UC Davis Fencing Club is a sports club whose primary purposes are to teach and promote the Olympic sport of fencing. In addition to fencing skills and competition, we emphasize basics, safety and respect to our traditions and to our fellow members, officers and coach. It is also our goal to provide clubmembers with a social evironment which provides adequate reason to eat lots of pizza and play glow-in-the-dark frisbee from time to time, never losing sight of our ultimate goal of dominating our dread rivals, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

UCDFC welcomes everyone--especially new people who "just want to try" fencing; you bring yourself, we'll provide everything else: training, traditions and equipment. If you are already an experienced fencer, you're also welcome; the skills and talent you bring will enrich everyone's experience at the salle.

Originally founded in 1954, UCD Fencing Club is the oldest of all the sports clubs at UCD, and the fastest-growing. UCDFC is a member of both the United States Fencing Association and the Northern California Intercollegiate Fencing League, and is host for the season-finishing Davis Fencing Tournament each April. This tournament sees both individuals and teams compete in all weapons for both sexes, and covers an entire weekend. The 2005-2006 season will see the inception of the NorCal Championship Cup, which will be awarded to the college or university fencing team with the best over all showing at year's end.

Many advanced UCDFC fencers are members of the USFA and compete in the Bay Cup Circuit, widely recognized as one of the most challenging fencing circuits in the United States.

[Coach Info]

Moniteur Thom Cate has been a competitive fencer for over 16 years, and has been teaching and coaching fencing for more than 11 years. He is a competitive member of the USFA and holds the rank of Moniteur de Fleuret in the US Fencing Coaches Association. Moniteur Cate studied Olympic medalist Duris de Jong, and the late Michael D'Asaro Sr. at the Westside Fencing Center (now the Los Angeles International Fencing Center).

Starting in 1995, Moniteur Cate rekindled the fencing at the University of California at Santa Barbara, then captained the men's foil team and club to three 1st place finishes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Fencing League; his student Tim Robinson continues to teach fencing at UCSB to this day. Coach Robinson has just opened his own club in Santa Barbara, Presidio Fencing Club.

Arriving at University of Vermont in Burlington in 1998, Coach Cate founded both the university fencing club, Salle Catamount, and the Queen City Fencing Club. Mr. Cate was founding Vice-President of the Green Mountain Division of the USFA, and was instrumental in adding new member clubs. While in New England, Coach Cate continued his studies of fencing, coaching and refereeing under Maestro of Maestros John Harvie at Escrime Mont-Royal, in Notre-Dame de Grace, Montréal, Quebec.

Returning to his native California in 2003, Coach Cate was accepted the position of Head Fencing Coach at the University of California at Davis, and was elected President of the Northern California Intercollegiate Fencing League in 2004.

Moniteur Cate remains a competitive USFA fencer, and is active in the Bay Cup Circuit of the greater San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the Mountain Valley division of the USFA. He lives his wife Chrissy, daughter Noelle and Rocket the Wonder Dog in Sacramento, CA.

[NCIFL Information]

The Northern California Intercollegiate Fencing League (NCIFL) is a USFA-compliant, non-USFA group of academic institutions who gather four times each academic year, at UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis; De Anza Community College often hosts a summer tournament. Any fencer with a valid college ID Card who is currently enrolled at that college may attend and compete, USFA membership is not required.