Some brief thoughts which comprise an expectation of conduct for our members and affiliates:

Maturity & Respect

Everything begins here.  Scholar Victoria is founded on respect for each other, for ourselves, and other members of the fencing community. Fencing should raise us all up together, not tear us apart. Respect can be taken to include many things, including:

• Conducting ourselves impartially and professionally with students and coaches during the class

• Conducting ourselves appropriately before, during, and after tournaments and public events
  

• Conducting ourselves appropriately on social media where our behaviour may be seen as representing the school
• Remember there is no “right” way to do HEMA – as such we do not exhibit behaviours that disparage other fencers or clubs in the HEMA community during events or classes.

Safety

Let’s be honest – swords were originally made to hurt people.  We, on the other hand, want to practice in a safe environment.  Through proper equipment and attitude we can work to minimise any risks.  Particularly:

• Be proactive in injury avoidance during training – no training activity should be carried out at full force and intent. If you have an injury or believe an activity may injure you, step out and let the instructor (and your training partner) know.

• Wear appropriate protective gear appropriate to the situation while drilling, sparring, or competing. Any time you are drilling with a sword pointed toward another person, wear a mask. Likewise swords must be safety tipped for sparring
• Moderate fencing intensity based on the skill, personality, and protective equipment of your partner. This includes communicating your expectations and limitations before beginning fencing.

• Acknowledge when you have been in a circumstance where your partner has been injured, showing proper concern and respect for their injuries. Review the circumstances of injuries with coaches and involved participants to come up with ways to avoid repeated incidents.
• Don’t train if you’ve been drinking, using drugs (prescription or otherwise) that affect your coordination/judgement, are medically unfit, or are otherwise unable to fence
• Remember that sometimes accidents do happen – when they do neither party should maintain a grudge.

For our safe operating procedures see THIS LINK detailing restrictions on fencing activities for safety.

Harassment, Discrimination, & Bullying

Simple – don’t do any of these things!

There is no room for discrimination, bullying, or harassment in training, or within the club.

It’s important to understand that our group come from a vastly different range of experiences, values, and cultural “norms”; be respectful of the viewpoint of others – if something makes someone feel unwelcome, uncomfortable, or unheard, don’t do it.

Likewise don’t assume that someone behaving in a way that might be quite different to what you’re used to means they are trying to offend.

Communication

A club is only as good as the people who make it, and the only way for people to work together successfully is to communicate. That means:

• Be open to communicating with your peers within the club, actively listening to them with an open mind.
• If you’re having trouble in class with techniques, or are simply questioning something, talk to the instructor about it.
• If you’re having trouble with another student, approach them and discuss it. If it’s something you feel uncomfortable approaching them about, consider discussing it with the instructors or having them mediate the discussion for you.
• If there’s something that might make the class difficult for you, an injury, a concern about the safety of the environment, or simply discomfort with groups of new people, let us know – we can help make life easier.
• If you’re injured during class, let the instructor know (this is NOT optional)
  
• If you don’t feel comfortable speaking to the instructor then you can email scholarvictoria.fencing@gmail.com to have your concern dealt with by the committee for the group.

Attitude: While swordsmanship is not without its serious side, we believe that as a group it should be approached with an attitude of enthusiasm, openness, and a sense of fun.  There is no room in classes for animosity, agendas, grudges, feelings of superiority, or any other attitude which undermines the enjoyment of the sport and martial art for your classmates.  

Likewise there is nothing wrong with appropriately channeled competitive spirit and desire for excellence.  Many fencers work hard both in class and during their own time to achieve a high degree of fitness and competency in readiness for competition. A passion to excel is a wonderful thing so long as it isn’t at the expense of your peers.

Historical Martial Arts are for everyone.  Let’s help keep it that way.