- When: March 7th and 8th, 2020
- What: Provincial level Fencing Tournament
- Where: Bowness Community Centre
The Gladiator Cup, hosted by the Gladiators Fencing Club of Calgary is an event that draws fencers from the top fencing clubs in the province. It is an event that is for the fencers just getting started as well as the more seasoned competitors. The event is an important component of the season for fencers in this province.
It is hosted twice a year, once in the fall, and once in the first third of the year.
The Gladiators Fencing Club is a competitive fencing club located within Calgary producing high performing athletes that represent this city at local, provincial, national and international levels. It was just recently announced that 12 of the 48 competitors in the Alberta Winter Games Fencing competition will be from the Gladiators Fencing Club which is more than any other club in the province!
As mentioned, the event draws competitors from the top fencing clubs in the province. Fencing competitions, unlike some other sports, draw the entire family unit along with the athlete to the destination city. This makes for a friendly event and a much less intense experience for supporting community services like hotels and restaurants.
Fencing is a sport that includes required respectful gestures as part of the unique competitive. Competitors must salute the referee and their opponent at the beginning and end of the "bout" and also shake hands, or high five, their competitor at the end. Fencers are a great bunch.
Officials travel from around the province as well as some from other provinces to mentor junior officials and help run the event. This group is usually present for the entire weekend, though some specialists may only be present for one day officiating for a subset of the disciplines of fencing.
Our goal is to continue to have a well-run event and to begin to find long term partners to host and grow these events with in the future. We currently run two events per season and look to increase the draw for them year over year, to the point of attracting cross border (US) participation within 5 years.
To make this happen we will need a solid accommodation partner, food and beverage options(for officials, and potentially concession), preferred restaurant options for families, and finally a first-class facility to host the event.
2020-21 will be an exciting year!
As hosts of the event, we are in communication with the competitors, and referees several meaningful times leading up to and during the event. We have fantastic opportunities to help those associated with the event learn about local high-quality businesses and we are looking to work with you to make those people feel welcome.
Officials, competitors and families from out of town across western Canada need a comfortable place to stay near the event. We are looking to coordinate with a preferred provider of accommodation to arrange a block of rooms at a reduced rate or with another type of incentive to recommend to our guests.
In addition to the normal requirement for families and competitors to eat meals, teams will often take the opportunity to have a "team dinner" together on Saturday night. Fencing events are great opportunities for local restaurants to get involved and provide an incentive to visit their establishment and to expose local and visiting people alike to what they have to offer.
We hope that by working with us to enhance the experience of this growing event we can achieve a win-win scenario this year and for the years to come. By working with us, you will gain unique access to a growing group of customers.
Please contact us to discuss this opportunity further.