Fencing in the News

[LongBlade]

Fencing makes its presence felt
Express News Service
Pune, India
September 5, 2005

cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=147247

WHEN Reema Dighe came to Abasaheb Garware College for her regular classes in the morning, little did she know that by the end of the day, she would have added the words ’epee’, ’sabre’ and ’foil’ to her vocabulary.

However a few hours later Reema had finished with a double crown in fencing, at the District Sports Council’s Inter-School tournament at her college on Monday, and was on her way to parrying with tougher opponents in the state championship.

The tournament which made its debut on the school-scene on Monday will be memorable not as much for the results it produced, but the interest shown by children as young as 11 years old to participate in the Under-19 event.

For instance, Vikhe Patil’s Tanvi Kale, a Std VII student took on a 17-year-old opponent in the final and won.

“It was fun, but seemed too easy,” said Tanvi who prefers to play more energetic sports like rugby and football. “The helmet was heavier than the sword,” she grins.

Unlike the Pimpri Chinchwad tournament on Sunday which recieved a thumping 174 entries, Monday’s event recieved less than 50 entries, and referees Ranjit Chamle and Ameya Kale organised a 15-minute demonstration at the venue to encourage players to enlist. Reema was one of the enthusiasts who got rewarded for her trouble.

The Pune District Fencing Association secretary Shailesh Apte was hopeful: “By May we want to start a coaching clinic here, and plan to organise exhibition tournaments in schools.”

[LongBlade]

Area sports in brief
Detroit Free Press
September 7, 2005

www.freep.com/sports/othersports/metro7e_20050907.htm

Fencing: The Renaissance Fencing Club in Ferndale is accepting food and supply donations for Hurricane Katrina victims. Suggestions for donations include nonperishable food, bottled water, new or gently used clothing, diapers, hygiene items, washcloths, towels and kids' toys. Cash donations will not be accepted. The club is open weekdays after 5 p.m. For more information, contact Stanna J. Stoner at 248-336-0225.

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Canadians put on good show despite poor medal performance
Written by Rob Terpstra
Canadian University Press
September 7, 2005

www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=773&Itemid=2

IZMIR, TURKEY (CUP) - So you may be asking: How did our athletes really do at the World University Games?

Some may know of Tonya Verbeek's silver medal and Canada's surprising dominance in women's wrestling, but beyond the headlines, what really happened in Izmir, Turkey?

The women's soccer team equaled their best-ever result, finishing fifth overall. The star-studded held its own against soccer's elite. In one particular game, they showed a collective poise against their Czech Republic opposition that was clearly over-aggressive on the ball.

The Czech team collected two red cards after Canada built a 3-1 lead off a pair of deft goals via set pieces. Rather than run up the score on the depleted Czech squad, the women's team stuck to their game plan and continued to make high percentage passes. It was with this fair play approach that was most impressive.

"It was a pressure situation, but our team handled it so well," York University's Kristy deVries said. "The team is great, confidence-wise and player-wise."

Canada also competed well at fencing. A sport often overlooked by the media and the average fan, but one that combines sportsmanship, camaraderie and finesse.

At the pristine venue, thousands of foil, épée, and sabre bouts were waged. Monica Kwan from the University of Victoria, who finished 25th in the women's foil division, was the epitome of a laid back and carefree individual. She revelled in the fiercely competitive, yet gentlemanly display of sport.

Clearly exhausted, but satisfied with her performance, she talked candidly about the art of fencing.

"There's always the same things that I am always working on," Kwan said. "Being faster, improving my footwork, you can just always get better. It's shown me that I still have a lot to work on, but it reinforced what I already knew."

Kwan said her experience at the Games was a positive one and said the presence of other cheering Canadians, the friendliness of the volunteers, and the overall atmosphere encouraged her during her stay.

"Izmir is beautiful ... I love it," she said. "The city, just driving throughwas amazing and the venue is really good too. Air conditioning is a must, so I'm glad they have it. The competition is pretty strong actually. It's tough, but it's good experience."

Across town, in another air-conditioned facility, which, in the sweltering heat, served as sanctuaries for spectators and athletes alike, Canada's women's volleyball team took on the world in the most difficult of circumstances.

Facing a raucous crowd at Karsiyaka Spor Salonu, Canada, comprised almost entirely of West Coast players, fell victim to a crazed pro-Turkish crowd.

"We were in an environment that we had never seen before," said University of Calgary graduate, Amanda Moppett, who played libero for the squad.

"Did the crowd affect our play?" University of Alberta setter, Larissa Cundy, said. "I would say in an indirect, subtle way, but that was a very good team, we hadn't seen a level like that yet."

Canada went on to lose their game against Turkey, and then fell out of medal contention after losing a do-or-die game the next day against Thailand. The team went 2-2 the rest of the way, finishing the tournament in 12th place.

Win or lose, the volleyball team showed an unparalleled upbeat attitude. There was constant encouragement and not the slightest bit of envy on the part of the substitutes, who continued to cheer on their teammates throughout the trying experience.

Beneath the headlines and displaying an unrivalled passion for sport, Canada didn't just do well at the Games. Rather, they competed fairly, displayed sportsmanship, and fought to the final whistle, point, and side out.

[LongBlade]

Dueling classic - Ballet with an edge
'The Three Musketeers'
By Andrew Adler
The Courier-Journal
Louisville, KY, USA
September 11, 2005

www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050911/SCENE05/509110361/1011/SCENE

What: The Louisville Ballet's season-opening production of Andre Prokovsky's ballet.
When: Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.
Where: Kentucky Center's Whitney Hall, Sixth and Main streets.
Tickets: $20 to $75. Call [phone] or [phone].

Swords clash and crash in the Louisville Ballet's season-opening production, its premiere of "The Three Musketeers." Knives are brandished. The occasional sharp grin is displayed.

It's all part of choreographer Andre Prokovsky's design, with coaching provided by Will Garner of the Louisville Fencing Center, who taught company dancers how to give the illusion of spontaneous dueling.

The key word is "illusion."

"You don't improvise," Prokovsky said dryly during a break in rehearsal at the ballet's East Main Street studios. Everything about the sword-handling is deliberate. Ballet can be taxing, but nobody wants it to be bloody.

"We just went through the very basics of fencing," said Garner, an assistant coach at the Louisville Fencing Center. "How to stand and how to move, basic parries -- which are blocking actions -- so they could move safely."

"We'd learn where the attacks were going to be, whether the attacking would be up or down, or where a lunge … or parry would be," said principal dancer Mariano Albano. "Everybody took it slow and just worked their way up" to performance tempo. "All the movements have to be on the music, and there is only so much time" in which to execute each maneuver with the blunted foils.

Albano, a veteran "Romeo and Juliet" swordsman when he danced with the Tulsa Ballet, regards handling a weapon as simply another path into his art form. "To me it doesn't feel any different than doing a pas de deux with a woman. The hardest thing is (thinking of) that sword as an extension of your arm -- that's what you're using to partner with."

But first soloist Kristopher Wojtera said it can be challenging "to do steps with a sword in your hand, especially when the sword is so long.

"When you have to turn or jump, it's kind of awkward -- the balance is totally different than (being) by myself. Without any props in my hands, I know where is my balance. (Holding a sword) I have to make different preparations to adjust my body."

At a recent run-through, Prokovsky and ballet staffers looked on and recorded music trumpeted through the rehearsal studio. Musketeers, townspeople and two dancers dressed in an enormous donkey suit hustled, bustled and moved with quick anticipation.

Prokovsky's "The Three Musketeers," based loosely on the serialized 1844 work by Alexandre Dumas, is considerably more light-hearted than "Romeo and Juliet," and a fair proportion of its humor is communicated through the clanging of all those flashing blades.

Just don't do anything too spontaneous.

"Most of my techniques," Garner explained, depend on "the idea that's the opposite idea of when you are actually fencing: You can do anything as long as the other person knows exactly what you are doing."

Albano recalled a bit of miscommunication between him and his fencing partner in a performance of "Romeo and Juliet." "I was supposed to duck low and he was swinging over me, and he actually hit my hair as I was going down."

In scenes where two groups of swordsmen are going at each other, Albano said, it's especially important to stay alert.

"My eyes tend to dart around more often. I take quick glances around to make sure that I'm not running into anybody," a vital precaution "when all those points are coming at me."

The dueling in "The Three Musketeers" may not be precisely authentic, but it has a properly dashing look. Garner said he told his dancers "not to do anything that looked ridiculous or unsafe."

But it was OK to have a good time.

"It's fun to swing swords at each other," Garner acknowledged, adding that the dancers proved to be quick, confident learners. "If we wanted to," he said, sounding reasonably serious, "we could make them champions."

[LongBlade]

Local sports schedule & briefs
San Marcos Daily Record
San Marcos, TX, USA
September 11, 2005

www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2005/09/11/sports/sports9.txt

LEARN TO FENCE - The ATAC Fencing Club and Texas State University Fencing Club will be offering various fencing programs Mondays through Thursdays this fall for the greater San Marcos area community. Classes are for ages 8 and up and will be held on the campus of Texas State University in room 221 Jowers Center. Introductory and Competitve Instructional Programs will be offered from Sept. 6 to Dec. 1. Registration and Tryouts start Sept. 6 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Classes will be on going and students can start at any time space available. Cost varies as to program selected. For more information contact JohnMoreau@ ATACFencing.org

[LongBlade]

H-F Park District announces fencing programs
Northwest Indiana Times
9/13/05

www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2005/09/13/community/education_focus/8eb99ce4ef68cba28625707a005c95e3.txt

FLOSSMOOR | Take a stab at a new sport this fall by signing up for a Homewood-Flossmoor Park District fencing programs for ages 13 and older.

Level 1: Beginning Foil is for new or beginning fencers. Instruction will focus specifically on the foil, proper footwork, balance, grip, blade techniques, offense and defense. Equipment will be provided.

Beginning Foil meets from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 14 to Nov. 2, at the H-F High School North Building student cafeteria. Fee of $85 for residents and $127.50 for nonresidents includes a $10 equipment fee.

Level 2: Foil, Epee and Saber is for the experienced fencer or those who have successfully completed Level 1. Emphasis is on speed, power, finesse, complex footwork, and competitive strategies. Fencers will have the opportunity to compete in fencing tournaments. Equipment is available, but it is recommended that fencers bring their own equipment.

Foil, Epee and Saber meets from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 14 to Nov. 2, at the H-F High School North Building student cafeteria. Fee of $85 for residents and $127.50 for nonresidents includes a $10 equipment fee.

Open Strip Fencing for Foil, Epee and Saber is for students who have completed Level 1 and 2 or for those who have prior fencing experience. This is an ideal format to train for competition or to just engage in friendly bouts. Students should have their own equipment.

Foil, Epee and Saber meets from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 14 to Nov. 2, at the H-F High School North Building student cafeteria. Fee is $60 for residents and $90 for nonresidents.

The H-F High School North Building is on Governors Highway.

For more information or to register, call the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District at [phone].

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Los Alamos HS's Carey takes local high school league competition title
SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
Los Alamos, NM, USA
9/15/05

www.lamonitor.com/articles/2005/09/15/sports/sports01.txt

The Los Alamos Fencing Club and the Family YMCA of Los Alamos played host in multiple fencing events Saturday at the Pueblo Gymnasium.

In the kickoff New Mexico High School Fencing League (HSFL) /p/e competition, the Los Alamos girls completely dominated, taking four of the top five spots with Hilltoppers senior Deidre Carey going undefeated and taking the gold. Los Alamos fencer Curtis Christensen finished on top in the boys' event.

In the USFA Open Foil event, Rob Coker of Santa Fe knocked off Albuquerque's John Arnold for first place. Los Alamos fencers Dom Peterson and John Galbraith tied for third.

HSFL dual meets start this week with the Los Alamos teams traveling to Albuquerque to take on the Duke City Fencers.

For further information on the HSFL and fencing in Los Alamos, contact North Carey at 672-3938 or Tom Hill at 672-1058.

NEW MEXICO HIGH SCHOOL FENCING LEAGUE EPEE

Saturday at the YMCA

GIRLS: 1. Deidre Carey (Los Alamos High School); 2. Natalie McDermon (Santa Fe Prep); 3t. Aubrie Forsyth (LA); 3t. Anna Kellund (LA); 5. Camilyn Sherril (LA); 6. Melissa Demers (SFP); 7. Dorothy Melander-Dayton (SFP); 8. Molly Talbert (SFP); 9. Shoshanna Carroll (SFP); 10. Jenna Ross (SFP); 11. Samantha Secular (SFP); 12. Caitlin Kossmann (SFP).

BOYS: 1. Curtis Christensen (LAFC); 2. Trevor Schmitt (NMFF); 3t. Mischa Noll (SFP); 3t. Jake Harbour (NMFF); 5. Alex Martinez (NMFF); 6. Leland Thompson (SFP); 7. Gavin Medley (NMFF); 8. Zachary Kenyon (LAFC); 9. Cass Thompson (SFP); 10. Zachary Valdez (SFP); 11. Matt Cosgrove (SFP); 12. Avery Selser (SFP); 13. Ryan Cosgrove (SFP); 14. Daniel Kaufman (SFP); 15. Zack Parliman (LAFC); 16. Adrian Apodoca (SFP); 17. Gil Lawson (SFP); 18. Henry Elliot (SFP).

USFA Open Foil

Saturday at the YMCA

Overall: 1. Robert Coker (NMFF); 2. John Arnold (NMFC); 3t. John Galbraith (NMFF); 3t. Dominic Peterson (NMFF); 5. Larry Brock (NMFC); 6. Curtis Christensen (LAFC); 7. Alexander Martinez (NMFF); 8. Sean Horan (RIT); 9. Neva Sheehan (NMFC).

[LongBlade]

Cousin in fight to save hero’s remains
By Jonathan Marciano
Ham & High Broadway
London, England, UK
9/16/05

www.hamhighbroadway.co.uk/content/camden/broadway/news/story.aspx?brand=NorthLondon24&category=Newsbroadway&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsbroadway&itemid=WeED16%20Sep%202005%2016%3A55%3A59%3A150

THE only surviving relative of an Olympic fencing hero murdered by the Nazis has launched a fight to save his cousin's remains.

Baron Von Dombovary und-Treuenberg, 74, from Lynmouth Road, Fortis Green, is a first cousin of Hungarian sporting legend Attila Petschauer.

Baron Treuenberg received documents three months ago claiming that the remains of the sporting hero had been discovered.

The documents from an association of former labour camp workers suggest the bones of Petschauer, previously thought to be in a mass grave, have been found in the Ukraine.

Petschauer, whose story is told in the 1999 film Sunshine, starring Ralph Fiennes, was murdered by Nazis in a Ukrainian Labour camp in 1943.

British foreign office officials have contracted Ukrainian authorities at Baron Treuenberg's request, asking any surviving remains not to be moved.

Baron Treuenberg is campaigning for the bones eventually to be taken to Israel rather than his Hungarian homeland.

He said: "Though he was famous in Hungary, he was not Hungarian but stateless when he died. His only certain status is that he is Jewish. He was tortured to death in Ukraine for that by Hungarians. There is no way he can be taken to Hungary which humiliated him in death."

A spokesman for the British Foreign office said: "We have received a letter outlining the case. We are asking the authorities in Ukraine to follow up the matter.

"It is not exactly clear if the body has been found and the Ukrainians will need to find out. We will be trying to find out exactly what has happened."

The Hungarian embassy in London has also been contacted about the case, which has political significance because of the country's Nazi collaboration.

Petschauer led the Hungarian fencing team to gold in the 1928 and 1932 Olympic games.

But despite his fame, Petschauer was deported to a Nazi labour camp in the Ukrainian town of Davidovka in 1943.

At the camp, Petschauer was tortured before being killed.

Baron Treuenberg said: "I remember him particularly well and talking to him. He was an extremely attractive man who everyone liked.

"He kept the fencing team strong and was respected, despite being Jewish in that culture.

"He was so close to my father that he became an important part of my life.

Hungarian-born Baron Treuenberg survived a children's labour camp, before coming to England in 1956. His father was murdered in a concentration camp.

His great-grandmother was a cousin to Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th-century prime minister and novelist.

The baron has used detectives to try to track down priceless family heirlooms, including hundreds of Disraeli's letters taken from his home in Hungary by Nazi looters.

[LongBlade]

YMCA fencing class open for registration
Los Alamos Monitor
Staff Reports
Los Alamos, NM, USA
9/22/05

New beginners with no fencing experience, ages 10 and older, will be accepted to the YMCA Beginning Fencing class starting in October.

Adults who are interested in trying the sport are also welcomed. The first class begins at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the YMCA gymnasium. Registration for the four-week class is at the YMCA front desk. The YMCA provides all equipment.

For further information, contact Tom Hill at 672-1058.

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Week in Reston
The Reston Connection
Reston, VA, USA
September 22, 2005

www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=55986&paper=71&cat=104

RCC Offers Adult Fencing
The Reston Community Center will hold adult fencing classes Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30 from Sept. 22 to Oct. 27 at the RCC Hunters Woods. The class fee is $40 for people who live or work in Reston and $55 for all others. An equipment rental fee of $30 is payable to the Virginia Academy of Fencing on the first day of class.
RCC's fencing class teaches footwork, handwork and strategy using safety-tipped swords, protective jackets and masks. The use of this equipment makes fencing one of the safest sports around. No previous training is required. Instructors from the Virginia Academy of Fencing teach the fundamentals of this Olympic sport. Call 703-476-4500.

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Self-confidence the point in fencing
Students learn to stand their ground alone and face opponent without flinching[/b][/color]
By KRISTEN GIANFORTUNE
Pioneer Press Online
Glenview, IL, USA
9/22/2005

www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/al/09-22-05-693324.html

The fastest moving object in sport is the marksman's bullet. The second fastest? The tip of a fencing foil.

Dressed in stark white from the neck down, fencers look ghostly, moving with the agility and dexterity of dancers, attacking like cobras.

Behind each dark, rounded, mesh-steel mask, is a smiling face. Fencers at the Lionheart Fencing Academy in Crystal Lake enjoy themselves, despite the survival-based origin of the sport.

Diane Baia, a Crystal Lake resident, established the fencing academy about two years ago. She instructs 74 students of all ages weekly, offering various levels of training at the Regional Sports Center, 1310 Ridgefield Rd.

Standing her ground

Baia first began fencing in 1982 while attending the University of Denver. She recalls being shy and reserved in her youth and said, "I wanted to see if I could stand there."

Baia believes children who are bullied benefit from fencing, because the rules do not allow for flinching. Fencers are trained never to turn their back to an opponent.

"The physical act of standing there and facing an opponent -- which is metaphorical for enemy -- does something to the inner psyche and you can see these kids starting to carry themselves straighter," she said.

Baia, who was called "Snow White" at her first fencing competition, stands a gangling 5 feet 10 inches. Watching this 20-plus year veteran of the sport lunge to the attack, you wouldn't guess she has scoliosis of the lower back.

High-speed chess

"It teaches self-reliance, quickness of thought and decisiveness of actions. And, unlike most sports, this is one of the very few where there are no physical gifts that give you a large advantage," said Christopher Karll, associate coach at the fencing academy.

"It's like playing chess at 90 mph," he said.

Karll, a social worker who lives in Arlington Heights, recently took eighth place out of 107 national competitors at the United States Fencing Association Men's Epee Division IA.

He conducts private lessons for students of all ages. One student is Cary resident Andrew Shirman, 17, who recently competed in the Junior Olympics in Dallas. Shirman, a junior at Marion Catholic Academy, has been fencing for three years.

"It was just completely different," he said. "I never tried it before, it looked like a lot of fun and I learned leadership skills."

An Olympic tradition

Karll said he hopes Shirman pursues fencing at the collegiate and even the Olympic level one day. Fencing is one of only four sports that has been part of every modern Olympics, beginning in 1896.

Though the sport evolved from battle training, the movements are executed much like dance. It's a graceful and fluid combination of lunges, perfectly horizontal outstretched arms and abrupt stomps and small jumps meant to startle an opponent.

For example, one tactic, "remise," is to immediately attack you opponent in a lunge position in response to the opponent's initial attack.

React and attack

"It exercises your mind as well as your muscles, your brain as well as your brawn. This isn't just a reactive sport; it's proactive and the benefits show up in other aspects of your life as well," Baia said.

Fencing with grandma

Alberta Collinet, a Cary resident whose grandson Michael Konecki has been taking lessons for about a year, said she's seen a positive change.

"He's very confident and very proud that he is doing something not only that he likes, but something he excels in," Collinet said. "It's made him a lot more outgoing."

Collinet took fencing classes when she was in college, and encouraged her grandson to enroll.

"It's good for me and my grandmother to spend time together," Konecki said.

There are three modern weapons in fencing. The most restricted form, the foil, requires a straight attack with the sword, with the scoring target area being the torso. Similarly, epee (which means "sword" in French) is a straight attack; however the entire body is the target. Saber allows for slashing motions in addition to straight attacks. The target is the entire body from the waist up -- including the head.

There are also two forms of fencing: theatrical and competitive. Lionheart Fencing Academy teaches the latter.

Slice of history

The history of fencing dates back nearly 3100 years. Hieroglyphics depicting duels were inscribed on the walls of ancient Egyptian pyramids. The sport evolved from training for combat. Italians got the reputation as being fencing masters and taught their techniques to French nobility, where the sport evolved to its present form. The international language of fencing is French.

"Like the European martial arts, fencing is designed to keep you on your feet to be the last person standing," Baia said, adding that fencing embraces courtesy, respect, codes of conduct, honor and chivalry.

Experience helps

"This is a sport you can continue to do throughout your lifetime, because even as physical agility starts to decay, your instincts and your reactions and the control of your hand are all important," Baia said. "Experience still pays off against younger, less experienced fencers."

Tournaments consist of pools of competitive fencers. The fencers compete in pools of four to seven competitors and engage in bouts up to five points. Winners of the pools then face off in direct eliminations for 15 points.

The fencing season begins this month and will run until July. For the first time, the Lionheart Academy will host two tournaments this season.

For more information about Lionheart Academy, visit www.tothescrime.org/lionheart or call [phone].

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Swordplay in Fresno: The Fresno Fencing Academy Opens With the Ring of Steel on Steel
The Fresno Fencing Academy, Fresno's newest club for athletic swordplay, has opened on the corner of Shaw and Maroa in Fresno, CA.[/b][/color]

www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/9/emw289088.htm

(PRWEB) September 24, 2005 -- The Fresno Fencing Academy, Fresno's newest club for athletic swordplay, has opened on the corner of Shaw and Maroa in Fresno, CA.

Rich and Sara Kilgore are the proud owners of this unique club. The fulfillment of a long held dream, these entrepreneurs are working hard to make it a success.

Their first move was to welcome Vladimir Ostatnigrosh, a veteran Fencing coach from Ukraine into the club as Head Coach to design physical education programs for home schooled children, training programs for fencers on the competitive circuit, and provide a home for those who fence for recreation.

Modern Fencing is a direct descendant of sword dueling. Unlike the free-wheeling fighting of Three Musketeers fame, the modern Olympic sport is played on a thin strip with one of three weapons: Foil, Epee, or Sabre.

Fresno Fencing Academy gives its members the newest opportunity to play this interesting and very physical game using any of the three weapons, both for recreation and for competition, with instruction and encouragement by professional fencing instructors.

About Fresno Fencing Academy

FFA is an athletic club dedicated to the teaching, practice, and growth of Olympic style fencing in the community. For additional information on classes, programs, and private lessons with the coach, come by the club or visit www.fresno-fencing.com.

Contact:

Sara Kilgore
Fresno Fencing Academy
435 W. Shaw Ave, Fresno, CA 93704
[phone]
www.fresno-fencing.com

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TOUCHÉ: Fencing coach dreams of expanding his academy into a training grounds for future Olympic champions
Taking a stab at a larger vision[/b][/color]
By MASON LERNER
The Houston Chronicle
9/25/05

www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3366271

Mauro Hamza, the owner and head coach of the Salle Mauro Fencing Academy, has Olympic-size dreams for his fencing school.

The Houston academy, which serves competitive and recreational fencers of all ages, started with only a few students in 1997. Hamza now has more than 120 members, but his vision for the academy has not yet been fulfilled.

Hamza has been building his résumé as an elite fencer and fencing coach since he was a child in Egypt.

He won many junior and adult fencing titles in his home country, and he represented Egypt in numerous tournaments around the world.

He says his students have won dozens of gold, silver and bronze medals in national and international competitions. He served as the coach for the 2000-2001 U.S. Cadet and Junior National Men's Foil Team and the Egyptian National Team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Hamza hopes that one day he can buy his own building to house a fencing academy complete with all of the trappings needed to train future Olympians.

And he wants to expand his business to the point where it will be economically viable for him to maintain a structure with state-of-the-art training facilities, a weight room and dormitories.

He says that a place like this could "manufacture" Olympians.

That is a lofty goal for a fencing instructor in Texas that has to compete with traditionally popular sports like football, baseball and basketball.

"That is our biggest challenge. We are competing with sports that have been here for a long time. It affects us tremendously," Hamza said.

Winning strategy
So far, Hamza, who also serves as the fencing coordinator at Rice University, has used his international fencing achievements and the achievements of his academy to attract students. He has tried many different forms of advertising, but he has found that nothing attracts newcomers like winning.

"We tried many times to do advertising, but it was never effective," he said. " The results of the academy speak for themselves. The TV stations come to us. The newspapers come to us because what we do is unique."

Hamza added that his academy ensures that Houston will have a steady flow of championship-caliber athletes.

Take the Houston Rockets, Hamza said. The last time the team won a title was a decade ago. "We produce national champions every year."

Paul Swangard, managing director of the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, agreed that the success of Hamza's students has allowed the academy to prosper in a region where fencing has a very small following. He acknowledged that the chance to compete and win should be very attractive to prospective students.

"Everyone likes a winner," Swangard said. "And you certainly have a better chance of being successful in a fencing tournament than you would ever have of being an NBA star."

Swangard recognized the challenge of marketing a sport that is obscure in this neck of the woods, and he recommended that Hamza focus on the character benefits of fencing along with the athletic aspects when promoting the sport.

"It really is invisible to most kids," he said. "There are no highlights on SportsCenter and no major fencing league, but it offers a great individual participatory opportunity. It teaches finesse. Etiquette. There are a lot of aspects to the sport that are marketable."

Sponsorship idea
Hamza is basing his business model for the future on successful fencing academies that he has seen around the world. He knows that he will need sponsorship from a major corporation for his academy to reach the level that he aspires to.

"The German team is sponsored by Mercedes, for example. This helps them to grow as a sport. I just need the ground to approach these big companies," Hamza said.

Swangard said that the first thing that Hamza needs to do is show any potential sponsor that he can give a return on the investment.

"He has to show the sponsors that are connected with the Olympic movement, both nationally and globally, that he has something compelling for them to connect with," he said.

He counseled that another step Hamza should seriously consider is reaching out to other coaches who are in his same position.

"He is really going to have to get creative," Swangard said. "He should consider a united front with other fencing academies or even other sports, such as judo. That sort of package may be more attractive than trying to go about it on his own."

Hamza said that if his students continue to win, he will eventually attract the attention of a sponsor and fulfill his dream of making his academy a player on the international scene. He is training several Olympic hopefuls, and he said that if any of them qualify, it could be the accomplishment that puts him over the top.

"An Olympian would definitely be a big breakthrough," he said.

[LongBlade]

Vrabel Named Fencing Coach
Will lead both men's and women's programs
CollegeSports.com
9/12/05

www.collegesports.com/sports/c-fenc/stories/091205aab.html



FAIRFIELD, CT - Thomas Vrabel was named the new men's and women's fencing coach at Sacred Heart University by athletic director C. Donald Cook. Vrabel joina the Pioneers after serving as fencing coach at Bridgeport Central High School since 2003.

Vrabel has over 30 years of experience both coaching and competing in all three fencing weapons. He has past collegiate experience as an assistant at Brown and the U.S. Naval Academy where he developed several NCAA All-Americans.

He has also been the coach at the Candlewood Fencing Center in Danbury, CT since 2002. While there he coached several of his students to an "A" ranking level to top 40 world rankings in the under-19 category.

The Stratford, CT resident has over 25-years of experience as a collegiate fencing official and has trained under U.S. Olympic Coach Zoran Tulum and Olympic gold medalist Witold Woyda.

Vrabel earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut, and his Master's and Ph.D from Cornell University.

[LongBlade]

Fencing clinic teaches new and experienced fencers
By Kate DeWeese
Staff Writer
The Purdue Exponent
September 27, 2005

www.purdueexponent.org/index.php/module/Issue/action/Article/article_id/1024

Ready? Fence.

The Purdue Fencing Club is hosting a fencing boot camp Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. The intense three-day clinic is meant to provide an opportunity for fencers from around the region to hone their skills.

In its second year, the fencing boot camp is bringing Bruce Capin, the coach of the University of Florida's Fencing Club, to Purdue to coach what event organizer Ann Radavich says is "a three day fence �til you drop." Approximately 12 Purdue fencers will be joined by about 15 fencers from other regional schools for a weekend of learning strategies and skills from Capin.

The clinic is open to any fencer who is interested. It will range from a relatively new fencer out to learn the basics to an experienced fencer there to learn new strategies.

The clinic is $40 per person, which Radavich said is a small amount of money for the amount of coaching the participants will receive. The club has no coach, so Capin's help is especially beneficial to the Purdue students.

"(The clinic) helps the club itself move along because we are able to get some coaching," Radavich said.

For those students not quite ready for a boot camp experience, the Fencing Club might offer something different. The club has already had its first callout, but they are always open to new members. They offer both beginning and advanced classes twice a week, and although the first four classes have already occurred, Fencing Club president April Kraft says that it isn't a problem.

"There are always people there to catch you up if you have missed a class," she said.

The classes are held Monday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Recreational Sports Center, Room 119. It costs $50 for the semester or $80 for the entire year to join. With this fee, the club provides all equipment and lessons, which Kraft said can be quite expensive independently.

But this club isn't a new one. Kraft said the Purdue Fencing Club has a long history.

"We have found pictures from about 50 years ago," said Kraft, "but we don't officially know how long the club has been here. It's been a long time."

These days, the club members compete in two types of competition. There are individual events in which each person is competing for himself. These are open to the public and often draw fencers of all ages. In addition to these, the club participates in four team meets against a variety of schools in Purdue's club conference. This year, all four events will take place in the spring, which Kraft said is advantageous.

"This allows our new fencers to learn and practice much more than they are able to when we have our first meet in the fall," she said.

Whatever interest one might have in fencing , whether it is a fun way to spend some time or an intense training clinic , the Purdue Fencing Club has options.

The club's officers said those willing to work hard to improve their fencing skills will find the clinic helpful and fun.

For those not ready for that type of commitment, the bi-weekly fencing classes are a good option.