Fencing in the News

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Sports Notes
Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach, FL, USA
Wednesday, October 12, 2005

www.palmbeachpost.com/jupiter/content/neighborhood/jupiter/epaper/2005/10/12/npj32_sportnotes_1012.html

Fencing classes: For ages 14 and older, 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Tequesta Recreation Center, 399 Seabrook Road, Tequesta; and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays, Cambridge Community Center, 160 Waterford Drive, Jupiter. Call [phone] or visit www.classicalfencing.org.

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Female team strikes gold at world foil fencing final
by Jeong Young-jae
Joong Ang Daily
S. Korea
10/15/05

joongangdaily.joins.com/200510/14/200510142217471539900090409041.html

Fencing is clearly not the most popular sport in Korea, but that may change now the South Korean women's foil fencing team is the new Team World Champion.
The South Korean team won the gold medal in the foil team category on the sixth day of competition in the 2005 Fencing World Championship, held in Leipzig, Germany. The Koreans defeated the Romanian team 20-19 in the final round on Thursday. The foil, known as fleuret in French, is one of three weapons used in fencing.
In the final competition, three fencers from each team fought in nine 3-minute rounds. The Korean team beat Russia and France in earlier rounds. In the bout for bronze medal, France won over Hungary 45-33.
South Korea only has 66 professional fencers, and observers were stunned by the achievement. Korea has won medals in past competitions, but winning a team competition is considered far more difficult by many fencers. Korea won a gold medal in man's foil fencing in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney and a gold medal in the 2002 World Championship in woman's epee fencing.
"I hope Koreans will pay much more attention to fencing now we have won this medal," Nam Hyeon-hee, a member of the Korean national team, said.
Led by coach Lee Seoung-woo, the team won second prize in Trophee de SK Telecom Seoul in February, and bronze in the Tokyo World Championship the next month.
With the gold medal, the women fencers feel confident they will compete in the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
"We will bring the team's capabilities up one more level by inviting a top-level coach from Europe," Kim Guk-hyeon, director of the Korean Fencing Association, said.

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Fencing: 2007 SEA Games The Main Target
Bernama - Malaysian National News Agency
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14, 2005

www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_sports.php?id=160644

The 2007 Sea Games which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, appears to be the main target of the Malaysian Fencing Federation to regain lost glory.

It secretary, Riduan Abdul, however, said the Sea Games in Manila in November was also important to give national fencers the much needed exposure as all of them were below 21 years of age.

"We did not send any athletes to the 2003 Sea Games in Vietnam as we did not have the numbers. But for this year, no matter what, we will send them for the exposure," he told Bernama Friday.

"Though we wanted to send 11 participants, but because of the lack of funds, we can only manage two, a man and a woman," he said.

Fencing which has been put under category B, requires its association to finance participants to the biennial Sea Games. However, if they can at least manage a silver at the event, the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) will refund them.

Riduan, who is also the team manager of the squad, said Vietnam posed the biggest challenge among the nations competing at the meet.

"The performances of our fencers have also vastly improved. Though the squad is small, we will do our very best," he said.

The duo carrying Malaysia' challenge at the Sea Games championships from Nov 27 to Dec 5, are Mohd Amir Yunos (men's epee) and Maisarah Saedon (women's foil). They will also be accompanied by South Korean coach, Kim Dong Jin.

The last time Malaysia won medals in the event at the Sea Games was in 1989, winning a gold, two silver and five bronze.

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Indian fencers’ exposure trip lies shamefully exposed
Nineteen eliminations, all in the first round[/color]
by NAVNEET SIGH
The Indian Express
New Delhi, India
Oct. 14, 2005

www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=79970

Just over a week back, the Fencing Federation of India (FFI) had made a mockery of established selection norms of the country by sending to the Leipzig World Championships a squad of 18 no-hopers, plus two officials in tow.

And they were allowed Rs 15 lakh in all, of taxpayers’ money to waste. This was reported, exclusively, by The Indian Express, on October 2.

The no-hopers ended where they were expected to — at the bottom, being eliminated in the first round.

Another fencer, Sanjeev Suri, joined the squad (to make it 19) in Leipzig, where he was training at the world fencing body’s expense for a week, under a development programme. His name was recommended by the FFI as a bright ’prospect’. He suffered a similar fate.

The Sports Ministry had, surprisingly, given the green signal to the team on the recommendation of Sports Authority of India (SAI) Teams Wing officials. They said the players will get “exposure”, before the Asian Games. The squad was exposed instead.

According to information received here, T.R. Rohith Gangadhar, the most experienced, was 166th out of 177 in men’s epee. Ruchi Trikha — supposedly the fencer with the ‘greatest potential’ — was 125th in a field of 132 in women’s epee.

The experienced P. Laxshmikantha — national gold medallist — was last in a field of 141 in the men’s foil event.

Even at the Asian competition, 18 months back, India’s best bet A. Sanatomba finished 21st in epee and Usha Rani Devi 19th in foil. Why and how was this squad cleared by senior officials, does bring to the fore several vital questions of propriety.

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Canadian women's epee team finishes sixth
Slam! Sports
Ontario, Canada
10/14/05

slam.canoe.ca/Slam/OtherSports/2005/10/14/1262853-cp.html

LEIPZIG, Germany (CP) - The Canadian women's epee team came a point away from qualifying for the medal round at the world fencing championships Friday before settling for a sixth-place finish.

Sherraine MacKay from Brooks, Alta., Monique Kavelaars of Appin, Ont., Montreal's Julie Leprohon and Catherine Dunnette of Calgary lost a 26-25 decision to Hungary in quarter-final play.

The Canadians then defeated Korea 32-25 before falling to Poland 45-33 in their last bout to finish sixth. Hungary dropped a 45-31 decision to France in the gold medal game while Germany defeated Russia 26-22 for the bronze.

It was the best-ever showing by Canada's women's epee team at the world championships.

The Canadian men's sabre team of Michel Boulos, Pierre-Philippe Gouin, Philippe Beaudry and Vincent Beaudry, all from Quebec, finished 14th.

Russia beat Italy 45-44 to win the gold while France captured the bronze with a 45-43 victory over Ukraine.

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World fencing championships: U.S. women win sabre gold; France men win foil
News from Russia
PRAVDA
2005-10-16

newsfromrussia.com/hotspots/2005/10/16/65309.html

The U.S. women's sabre team beat Russia 45-36 to take gold on the final day Saturday of the world fencing championships.

The French men also took the team foil title with a 45-32 win over Italy, and finished first at the event with 10 medals.

The American team was led by Mariel Zagunis, the Olympic sabre champion, and Sada Jacobson, who took bronze in the same event. They were the first two American women to ever medal at the Olympics. Hungary beat Poland for the bronze, 45-36.

The French foil team was led by Brice Guyart, the Olympic champion in the individual event. Host Germany edged China 45-40 for the bronze, but came away from the worlds without a gold for the first time since 1997, AP reports.

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Zagunis lights up saber competition at fencing worlds
By Beau Dure, USATODAY.com
10/18/05

www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2005-10-18-aow-zagunis_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA

A good old-fashioned Hollywood script calls for the experienced swashbuckler to leap into action to save the day with a saber. The U.S. women's fencing team happens to have a couple of Olympic medalists who can play that part.


Mariel Zagunis, left, celebrates her saber win with teammates Sada Jacobson, Rebecca Ward and Caitlin Thompson. Photo by Michael Sohn, AP

At the World Championships in Leipzig, Germany, the U.S. got through its first-round pairing against Britain with a couple of young fencers, 18-year-old Caitlin Thompson and 15-year-old Rebecca Ward, taking the bulk of the work. Sada Jacobson, a bronze medalist in Athens, closed out the 45-38 victory.

From then on, Athens gold medalist Mariel Zagunis slashed through the competition. With the U.S. trailing early in the quarterfinal against France, Zagunis racked up a 9-4 score with her first stint, setting up Jacobson and Ward for a 45-32 win. Against Hungary in the semis, Zagunis again gave the U.S. a lead with an 8-4 stint and returned with two 5-0 whitewashes in the 45-27 win.

In the final against Russia, Zagunis outscored her opponents 15-8 in her three stints with the sword and clinched a 45-36 victory. As a result, Zagunis, Jacobson, Ward and Thompson are world champions.

For her efforts, Zagunis is USATODAY.com's U.S. Olympic Athlete of the Week.

Zagunis also finished ninth in the individual saber. Jacobson took fifth, Ward seventh and Thompson 26th.

Also at the World Fencing Championships:

• Men's team saber, fifth: Adam Crompton, Ivan Lee, Tim Morehouse, Jason Rogers

• Men's team foil, eighth: Dan Kellner, Jon Tiomkin, Jed Dupree, Andras Horanyi

• Women's team foil, 10th: Andrea Ament, Sam Nemecek, Hanna Thompson, Doris Willette

• Men's team epee, 14th: Seth Kelsey, Benjamin Solomon, Soren Thompson, Cody Mattern

• Women's team epee, 15th: Lindsay Campbell, Kelley Hurley, Maya Lawrence, Lauren Willock

• Men's individual foil: Kellner 35th, Horanyi 45th, Dupree 52nd, Tiomkin 66th

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Korea's women fencing rises atop in world ranking
Korea.net
10/18/05

www.kois.go.kr/news/news/newsView.asp?serial_no=20051018013&part=108&SearchDay=



The Korean women's fencing team has jumped six notches to No. 1 in the world rankings as it won the gold medal at the World Championships in Germany last week.

The International Fencing Federation on Tuesday (Oct. 18) announced the new world rankings with the Korean squad atop in the category. They earned 128 points in the championships for a combined 282, eight points ahead of Russia.

On Friday, the Korean team of four fencers _ Seo Mi-jung, Nam Hyun-hee, Jung Kil-ok and Lee Hye-sun _ defeated the contenders from Romania 20-19 in the final of the World Championships to clinch the gold medal.

This is an unprecedented high ranking for Korea in its fencing history.

Starting this year at 15th place, they hastened to seventh with a silver at Trophee de SK Telecom Seoul in February and a bronze at the Tokyo Team World Cup in March.

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Novice Maisarah Ready For SEA Games Challenge
By Zuriati Zulmi
Bernama.com
Malaysian National News Agency
10/18/05

www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_sports.php?id=161192

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 -- Novice national fencer, Maisarah Saedon says she is ready to take up the challenge at the SEA Games in Manila in November.

The 20-year-old athlete said her experience at the Asian Fencing Championships in Sabah in August had given her the confidence to shoulder Malaysia's challenge at the biennial SEA Games.

"Compared to my opponents, I may have less exposure but at the Sabah championships I qualified to the third round and am now ranked 32 in the world.

"I am very satisfied I beat the Indonesian player, whom I will be meeting again in the SEA Games, in the second round of the AFC," she told Bernama when met during training, here Tuesday.

At the AFC, Maisarah reached the third round in the foil category after beating the Indonesian opponent before losing to a Chinese fencer in the round.

The fine performance by Maisarah, an athlete under the Gemilang 2006 programme, brought her luck as the tournament was used as the yardstick for selection into the Malaysian contingent for the SEA Games.

Maisarah, a first year Bachelor of Human Resource Development student at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), said that though she had only been training for seven months under Korean coach Kim Dong Jin, she had set her sights on winning a medal for Malaysia in Manila.

"Personally, I want to achieve something in Manila though I will be up against the very best in South East Asia," she said.

Hailing from Kepong in Kuala Lumpur, Maisarah said she took up fencing when given an opportunity to do so by her teachers, Riduan Abdul and Badrul Hisam while she was studying at the Bandar Penawar Sports School in Johor.

She said after several training sessions and coaching by Russian coach, Bobok Vychiaslav, she became attracted to the uniqueness of the sport which called for speed and a high degree of skill against an opponent.

Malaysia's representation for fencing at the Sea Games this time will only consist of two athletes -- Mohd Amir Yunos in the men's epee category and Maisarah in the women's foil.

The last time fencing contributed medals to the nation during a SEA Games meet was in 1989, contributing a gold, two silver and five bronze.

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District's budget goes on $1.7M diet
By Cathy Spaulding
Muskogee Daily Phoenix
Muskogee, OK, USA
10/18/05

www.muskogeephoenix.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051018/NEWS01/510180302/1002

Changes in grant programs and the district's online education program could mean a leaner Muskogee Public Schools budget for 2006.

District chief financial officer John Little said the proposed budget for the 2006 school year will be about $1.7 million less than for 2005.

Meanwhile, Little said anticipated revenue could be up by $580,000 from last year, primarily because of anticipated increases in county ad valorem tax collections.

A public hearing on the proposed budget could be held at the Nov. 8 school board meeting or sooner, depending on when the State Board of Equalization approves the preliminary budget, Little said.

Part of the budget cuts come from state and federal grants that had lapsed or changed focus, Little said.

The district made no 2006 allocations for the 21st Century Learning Center, a popular federally-funded after school program. The district had received $1.5 million in 2002 for a three-year grant and offered the program at four sites: Muskogee High School, the Seventh and Eighth Grade Center, Ben Franklin Science Academy and Irving Elementary School.

Discontinuation of the 21st Century Learning Center hampers efforts to reach students "outside of the mainstream," said Melony Carey, who oversaw the program at MHS. High school programs included homework assistance, inline skating, writing, even fencing.

"The kids outside of the mainstream who you really want to reach may be hurt," Carey said. "We really don't have special interest clubs."

She said she may try to apply for a physical education grant to fund the fencing program.

Programs at Ben Franklin included theater, self-defense, fishing, cooking and technology.

Earlier this year, the program's funding mechanism shifted from direct federal funding of school projects to federal funding administered through the states. Oklahoma's share of the 2006 program funding is $10.3 million, about $500,000 less than what the state had received last year.

Muskogee Schools executive director for curriculum Derryl Venters said the district had reapplied for the grant the year before last, but did not receive the grant award. She said she is working on reapplying for the grant.

Carey said the federal government wants to gear the 21st Century grant more toward science, math and reading. She said the fencing program could have fallen under the closer focus in that kids could learn physics and geometry.

The school also is budgeting $422,000 less on GEAR UP, a federal program to help area high schools and middle schools steer students toward continuing their education, the school budget showed. GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.

In August, Venters said she had not yet heard whether or when the program will take applications for renewal. Venters said Monday that by the time she had heard about the grant deadlines, she could not get all the paperwork and research done.

Another major cut in the Muskogee school budget comes from discontinuing the district's contract with the Oklahoma City education firm Advanced Academics to provide online classes, Little said. The program offered online learning to students across the state, as well as in Muskogee. At one time, as many as 257 students from across Oklahoma logged onto the program.

In July, the school switched to an in-district online education program, NovaNet, offered only to Muskogee students.

Switching to an in-district program saved the district more than $625,000, budget figures show.

Little said personnel costs should be about the same as last year.

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Sports Notes
Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach, FL, USA
10/19/05

www.palmbeachpost.com/jupiter/content/neighborhood/jupiter/epaper/2005/10/19/npj35_sportnotes_1019.html

Maltz Jupiter Theatre is seeking people to become team members for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, scheduled for 9 a.m. Oct. 29 at the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, 1301 Summit Blvd. Call [phone], Ext. 101.

Jupiter Recreation Department offers a variety of classes at Jupiter Community Center, 210 Military Trail, Jupiter. Call Susan Cesarano at [phone] for days and times.

• Adult classes include yoga, stretch 'n strengthen, aerobic dance workout, aerobics for seniors, jazz/tap, ballet, weight training for women, line dancing, fencing, Pilates and more.

• Children's classes include combo dance, fencing, karate, tumble tikes, ballet, jazz and tap, jazz-hiphop, beginning baton, Winnerz Children's Fitness and more.

Tequesta offers the following fall programs for adults: Shotokan karate, conversational Spanish, classical fencing, tai chi, power yoga and mah-jongg. Call [phone].

Jupiter Inlet Offshore Fishing Club meets at 7:30 p.m. first Thursdays at the Old Town Hall, 1000 Town Hall Ave., Jupiter. Call [phone].

Register for gymnastics and karate classes for ages 5-12. Karate classes are 5:45-6:45 p.m. Mondays. $90, residents; $110, nonresidents. Gymnastics classes are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 3 p.m. for ages 3-4, 4:10 p.m. for ages 5-7 and 5:10 p.m. for ages 7-10. $120, residents; $144, nonresidents. Call [phone].

Aquatic programs offered: North County Aquatic Complex offers water aerobics, physical education for home-schoolers, competitive swim teams and diving lessons. Call [phone].

West Jupiter Recreation Cente, 6401 W. Indiantown Road, offers programs for ages 6-11, dances and movie nights. Costs and dates vary. Call [phone].

Fencing classes are offered for ages 14 and older, 10 a.m.-noon Saturdays, Tequesta Recreation Center, 399 Seabrook Road, Tequesta; and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mondays, Cambridge Community Center, 160 Waterford Drive, Jupiter. Call [phone] or visit www.classicalfencing.org.

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Princeton Fencing Unsheaths Season This Weekend at Penn State's Garret Open
Men's and women's teams send 35 to State College, PA[/b][/color]
GoPrincetonTigers.com
Princeton, NJ, USA
Oct. 20, 2005

goprincetontigers.collegesports.com/sports/m-fenc/spec-rel/102005aab.html


Ben Solomon and the Tigers open the season on Saturday.

PRINCETON, N.J. - Princeton's men's and women's fencing teams begin their seasons this weekend with individual competitions at Penn State's Garret Open beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Tigers will send 17 women's fencers and 18 men's competitors.

Junior Erin McGarry and senior Kira Hohensee lead five Princeton women in the epee. McGarry, who has qualified for the NCAA national meet in each of her first two years, finished sixth in the nation last year. Hohensee has qualified for the national competition in two of her three seasons with a 24th-place finish in 2005.

Senior co-captain Jacqueline Leahy is one of four foil competitors for the Orange and Black. The NCAA bronze medalist has lost just once in 40 Ivy competitions over three years and has never missed an NCAA championship meet, bettering her finish in each of her first three seasons.

The saber is the widest field on the women's side as eight Tigers make the trip to State College, six of whom are underclassmen. Junior co-captain Elan DiMaio and senior Caroline Block lead the mostly greenhorn crew into competition this weekend.

On the men's side, six Tigers will wield the epee, none more accomplished on the collegiate level than senior Ben Solomon. The three-time NCAA national competitor finished fifth in the country in his rookie season and had an eighth-place finish last year.

Junior Alejandro Bras, another regular national meet qualifier, leads five men's foil entrants. Bras, a First-Team All-Ivy honoree last season and a two-time NCAA national qualifier, had the most Ivy wins of any returning Princeton men's fencer regardless of weapon at 9-3.

Just as on the women's side, the saber event holds the largest number of competitors for Princeton this weekend with seven making the trip. Senior captain Owen Cornwall is one of four sabers to compete in an Ivy bout last season and all four return, including sophomore Robert Brenner, junior Joseph Cho and sophomore John Winnerman.

Following the individual competition, the Princeton teams are away from meets until the dual-meet schedule begins Dec. 3, also at Penn State, with NYU, Rutgers and North Carolina.

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Now, this is pretty cool!!!

Resident receives highest achievement in Girl Scouts
Boston Herald
Weston Town Crier
October 20, 2005

www2.townonline.com/weston/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=349643

Kristen Hughes of Weston received the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting, on Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Weston Scout House. Six percent of Senior Girl Scouts in the nation earn this award. It is the first such award to a Weston Girl Scout.

State Sen. Susan C. Fargo, D-Lincoln, and State Rep. Alice Hanlon Peisch, D-Wellesley, each presented Hughes with a resolution from their respective branch of the legislature in recognition of this achievement.

In order to receive the Gold Award, Girl Scouts between the ages of 14 and 18 must design and implement their own service projects that build on their experience in leadership, community service, career planning and personal development. The Gold Award recognizes a Senior Girl Scout's commitment to excellence as she develops skills and values to meet present and future challenges in her life.

Hughes, who has been a Girl Scout for 10 years, masterminded the PROJECT "One Touch at a Time: Bringing Fencing to Waltham Boys and Girls." Hughes designed and conducted a five-week fencing class for the Boys and Girls Club of Waltham. Her students were introduced to the history and rules as well as the physical and mental techniques of fencing.

"Service to the community is an important Girl Scout precept, and Kristen's dedication to the undertaking and completion of this challenging project serves as an excellent example of how young women can make a positive impact on their communities," said Shannon O'Brien, CEO of Girl Scouts Patriots' Trail Council.

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Foiled again: Fencing club draws plenty of interest
By Rudy Pett
THE SAGINAW NEWS
MLive.com
"Everything Michigan"
October 22, 2005

www.mlive.com/golf/sanews/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1129976456293550.xml&coll=9

Rui Takagi, the 14-year-old son of Hiroki and Yuichi Takagi, thought it was cool to give fencing a try.

Four years later, he was one of the participants in the Saginaw YMCA's "Happy Cow" fencing tournament Oct. 8.

Rui was introduced to fencing through his father's coach. Discussions ensued and Rui became a fencer, too.

"It sounded cool, so I did it," he says. "I really like how much of a mental competition it is, as well as physical."

Rui plans to keep training, hoping to move on to higher levels of competition.

The YMCA's fencing club was established in January, and has 16 members of all ages. Many of the members are beginners, while six fence competitively.

"The great thing about this sport is that it sets an equal playing field for everyone, no matter how old your are," Club Coordinator Tom Evanlisti said.

Evanlisti said hosting both a spring and fall tournament every year is the fencing club's goal.

The "Happy Cow" tournament drew a large number of youth fencers to the YMCA. Most of them had been involved with fencing for the better part of four years.

Parents, friends, and books were common answers to what sparked their interests in fencing. When asked what they liked best about fencing, one participant said, "The swords and stabbing. It is also pretty cool how much the game is mental as well as physical."

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Miller still going strong after 38 years at North Carolina
KEITH PARSONS
Associated Press
10/22/05

www.macon.com/mld/macon/sports/colleges/mercer/12967809.htm

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Ron Miller came to the University of North Carolina for a job interview 38 years ago.

The school needed a phyical education professor who had some knowledge of fencing. Miller had just completed his masters degree at Eastern Kentucky, where he started a club program in the sport.

"I knew when I first interviewed that the campus and the students I met were something I would want to be a part of," Miller said. "I wanted to stay here as long as I could."

So he simply never left.

Miller has built one of the top collegiate fencing programs in the country, compiling a record of 888-324 and coaching two future Olympians. He earned coach of the year honors in 1983 and 1986.

And he still teaches those same PE classes he was originally hired to teach, including three this semester on the sport of fencing. Miller is the only remaining coach at North Carolina who still does this.

It's probably a good thing, too - the classes are a prime recruiting ground for future team members.

See, Miller has had no scholarships to offer since 1979, and he very rarely gets help from the admissions department in getting a fencer into school. He builds his team almost exclusively from walk-ons, including some who are fencing for the first time.

This includes students like John Smith. As a junior, he went out for the team on a dare from his roommate. Before his career was complete, he had qualified for the NCAA tournament.

"As long as you give your all, you can make the team and you can go places," said Smith, who graduated in 2001 and credits Miller with helping him get through school. "He taught me every single thing there was about fencing, but it was more than that. He helped with academics and everything.

"He got all that in line for me."

To put Miller's tenure in perspective, he started coaching only six years after Hall of Fame basketball coach Dean Smith. When Smith was given what turned out to be a retirement celebration in the on-campus arena that bears his name in 1997, the school thought it was only fair to honor Miller as well.

His party came nine days after Smith's and included about 150 former fencers, including representatives from nearly every team since 1968.

"The university has always treated me well, and they've given me everything I've asked for," Miller said. "Without that support, this wouldn't be possible."

Throughout the years, he has been approached by other schools hoping to persuade him to leave the Tar Heels. Columbia, Penn State, Air Force (twice) and Ohio State all tried, and one even offered to double Miller's salary.

But he simply couldn't leave. Miller found a home long ago.

"Money is not the object, at least not for me," he said. "I can't ask for a better environment."

Courtney Krolikoski is glad he stuck around. A junior who excels in the epee discipline, she came to North Carolina after meeting Miller at a camp.

"Coach is amazing," she said. "So many other coaches are only worried about how some individuals on their teams do, but he really is very team-oriented. That's one of the reasons I came here."

North Carolina begins its season this weekend at the Penn State Dual Meets, an annual event that draws most of the top programs from around the country. And the longtime coach is excited about this year's team, which features a rarity for him - 12 actual recruited fencers.

Five or six got accepted to school on their own, and he was able to get the rest in with some help from admissions. Either way, it's made for a change in Miller's style.

"We're having to do more coaching this year and not quite as much teaching," he said. "But this is a different team. We're stronger across the board than we have been. Consistency early will be difficult, but I think we'll get there soon."

It sounds as if Miller plans to stick around for a while.

"Coach is just a big kid," Krolikoski said. "It's hard to believe he's been here forever."