You, dear reader, may have noticed throughout this website references to both TDS and CFS, reasonably pausing to formulate the query, “huh?”
Therefore, a brief note by way of explanation.
CFS at SLU 1999
The Classical Fencing Society was formed in 1998 by students of Saint Louis University out of courses I offered at the student recreation center. When Alexis returned home to Milwaukee in 2001 he opened our first sister school and gave it a heredity name, the Classical Fencing Society.
At that time we started to use CFS as an organizational moniker; rather than identifying a single school it would now refer to all schools.
I left Saint Louis University in the Summer of 2007 and took the opportunity to rebrand my personal sala (something I was never able to do while acting first as voluntary instructor and later as staff adviser and instructor of the CFS). That effort resulted in Trovare Di Spada, “discover the sword”. We still consider ourselves part of the larger CFS family for obvious reasons.
In 2012 my assistant instructor Ryan Mank moved to New Mexico and opened Red Sun Classical Fencing. This is the second sister school in the larger CFS family.
There are things that all sale share in common and at these times I am likely to use CFS as an identifier; there are other times when I will call out sala by its specific name.
So there you have it, currently three independent fencing sale under one shared history. Collectively the CFS, yet autonomous and distinct. It has been a pleasure and realized dream that my students are now my partners. Having watched some grow from adolescence to adulthood, single to married, and even becoming fathers and mothers, we have grown up together through the bond of swordsmanship and if I have my way, will continue to grow old in the same manner.
