Fencing in the News

[LongBlade]

`Being here almost rivals Athens'
Haaretz.com
By Daphna Berman
Jerusalem, Israel
July 15, 2005

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/599763.html

Dan Kellner, the top-ranked foil fencer in the United States, decided to skip the World Cup in Vancouver this month so he could participate in the Maccabiah Games. His international ranking slipped from No. 11 to 12 as a result, but the 29-year-old Olympian doesn't seem to regret it.

Dan Kellner, left, in action at the Athens Olympics, where he finished fourth.

"Being here almost rivals Athens," he said in an interview yesterday from Jerusalem, where he is getting ready for the start of the fencing competitions on Sunday. "The opening ceremony was amazing - Jews from all over the world, wandering around taking pictures together, exchanging T-shirts and pins. People told me that it would be amazing and the best trip of my life and so far, it's completely worth it to be here."

Kellner, who has just finished what he calls "the best season of his career," came in fourth place at the Athens Olympics last summer, and has since grabbed a bronze medal at the PanAm games in Cuba. He also placed first in the U.S. championships and as such, was asked to lead the U.S. delegation's march into the Ramat Gan stadium on Monday, alongside the likes of legendary swimmers Mark Spitz and Lenny Krayzelburg.

"The only thing I haven't medaled in yet is the Olympics and that's my goal for the next three years," he said of his plans to rival other Maccabiah greats. "But if anything, coming in fourth place is just more of a motivation for [the next Olympic games in] 2008."

Kellner, who was born and raised in New Jersey, began his fencing career through a video game and at age 13, started what he thought would just be a hobby. To date, the Columbia University graduate spends most of his day training and is effectively a professional athlete - albeit without the salary of one. He is the oldest member of the U.S. Olympic team, but says that since he only began competing officially at age 16, he's still "just playing catch up."

In the meantime, Kellner is sightseeing, enjoying some much-needed vacation time, and getting in a bit of training as well. He plans to defeat his Israeli competition, Tomer Or, who is ranked six places behind him at 18, and has every intention of capturing the gold.

"Being a part of this, I feel the distinction of being a Jewish athlete," he said. "Even though this is a sporting event and I plan to win, I look at the Maccabiah more as a vehicle to celebrate world Jewry. Coming here crystallizes for me how important we can be to the State of Israel and really solidifies the unity of the Jewish people."

[LongBlade]

Let the Games begin
By Joshua Boyd
Boston Herald
Marblehead Reporter
July 14, 2005

www2.townonline.com/marblehead/schoolSports/view.bg?articleid=286773

The Bay State Games, the twice-annual (winter and spring) showcase event of the Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation, kicked off with its first games of the summer on July 12.

With opening ceremonies commencing Thursday and with events continuing through July 24, the games will have plenty of Marblehead athletes giving their all for gold.

Most of the athletes will be taking part in swimming events. Caroline Belli, 15, Suzanne Foley, 15, and Catherine Rafferty-Millett, 14, swam for Marblehead High School this past and both will go looking for success at the Bay States.

Lauren Russell, 17, and Meredith Mead, 16, are high school swimmers at Phillips Exeter Academy. Swimmers coming out of the Marblehead Village Middle School are Katherine Foley, 12, Allison Mentuck, 11, and Toireasa Rafferty-Millett, 10.

Swimming in the Women's Open division will be 48-year old Jennifer Lucker.

A trio of badminton players are also coming out of Marblehead, including graduated high school senior Kylynn McKinley (a four-year track and field letter-winner at M.H.S.) and 13-year olds Emily Schwartz and Kaye Shek.

Though fencing is not a high school sport, two experienced fencers will try their skills. Didrik Etholm, 17, recently graduated from Marblehead, while 16-year old Ali Letendre will be a junior next year.

Joining them in the fencing events is Russian emigre Aleksey Muravyev, 44.

Twin softball players Meghan and Elizabeth Durgin have signed on with the Northeast regional softball team. Both were juniors this past season for Bill Manchester's high school squad which was the best in several years for Marblehead.

Carly Pedersen, 16, and Juliet Munroe, 15, will both represent Marblehead on the lacrosse field, while St. John's Prep wrestler Pat Pingeton, 17, will take to the mats.

Check back with the Reporter for how these athletes fare in their various events over the next two weeks.

[LongBlade]

Campers learn the art of fencing
San Marcos Daily Record
San Marcos, Texas
July 15, 2005

www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2005/07/15/sports/sports2.txt


Instructor Alberto Ramirez helps Isaac Moulinet practice the footwork involved in fencing.

The All Texas Athletic Center Fencing Club is currently holding learn to fence and open competitive camps at Texas State University. Classes began this week. For information call John Moreau at 245-3761.

(Bottom photo - not in online edition) Instructor Sean Moreau spars with student Tommy Stanley during Wednesday night's lesson. Moreau has participated in the sport his entire life and has competed in modern pentathlons, which include fencing as one of five events, but is now focused on fencing and will begin classes at Texas State in the fall.

[LongBlade]

Lincoln Fencing Club takes charge at Games' fencing event
By Ryly Jane Hambleton
Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln, Nebraska
July 17, 2005

www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/07/17/sports/doc42d9e08560f8d665981503.txt

There are no chandeliers from which to swing or winding staircases to duel up and down. At the Lincoln Fencing Club, the fencing strip, scoring machine and other paraphernalia are strictly regulation.

"In the movies, they have to make it look cool, so they jump up on things and fly through chandeliers," said Kimberly Schrader.

Schrader considers herself a sabre fencer. There are three weapons in fencing — foil, épée (pronounced EPP-pay) and sabre. The weapons differ, as do the scoring for each.

"The fencing in ‘The Princess Bride' is foil, the traditional Three Musketeers fencing is sabre and it was épée that 007 used in the James Bond movie (‘Die Another Day')," said Kristian Anderson, the coach of the club's competition. "But really, none of them are like competition. They make them look the way they want rather than the way they are in competition."

Anderson's épée team won the Cornhusker State Games competition Saturday at LFC, in the Magee Building. He and Eric Gonzalez, Josh Bush and Matt Purbaugh defeated the team of Sarah Hall, Brad Tucker and Cass Kovanda. Third place went to Tatianna Davilla, Kimberly Schrader and Gina Albrech.

Competitive fencing has six ratings levels, ‘A' (the best) through ‘E,' with beginners starting unrated. LFC has four ‘A' fencers — Anderson in foil and Kovanda, Tucker and Dale Holt in épée. The latter three finished seventh in the summer national tournament last week in Sacramento, Calif. The LFC team of Sarah Bush, Sally Dietrich and Katie Dumas finished second in the women's division.

"When I first started with this club, most of our fencers were rated ‘D' so there has been a great improvement," Anderson said. "This sport is unlike most others in that you can rub elbows with the best in the country.

"It's an individual sport. It has the physical demands of baseball, with quick feet and hands, and the mental challenge of chess, because you need to think ahead."

And like many other sports, there is the constant desire to upgrade equipment.

"There are minimum safety levels for beginners and at the ‘A' level, on the international circuit, all equipment must be approved by FIE, the governing body," said Joel McChesney, who ran the State Games competition. "Fencing is a highly disciplined sport and sportsmanship is stressed. Fencers must salute their opponent, the director (official) and the crowd."

Gonzalez has found parallels to another sport.

"I started fencing in 1997 when I was in junior high because my friends got me into it," said Gonzalez, a student at Southeast Community College who also participates in recreational boxing. "I think boxing and fencing are very similar. Mentally, they are mirror images of each other.

"You want to outsmart your opponent, and timing and distance are crucial. In boxing you want to set up your opponent to control the bout and it's the same in fencing."

Gonzalez said it took awhile to get the hand of fencing.

"The first two months, I went home pretty sore. I was using muscles I hadn't used," he said. "But it was a lot of fun and we have some cool people in the club."

Emotion also can be a big part of the competition. Gonzalez was obviously pumped up when he fenced Tucker in the team competition.

"Part of it is tactics. There was one coach from Kansas who taught us to scream," he said. "You use it to psyche yourself up and especially with a lesser opponent, to psyche them out."

Schrader, a junior-to-be at Lincoln Southeast, said fencing takes a strong commitment. Schrader trains three to four times a week, working out about three hours each session.

"I just love this sport. When you're on the (fencing) strip, you're on top if you're doing the best you can," she said. "You have to really want to do it."

[LongBlade]

Fencing / Third time lucky for Or
By Shimrit Berman
Haaretz.com
Jerusalem, Israel
July 18, 2005

www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/601125.html


TOUCH?: Israel's Tomer Or, right, parrying Dan Kelner of the U.S. in the men's foil final yesterday. Olivier Fitoussi / BauBau

The Israeli team dominated yesterday's fencing competition, grabbing four golds out of five. Israel's Tomer Or, 27, defeated the top-ranked American, Dan Kellner, in the Men's foil final by a score of 15 - 9 to win his first Maccabiah title at the third attempt.

"I won a silver medal in 1997 and finished 5th in 2001," said a delighted Or, "so it means a lot to me to win this title and I'm very happy, even if it's just a Maccabiah. It is also very special for me because my family and friends rarely attend my competitions, and all of them were here today to see me winning the gold."

Or, who won a gold medal in the final world cup event of the international fencing season in Canada last week, said he regarded the bout as practice for the 2005 World Championships to be held in Germany in the beginning of October, as Kellner is ranked 12th in the world and reached 4th place in the foil team event at last year's Olympic Games in Athens.

"I had a tough bout; in the end of the day and it was very difficult to beat Dan. It was important for me to win because it is a good preparation for the World Championships as he will also compete there, and it might give me a psychological advantage there," Or said.

Kellner, who skipped the US nationals to compete in his first Maccabiah games, complimented Or. "Tomer fenced great today. We are the best foil fencers here and it was fun and challenging," he said.

Kellner, who is suffering from a shoulder injury, said he was satisfied with his result. "It would have been nicer to win," he smiled, "but it was a good day I got a lot of good bouts today."

Kellner also passed on last week's world cup event in Vancouver in order to participate in the Maccabiah. "I qualified for the games twice before," he said, "but I always had schedule conflicts so I didn't get to go. People told me I'd have a great time here, and they were right."

While the foil final was fought by two athletes who aspire to compete in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the Saber final featured two recently-retired Olympic fencers. Russia's Sergei Sharikov, 31, winner of four Olympic medals in three Olympics two team golds and one bronze, as well as an individual silver, faced 34-year-old Ukrainian Vadim Guttshayt. The latter won the bout, 15-13.

Israel won another three gold medals as Marat Israelian won the epee final over the U.S.' Michael Feldschuh with a score of 15-9, while the women's competition provided two all-Israeli finals. In the epee final, Anastasia Ferdman defeated Ana London, and in the foil final, Delila Hatual won over Julia Tikhonova.

[LongBlade]

Children’s Festival returns Friday
Pam Jung, Staff writer
The Union.com
Serving Western Nevada County, CA
July 20, 2005

www.theunion.com/article/20050720/WEBUPDATE/50720010

The Children’s Festival returns Friday to Nevada City’s Pioneer Park for a day of crafts, entertainment by jugglers, storytellers, musicians and demonstrations of medieval fencing. Claude, the life-size, fire-breathing dragon, will also be on the scene of this Renaissance-like fair that delights so many children.

Founded in 1971 by Pat Cobler and Ilse Barnhart, the festival continued as an annual summer event for 18 years, until 1989. When Barnhart died in 2003, it was revived as a memorial tribute to her.

The festival is made possible by the labor of volunteers and donations from local businesses, including its sponsor, the Nevada City Rotary Club.

Traditionally, about 1,500 children and parents attend. Arts and crafts activities include costume making, cardboard castle construction, soapstone carving, and puppet making. Two sessions, morning and evening, are scheduled, with food and beverages available for purchase from the Soroptimists.

[LongBlade]

Sports in brief
Local takes bronze at summer fencing nationals
Boston Herald
Marblehead Reporter
July 21, 2005

www2.townonline.com/marblehead/schoolSports/view.bg?articleid=290779

In Garden City, N.Y., in May, Alexandra Etholm 14, of Marblehead fenced for her club Boston Fencing Academy under the coach of Pavel Zelikman and took gold in the Senior North Atlantic Section Championship.

She also took gold in U19 and U16 in the North Atlantic Section in Burlington, Vt., in April. She fences in class 14. Her coach is Pavel Zelikman and he was delighted by the results.

Alexandra is a student at the Marblehead High School and practices with Zelikman at Boston Fencing Academy four days a week.

If you have an interest in fencing, please call the Marblehead Park and Rec. Dept at 781-631-3350.

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Fencing does not cut anybody out, says FIE's Ao Jie
Daily Express
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
22 July, 2005

www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=35932

Being the first Asian woman on the International Fencing Federation (FIE) committee means living life out of a suitcase for Ao Jie.

The Olympian and five-time China national foil champion has spent the last eight years jet-setting from country to country as a FIE official and aide to the Federation president and Sabah is her latest destination.

Having just completed a one and a half-month stint in Croatia to oversee a European refereeing course for the foil, sabre and epee sword classes, she flew in straight for her next assignment as tournament manager for the 12th Asian Fencing Championship 2005 this July 24-30.

"My job with the FIE involves a lot of travelling. I have been flying from one country to the next and it doesn't leave me much free time," she said when met yesterday.

Before her Croatia trip, she was in Madrid, Spain for a similar course and after the Asian Championship here she flies straight for Chinese Taipei to facilitate a coaching course in August.

The following month she will be in South Korea and in January next year she travels to Japan, as an examiner for referee courses in both countries.

Not that she is complaining. If anything, Ao Jie feels that whatever work she does that helps develop the sport of fencing globally is well worth the effort.

"It is a very elegant game. In Europe in the past, most people considered it a sport for snobs but now it is a sport that is accessible to all people there.

"In France I am a fencing master at three clubs and I have around 300 to 400 students in total with ages ranging from six to 65.

"High standard equipment is very expensive compared to other sports like football and athletics, but now the cost to be involved at the amateur level has gone down quite a lot because China is producing equipment that is much cheaper and is accepted by the FIE for beginners," she said.

Ao Jie, who holds a sports management degree from the National Institute of Sports Physical Education (Insep) in Paris, France, however stressed that the high standard of fencing in Europe is not as much the work of the FIE as that of the governments and media of the European countries.

"In France, the government gave financial assistance to each province so children from poor families can borrow equipment to train. Little by little, step by step these children practised their fencing and some have gone to win national tournaments.

"Government assistance is very important and so is the media in providing information, to let children know what is fencing and where they can practice it.

"In the past fencing was not very developed in China but now it is at a very high level and one reason is because the media has been very actively supporting the sport," said Ao Jie, who is also a gold medallist in the 1989 Asian Championship.

She believes that hosting the Asian Championship here would be a big boost in promoting fencing among children, especially as they will have the chance to watch Olympic fencers from China and South Korea in action.

"I heard that China and Korea are sending their Olympic fencers and some of them are seeded on the FIE ranking.

"The level of fencing in this tournament will be very high and I think that after children here watch them compete they will want to practice fencing."

Some 530 athletes and officials representing 22 countries are confirmed for the Asian Championship, which will be held at the Kota Kinabalu Sports Complex multi-purpose hall.

Among the top-teams confirmed are Asian fencing powerhouses China and South Korea, Hong Hong, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Qatar and Iran. Malaysia has also entered a full team of 24 fencers for the event.

The Asian Championship is considered a warm-up for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and will also determine fencers' Asian ranking.

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Valley's Simmons helps fencing team win Jr. Nationals; individual 6th, silvers
By Steven Serafini
Sonoma Index-Tribune
Sonoma, CA, USA
July 22, 2005

www.sonomanews.com/articles/2005/07/21/sports/sports02.txt

After finishing with a sixth-place individual medal at the United States Summer Nationals for Junior Mens Foil in Sacramento earlier this month, the Valley's Alex Simmons, 15, stepped up and helped his Sonoma Fencing Academy of Petaluma team capture the national championships team-event gold medal.

Simmons and his under-19-year-old Sonoma Academy teammates - including Sam Perkins, Ben Anderson and Forrest MacDougall - overcame an early 5-0 deficit and defeated the New York Fencers Club squad 45-38 for the Junior National title. A total of 31 fencing-club teams from all over the country participated in the Nationals.

An upcoming Sonoma Valley High School sophomore who's been coached for six years at Petaluma's Sonoma Fencing Academy by Michael Pacheco, Simmons earned his Nationals under-19 individual junior men's foil sixth-place medal after being edged by Lowden Charles of New York in a closely contested elimination bout.

But Simmons was able to avenge his loss a day later when his Sonoma team upended Charles and his New York club squad in the gold-medal showdown. Ron Berkowsky of New Jersey ended up winning the individual U.S. title.

Back in April, Simmons - son of Jeff and Jennifer Simmons, of Sonoma - was one of the top fencers from all over North America who participated in the North American Fencing Cup in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Competing in a field of 104 fencers in the under-15 mens' foil event, Simmons claimed an impressive second-place silver medal. He then competed against 122 fencers from around the world in the Division 1 Senior foil event and battled to an eye-opening 31st-place finish.

Later in April, Simmons fenced in the Pacific Coast Championships in San Jose and took home another silver medal with his second-place finish out of a field of 104 participants. The Sonoman also placed sixth out of 73 fencers in the Pacific Coast under-19 mens foil championships.

Simmons' current mens foil national rankings include second in under-15, 14th in under-17, 27th in under-19 and 31st in Division 1.

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Woodbridge summer class on point
by AMANDA STEWART
Potomac News
Virginia, USA
July 23, 2005

www.potomacnews.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WPN%2FMGArticle%2FWPN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784017059&path=

Fencing may be an ancient sport, but it's new to some students in Prince William County.

Twenty middle and high school students completed the second of two week-long fencing camps at Woodbridge Senior High School on Friday.

The camp was the first of its kind offered at the high school.

"The response has actually been really good for this," said coach Daniel Brown, a new teacher at the school who has been fencing for 11 years.

The students, many of whom were first-time fencers, came a long way in two weeks, Brown said.

"It's been amazing," he said. "When I first saw Andrew [Hjort-Micheal], I thought 'Oh, his technique's a mess.' But now he's gotten really good."

Andrew, 15, a sophomore at Woodbridge High School said he learned a lot of useful skills at the camp such as lunges and footwork. But his favorite part is pretty basic.

"The best part is stabbing people," he said.

"Yeah, that's probably the main thing we all like," agreed Brad Jones, 12, a seventh grader at Lake Ridge Middle School.

But there were some other perks to learning the sport too, they said.

"It's fun to set challenges for yourself and do mind play and things like that," said Rebecca Hull, 16, a junior at Woodbridge High School who has been fencing for three months.

"It's fun because anybody can love it and anybody can do it," said David Matthew Morales, 15, a Woodbridge High School junior. "It's all about being smarter than the other guy."

Many of the students hope there will be enough interest to start a fencing club at Woodbridge High School next year, they said. Brown would sponsor the club, he said.

Eventually the students would like to compete against fencers from other schools as well, they said.

"If we could get a club going here it would be awesome," David said. "And some of the people from other schools want to do that too."

Most of the campers were Woodbridge High School students, but some came as far away as Chantilly and Fredericksburg to participate, Brown said.

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MAN BEHIND THE MASK FACES NEW CHALLENGES
Olympic fencing medalist Wiradech Kothny talks about his sport and his work helping tsunami victims
Story by JAKHONGIR DJALMETOV
Bangkok Post
July 24, 2005

www.bangkokpost.com/Sports/24Jul2005_sport22.php

He was born in Thailand but won Olympic medals for Germany. He is a fencer and a student at Bangkok University. He is a big-hearted contributor to the tsunami victims in Phangnga and a strong critic of the Thai Fencing Association. Wiradech Kothny is a confident young man.

Wiradech was adopted by a German journalist and spent his childhood in Germany. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics he won two bronze medals for Germany in the men's individual and team sabre. Currently he is an advertising major at Bangkok University.

Wiradech or ''Willi'' took up fencing at the age of 10 although he also played several other sports.

''As a youngster, I always wanted to impress my father,'' he said.

''We enjoyed swimming, running and horse riding. I mastered those skills, but there were two activities I was very keen on, shooting and fencing. My father taught me shooting while I took fencing classes at high school.

''At first, it was like any other class. But with encouraging results it became fun and one day I had to make a decision whether I wanted to take fencing seriously. It is not a sport that one can take lightly and it is definitely not cheap. You have to buy the sabre, the suit, the mask and all other equipment. It is a tough sport. It requires the ability to concentrate and make difficult decisions.You have to think like a chess player.

''Besides being mentally prepared, one has to be in good shape physically. You have to be strong, but not too muscular because it restricts your mobility and flexibility. There has to be a balance. There are many factors you have to combine. On top of that you have to be psychologically prepared.''

There is no doubt that he loves fencing, and this he claims is the reason he has been so successful. ''Sometimes when you are good in one skill and you give it 120%, then you become extremely good,'' he said.

''My character also helped me mould the person I am today in terms of fencing. I fence out of feeling. If I feel good I can do everything. Physically I am well-prepared, I am flexible and quick. Being calm and collected also helps a great deal.''

His sweetest victory to date was against an opponent he had never previously beaten, during the 2000 Olympics at Sydney. Wiradech used his mental strength to overcome his opponent. He kept the score very close and tested his opponent who became flustered and argued with a referee. The score was still very close and it was then that Wiradech went for the kill. '' I felt like a shark that just got a taste of blood... and we all know what happens then,'' said Wiradech.

After his successful Olympics, he felt a sense of satisfaction as if a huge boulder had been lifted off his shoulders. The long struggle finally paid off, and his father was extremely proud.

After winning the Olympic medals, Wiradech moved to Thailand. Since his move he has represented the Thai national fencing team but has achieved very little at the highest-level competitions. He is dissatisfied with the Thai Fencing Association. ''The Thai Fencing Association is very weak internally,'' he said.

''The last couple of trips I had to organize my own visas, my own hotel reservations and look after the equipment.

''I felt that I had no real support from the organization. In addition all the money on the trip came from my pocket with the association telling me that they will return the money.''

However, an official at the Fencing Association argued that the financial problem might be a misunderstanding. He said the association had paid Wiradech allowances as well as other expenses for his participation at the Athens Games.

The official claimed the association's new executive board, which took office in March, had asked the Sports Authority of Thailand to reimburse Wiradech but he may not have yet received the sum from the SAT.

Wiradech said that China, Japan and South Korea are all making big advances in fencing. However, the situation in Thailand is very different. ''Thai people give preference and special treatment in terms of seniority,'' he said.

''Also in Thailand we have coaches from Uzbekistan but the Association claims that these coaches are from Russia but Uzbekistan is not Russia.

''The coaches from Uzbekistan are not as knowledgeable about fencing. They hardly know about weight training. These days all sports are into weight training. Only fencers in Thailand don't weight train.''

Nowadays fencing has taken a back seat for Wiradech because he is studying at university and is busy with his projects in Phangnga.

''The tsunami and my history played a crucial role in my decision to assist the tsunami victims,'' he said.

''If you are an athlete you have a responsibility for your country. As an athlete you have to represent your country in a proper way. I look back and I see that everything that I had done was for myself only. I think it is time for me to do something for the people.''

Before assisting the tsunami victims in Phangnga, Wiradech set his priorities straight. The Thai victims were getting a lot of help from other Thai people, so he decided to help German victims by being a translator. ''I made myself useful by collecting their background information, getting administrative work processed for the survivors so that they could go back to Germany'' said Wiradech.

''Parallel to assisting the foreigners, I was modifying my web page www.kothny.de/framesn.html.

''The focus of my web page shifted from fencing to tsunami related projects. I also asked foundations for funds to which people generously donated. One of my projects was building a floating home which was finished in April. In addition, we do not want to help the people and then forget about them.

''We are helping them so that they can help themselves in the future.

''Another project of ours is building a resort for the people. However it will take a lot of time. We already started a kitchen for the ladies with help from the Sheraton Hotel.

The resort will also lean on different foundations. The homes in the resort will be built by foundations, and each home owner will know which house was built by which foundation. This way there is more association between the resort and the foundations.''

Wiradech still loves fencing but he has realised that it is not the only thing in life. His priorities are education first, then his tsunami projects and lastly fencing.

Clearly Wiradech is a force to be reckoned with by the Fencing Association. He is not afraid to raise his voice and challenge the taboos of seniority in Thailand. However it is his projects in Phangnga that are perhaps more important.

No matter what the future holds for him in his favourite sport, he will always be a winner for taking the responsibility to help the victims of the tsunami.

[LongBlade]

Megan Haberzettle (of the Coastal Bend Fencing Society in Robstown, Texas) holds the front page of the Sunday (7/24/05) Waco Tribune-Herald where she is shown winning the 1st place bout in Y14 Mixed Sabre at the Games of Texas.

Megan also took 2nd place in the Senior Women's Sabre event Sunday.

Way to go, Megs!

coastalbendfencingsociety.com/

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Malaysia to host 2005 Asian Fencing Championship
China View
www.chinaview.cn
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
July 24, 2005

news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-07/24/content_3261232.htm

Malaysia will host the 2005 Asian Fencing Championship Monday in its eastern state of Sabah, local media reported on Sunday.

About 500 athletes and officials from more than 20 countries and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, are expected to compete in the championship held in the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, Director of the Secretary-General's Office of Asian Fencing Confederation Roger Hsu said.

The six-day fencing competition features individual and team events in foil, saber and epee.

China dominated the last championship with 10 gold medals, followed by South Korea and Japan.

Last year's fencing competition was held in Manila from April 21 to April 26.

[LongBlade]

FENCING: China’s golden boy lives up to billing
By JULIA CHAN
New Straights Times, Malaysia
July 26, 2005

www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Sport/20050726082536/Article/indexb_html

CHINA'S golden boy of fencing Zhou Han Ming lived up to his billing and won his team their first gold medal in the Asian Fencing Championships at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah yesterday.
Pitted against Korea's best hope Hwang Byung Ryul in the men's individual sabre final, the duel was an intense neck-to-neck battle to the very end.

Hwang had been the early aggressor and move ahead by three points in the first minute before Zhou earned his first point.

Just after the halfway stage with seven to Hwang and eight to Zhou, both were exhilirated and matched each other point for point. When they reached a 12-12 stand-off, the excited Korean squad were on tenterhooks cheering Hwang on to a 13th point which proved to be his last.

Zhou gained the next two points without much trouble while the last point was touch-and-go but was awarded to Zhou by the referee which disappointed the Koreans but had Zhou whopping for joy.

The championships run until July 30 with another 11 titles up for grabs.

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Fencing academy proves striking
By Chris Saur/Enterprise staff writer
Davis Enterprise - Davis, CA, USA
July 25, 2005

www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2005/07/25/sports/159spt0.txt

The Davis Fencing Academy has gotten a lot bigger, both in size and in success, over its eight years of existence. In fact, the start began humbly in a driveway of all places.

Five-time national fencing champion Dick Berry was the owner of that driveway. In 1997, he and prized pupil Simon Pitfield decided the kids of Davis would like a place to learn the sport.

The first official class was offered two years later through the Davis Parks and Community Services Department and was supposed to be a one-day class for 10 kids. When enrollment forced Berry and Pitfield to offer two classes with 15 students each, it was clear to them there was enough of a demand for fencing in this town.

Once Pitfield got his degree in business from UC Davis in 1999, he decided to take advantage of the two things he knew the most about - business and fencing. Now at its current location on Second Street, the academy has dozens of students of all age groups and many of them are successful on the national stage.

"Contrary to popular belief, fencing is the safest of the Olympic sports, so it is really getting big right now in the United States," Pitfield said. "We have had successful competitors since the place opened."

The academy took off soon after it opened, thanks partly to a little luck. Around the same time, a club in Sacramento closed, so there was a group of fencers just looking for a place to learn and practice.

This jump-started both the business end of Pitfield's endeavor as well as gave him an already somewhat successful crop of students. With a little more training and coaching from Berry and Pitfield, the students prospered.

"Dick Berry taught me about fencing and now I have a place to pass that along," Pitfield said. "He created me and I created them."

Pitfield teaches all three styles of fencing - foil, epee and saber - and his students choose one early and specialize.

"We have good students in all three (styles)" Pitfield said. "Each has different target zones and different rules that govern them. For instance, foil comes from the initial duels to the death from history and the rules show that."

Some students that have gone through the academy have gone on to greatness, including Nat Burke, Ilene Grench and Gerald Cheng.

A few years ago, Burke reached as high as top four in the world is Epee while Cheng is a member of the Hong Kong national team in Foil. Currently, Grench fencing for Ohio State and is sixth-ranked women in the world in Saber.

Current members of the academy are having their fair share of success as well, including an esteemed pair from another Sacramento club that closed. Coach Mihaly Csikany, a Hungarian who was a national and world champion competing in the Saber, now heads up the staff while young John Hallsten, who also came over the other club, is now ranked No. 1 in the country in the 10-and-under age group.

Another member, 16-year-old Martha Curry, won the most recent Pacific Coast Championship, and Jack Dell took fifth in the Bay Cup, Northern California's most prestigious tournament, in the 19-under category.

Not bad for a fencing academy that had to watch out for the oil stains in coach Berry's driveway when it started.