Calimacil and fencing: a natural and incredible union
At the turn of the 2000s, several companies emerged from the excitement of immersive games around the world; the practice of modern and ancient fencing; show fighting and other martial arts. The natural marriage between modern fencing and Calimacil was bound to take place.
But what sets the Sherbrooke company apart is that it takes a journey dotted with exploits, innovations and successes!
A space is reserved within the company for an incredible fighting room!
In 2017 Calimacil moved to 1150 rue Deschaillons (current headquarters of the company) in order to expand its facilities. On the ground floor, space is offered for the purpose of hosting a fencing club. Little by little, different occupations are attached to it: combat video editing, LARP evenings, historical martial arts classes, etc.
Today, the weapons room which notably hosts the Sher-Lames fencing club includes eight tracks, four of which are of the “metallic-competition” type, a conditioning and reception room. Which makes it the largest club of its kind in Quebec in terms of permanent installations.
It is also with head coach Vincent Brazeau and the Quebec Fencing Federation that Calimacil will innovate once again by creating two weapons for the duelist: a foil sword and a sabre. These safe foam weapons, especially designed for the initiation of young people, imitate a real foil and saber in terms of movement!
The Lightsaber and Calimotion technology
In France, since April 2018, the practice of Lightsaber has been carried out under the aegis of the French Fencing Federation. Discipline recognized in complicity with the delegation of the Ministry of Sports, Olympic and Paralympic Games. In Quebec, this integration is pending.
La France est le premier pays à emboîter le pas du Sabre laser comme discipline officielle, mais on observe, depuis les années 2010, à travers le monde, l’apparition de nombreux clubs de sabre laser.
- https://www.ffescrime.fr/home/je-decouvre/disciplines/sabre-laser/#:~:text=Le%20sabre%20laser%20est%20depuis,de%20pratique%20partout%20en%20France.
- https://www.ledevoir.com/sports/548109/la-federation-francaise-d-escrime-reconnait-le-duel-au-sabre-laser-comme-un-sport
- https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/feb/19/light-saber-duelling-official-sport-france-star-wars
- https://www.escrime-aaf.fr/sabre-laser
- https://lightspeedsaber.com/fencers
Calimacil is part of this craze and, in 2015, creates a lightsaber; follows, in 2019, a more sophisticated version which uses new technology: the Calimotion Lightsaber (LED Saber or LED foam Saber). It is designed for community, combat and competitions.
The weapon is revolutionary… in this sense, the Calimotion provides interconnectivity between Calimacil items, LEDsabers, swords, armor pieces, torches, etc. Each object has its own “Behaviour” which can be programmed by the user to create their game world through a server in the cloud.
In 2020, the Artisans of Azure and Calimacil are creating superb masks inspired by the Star Wars universe. They are adapted for the new discipline.
Finally, a lightsaber club, headed by Sher-Lames, should see the light of day in Sherbrooke by the end of 2024.
Calimacil : implication dans la communauté!
At heart with its corporate mission, one of the values dear to Calimacil remains its involvement within the community. In addition to offering Sherbrooke residents accessibility to the practice of fencing, martial arts and historical weapons, a human dimension and fairness is installed at the heart of the clubs associated with the company.
This is how the Sher-Lames fencing club offers specific programs: fencing for blind people, with reduced mobility, for breast cancer remission.
Stéphanie Hamelin, a blind person, trained for several years at the Calimacil weapons room. In 2020, in France, she participated in the World Fencing Championship for the visually impaired. She will get on the podium and be crowned Senior Women’s Épée vice-champion!
Sous l’initiative de Vincent Brazeau, ex-entraineur de l’équipe de sabre du Canada, le club Sher-Lames a mis sur pied un programme paralympique pour les personnes à mobilité réduite avec l’installation d’une piste métallique avec huit fauteuils adaptés, des supports handifix (incluant aussi le matériel individuel) pour les combats en compétition.
It is also in Sherbrooke that the courses begin suitable and secure fencing for cancer patients (women operated on for breast cancer). This sporting approach, developed by one of Calimacil’s employees, is also recommended by the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation andinspired by the program R.I.P.O.S.T.E. (France).
A Champion's Path: Loïc Beaulieu and Calimacil
Finally, we would like to end this blog with one last anecdote. At the beginning of the 2010s, a young foil fencer, Loïc Beaulieu, approached Calimacil for financial assistance in order to fully pursue his passion: fencing. Patrick Lessard, president of the company, immediately accepted, happy to collaborate with this young boy who was interested in a unique sporting discipline. In addition, during four summer seasons, as a student, Loïc obtained a position in the company's production.
Five years later, still in contact with Loïc, it is with pride that we see him climb to the third step of the podium among the Cadets, at the World Championship in Uzbekistan. A magnificent season as he finished among the top 5 worldwide. He was immediately enrolled in Canada's Olympian Hopes program. Subsequently, Loïc will be, on several occasions, reigning champion at the provincial and national level, among juniors and seniors.