CBA Competitive Epee Program
Our Facility
Location
CBA is located at 4744 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407 on the edge of the Field and Northrop neighborhoods of South Minneapolis.
We are directly on the 5 and the D bus lines - a block away from the 46 line that connects to uptown and the Blue Line Metro, with Downtown and Airport access.
We are also convenient to the 46th Street exit of 35W.
We are within 100 yards of two full-service coffee shops, a pizza parlor, a supper club, and Asian cuisine.
Our CBA Fencing Floor
The CBA fencing floor is the best and safest fencing floor in Minnesota.
A safe fencing floor must provide energy return and shock absorption.
While these can be in conflict, a sprung wood floor provides both:
• The give in the wood suspension absorbs shock
• The bounce in the wood suspension returns energy to the athlete
There should also be full run-off space to prevent end-of-strip accidents.
The modern trend in sports venues is to use "sport tiles".
These are 1/4" plastic tiles that are inexpensive and easy to assemble, but become slippery from dust and provides little energy return.
These are doubly dangerous for the athletes:
• The short-term danger is from slipping if the floors are dusty
• The long-term due danger is the cumulative effect of the unabsorbed impact on the athletes' joints and muscles
Unfortunately, sports floor vendors are generally more concerned with floors that are pretty than floors that improve performance and are safe for the athletes.
The CBA space was originally a bowling alley, so began as a sprung-wood floor. It was repaired in the 1990’s and retained its springy character. It has been varnished to provide additional grip, and it is cleaned regularly by both the CBA staff and by professional cleaners. The strips are clearly marked for visual orientation for the fencers, and there is 6’-8’ of runoff space at the end of each strip. Three of CBA’s strips are grounded metal strips to encourage epee training to hit the foot and leg.
Our House Rules
Everyone is welcome at CBA!
Our only rules are based on safety and courtesy:
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Be on time for your activity. We start promptly and late arrivals are disruptive.
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Full uniform, including long socks, is required for all fencing activities.
Those are the safety rules; training attire should match competition attire equipment. -
Bring appropriate equipment.
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Pick up after yourself, and use our recycling center.
