Fencing in the News

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PENN FENCERS TAKE GOLD IN MEN’S FOIL AND EPEE AT TEMPLE OPEN
OwlSports.com
Temple University Athletics
11/6/2005

www.owlsports.com/sports/wfencing/releases/release.asp?RELEASE_ID=16554

PHILADELPHIA---Two University of Pennsylvania fencers were crowned men’s fencing champions in their respective weapons at the 26th Annual Temple Open held at McGonigle Hall today.

Penn’s Ron Berkowsky finished first in the foil competition while fellow Penn fencer Ben Wieder finished first in the epee competition.

Berkowsky defeated Rutgers’ Jesse Schabilia in the foil competition for the win. Penn’s Mike Galliagan and NYU's Alex Kao tied for 3rd place.

Wieder defeated Duke’s Ted Lauzen for the epee championship. Chapel Hill’s Benton Heimsath and Collin Sullivan tied for third place in epee fencing at the open.

Penn State’s Joseph Milliron won the sabre competition. He defeated Penn’s Matthew Kolasa. Chapel Hill’s Robert Zeichman and Drew’s J Liu tied for third in the sabre event.

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Berkowsky sparkles at fencing nationals
By LYFORD M. MOORE, Staff Reporter
Courier-Post
Cherry Hill, NJ
November 8, 2005

www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051108/SPORTS/511080371/1002/SPORTS

Some things have a lasting impression. If you don't believe it, just ask 19-year-old Ron Berkowsky of Sicklerville.

After going to the movies in 1993 to catch Disney's adaptation of The Three Musketeers, Berkowsky came home determined to take up fencing. His goal was to develop the same skills as the swashbuckling swordsmen he'd just seen.

Long story short: Goal met.

Actually, the University of Pennsylvania sophomore has become a force to be reckoned with. Under the tutelage of South Jersey Fencing Academy coach Any Ma and Penn coach David Micahnik, Berkowsky has succeeded beyond his wildest expectations.

During the past year alone, the Sicklerville resident captured the U.S. under-19 men's foil championship in Sacramento, placed third in the medal round at the NCAA Fencing Championships in Houston and won the round-robin of 24 at the same NCAA championship.

So impressed was the U.S. Fencing Association that it awarded Berkowsky first-team All-America honors, a designation the honoree hopes to retain at the conclusion of the upcoming collegiate season.

Contacted at Penn, where he's taking pre-med courses, Berkowsky recalled being nervous as he prepared for the trip to Sacramento. And with good reason; he was a mere freshman.

"I had heard it was one of the hardest tournaments, not just in intercollegiate athletics, but in all of American athletics," he said. "I was happy just to qualify for the competition. Because I was a freshman, I just wanted to do my best and not make a total fool of myself."

As everyone in the fencing world now knows, he didn't.

Micahnik says Berkowsky's work ethic is what has propelled him to national prominence.

"He's a very, very intense worker and extremely receptive to coaching," he said.

As such, he believes Berkowsky's best days still may be ahead of him.

"Consistency is the hallmark of someone who's arrived, and I think he's only going to get better," he said. "The trend is nothing but up. In a high-speed combat sport like fencing, staying aggressive yet controlled is essential, and Ron doesn't seem to fluster. He's very precise, and his technique never wavers."

This year's collegiate All-America fencers won't be announced until mid-March, at the conclusion of the NCAA championships in Houston.

Berkowsky's father, Ron, 46, agrees with Micahnik's assessment of his son, especially the part about being intense.

"He was always a good athlete, but never a great one," he said. "He was always a hard worker, and he worked very hard to perfect his technicals."

While Berkowsky played baseball, soccer and some of the other more traditional sports prior to his introduction to fencing, but he stayed with fencing because of its challenging nature.

"In order to be a successful fencer, just as in any sport, you have to be physically fit," he said. "But in fencing, you also have to be mentally fit. You always have to play a mental game with your opponent.

"You always have to be thinking a few steps ahead of him and anticipate every move he might make. I love the coordination between physical fitness and mental fitness."

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Fencing Club offers fun way to duel on campus
By Alexander Oliva
The Good 5 Cent Cigar
U of Rhode Island Student Newspaper
November 8, 2005

www.ramcigar.com/media/paper366/news/2005/11/08/Campus/Fencing.Club.Offers.Fun.Way.To.Duel.On.Campus-1049070.shtml

The Fencing Club is one of the many clubs at the University of Rhode Island that offers students a chance to try something new.

Rahat Sharif, a sophomore at URI, founded the Fencing Club last year and now serves as the club's president.

Sharif started fencing in her junior year of high school because she did not really enjoy other sports and found fencing "very exciting."

The treasurer and unofficial second coach for the club, Ben Wright, added, "Fencing is a really fun sport, it's not typical."

Wright has been fencing for seven years and is a junior at URI. He said fencing involves thinking as well as physical action.

Sharif and Wright met when the URI Student Senate directed Sharif to the Gaming Club when she began looking for people interested in creating a fencing club and getting the club recognized.

Almost a year later, there are 55 registered members in the club, with about 20 to 25 regularly showing up for practice.

Practices are held in various locations on campus, such as the Memorial Union Ballroom, atriums or in the Multicultural Center.

Graduate student Lynn El-Hillow coaches the club and also offers private lessons. The private lessons, offered to both students and non-students, help the club raise funds. Sharif said 50 percent of the money collected from the lessons is re-invested into the club.

The club is evenly split between men and women and there is a greater percentage of people who have never tried fencing that have become members of the club.

The Fencing Club doesn't compete but focuses on getting the group established and having fun, Sharif said.

Two weeks ago the club approached the senate for an increase in its budget to buy electronic equipment and hire an additional coach but the senate turned down the full request.

Instead, the senate granted the club $450 for equipment and $1,450 for one instructor.

Electronic equipment reflects the standard of the sport, Wright said, who is also a student senator. He added that beyond learning the basics, regular equipment falls short of meeting this standard.

"Most of the sport is about timing, you need electronic equipment to get timing," Wright said.

Wright said the club would continue to approach the senate for more funding until it meets the club's full request.

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Local woman works with U.S. fencing team
By Tarah Holland
Staff Writer
Greensboro News Record
Greensboro, NC, USA
November 8, 2005

www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051108/NEWSREC0105/511080321/1021/NEWSREC0205

Fencing first sparked the interest of Kathy Walters during her undergraduate years at UNCG.

When she returned to the college for graduate school in 1997, she signed up for a fencing class.

Eight years later, Walters has expanded her knowledge of the sport and has become a nationally certified armorer.

Locally, Walters is in charge of equipment for Greensboro's Downtown Fencing Club, which means she makes sure it performs correctly. Nationally, she often travels with the U.S. fencing team.

Walters returned Oct. 16 from a two-week trip to Leipzig, Germany, where she worked as the assistant armorer for the U.S. team at the Fencing World Championships.

Q. Have you always had a fascination with weapons?

A. I've always liked swords. I grew up in an extremely rural area, and I remember being out in the tobacco fields and grabbing the sticks after they've pulled off all of the tobacco and using that to pretend to sword fight.

Q. What's your weapon of choice?

A. Epee.

Q. Do the blades ever slip?

A. There have been some freak accidents. People get injured if they're doing something that they shouldn't be doing or if they're bypassing safety.

Q. Why did you want to become an armorer?

A. I wanted to be able to trust that my equipment was going to work. I started learning how to take care of my own equipment. I volunteered to work in the armory at a competition because I was interested in it. I loved every minute of it. In 2002, I had an opportunity to go to the armorer's college in Colorado Springs, Colo. I was one of the first graduates of the armorer's college.

Q. You recently returned from a trip to Germany with the U.S. fencing team. What did you do there?

A. I was the assistant armorer for the U.S. team. My basic job was to keep the athletes ready to go so that they didn't have to worry about their equipment. The head armorer and I collected the athletes' weapons. We went through every piece of the equipment, checked it, cleaned and tested it. While they were competing, we sat with the athletes so that if any equipment problem happened, we could fix it.

Q. Is fencing popular there?

A. Here, it doesn't have the endorsements or million-dollar salaries coming in that other athletes have. In Leipzig, people paid to see fencing. In the hotel there were people staked out trying to grab people for autographs.

Q. Did you have fun outside of working?

A. We averaged only a few hours of sleep each night. We got a break one day in the middle of the second week. Being armorers in a foreign country, we went to a hardware store.

Q. What tools do you use?

A. I've probably spent about $2,000 or more on a variety of tools since '97. Some of them are what you have at your house -- a variety of screwdrivers, pliers. I've got a lot of electrical tools designed for the electrical equipment that we use and some that are fencing-specific.

Q. Are you a better fencer or armorer?

A. I'm a national armorer and not a national fencer. I make a good pin cushion. I'm a low-level recreational fencer.

Q. Is there a common trait among fencers?

A. At UNCG we weren't the NCAA teams that you have at Carolina and at Duke. We were the geeks that played with weapons. It's a team sport, but it's an individual sport. It reaches out to a lot of people that aren't interested in the "big three" in the state -- baseball, basketball and football.

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Thai team have a point to make
By Preechachan Wiriyanupappong
The Nation
Bangkok,Thailand
November 09, 2005

nationmultimedia.com/2005/11/09/sport/index.php?news=sport_19102144.html

[SEA GAMES] Local hopes are high in the fencing competition at this month’s SEA Games, but first the Thai squad will have to put their experienced Filipino rivals to the sword if they are to finish on top and win the bulk of the 12 gold medals up for grabs. After winning three gold medals, including the men’s and women’s individual epee events, through Siriroj Ratthaprasert and Sirithida Choochokekul at the last SEA Games in Vietnam two years ago, the Amateur Fencing Association of Thailand (Afat) has quietly set their sights on winning more than the four gold medals many expect the squad to return home with.

In a recent interview with The Nation, Afat deputy secretary-general and national team manager Col Worawoot Wootisiri said he is confident his fencers will do well in the Philippines and added there is a strong possibility they will make it to at least eight finals.

“After our evaluation of how the Thai team will perform at the SEA Games, we [the Afat] are expecting to win four gold medals. However, I don’t want to focus solely on how many gold medals we will win this time despite the fact that my fencers are well-trained and very well prepared for the tough competition ahead,” he said. “Judging from their training and preparation, I’m sure they can qualify for about seven or eight finals,” said Worawoot.

“I think targeting any amount of gold medals in the Games will unintentionally put too much pressure on our fencers. While competing competitively in the Games, they tend to be under increasing pressure, which can also result in over-confidence.

“Targeting gold medals is too risky, I think. They stand an equal chance of either winning or losing. Therefore, going for the best performance is the right target for my fencers,” he added.

A total of 24 Thai fencers, including 12 men, started intensive training last May at the Hua Mark Sports Training Centre for Competition. The training has mostly focussed on how to improve their strength and stamina and how to score in the competition.

Last June a team of 30 fencers and officials left for a one-month training stint in Beijing. Many, including sabre ace and Sydney Olympic bronze medallist Wiradech Kothny, better known as Willi, and Nonthapat Panchan pitted their skills against much stronger rivals in three major competitions – the Asian Championships in Malaysia, the World University Games in Turkey and the World Championships in Germany. “Their performances in the Asian meet did not live to my expectations. This might be due to a switch in the staff coaches. At the World University Games, my fencers lost to powerhouse rivals which included Germany, Italy and Hungary, while in the World meet, Willy and Nonthapat qualified to the last 64. Only Siriroj did not make the round.

“As for the SEA Games in the Philippines, I think we will do well in all events. I just hope that my fencers will be in the pink physically and mentally on the competition day and fight all-out with focussed minds. “Siriroj gained valuable experience in France, while Nonthapat also had a good chance to train with the New York Fencing Club. Willi still has an injury problem from weight training.

“As far as I’m concerned, if Willi can overcome his anxiety and pressure, he can beat every rival. However, Filipino Walbert Mendoza remains Willi’s strongest rival this time. The southpaw swordsman already beat Willi twice.

“Former national team fencer Sares Limkangwanmongkol also joined the team this time to help the Kingdom chase their dream of winning one more gold in the men’s sabre team. “Anything can happen in the Philippines. We might either meet the set target of four gold medals there or even perform better. One thing for sure is that they will all try their best.”

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LOCAL EVENTS:
Mail Tribune
Medford, OR, USA
November 8, 2005

www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/1108/sport/stories/02sport.htm

Fencing:
SOUTHERN OREGON FENCING TOURNAMENT — Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., at Southern Oregon Fencing Center, 1090 Benson Way, Ashland. For info, call John McDougall at 535-3969.

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Women's Fencing Competes at Temple Open
CollegeSportsTV.com
November 8, 2005

www.cstv.com/sports/c-fenc/stories/110805aaa.html

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Fairleigh Dickinson University women's fencing team had strong individual performances at the Temple Open in Philadelphia, PA over the weekend, led by an epee squad that placed all five competitors in the quarterfinals.

All five epeeists finished in the top 25 out of 75 competitors. The squad was led by junior Zena Coulombe, who went 6-2 in the preliminary rounds and won two more in direct elmination. She placed in the top 16 with a 15th place finish.

Right behind her in 17th place was freshman Alison Luckhardt, who went 7-1 in the preliminaries and won two of her three direct elimination bouts. Freshman Jasmine Cooper went 6-2 in the preliminaries and won two of three in direct elimination to place 18th. Sophomore Eric Kuehn placed 24th after going 5-3 and winning two of her three direct eliminations.

Sophomore Erica Galarza rounded out the top epee performers, going 5-3 and then winning two of her next three for 25th place.

In foil, freshman Rebecca Kellogg placed 20th out of 73, going 7-1 in the preliminary rounds and advancing to win her first direct elimination round, 15-8.

Freshman Amanda Hauck led the sabre squad, going 6-2 in the preliminary rounds with a strong showing in the direct elimination rounds, winning two of three. She finished in 18th place out of 70. Junior Jen Cheng went 0-8 in the preliminaries, but bounced back to win her first direct elimination round.

The Knights are back in action on Thursday, November 10 when they compete at NYU.

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TN fencing teams
News Today Bureau
Chennai, India
Nov 10, 2005

newstodaynet.com/10nov/cs1.htm

The boys and girls teams to represent Tamilnadu in the 13th National Junior Fencing Championship to be held at Jammu from 14 to 17 November has been announced. A total of 11 boys and seven girls have been picked in the teams, a press release from the Tamilnadu Fencing Association here said.

The teams ? Boys: D Dinesh Devaraj, K P Gijo Nidhi (Kanyakumari), Sundaramurthy, P Muthusamy, C Elamparithi (Tiruchi), G Karthick, K Munianathan (Chennai), V Santha Kumar (Salem), Abdul Kani (Tiruvallur), S Raman (Madurai) and Y Isek (Namakkal).

Girls: I Anitha, V Thilagavathi, K Sasireka, K Nithya (Namakkal), R Karthiga, C A Bhavani Devi (Chennai) and J Packiyalakshmi (Tiruchi).

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W. Fencing looks to be a D-III force
By Alena Gefner-Mihlsten
Johns Hopkins News-Letter
November 11, 2005

www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/11/11/4373d41112f14

Hidden among the many sports at Johns Hopkins University exists a sport that seems to conjure up simultaneous images of chivalry and danger: fencing. Although unknown to most students at Hopkins, the Blue Jays' women's fencing team is one of the top Division III teams. Last year, the season ended strongly with Hopkins coming in fifth place at the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association Championship.

As for this year, the season started off strong for the Blue Jays with two individual competitions. At the recent Temple Open on Nov. 5, Hopkins placed highly, with freshman Erica Hartman placing 13th and sophomore Michelle Gutierrez placing 22nd out of 70 sabre fencers. In epee, out of 75 players, sophomore Cindy Liu placed 22nd, and in foil, freshman Grace Fried placed 25th.

At the Penn State Open on Oct. 22, Gutierrez finished 15th, the highest for Johns Hopkins in the sabre. For foil, Fried finished the highest for the Blue Jays in 20th place, and in epee, senior Katherine Dunne placed 32nd.

Those finishes might have been fine in previous years, but the 2005-06 Jays are gearing up for something bigger.

"The team has gotten a lot more serious over the past four years," said team captain Catherine Gallagher. "Our coach does more recruiting for the team and the team as a whole has gotten a lot more focused." For the Blue Jays, this amounts to a lot of work. Over the season, the fencers have 30 meets against Division I schools such as Notre Dame, Duke, Ohio State, Northwestern and University of North Carolina, among others.

In order to prepare for upcoming tournaments, the team rotates through a training cycle while working on footwork movements.

"We emphasize error correction on our workouts," said head coach Jim Murray. "Although most of the skills are universal, each person has their own strengths and weaknesses that we need to address. However, we feel that we will have an excellent team this year."

The team has a surprisingly good record for such a small Division III team. Last year was the first time in three years when the Jays didn't win the Army Trophy, which is awarded to the team that takes second place out of all the Division III schools.

"We lost the trophy last year, but our objective for this year is to win back the Army Trophy," said Murray.

Although most people know what fencing looks like in the most basic sense, few know how tournaments are organized. First, the fencers specialize in one of three categories: epee, sabre or foil. The three categories describe the type of weapon used in the fencing match. To the untrained eye, the weapons look very similar, but each has unique characteristics that promote different fighting styles. The epee has a thin tip that is connected to a wire in the weapon, which is then connected to another wire that runs under the fencer's suit and to a scoring machine. The foil is smaller than the epee, and the grip is molded to fit the player's hand better. Also, the tip of a foil weapon is covered in foil to prevent accidental injuries. The sabre, a lighter, edged weapon, completes a circuit when it touches the other player's vest, which is also connected to a scoring machine.

The tournament is scored by wins and losses of individual matches. A team consists of nine fencers: three epee, three sabres, and three foils. Each individual player competes in matches until they are eliminated. A match is won when one fencer gets five hits against the other fencer. The team's score is tabulated from where each fencer placed. If a team wins 14 matches, then that team wins the meet.

As for the misconceptions about fencing, Murray said, "People tend to be misinformed about fencing most of the time. They think that fencing involves swinging around on ropes and flaming arrows. In actuality, fencing is very different than that."

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FIE Congress holds meeting in Doha
The Gulf Times
Doha, Qatar
Published: Sunday, 13 November, 2005, 09:35 AM Doha Time

www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=60354&version=1&template_id=49&parent_id=29

THE International Fencing Federation’s (FIE) 2005 Congress was held at the Inter-Continental Hotel on Friday.

FIE President Rene Roch presided over the meeting in which delegates from about 170 countries participated.
Besides the FIE president, other prominent members who attended the Congress include Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, first vice-president of FIE and president of Qatar Fencing Federation, Romanian Ana Pascu second vice-president and representative of the Executive Committee in the Medical Commission, Emmanuel Katsiadakis, secretary general FIE, Peter Jacobs, treasurer, Ms Nathalie Rodriguez, FIE Director of Administration.

Roch said the meeting discussed several recommendations from the member nations and added that while some of them were accepted some others were rejected.

He hinted that there could be some changes in the foil competition rules.

Sheikh Saoud presented the views of the Qatar federation on various issues and his views were well received by the delegates.

Some of the topics on the agenda included rules and regulations for the next Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, China 2008, upgrading for foil weapon rules and to decide in between Bulgaria and Russia as to which country will host the 2007 Fencing World Championship.

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Madan declares open 13th Junior Fencing championship
Jammu and Kashmir Newsline, India
November 14, 2005

webjk.nic.in/newsline/news_item.asp?NewsID=12223

JAMMU, NOVEMBER 14 (INFO)- Member Parliament Mr. Madan Lal Sharma this morning declared open 13th Junior Fencing championship-2005 in the Indoor Sports Stadium Complex. The 4-day long championship has been organized by the J&K Amatuer Fencing Association in which 500 fencers in the age group of 14-15 of 22 states of the country are taking part.

The function started with the lighting of traditional lamp.

While declaring open the championship, Mr. Sharma said that fencing was introduced in the state about 12 years ago with a view to produce good fencers so that they participate in national and international events to be organized. He said that fencers from other parts of the country would also monitor about the improvement of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He averred that youth especially of backward and hilly areas can project their talent in a best way and as a result of it, they will bring name and fame to the state.

Former Minister and MLA Mr. Yogesh Sawhney said that the youth of the state will bring laurel by showing excellence in the national and international events. He announced Rs. 10 lakh out of his Constituency Development Fund for promotion of Fencing in the state.

The Vice Chancellor Jammu University, Prof. Amitabh Mattoo in his address said that winning and losing is a part of the game adding that various games are being organized in the city of temples besides the people are also taking keen interest in the field of education and as a result of it, many people of the state have got highest ranks in the Central as well as in the private sector in various parts of the country.

Earlier, the fencers took pledge that they will follow the rules and regulations of the game in letter and spirit.

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NOTEBOOK: Triad group lobbies for high school fencing teams
By Tarah Holland
Staff Writer
News-Record
Geensboro, NC, USA
November 15, 2005

www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051115/NEWSREC0105/511150305/1021/NEWSREC0205

As fencing grows more popular, one local organization is hoping to establish the sport in high schools across the state.

The N.C. Fencing League began its fourth season in the Triad this year with four participating schools and more than 80 teen fencers.

League board member Linda Marsh, who also founded Greensboro fencing club Delta H, is one of several adult fencers who wants to bring the sport to local high schools.

"Fencers come from all backgrounds, and that's what makes it interesting," Marsh said. "It's a game of tactics and strategies."

So far, four N.C. high schools -- Bishop McGuinness, Elkin, Westchester and Morehead -- have established varsity fencing programs. Each team is co-ed, and foil is currently the league's only event. All of the leagues coaches volunteer their time. The sport is not sanctioned by the N.C. High School Athletic Association.

On Saturday, more than 50 teens competed in the league's first tournament of the season.

The Elkin team took top honors. Next in the team standings were Westchester, Delta H, Morehead and Bishop McGuinness.

Delta H and Greensboro's Parks and Recreation Department -- through the Glenwood Recreation Center -- sponsor the league.

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Fencing star takes the biscuit to win
Surry Online
Trinity Mirror Publishing
London, England, UK
Nov. 15, 2005

icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0700epsomandbanstead/tm_objectid=16372684&method=full&siteid=53340&headline=fencing-star-takes-the-biscuit-to-win-name_page.html

IF FENCER Aaron Gardner ever holds an Olympic medal aloft, a biscuit manufacturer may regret snubbing his request for sponsor-ship.

Aaron, 16, a rising star of the elite sport, rated third in the world for his age and tipped as a London Olympic 2012 prospect is fuelled by Jaffa Cakes.

Munching through two packets before and during tournaments he says the chocolate and orange cookie gives him just the right amount of sugar burst he needs to maintain energy and concentration..

And they were in his luggage when he travelled out to compete in Germany with the British under-17 squad last weekend.

He said: "I am a very good advertisement for Jaffa cakes and I am so anxious for sponsorship to help me progress I wrote to them and sent a cutting of a story the Post did last year mentioning their product.

"I got a very nice letter but a refusal - even though they did send me some vouchers for two packets of Jaffa cakes."

Aaron's coach Terry Kingston has told Alan and mum Gloria of Oakland Way, Ewell, that Aaron, a sixth former at Ewell Castle School, has Olympic potential.

And the couple are determined to support him financially although they are finding it a huge struggle.

Said Mr Gardner: "We are not well off and we wonder if there might be a business in the area who could help as Aaron regularly brings credit to Epsom and Ewell.

"Its costing us around £3,000 a year in hotel expenses and petrol to tournaments to maintain and improve his ranking, fifth in UK under 17s, 19th under 20s and third in the world for his age.

"Epees are £80, helmet £80 - and he has just needed a new one - jacket with the electric wiring required £120, breeches £80 to £90, shoes £60 to £70, bag £150.

"The British Fencing Association did not pay for his trip to Germany - it cost us £360."

Aaron works two nights a week at Pizza Hut in Cheam but he's also studying for his A levels and must have time to keep up with school work.

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SEA GAMES/Fencing: Just for the exposure
By S. SELVAM
New Straits Times
Wilayah Persekutuan, MALAYSIA
11/17/05

www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/Sport/NST40778809.txt/Article/indexb_html

IT has been 16 years since fencing achieved its best medal haul in the Sea Games. And when the Manila Games gets underway in a fortnight, that statistic is not going to change.

However, what the Malaysian Fencing Federation hopes the Manila outing will do is to help the national fencers to better the record in the 2007 Sea Games.

That, according to team manager Riduan Abdul, is MFF's goal.

"Manila is about exposing our fencers with the hope of doing well in the 2007 Games," said Riduan.

"We would like to send more but in the end, had to settle for only two athletes as they are the best prospects.

"I believe they are good enough for a place in the semi-finals."

Competing under Catgeory B, the two athletes are Mohd Amir Yunos (men's epee) and Maisarah Saedon (women's foil) and they will be accompanied by Korean coach Kim Dong Jin.

Fencing's best outing was in the 1989 Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur where they won one gold, two silver and five bronze medals.

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Fencing tournament planned at WWU
News Tribune
Jefferson City, Missouri, USA
November 15, 2005

newstribune.com/articles/2005/11/15/community/1115050024.txt

A William Woods University student and an alumnus will be among fencers from St. Louis, Kansas City and Lincoln, Neb., who will demonstrate their sport during a tournament at WWU next week.

The matches will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Helen Stevens Sports Complex on the Fulton campus, with an expo at 1 p.m.

The entire event is free and open to the public.

The idea for a fencing tournament originated with Sarah Bush, a sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., who has been fencing for six years. She will be the only William Woods student involved; however, Lorie Young, a WWU alumnus from Kansas City, will also show her skills.

Several coaches, including Cassidy Kovanda, Epee coach for the Lincoln Fencing Club in Lincoln, Neb., and Bruce Sikes of St. Louis will be on hand to help.

The main reason for the expo is to gain attention for the sport and determine interest in possibly creating a fencing club or class at the university.

There will be enough equipment for the public to participate, and everyone is encouraged to attend.

"This is a once in a lifetime chance to see this fencing talent," said Nathan Reid, a WWU student who works in the school's Weider Fitness Center.