Fencing in the News

[LongBlade]

Finer points of fencing taught

Miami-Dade Parks' fencing program, now in its third year, has been expanded to include classes for adults.

BY IVETTE DOBARGANES
U/Miami Herald.com
Miami News Service
Posted on Thu, Oct. 07, 2004

www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/north/9846326.htm

At one time, the only thing Leroy Martin knew about fencing was a sword-fighting scene he had seen in a TV rerun of Zorro.

That was until two years ago, when a fencing coach at a Miami-Dade County park urged Leroy, now 14, to sign up for classes. Intrigued, he brought along his younger brother, Jeffrey. And the two of them, along with scores of children in the parks' after-school program, have been hooked on fencing ever since.

The program is now under way at five Miami-Dade parks as part of the after-school offerings, but with a new twist this year: evening classes for adults.

Leroy, a Miami Northwestern freshman who also plays football, says fencing has improved his performance in other sports. ''Fencing helps me move my legs for basketball,'' he said.

Agility is not fencing's only strong point, says fencing instructor Joaquin Maximo Tack-Fang. Fencing also improves concentration, attention, decision-making and psychomotor skills, he said.

Leroy and Jeffrey, both fencing students at the Gwen Cherry NFL YET Center in North Central Miami-Dade, were among seven veteran fencing students who showed off their sword prowess during a recent open house at the Highland Oaks Park in Northeast Miami-Dade. The students watched as Tack-Fang shouted commands: ``En garde, advance, lunge, fence.''

''It's a good experience to learn, and it's fun and challenging,'' said Michelle Davidi, a 9-year-old Highland Oaks Elementary pupil. Like the other children, Michelle also plays other sports, including basketball and soccer.

Tack-Fang said he knows fencing has a tough uphill battle to win the hearts of kids who spend most of their time playing or watching football, basketball, soccer and baseball.

The last time an American man won an Olympic gold in fencing was in 1904, according to the U.S. Fencing Association. However, fencing received some headlines this summer in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, when Mariel Zagunis and Sada Jacobson won gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the women's individual saber competition.

Tack-Fang, 58, a Cuban native and former world champion, has won some medals himself. He began fencing in 1962 in the Caribbean Military Academy in Havana. A member of Cuba's National Fencing Team from 1965 to 1973, he took first place in the Centro-American Games in 1966 and was a three-time national champion in saber and twice in foil. He also won top individual honors at the 1991 Pan-American Games.

Tack-Fang arrived in Florida in 2000 through the U.S. Department of State's diversity visa lottery program and is a licensed fencing master recognized by the U.S. Fencing Association and the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association.

In 2001 Miami-Dade Parks approached Tack-Fang to develop fencing classes for children during the summer. The classes were such a huge success that a fencing program was born.

''It surprised me that so many kids, hundreds of kids, were interested in fencing because it is such an unknown sport,'' Tack-Fang said. ``In the Miami area, the sport is practically being born and taking root.''

For many of his students, Tack-Fang is not only ''Coach Max'' -- their nickname for him -- but a person who makes fencing fun.

''He acted like he got stabbed for real one time. He's really funny,'' said Leroy's 12-year-old brother Jeffrey, who attends Liberty City Elementary.

''I've practiced fencing for more than 40 years, and my objective is to impart my knowledge to kids and adults so fencing can find its place among sports,'' said Tack-Fang, who lives in Kendall.

Along with Tack-Fang, fencing instructors Mike Elders and Sebastian Cousins rotate among the five centers. Elders, 58, has been fencing since 1958 and teaching the sport since 1988. He also teaches with the Miami Fencing Club and has taught fencing at Florida International University and Miami-Dade College's Kendall Campus.

Cousins, 17, a former student of the Miami-Dade Parks Fencing Program, was a volunteer instructor with Tack-Fang last year before becoming a full instructor this year.

A senior at Miami Coral Park Senior High, Cousins said he plans to pursue fencing. He hopes to make an Olympic appearance in 2008.

Fencing can be found outside the parks program. In Miami-Dade, for example, fencing is offered to children and adults at South Miami Middle School, 6750 SW 60th St., through the Miami Fencing Club. Classes, offered twice a week, cost $50 per six-week term.

Tack-Fang is focused on making Miami a hot spot for fencing.

''The road ahead of me is very long, but I am very motivated because I like to work with kids and adults,'' Tack-Fan said. ``What I most enjoy is being able to teach.''

[LongBlade]

Fencing a sport of drama, skill
By Kevin Wright, Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan Daily
November 22, 2004

www.michigandaily.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/11/22/41a1d8a6d2d21

Every action movie needs an excellent battle scene.

Some of the best movie battles Diane Fiander saw involved sword fighting, and she was so captivated that she decided to pick up a sword herself. Fiander was involved in the sport before coming to Michigan and has continued her fencing career on the club team.

“I saw movies and wanted to see how it really works,” Fiander said. “It seemed really fun. I did it for a few years before I came here, and then I saw that they had a club here and started up again.”<br>
In the movies, fencing is drawn out, with two contestants battling for an extended duration of time. But in real fencing, the game passes quickly with spectators hardly able to see all the moves. A participant scores points by hitting the opponent before being hit, and the first to 15 points wins the match.

In order to succeed, a fencer needs athletic ability — especially good hand-eye coordination and fast reflexes. Depending on their dominant hand, fencers only strengthen the half of their upper body that they use to thrust, parry and lunge.

“You’re constantly moving,” Fiander said. “Your legs have to be strong because you are constantly squatting. Your hands need a lot of quick, small movements that have to be trained.”<br>
In the sport of fencing, there are three different categories: foil, épée and saber, from lightest to heaviest. The rule of right-of-way dictates the scoring in foil, but not in épée and saber matches.

To many people new to fencing, right-of-way can be the most confusing. In foil matches, only the person attacking can score a “hit.” In order to gain the right-of-way, the person on the defensive must either wait for the attack to end, parry the attack by thwarting the opponent’s blade or back away from the attack.

“It’s important to be aggressive,” Fiander said. “If you attack and you know that they will parry, you can try to move your blade around their parry and still score a point.”<br>
A relatively unknown sport, fencing has recently gained support and recognition through the coverage it received during this year’s Summer Olympics.

“A lot people were interested in fencing because they saw it on TV,” Fiander said. “They think it’s cool and want us to explain how it works to them.”<br>
In order to recruit new members to the team, the fencing club has to think of entertaining ways to attract attention from students.

“We participate in Rec Sports Day,” Fiander said. “We have a stand at Festifall and have two members of the club fence a little away from the table. People notice swinging swords. It’s something that you wonder how it’s really done. When you were a kid, you never knew it existed as a sport. You come out here and learn how much fun it is.”<br>
Throughout the year, the fencing team participates in numerous tournaments that consume most of a day.

In college tournaments, the three or four teams participating take their top three fencers. At the end of the matches, the team with the most total points wins the tournament.

In individual tournaments, anyone who is a member of the U.S. Fencing Association can compete. All of the fencers are divided into pools, and the final pairings are made by rankings based on total points scored in the preliminary rounds.

“During tournaments, you’re stuck in the gym from 8 a.m. until late at night,” Fiander said. “We bring snacks bought with the club money because there’s no time for real meals.”<br>
Not only do fencers on the club team enjoy the tournaments, they also enjoy the friendships that they form along the way.

“This team is amazing,” Fiander said. “The whole sport is fun. There’s a lot of camaraderie and sportsmanship; it’s like a dance. There’s a lot of technique involved and always room to improve; it’s never boring.”

[LongBlade]

Unmasking the mysteries surrounding fencing
The Age.com
Sporting Reads
Matthew Ricketson
December 4, 2004

Full article: www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/03/1101923338620.html

The cutting edge: as BY THE SWORD gets right to the point in the ancient sport.

Remember the fencing at the Athens Olympics? All those masked men and women wearing long johns and hooked up to more wiring than you would find in ER.

The fencers would waggle their swords at each other, one would scream, rip off his mask and leap into the collective arms of his support team while the other would sink to his knees and bury his head in the mat as if it was the fifth act of King Lear.

As theatre it was riveting, if a touch melodramatic; as sport it was baffling.

[LongBlade]

A Fencer's Stance on Investing

James Melcher of Balestra Capital says one law applies to both fields: "Whatever feels right in your gut is wrong"
www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2004/nf2004128_0745_db006.htm

Unlikely as it may seem, strong parallels exist between the sport of fencing and the art of successful investing. So says James Melcher, founder of Balestra Capital, who has been a hedge-fund manager for 25 years and is also a champion fencer.

In both disciplines, "whatever feels right in your gut is wrong," Melcher explains. And in both, you need "a high level of self-control, particularly control over emotional reactions," he continues. Measuring his results, he reports that his fund of funds, Balestra Spectrum Partners, is up 85% over its six years. His global macroeconomic hedge fund, Balestra Capital Partners, is up 240% over the same period, and his two-year-old income fund, Balestra Income Partners, is up 46% so far.

Q: Jim, I hear you're a champion in fencing. How do you apply skills learned in fencing to your investing strategy?
A: There are interesting parallels between the two. The reason is that fencing is the most unnatural of all sports. Whatever feels right in your gut is wrong.

Particularly on my end of the sport of fencing, which is epee fencing -- as opposed to foil or sabre fencing, epee fencing is actually a strategic sport. There's no advantage in attacking -- it's much more defensive and strategic. To become a good epee fencer means to attain a high level of self-control, particularly control over emotional reactions. It took me a long time to learn how to do it, but I learned it well. And that's exactly what you need to be a successful investor.

[LongBlade]

Caledonia's Nemeczek signs with Northwestern for fencing scholarship

By Steve Vedder
The Grand Rapids Press

www.mlive.com/preps/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-7/110260908129690.xml

CALEDONIA -- Samantha Nemeczek looks at it like just another step in a successful career.

The Caledonia senior has accepted a fencing scholarship from Northwestern University. Nemeczek. She has competed in a dozen states and in countries such as Germany, Italy, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

She said competing at the Division I level will be a new challenge, but one she is well-prepared for.

"I look at it like just another trip. Like any college student, I look at it like that's going to be my home now," she said. "I've never seen fencing at that level, so it'll be a new experience. But it's just another step forward."

Nemeczek said she also considered Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Columbia. The college fencing season runs from October to early spring.

Landing at Northwestern culminates a fencing career that began when Nemeczek was 6 years old. She said she picked Northwestern because of its academic strength in environmental sciences and journalism.

Northwestern's fencing program is run by coach Dr. Laurie Schiller, who was recently named the NCAA Fencing Coach of the Year.

"I really liked the atmosphere there and it had the academics I was looking for, too," she said. "It's very friendly there. There isn't the cutthroat competition at some colleges. I liked the campus and the people there."

Nemeczek, whose parents run the West Michigan Fencing Academy, said she began thinking that fencing could help get her to college about a half-dozen years ago. That's when she stepped up her participation in the sport to include international competitions.

She's currently ranked No. 2 in the United States National Point Standings in the women's foil 20-and-under age group.

[LongBlade]

Rookie coaches carry on fencing in District 3

By BY STEVE TOBER AND GREG CORBO
for The Montclair Times

www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=8952

She could be called the fencing version of legendary pinch-hitters Smokey Burgess, Dusty Rhodes or Johnny Blanchard, three players who hit in the clutch during a bygone baseball era when pinch-hitters were a staple of the game.

Kerry Verrone, a former scholastic standout at Oak Knoll and a second-year history and English teacher at The Montclair Kimberley Academy, has been a pinch-hitter deluxe in terms of stepping in when needed this season as the interim head boys and girls fencing coach for MKA, while veteran head man Jim Powers goes through cancer treatments and continues his recovery.

“I thought I’d be helping Coach Powers out anyway this season coaching the girls team,” said Verrone, who also fenced two years at Brown University. “But I’ve had to step in and guide both teams as the interim head coach and it’s been a great experience.

“We’re all looking forward to Coach Powers returning as soon as he is able.”<br>
The MKA boys and girls fencing teams enter tomorrow’s dual match with Pompton Lakes (4 p.m. at the Middle School) with identical 0-2 records, each having lost early-season decisions to Bernards and Columbia. The Cougar boys and girls each have good veteran presence in the foil weapon, while they strive to find just the right combinations in the saber and épée.

The first big statewide competition for the boys is the Cetrullo Tournament, Saturday, Jan. 29, at Voorhees. The girls will compete in the Santelli Tournament, Sunday, Jan. 30, also at Voorhees.

“The kids have been working hard and should do well in both the Cetrullos and Santellis,” said Verrone. “We’ll also look to get some victories in duals. We started out the season facing two pretty good teams in Bernards and Columbia, which is not an easy way to begin.”<br>
With the graduation of Jonathan Winnerman, who was second in the state in the saber last March, and foil standout Andrew Powers, Coach Jim’s son, MKA’s boys team has had to rally this season around two experienced foil fencers in senior co-captains and four-year starters Ian Wortham and Edmund Kozak, who fence on A- and B-strip, respectively. Senior Andrew Hearst and freshman Andrew Culbreth add depth in the weapon.

In épée, Cornell University-bound tennis player Patrick Cedrowski lends a veteran’s presence on A-strip backed up by fellow seniors Gerald Griffin and Andrew Hearst on B- and C-strips, respectively. Verrone also likes the potential in épée of sophomores Lane Goodman, Kurt Beyer and Nick Tummarello

In saber, another veteran, senior Alex Manevitz, provides a steady experienced presence on A-strip with a couple of sophomores — Garrett Singer and Jack Thomas — backing him up on B- and C-strips.

For the girls team, senior co-captain Alexis Randall, a three-year starter on A-strip, will lead the foil unit. Junior Devinn Waithe (B-strip) and promising freshman Stacey Burns (C-strip) are both making progress in that weapon.

Coach Powers’ daughter, junior Lizzie, can also fence on foil if needed, but she’s so versatile that the Cougars also utilize her all-around talents on the épée B-strip and even on saber.

Senior co-captain Laura Jackson is on A-strip in épée. Sophomore Emma Larkin, who is ready to go now after a bout with pneumonia, can fence on the épée B- or C-strip. Junior Stacey Fierro also fills in nicely when needed on C-strip as well.

In saber, freshman Brigid Frey, a fine prospect, fences on A-strip with veterans Marissa Shulruff (junior) and Carla Davis (sophomore) on B- and C-strips, respectively. Davis was last year’s state freshman tournament saber champion.

“We’re very excited about our youth in both the sophomore and freshmen classes,” said Verrone. “We like the chances of this team being much improved as the season progresses.”<br>
Montclair High has also undergone a change in leadership. Montclair resident David Wright has been named commander and chief of the MHS fencing army that attracted over 75 students to its first meeting and now totals out at 46 for its first official varsity year of action. Wright fenced épée at Voorhees H.S., switching his weapon to foil at Columbia University where he graduated in 1981. Assisting Wright with coaching responsibilities are Stuart Christie, teacher Bob Goger, parent Rick Sordelet and 2001 alumnus Donnovan Holtz, who’s the first fencer to represent MHS in the NJSIAA state championships.

“New Jersey has such a wonderful tradition of fencing and I followed the high school’s situation for the last two years, and after a successful club season last year, I discovered the high school was in search of a coach and I wanted to help institute a legitimate program at Montclair High because the interest out there is undeniable,” said Wright.

On Sunday, both the boys and girls MHS teams missed out on qualifying for the Cetrullo (Jan. 23) and Santelli (Jan. 30) Tournaments at Voorhees, but the Mounties weren’t disappointed with the showing. The boys finished in 10th, ending the day with 84 wins, as the girls placed 15th with 70 wins. Both fields consisted of 19 teams, and the top six earned bids in those respective tournaments with the 18 automatic qualifiers.

Not much is expected of MHS in these beginning stages as Wright begins to implement strategy with footwork, yet the Mounties will be fencing in District 3 with the likes of Columbia, Millburn and MKA. Wright says there is sufficient talent for a first–year program that has outside chances in a few weapons of hitting the outer edge for a state playoff appearance. The boys foil team led by senior captain Matt Culbreth (A-Strip) is one of those units along with the girls épée team of senior Lilli Peterson (A-strip), and sophomores Amina Sutton (B-strip) and Nicole Cajar-West (C-strip). Backing Culbreth at foil are sophomores Daniel Shao (B-strip) and Brian Hobeck (C-strip). Sharing captaincy with Culbreth (considered the program’s top fencer) is senior Alex Traum, who fences C-strip épée. Leading the girls side in this inaugural varsity season are senior foil fencers Hallie Pope (A-Strip) and Eve Gottesman (B-Strip). Of the 18 varsity starters on the team that conduct challenge matches once per week in each weapon, Wright uses seven sophs in his lineup.

“I have a whole pile of sophomores and even freshmen which are great to build with,” said Wright. “Right now we’re focusing on matching athleticism with the basics. We want to compete each weekend somewhere in New Jersey to learn the ropes and reward the kids with points in the ladder system we use that chart’s everyone’s status on the team. They’re really a great group of kids who are excited to make the most of this new sport at Montclair.”<br>

[LongBlade]

Wright's fencing them in
'76 Olympian helping sport grow locally

By Colleen Kane
The Enquirer staff writer

news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050123/SPT/501230388/1062

Ed Wright was a shy, chubby kid from Brooklyn who couldn't get his soccer coach to put him in a game even when his team was up 20 goals with five minutes to play.

His soccer coach suggested he try fencing instead.

More than 42 years later, Wright is a former Olympian and three-time U.S. National Championship Fencing finalist. The sport he calls "a physical game of chess" helped him break out of his introversion and become a nationally known athlete. Now he's spreading his skills to the Cincinnati area, enjoying thinking of himself as "the Father of Tristate fencing."

"I've learned everything I know about fencing from him," fencer Courtney Streithorst, a 16-year-old who attends Fairfield High School, said. "He's a good teacher. He knows how to do it in order, like he won't let you learn things that you don't need to know at the moment. He drills the footwork, so he makes you get the basics down."

Streithorst is one of about 100 local fencers Wright teaches. He began coaching as a volunteer at the housing projects in Brooklyn where he grew up. In 1995, a friend suggested a move to Cincinnati to help jump-start the fencing community. There was just one club in the area at the time, Wright said.

"They didn't really have anything concrete here. My friend just talked to me at the right time. I was ready to get out of New York before I got killed or killed somebody," Wright said, laughing.

In his 10 years here, Wright said he has taught nearly 1,000 students. He teaches classes nearly every night of the week, bouncing from Scott and Dixie Heights high schools and Northern Kentucky University to the University of Cincinnati, the Clifton Recreation Center and the College Hill Community Center. He has helped several students place in the top 20 at the national championships.

In February, three of his fencers, Streithorst and Scott High students Michael Hubbard and Michael Blakeman, will head to the Junior Olympic Championships in Arlington, Texas. Wright also is hoping to develop a system of sending fencers like Streithorst on to college scholarships.

Wright said if his students want to work hard enough, he can make them all into champions. He can be tough on fencers, drilling the basics, but that's because that's what took him to the elite level.

Wright, now 55, began fencing when he was 13. He wasn't great at first, he said, and he also had to deal with a sight problem through his early career.

It was a disease called Keratoconus, which involves an irregularly thin cornea and required a cornea transplant and special contact lenses.

"That helped me with my fencing in the way that I couldn't see until I was almost getting hit, so it made my hand real fast. My hand speed was so quick because I had to rely on that instead of my sight," Wright said. "After I finally got fitted for a contact lens, I remember walking into the gym and being able to see clearly across the gym. And in fencing, I was able to see the sword before it got to me, and I was like, "OK, now I've really got it going on.' "

Wright learned the fundamentals well and he learned to study opponents, slowly moving up in the rankings. By 1976, he made the Olympic team, competing in the men's team foil event in Montreal, where the U.S. placed fifth. His most vivid memory was of Olympic Stadium.

"The highlight of the whole thing was walking into the stadium," Wright said. "I don't even remember walking in; it felt like I floated in. There were thousands of people. I remember coming down the corridor, and next thing you know, I was under the torch."

Now, he's passing that torch to students in the area.

[LongBlade]

Fencing Travels for Competition at New York Duals
Buckeyes in action Jan. 23; defending national champions compete in first duals event of 2005

Captain Boaz Ellis is the defending collegiate national champion in the foil.

No. 1 Buckeye Fencing Goes Undefeated at Ohio State Duals
No. 1 Buckeye Fencing Welcomes Opponents at Ohio State Duals

No. 1 Fencing Fares Well at Notre Dame Duals

RELATED LINKS
• Follow all of the college fencing action at CollegeSports.com

ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/c-fenc/spec-rel/012005aaa.html

[LongBlade]

Wildcat Gals #6 Nationally!
(Wildcats Rank No. 6 Nationally in First Fencing Poll of the Year)


nusports.collegesports.com/sports/w-fenc/spec-rel/012005aac.html

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern women's fencing team has earned a No. 6 national ranking in the first edition of the United States Fencing Coaches' Association College Fencing Poll, released Thursday, Jan. 20.

The `Cats enter the 2005 dual season at the same No. 6 ranking they finished the 2004 season with after compiling a 29-4 overall record. The ranking ties the women's school record set in 2004 and 2002.

The top-five women's fencing teams in the nation are Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Harvard and Columbia-Barnard, respectively.

Northwestern will put its top-10 ranking to the test this weekend when the `Cats host their second duals of the season Saturday through Sunday, Jan. 22-23. They swept the competition 9-0 at the first edition of the NU Duals, Nov. 20-21.

The duals will take place at Northwestern's Sports Pavilion and Aquatic Center (SPAC), with 11 total teams set to compete: Temple, Michigan, Lawrence, Wayne State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Michigan State, Johns Hopkins, Detroit-Mercy, Cleveland State and University of California at San Diego.

Most recently, Northwestern competed at the North American Cup in Overland Park, Kan. this past weekend. Sophomore Jessica Florendo (Forest Hills, N.Y./The Dwight School) posted the Wildcats' highest finish, claiming eighth place out of 91 fencers in the division one foil competition, while senior all-American Candidate Julia Foldi (Budapest, Hungary/Szent Istavan Gimnazium) took 14th in the same event.

[LongBlade]

Chuck said:

The following article was published in the Amarillo Globe-News on February 9, 2005.

IT'S YOUNG VS. OLD ON FENCING STRIP


By Aimee Nusz
Amarillo College Fencing Association
Publication Date: 02/09/05

The sport of fencing has no respect for age. Children compete against children; adults against adults; and adults against children.

When Jered Wilkinson steps onto the fencing strip, he is never sure who he'll be facing. It could be anyone from a three-time Junior Olympian to a veteran fencer.

Wilkinson and four other youth fencers competed against adults Jan. 23 in the Texas Tech Open team foil event at Lubbock.

The 11-year-old is one of 10 fencers who range in age from 10 to 13 years old who are members of the Amarillo College Fencing Association's competitive team and fences against all comers - youngsters and adults.

Competing against larger, older fencers has its advantages, Wilkinson said. Kids have a smaller target area. In foil, the target is from the neck to the waist and does not include the arms.

"(Adults) can't pull their arms back when a small guy gets inside their reach," he said.

Wilkinson said he also employs a "get-out-of-the-way" move, displacement, when fencing taller opponents.

"When fencing a big guy, I try as many displacements as I can get away with as many times as I can," he said.

Chuck Slaughter coaches Wilkinson as part of AC's Leisure Studies youth fencing program.

"Fencing is more a matter of technique than size," Slaughter said.

Wilkinson has fenced at AC since the youth program began in 2001. Starting young can be a big advantage if the student's focus is on developing good technique and habit, Slaughter said.

"Kids also don't have as many bad habits as adults," he said. "It takes a lot of work to be a good fencer, (but) I try to challenge them to make it fun while they learn good technique."

Teaching a child is different from teaching an adult to fence, said Richard Howard, head coach of the AC program.

"A lot depends on the patience and endurance of the coach," he said, "as well as the commitment of the fencer and his parents."

Wilkinson and teammates Derik Nusz, 10, and Jeremy Bauman, 13, finished fifth out of eight teams at the Lubbock competition.

Fellow AC fencer Tarryn McKenzie, 13, competed on a mixed foil team and Juleah Nusz, 12, fenced in the epee team tournament.

For more information on fencing classes at AC, see WWW.ACFENCERS.COM.

[LongBlade]

That's GREAT! I LOVE it! Can't get much better PR for local fencing than that, Chuck! ;D

[LongBlade]

Tempers soar at D-I fencing competition

(Note by LongBlade: This should have the subtitle: "How to be a very bad sport, be a dirty fencer, earn a black card, and get yourself banned!".)

by Brad Clough
Staff Writer
Washinton Square News
01.25.2005

www.nyunews.com/sports/news/8680.html


Sophomore Lauren Willock, at right, won all nine of her bouts at the NYU Invitational on Sunday at Coles.
PHOTO: Michael Schamis /WSN

The NYU fencing teams came away with only one victory at the NYU Invitational on Sunday, but not without a fight.

Sophomore Brian Whitton was part of a heated exchange with a fencer from Ohio State University that ended in the opponent's ejection from the slew of elite Division I competitions hosted at Coles Sports Center.

The Violets sole victory came from the women's team against Stanford University, with a score of 16-11. The men's and women's teams fell to 5-4 on the season.

The men's team lost their first match 20-7 against Ohio State University. The last match ended with the angry bout between Whitton and Ohio State's Adam Crompton.

Whitton was able to earn three straight points against his opponent, until Crompton made a move with his weapon that sparked controversy among both teams.

"He stepped toward me, wound up with all his might and lashed me across the neck as hard as he could," Whitton said. "He basically tried to decapitate me."

By the time it was all over, Crompton had won the match with five more points and Whitton's blood was boiling.

"As I shook his hand I told him, 'That was a little rough,'" Whitton said. "And that just set him off."

The entire sports complex fell into complete silence as Crompton began screaming obscenities at both Whitton and the rest of the team. Crompton pushed the referee away in anger and was ejected from the tournament, receiving a black card.

"The whole place stopped and watched," said Whitton. "Our coach was screaming for security. He was throwing punches at anyone that touched him. It was intense."

Whitton said he was surprised at Crompton's behavior and that other Ohio State fencers had told him that Crompton never displayed poor sportsmanship in previous matches.

"He's a d**n good fencer, one of the top in the nation," Whitton said. "For me to get three touches on him was not to be expected."

The men's team lost their second match to the University of Notre Dame 17-10, while the Violets came close but fell against Stanford 15-12.

"We fought really hard but didn't do as well as we would have liked," sophomore Dimitri Apostol said.

Matches for the women's team went smoother, as the Violets notched the only victory of the day by defeating Stanford. Women's foil earned an 8-1 decision, led by sophomore Lauren Willock and junior Rivkah Gold. Gold racked up three wins, and Willock won all nine of her matches, a goal that she had set for herself before the start of the tournament.

"I knew that I should win all of my bouts since I had fenced the same people before," she said. "As a team, it was tough. We were all over the place, and we did our best to cheer each other on."

The women's team suffered losses to Ohio State 19-8 and Notre Dame 22-5. Although both teams struggled to earn victories throughout the day, the end result was a much stronger and resilient attitude from the fencers.

"We had the energy, the momentum, and worked hard today," Willock said. "As a team, we're getting closer to competing at a higher level among the top Division I teams. Our teamwork and support is important for us to succeed."

[LongBlade]

Fencing means having fun while getting a great workout
By JOHN DARLING
for the Mail Tribune

www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0125/life/stories/01life.htm


Fencing instructor John McDougall of Talent coaches Ashland High School sophomore Beth Wesche, 14, on her technique. McDougall teaches fencing in his Ashland studio.
Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli

Fencing, once the sport of European aristocracy, is increasingly nudging its way into mainstream America, where it stands as that rare combination of intense workout and engaging mental activity. And it’s fun, say Rogue Valley fans.

"It’s extremely aerobic," says fencing master John McDougall of Talent, "but the nice thing is that it’s so fun, people don’t know they’re exercising."

Protected by face mask, glove and puncture-proof tunic, and wielding one of several types of sword, fencers learn to anticipate and outthink their opponents. All the while they have to keep up constant retreats and advances, the latter often culminating in extravagant lunges that stretch legs, arms and torso.

Mentally, it’s a constant learning process — "chess at a thousand miles an hour," says McDougall — that keeps the body eager and engaged with the workout.

The result for retired federal worker Rob Kilby, 62, of Medford, has been dropping from 275 pounds to 198 since April. Kilby fences at McDougall’s Ashland studio, or salle, where he and others take lessons and spar with each other afterward.

With fencing, Kilby’s resting heart rate went from 84 to 66, and his blood pressure from 140/95 to 124/70. His type II diabetes is gone, too, he says.

"My dad died a year ago from his high blood pressure," says Kilby, 62, "and I saw myself as a carbon copy of him, headed for the same fate. I was working at the gyms on the treadmill, but let’s face it, it was boring. Everyone was watching TV or listening to their Walkman, with no brain involved. When I found fencing, I found something that engaged the brain every bit as much as the body."

McDougall, a Stanford all-star fencer and teacher who has studied under such legends as Italian Olympian Aldo Nadi and Hungarian Olympian George Piller, went into retirement and quickly packed on 40 pounds, unable to lose them on a treadmill.

When students called for his return to teaching, McDougall, who racks up about four miles of advances and retreats in a five-hour teaching day, soon was back to his normal 155.

"Fencing helps me feel a lot younger than my 71 years," says McDougall. "I’m pretty quick for an old geezer.

"Swimming, running and biking are all fine, but kind of boring for me, like the treadmill. Fencing keeps the mind involved, unclogs the arteries, gives you good circulation, brings a steady endorphin high all day and keeps the whole system going."

Turns out, that’s a concept more people are discovering all the time.

The U.S. Fencing Association estimates there are about 100,000 fencers in the United States, with the number of Americans who fence growing by more than 10 percent a year.

McDougall credits America’s gold medal in women’s sabre competition in the 2004 Olympics, its first individual gold in fencing, with rising interest in the sport. Plus, there’s the "strange fascination" most people have for using a sword, McDougall says.

"Almost anyone you talk to about fencing will say, ‘you know, I’ve always wanted to try it,’" he says.

For Beth Wesche, 14, an Ashland High School sophomore who injured herself in gymnastics and had to drop out, fencing "has been the incentive to jump to a higher level of fitness" and to pursue a career as a competitive fencer, seeking college scholarships with it along the way.

"Fencing is very cardiovascular and though I’m not a runner, I can run several miles and not fall over dead. Fencing leaves you with the same feeling as running because in fencing, everything is footwork and you put on the miles doing it, but without realizing it."

The mental workout, she notes, is "so intense and so important that you can’t come out of it without feeling alive and alert. My mind is focused now. I don’t fidget in class."

The only other sport Wesche can think of with similar mental involvement is tennis, though "I can zone out when I play tennis. Not in fencing, though."

Fencing is an embodiment of the classic tradition of "Mens sana in corpore sano" or "a sound mind in a sound body," McDougall notes.

Fencing develops hand-eye coordination, motor control, reflexes and the "fast twitch muscles," says fencing teacher and fitness trainer Kit Crumb of Ashland.

"Fencers notoriously fence into their 80s and live longer because they love what they do," says Crumb. "The satisfaction is huge. Where else can you put on a mask, fight as hard as you want without hurting anyone — and everyone gets to be Errol Flynn?"

[LongBlade]

Introducing Mainers to the art of fencing
MaineToday.com
SHOPTALK: John Rolfe
Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

business.mainetoday.com/shoptalk/050203shoptalk.shtml


Nancy Reynolds, owner of Portland Fencing Center, watches students practice Monday at the center in Westbrook.

Q: How did you come to open the center?

A: I started fencing more than 30 years ago, learning and then competing. When I moved to Maine in 1994, I decided I wanted to just follow my passion, and pursued it. I got a great response to the idea, and instantly had students, all through word-of-mouth.

Q: Did you open at the Dana Warp mill facility?


A: No, I opened in the Portland Athletic Club, and then moved here after a couple of seasons. This is the fifth year at the mill.

Q: Season?

A: A couple of school years. The fencing season runs from September to June. The sport is geared so much toward kids. So you have tournaments during weekends and vacations, like the Junior Olympics tournament (this month) in Texas.

Q: How did you find this facility?

A: I just happened to run upon it while driving around, really. And when I saw the inside, it was so perfect for a fencing center.

It was a shell, pretty much, but it had that old-world look, which I like. . . . I focus on that in my teaching; I'm very much into the old-master, old-world feel. The space is decorated in pretty contemporary fashion, the overall feeling is just so nice.

Q: Did you have to do a lot of renovating?

A: We had to finish the floor and get it ready. . . . In a few months I was up and running.

Q: How big is it?
A: Three thousand square feet, and we have three regulation-size fencing strips. They're 42 feet in length, or 14 meters, by 5.5 feet wide.

Q: How did you start fencing?

A: When I was 10, in a local recreational program in Brick, N.J. Thirty years ago, fencing was not as prominent as it is today. I was very fortunate. The coach, Charlie Bosco, became my mentor - I worked with him for about 20 years. He left the recreational area and began to work privately with five students. For all those years, I was one of them. That's why my background is so strong. Unfortunately, today, I can't really develop that type of relationship with many students because I'm running a much larger business for an income as well as the fact that I love what I do.

Q: This was club fencing?

A: It was, as here, and competitive fencing nationally and internationally - a lot in Canada.

Q: Did you fence in school and college?

A: I didn't. I was with the private coach the whole time, which is unusual. . . . It's a different approach to fencing, a different learning curve. Rather than being focused on representing the school and winning, it was more about pursuing an art and science. That's the way I teach. So if my students want to fence in college, they're prepared to do that, but at the same time, they have had a very traditional start - and they'll have that for the rest of their lives.

Q: What ages do you teach?

A: Starting at 10, all ages - I recently had a competitive fencer in his 70s. There are beginner, intermediate and competitive levels.

Q: And they come from?

A: All over. Brunswick and Lisbon, Kennebunk in the south . . . Arundel, Windham and around Greater Portland.

Q: How much do lessons cost?

A: For one weekly lesson, it's $120 for eight weeks. It's $220 for twice a week.

Q: Is there fencing instruction elsewhere in Maine?

A: There's a fellow up in Bucksport who runs the Downeast School of Fencing. He's a traveling coach, which is not uncommon.

Q: How many fencers compete?

A: My competitive group is about a third of my fencers. All ages - kids that are 11 and 12 and grown-ups in their 20s and a whole veterans group that is 40 and up. There's a big competitive circuit in New England. We're hosting the Maine State Open on Feb. 12. It's free - anybody can come and watch.

Q: Do you get adults beginning the sport?

A: Yes, in fact, I have two women starting tonight. Women in fencing has really come on, particularly since Mariel Zagunis won the gold in the saber in the Olympics last year. And it's a very graceful sport, and I think women tend to be drawn to that part of it.

It's getting better, but there's still definitely a big spread - my students are 90 percent male. But I think the girls are less intimidated by a female coach.

Q: What's hard about teaching fencing?

A: (Getting people over) the learning curve. Everyone can come in and be taught the movements - there's such a huge focus on form, positioning and how you move - but the challenge is to make that transition, put things together and apply them to playing the game. It's really progressive learning - you don't go out there and kick a soccer ball around the first day. It takes a lot of focus, balance, agility.

Q: Quickness?

A: But I never use "speed" as something you need in the game. The "speed" I talk about is reflexes. You don't have to be fit to be a good fencer. You just have to be able to seize an opportunity when it presents itself - you've got to commit and go for it.

Q: Do you mean that, about the fitness?

A: I do mean that! It's amazing how many people can start fencing without a fitness base.

Q: So, there are fat fencers with very quick wrists?

A: What makes the most difference is understanding that the shortest distance between point a and point b is the fastest and most efficient, or not.

Q: But it's best to have both skill and fitness?

A: Well, of course. You're not going to be an Olympian and be 50 pounds overweight. Years ago, it was very different. We used to have Olympians who were in their 40s and overweight.

Q: Do you do any advertising?

A: No. I get a little exposure at the annual summer camps fair. It's not a business that needs a lot of beginner influx. It needs a certain amount, but I might start a kid at 10 and not lose him or her until 17, so there's a good base. It's a lifetime sport, a lifelong learning curve. I need a lesson bad!

[LongBlade]

Balancing law school, fencing no problem for Notre Dame's Davis
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
By Howie Beardsley
The Grand Rapids Press

www.mlive.com/sports/grpress/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/1108482498282960.xml

While growing up in Grand Rapids, Danielle Davis never imagined getting involved in fencing, which certainly isn't recognized as one of America's more popular activities.

And during her early years at Catholic Central, Davis wasn't sure if she would even attend college. Any college.

Today, Davis' life is one constant sprint as she juggles her requirements as a first-year law school student at Notre Dame, while serving as sabre captain of the Fighting Irish fencing squad.

"Before college, I knew nothing about fencing," Davis, 23, said. "My best friend in college (Maggie Jordan), who was my roommate my freshman year, was a foil state champion in New Jersey and got me interested in it.

"I just dedicated a lot of time to learning the sport. I even went out to New Jersey after my freshman year to work on it, because fencing is big-time on the East Coast."

It's also a big deal at Notre Dame, where the Fighting Irish (20-4) won the NCAA championship during Davis' junior year, and rank second this season.

The Notre Dame men (21-3) are ranked fourth.

Davis holds a 43-8 record and No. 6 national rating this season, and has a 125-35 career mark.

"It's certainly different to have somebody in graduate school -- law school, no less -- serving as one of my top competitors, and one of three captains, on one of the top teams in the nation. You have to be a very serious, very determined, very competitive person to do all that," said Fighting Irish coach Janusz Bednarski, a former Olympic-level coach with Poland's national team.

"My team captains are very important to me, and Danielle's leading a team where we have two big stars in Marielle Connor, the (sabre) Olympic gold medalist at the Athens Games, and Valerie Providenca, the reigning NCAA champion (in sabre). It's not easy to deal with the best from the world and country, but Danielle has the personality, intelligence and seriousness to handle everything as a captain."

Bednarski added that it's unusual to have someone like Davis pick up the sport so quickly.

"Kids who come here are usually very acute fencers before they get to campus because of years of training," he said. "Danielle came here and was not skillful. But she began as a walk-on, didn't compete as a freshman and has since done remarkable things for us.

"She has a rather small frame (5-foot-4), but is very bright, very quick and very competitive. She will find a mistake in every competitor, and her progress has been amazing."

Maybe to Bednarski, but not to Davis, who was 32-2 last season.

"Am I surprised by my progression? Honestly, not really," Davis said. "That really just comes from practicing each day with the best kids in the country. They make you better almost by default.

"I'm really dedicated to things, almost to a compulsive extent. I guess that's why I'm able to deal with all the things in my life right now."

Namely, law school, fencing and an assortment of Notre Dame Monogram Club service projects, which included teaching sports to young women in Honduras during the summer of 2003.

"My life really evolves around the campus," Davis said. "It goes something like this: I get up about 6 a.m., go to class, sometimes I have fencing lessons with coach, go to practice from 3:30 to 6:30 or 7, go back to law school, go home around 10, shower, do homework, go to bed and do it all over again.

"It's like a constant run. I have a television, but I never watch it, and I do a lot of reading and studying at our tournaments."

So why did Davis decide to continue fencing as a busy graduate student?

"I love my teammates so much," she said. "They're such a big part of my life that I wanted to continue this. I was determined to make it work out, and I'll still hang around practices and go to meets next year even when I'm no longer eligible to be a member of the team."

Davis has two years of law school remaining. She would then like to look into a career as an athletic director at a major university.

If she can find the time.