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result for all fencers 12 and older, as well as anyone else over 12 who will stay on site more than a few minutes.

You may email a photo of your vaccination card to membership@raincityfencing.com, or show it at the front desk next time you check in. We will record the vaccination confirmation in our membership system. (We will not save any images of vaccination cards.) We will accept proof of at least the first dose as sufficient.

If you already verified vaccination status for our RJCC/ROC tournament in September or the RYC in October, we have that recorded, so you do not need to send it again. If not, you may submit this information before next week if you like.

Anyone 12 or older who is not vaccinated will need to show a negative PCR test result from within 72 hours. The King County mandate does not allow us to accept self-administered rapid test results.

This requirement does not apply to anyone who is only in the building briefly (picking up, dropping off, or making a quick equipment purchase). It also does not apply to anyone under 12 at this time. However, we do strongly recommend that all of our students get vaccinated, now that the vaccine has been approved for younger kids.

Please let us know if you have any questions about this new policy.

Spring Regional Tournaments Canceled

Hello RCFC tournament fans,

Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, Rain City Fencing Center will not be holding any regional tournaments in the spring of 2021. Our Spring RJCC and our Super Youth Circuit will be rescheduled to next season. While we understand that this is disappointing for everyone, we believe it is the right course at this time.

COVID-19 numbers in Washington State continue to improve, but we believe large tournaments are still too risky right now. Regional tournaments in particular involve competitors traveling from multiple counties and states, which are not recommended activities right now. We want to make sure all of the region’s fencers, parents, coaches, and officials stay safe.

At RCFC, we take pride in a well-planned and well-executed tournament. The current restrictions make it impossible to adequately plan for numbers of competitors and availability of officials. We want to make sure every tournament we run meets our high standards.

We will look at running small local events when USA Fencing’s Western Washington Division agrees to sanction them. Meanwhile, stay safe during training, and we look forward to seeing everyone at regional events next season!

Rain City Fencing Center
Tournament Organizers

Private Lessons Resume January 11th

Based on the Governor’s new “Healthy Washington-Roadmap to Recovery” initiative released this week, we are planning to reopen for private lessons starting Monday, January 11th. If you were already on the lesson schedule in November, your schedule will remain the same.

Group classes and open fencing are on hold until February, or until we receive more detailed information from the State about the new guidelines.

Read our latest email announcement for complete details on our reopening plans.