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Post by LongBlade on Oct 20, 2007 22:02:50 GMT -5
My PointWhy is a 53-year-old out-of-shape sports junkie who lives baseball, breathes football, and eats basketball dressing up in fencing garb every week so he can wield a sword like a kid pirate on Halloween? Let me explain.By Charles P. Pierce The Boston Globe October 7, 2007 www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/10/07/my_point/?page=1With epee in hand, the writer can always leave daily distractions behind. (Globe Staff Photo / Essdras M Suarez)"The Capitan's blade is not so firm!" - Tyrone Power The Mark of Zorro (1940) There is no skeevy subtext as to why I still fence today, or why I was Zorro for seven consecutive Halloweens as a child. It wasn't the cape or the mask, or the cool black suit, either. It was the sword, damn it, and those movies. The Errol Flynn canon - The Adventures of Robin Hood, Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk - but, especially, the 1940 version of Johnston McCully's story of love and vengeance in old California. Fencing historian Nick Evangelista calls the climactic final duel between Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone, as the evil Captain Esteban Pasquale, the "finest example of movie swordplay" ever filmed. It is so brilliantly choreographed and exquisitely athletic that it's easy to lose the double-entendres among the redoublements; to the above gibe, Rathbone replies, "Still firm enough to run you through!" And, well, oh my - and to ignore the fact that, as Richard Cohen points out in his essential By the Sword: A History of Gladiators, Musketeers, Samurai, Swashbucklers, and Olympic Champions, Rathbone was the more accomplished fencer, but he loses here again anyway, just as he always lost to that hack Errol Flynn, this time to Tyrone's stunt double, on a brilliant disengagement that gets Basil perforated a few degrees starboard of his sternum. I would sell something substantial for that move. I really would. The line between athlete and spectator is thinner than it's generally acknowledged to be. All athletes are spectators, and all spectators, athletes. They are bound by a common desire to see things they cannot do, and to put themselves, if only vicariously, in a position to do them. At a PGA tournament, you can see NBA all-stars or NFL quarterbacks ringing the practice tee, watching Tiger Woods hit a 2-iron with the same avid longing that most fans bring to the arena or the stadium to watch the quarterbacks perform at their day jobs. Fans who compete believe that somewhere, out there, in that golden and hazy place where practice, luck, and desire come together, there is that one ephemeral moment that puts them on a level common with the people they watch on a weekend afternoon. It may be that knockdown 2-iron, hit perfectly down the left side of the fairway, or that turnaround jump shot that flows from the toes to the fingertips to the net in one graceful arc. For me, and it's happened maybe twice in my life, it's an eight-parry with a flick to the forearm. I probably should explain. My weapon of choice is the epee, 3 feet long and 27 ounces, with a huge bell-guard protecting the hand. This is because I am old and have grown cranky. The other two weapons - foil and, for the crazy people among us, saber - have limited target areas, and the scoring is determined by a variation of Mother, may I? called "right of way." In simplest terms, you have to stop the other person's attack before launching your own. The result of this rule is that foil and saber occasionally erupt into fullscale German opera over a referee's interpretation of the right-of-way rules. In epee, any time a hit is registered by the electronic scoring box, it counts. I find that to be a more peaceable business. I can lose on my own, thanks. I don't need to lose by explanation, especially in French. Anyway, because I'm right-handed, the eight parry is a downward sweep toward the outside of my body. What I'm trying to do is block the attack and then attack in return - what is called a riposte - by whipping the point of the epee over my opponent's wrist, above the bell-guard, and have the point land with at least 750 grams of pressure, which will depress the button on the tip of the weapon and register a hit on the electronic scoring box hanging on the wall. Do it wrong, and you're skewered coming back the other way. Do it sloppily, and you get hit on your own arm when you elevate your wrist to carry the blade over. This makes you feel remarkably stupid and, in my case, on occasion, gets your mask tossed across the floor. Ah, but do it right. Do it right, and you remember, now three years later, how the blade moved over the top, and how the motion seemed to flow from your wrists to your fingertips, just like that one great jumper does, and how you don't so much feel the actual contact as much as you sense the sheer unstoppability of it. You're cheering in your head before the buzzer sounds and the light on the box goes off. You're an aging epee hack in love with your dreams. I have never understood why fencing runs so earnestly away from the debt it owes to all of those movies. When I began, in college, for lack of anything to do on Wednesday nights in Milwaukee, I had a coach who actually told us not to watch them, because you would pick up terrible habits. Truth be told, a lot of the fencing in the movies was, at best, excessively theatrical and, at worst, ludicrously anachronistic. Author Cohen, a former British Olympic sabreur, points out that in The Adventures of Robin Hood, Errol Flynn uses techniques that weren't even developed until long after the fall of the last Plantagenet king. When I began, I confess that I was a bit disappointed by the fact that the fencing room in the basement of the old gymnasium lacked staircases to climb, chandeliers to swing on, and tall candles to cut in half. It is pointless to run away from the romance of it, and there is nothing about competing with a sword in one hand that is not romantic. Romance has been drained out of so many other sports in so many other ways. In the four majors - which still, for the moment, include ice hockey - romance got sold off wholesale to corporations. NASCAR has left behind the moonshine hills of North Carolina in favor of megatracks in New Hampshire and drivers who talk like professional golfers, which is a shame, because professional golfers now talk like directors of marketing. The romance of boxing, like everything else in that benighted universe, found itself corrupted from within by the very nature of the sport. The lack of romance has leached into the recreational manifestations of the sports as well. (Do I need three kinds of wedges to shoot 101 on my local muni track? Why am I worrying about the degree of loft on my club face when I should be watching that hawk over the 10th green?) On the strip, wired up like a robot from a 1950s sci-fi comic book, standing behind 3 feet of steel, I can find myself very distant from all of that. I think anyone who watches sports, or anyone who competes in them at whatever level, is looking for that place, far from the clutter and expensive distractions, a place that's not necessarily purer, but a bit more peaceful. Professional athletes often say that the playing field is their "refuge." This comes out in connection with a sudden and uncomfortable encounter with law enforcement. Nevertheless, I think it's at the heart of why everyone competes. I imagine Tom Brady is happiest in the middle of the pocket, surrounded by loud grunts and linebackers with their hair on fire. I know that, in the middle of a bout, winning or losing, at the best moments, an awful lot of the noise of daily life falls away. Those moments are what get me through the grind of footwork practice, the crabwise 90-degree-angled basics of the sport of which I don't do half enough. I should be doing 100 lunges a day. I do that probably once a month. But along about the 50th one, the mechanics of it - arm first, always arm first - is all there seems to be in the world. At those moments, I can see in my mind's eye a bout somewhere in the future. My opponent is dancing, up on his toes, the way the epeeists have come to dance. He's popping his point at my arm. Once, twice. Inside my mask, there's no sound except my own breathing, which is louder than it ought to be for a man my age. I fight down a dozen guesses as to where the attack will finally arrive. I fight down all the thinking that all those guesses require. My head feels like one of those old country switchboards, with old ladies in gingham plugging wires into a hundred slots carrying a hundred different voices, and it's probably not smart to be thinking this way, either. I don't think Tom Brady thinks of his mind that way when it's third-and-nine against Indianapolis. At least I hope he doesn't. Finally, the attack comes, low and to the outside. My hand moves on its own, a tight sweeping half circle. There's a low clang that I only half hear because my hand already has swung back up, and I can see the point pass over my opponent's wrist as my arm moves forward. I feel the touch before the machine registers it. I'm celebrating before the light goes off, and, as it does, somewhere in a place close to my heart, Linda Darnell flutters a bit behind her mantilla, and Spanish guitars begin to play.
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Post by LongBlade on Oct 20, 2007 22:09:22 GMT -5
Oh, My Gosh!!!!! That last one was Soooooooo true!!!!!
Oh, My ribs hurt...
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 4, 2007 23:24:05 GMT -5
France wins fencing titlePittsburgh Tribune-Review Pittsburgh, PA, USA By wire reports October 8, 2007 www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_531520.htmlIn St. Petersburg, Russia, France won its third straight men's team epee title, and Poland took gold in the women's team foil at the World Fencing Championships
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 4, 2007 23:51:54 GMT -5
Q & A: Jose GuerraBy MATTHEW PETERS Sports Editor Desert Dispatch Barstow, CA, USA www.desertdispatch.com/sports/_1650___article.html/_.htmlJose Guerra has taught fencing throughout Southern California for the last three and is bringing his classes to Barstow through the Parks and Recreation Department. “Fencing is my passion,” Guerra said. “I would like everyone to know about it.” The classes at Dana Park are schedule for Saturdays from 3 to 4 p.m. for fencers ages 6 to 13 and 4 to 5 p.m. for fencers ages 13 and up. Sign ups are currently being taken at the Cora Harper Fitness Center, and classes are scheduled to begin soon. Q: Why do you want to bring fencing to Barstow? A: Because I am a promoter of fencing. I look for talent everywhere, and I believe in talented people. My goal is to promote the talented people in remote areas. My goal is to discover talent. Victorville, Quartz Hill, Apple Valley — Those cities are not big cities. Barstow is far away from L.A. I just go to remote areas. There are talented fencers everywhere. The reason I picked Barstow is I’m (teaching a class) in Victorville on Saturday’s. Barstow is only 25 minutes from Victorville. Since I do that in the morning, I have the afternoon off. Why not go to Barstow? I picked Barstow because Barstow it is next door. Barstow is growing and is becoming a big city. It will be good for the city. It’s a chance that not everyone has. When I approached Parks and Recreation about the class, they said, ‘Yes. We would like to have the sport fencing.’ Fencing is not something you find around the corner. It’s only the big cities and in a few clubs. Q: How did you get involved in fencing? A: I’m originally from Guatemala and was recruited by the National Federation, the highest entity of the sport in my country. I was originally a junior and in high school, and they found me. I didn’t know much about fencing, and they found me and worked with me. I was on the national team for five years. My country paid for everything until they made me a coach. That was my life until I came to the U.S.A. I’ve been involved in fencing for 28 years now. Q: Did you feel like you got a late start to the sport? A: According to my masters, I was talented. When you are talented, it is not hard to pick up fencing. It was easy for me to pick up fencing. My body picked it up immediately. We practiced a lot — five to eight hours a day. Q: What do you provide for the lessons? A: Fencing is hard to reach people because it is expensive. Some people have natural bodies for the sport, but it’s expensive so they can't do it. That’s a waste. The U.S. has a lot of good fencers. They are going to be great. But there’s a lot of people that could be great but don’t do it. They don’t have the money. They don’t do it. I see that in my class. I help them in my class. When I find someone with talent, I spend my time to help them a lot. The beginning is hard. The lessons and equipment are expensive. I provide the equipment to everyone. I’m just giving back whatever I got in life. That’s my philosophy — we should give something we got in life. Giving something we got in life makes a better world, makes better people. Q: How expensive is it? A: We use weapons. So let’s say someone is going to buy all the equipment, they are going to have to spend $500 just for equipment. Then from there they start competing and then traveling. It adds up. It’s a lot. Just for an apa (one of three fencing weapons) it’s $130 to $200. We also have to have a mask, a jacket, a chest protector, gloves, a body cord and more. It’s a lot of equipment to do fencing. Q: When did you start giving lessons? A: I started my club three years ago. It takes a lot of money so I saved up some money to open my club and buy all the equipment. I bought all the equipment for the students. I opened in Lancaster first and then I spread out to Palmdale, Bakersfield, Apple Valley and Victorville. I go to five cities so far. Barstow is the sixth city. Q: What has the response been like in Southern California? A: It’s been good. The kids are happy, and they are working hard. There have been a lot kids interested. Some have been doing it for recreation. They come for a few months, and then they go to another sport. I have been teaching 350 to 400 people. We have two different kinds of people. Some do it for recreation while others want to compete. Q: Do you train mostly children or adults? A: Most of them are teenagers or young kids. I might have maybe 10 to 15 adults. Q: How do you set up the class differently for those who do it for recreation and those who want to compete? A: Barstow will have the class for recreation, but if we find talent, we will work with them differently. The (competing) team comes together in Palmdale on Wednesdays. The practice in Palmdale is for intermediate and advance. Whenever I find the ones with talent I work with those. Not everyone can work as a competitor. With fencing you have to work hard. Whenever you are competing you have to be in good shape. It’s a lot of money, and it’s a lot of exercise.
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 5, 2007 0:10:20 GMT -5
Fencing club looks to continue tradition of excellenceBy Lora Collins The University Star, Texas State University San Marcos, Texas CSTV.com New York,NY,USA October 16, 2007 www.cstv.com/sports/c-fenc/uwire/101007aaa.htmlThe fencing club was founded in 1974, making it one of the oldest sports club at Texas State University. The club offers its sport to competitive and noncompetitive participants alike, often sending members to the U.S. Fencing Association Summer Nationals. Kevin Beahan, mathematics senior and president of the fencing club, leads the squad through practices four days a week and prepares the teams for tournaments. Beahan participates in the epee section and believes the team has done well this year. "As far as the epee club goes we are doing pretty good," Beahan said. "Our foil team is kind of new; they need a little work." After tying Texas A&M 5-5 in the first Southwest Intercollegiate Fencing Association (SWIFA) tournament this year, the team stands with a score of five points. Having participated in one of four of the association's tournaments, the team now looks to bring up its point average and come out on top again. Last season, the team earned a standing of 27 points out of a possible 36. "Right now we need to get ahead in SWIFA. We are tied 5-5 with A&M, so we definitely want to pass them up," Beahan said. The team participates in four SWIFA tournaments each year. Each tournament is hosted by a different college and brings in players from all over the state. A team's standing point average for a tournament is composed of the total points from each section. "There are three weapons that you fence with: foil, epee and sabre," Beahan said. "We have a team competition for each one of those and according to where each team places and how well they did there are points given to each team." The fencing team will host the 32nd annual Bobcat tournament Oct. 13 and 14. Excited to continue the tradition, Beahan said it will serve as a great fundraising opportunity for the team and will bring in about 200 fencers. "We are hosting the Bobcat (tournament) and we want to make a decent amount of money for the club from that," Beahan said. "The significance is some of the older generation has been coming every year, for years, so it's a lot of pressure to make sure it runs right and goes well. That's the cool thing, when we host these tournaments we are not only hosting it for us, or hosting it for the older people, but for the younger people that want to be a part of it." Even though the club has big plans for the future, Beahan pointed out the difficulties in gaining new members each year to fill the team. "Our biggest goal as officers right now is to get membership up," Beahan said. "It's hard because most kids don't have the determination to stick with it. We need to start filling the ranks because over the next two years I will be gone and many of our officers will be gone." Dean Lantrip, electronic media senior and the club's safety officer, is looking forward to the second tournament, hosted by Rice University. He hopes to finish the season with flying colors. "Right now, it doesn't worry me that we are tied, and as far as the epee team getting second place, I am just hoping we can make that less seconds and thirds and more firsts," Lantrip said. Lantrip believes fencing requires a better understanding of the skills and less emphasis on athletic ability. "It's like playing chess," Lantrip said. "It's an extremely strategic sport; you can't just brute force your way through it just because you are stronger or faster than someone else. There is a lot of technicality involved. It's one of the few sports where you can see where it doesn't really matter your age or your immediate athleticism. Sure, athleticism goes a long way, just like in any sport, but it really comes down to raw skill for the most part. It's incredible and I don't think you see that in a lot of sports, nowadays."
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:24:59 GMT -5
Island swordsmen: Don't fence us inDan O'Leary, HS Sports Staten Island Advance October 11, 2007 blog.silive.com/sportsspotlight/2007/10/island_swordsmen_dont_fence_us.htmlEven at the high school level, when you have two guys with swords going at each other, it is pretty cool to watch. That's what I learned while covering the McKee/Staten Island Tech-Tottenville fencing match Thursday afternoon, which MSIT won by the narrowest of margins, 4.75-4.25. Going in, I wasn't exactly sure. I half expected each of the competitors to have to slap the other one across the face with a single glove before the bout got underway. It just seemed to me like a sport that high school kids wouldn't want to play. The lesson, of course, is I don't know as much as I think I know. MSIT's Patrick Im, who sealed the match with a final bout win yesterday, helped start the Sea Gulls program three years ago. "I fenced privately at Cambridge Fencing Academy on Richmond Road," said Im, afterward. "I wanted to fence in high school, but Staten Island Tech didn't have a team. As a freshman, I proposed that we have one. It takes a year to get started." Petrides followed suit. And, now, if you ask the coaches, the sport has taken off locally. "I just have to say, the level of fencing is much higher than it was years ago," said MSIT coach Steve Khinoy. "You saw good fencing at all three positions on both sides, which isn't always the case... The sport has really taken off." Tottenville coach John Cucuzza competed for the Pirates back when they were the only game in town. Now? "We were the only Staten Island school for 23 years or so," said Cucuzza, who graduated Tottenville in 1994. "Three years ago Tech came in. Two years ago Petrides came in. We're planning a big showcase for the end of the year for the individual borough championship. Just to showcase (the sport), maybe try to get athletic directors for other schools. "Maybe we can get a true Staten Island division," Cucuzza said. "Maybe we can make Staten Island the center of fencing for the city." But what's the appeal for kids? "You don't have to have experience," he said. "We can teach them. That's why it's growing by leaps and bounds." "It's a great sport for a smart kid who isn't necessarily an early natural athlete," said Khinoy. "A good point guard could be a good fencer. You don't have to be a center."
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:26:18 GMT -5
"Good News"By Aaron Trujillo Boulder County Daily Camera Boulder, CO, USA October 14, 2007 dailycamera.com/news/2007/oct/14/honors-a-look-at-the-accomplishments-of-boulder/Alex Johnson , a junior at Broomfield High School, competed in his first World Cup Fencing event in Poland in September. He placed 14th in his cadet, 16 and under, in a field of 146 competitors.The U.S. Fencing Association has ranked him fourth in the country. Alex began sabre fencing at age 9 and has progressed to the top tier of U.S. men's fencing. He plans to compete in the World Cup event in Hungary in October. Alex has spent the last three years training with Nickolay Logatchov at the Colorado Fencing Academy. Fairview High School's sophomore volleyball team took second place at the Sophomore Volleyball Tournament at Eaglecrest High School on Saturday, Sept. 29. The sophomore team: Coach Brooke Lawson, Megan Moore, Ellie Moeller, Jenna Beyer, Cassie Corrigan, Kirbi Olson, Emily Schneider, Coach Melanie Connell, Mary Catherine Ingham, Candice Miller, Cara Wigotow, Kami Kugler, Hannah Beck, Allison Teague and Monika Lutz. Justin Briggs, a 2006 Fairview High School graduate, placed seventh in the XTERRA Nevada Triathlon. The event — on Sept. 29 on the shores of Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Nev. — included a ½-mile swim in Lake Tahoe, a 21-mile mountain bike ride and a 5K trail run. Justin placed first in his age group of 20-24. He is a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in physics.
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:27:36 GMT -5
Fencing career keeps Pennsylvania teen on the moveBy ELIZABETH GIORGI The Associated Press The Philadelphia Intelligencer October 13, 2007 www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/157-10132007-1423093.htmlREADING, Pa. - It's a good thing Casey Dietrich likes to travel. Lately, the Oley Valley High School junior has been calling Pikeville home. She is a Reading native, but with her father, Mike, in the Army, the 16-year-old has lived almost as many places as she is years old Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, Louisiana the list goes on, including three years in Germany. Dietrich's mother, Barb, said the family's wandering days are over they're settling in Pikeville until Dietrich and her brothers are done with school. But Dietrich is still traveling this time, on her own initiative, and thanks to what many Americans might consider a somewhat obscure pastime. Flashy sword fights in Hollywood movies may be pure fiction, but the sport of fencing which is descended from sword fighting, but these days is played for points, not blood is real, and Dietrich hopes to be among its top student competitors. For three years she's been participating in national competitions that have taken her around the country. And she's already among the best in the state, having won the gold in junior women's foil at the Keystone State Games this past summer. But her route to competing involved a lot of luck, along with her determination. Dietrich began studying fencing about four years ago in Germany, at the urging of her parents. The family lived in a town about a half-hour south of the city of Stuttgart, where Dietrich attended German schools and filled her after-school hours reading. Worried their daughter was neglecting her athletic abilities and about the potential for isolation in the foreign community, her parents encouraged her, as she put it, "to stop reading and take up a sport," making her one of the few American students whose parents wanted her to read less, she joked. Her mother, Barb, clarified, "She was already a good reader, and we wanted her to expand her horizons a little bit." Dietrich saw a fencing club advertised in the local paper. With images of fencing duels from the movie "The Princess Bride" in her head, she joined. "It was extremely hard at first," she said. The German tradition she was learning drilled her in proper technique and form , with an emphasis on drilling. But Dietrich said she stayed with the sport because of the friends she made in the club and with the hope of finding an American instructor when she returned to the U.S. who, she hoped, would be more laid-back in his or her teaching approach. As it turned out, that didn't happen. When they returned to the states about three years ago, the family moved to Fort Polk, La., which Barb described as "literally in the middle of nowhere." "I didn't think we were going to find any fencing teachers," Dietrich said. Eventually they did find one an 84-year-old woman, a former German-Austrian champion in the sport who fled Russian-occupied East Germany after World War II, married a U.S. soldier and ended up in the same military community as the Dietrichs. And who came from the same strict training background as Dietrich's German instructors. But under her direction, Dietrich began competing in 2004, eventually earning places at national competitions. She has competed in the National Junior Olympics the last three years, placing 108th this past year in games held in Denver. Going into her fifth season, she hopes to place in the top 50 at the 2008 Junior Olympics ideally, in the top 30, which she said would up her odds of qualifying for athletic scholarships at schools with strong fencing programs, such as Penn State, her top choice. Dietrich also plays volleyball and soccer at Oley, but says she values fencing for its mental aspect and the self-reliance of an individual sport. Since moving to Berks, Dietrich doesn't have a coach, but she is looking for one. She is a member of the Berks Fencing Club. "I like fencing because it's a unique sport," Dietrich said. "Fencing (has) a big mental aspect as well. It's not just physical." Fencers try not just to be faster than their opponents, but also to measure their opponent's style, looking for weaknesses. "Anything you do, the opponent picks up, like any hesitation and they'll exploit that," Dietrich said. According to Dietrich, ideally fencers should be light on their feet, physically strong in their hands, forearms, wrists and legs and have precise and controlled movements. "You have to be physically fit," she said. And other than a couple of bruises, Dietrich said anyone interested in fencing shouldn't worry about its safety. Despite evolving from dueling and using swords, fencing "is actually extremely safe," when wearing proper equipment, Dietrich said.
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:28:18 GMT -5
Comerford a high achieverBy Scott Larson The Star Phoenix Saskatoon,Saskatchewan,Canada October 15, 2007 www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=ca0725e2-22a4-462f-90c1-48dff719fb90Shannon Comerford is still a small-town girl from Asquith. Yet the 19-year-old fencer has acquired a worldly experience and wisdom beyond her age. "She has the world at her doorstep," says Lynn Seguin, one of her coaches. "She's a kind, determined, thoughtful individual. She remembers her roots and is always proud to be from Saskatchewan." The second-year University of Saskatchewan kinesiology major is coming off one of her most important victories. Comerford won the junior and senior foil events at a national competition in September in Saskatoon. It was the first time she had won a senior event at the national level. "It was great to win at home because my parents got to see me compete," says Comerford. The victory means she is eligible to compete at senior tournaments and Olympic qualifiers. Comerford followed her older brother, Aaron, into the sport after he joined the Asquith Fencing Club. "I was a little kid watching and I couldn't wait to be old enough to do it myself," she says. "I loved it right away." Soon Comerford was winning local matches, then provincial and national competitions. In 2003, she hit the national stage, competing in the Canada Winter Games in Bathurst and Campbellton, N.B., where she won a silver in foil and a bronze in team competition. At nationals that year she won the under-15 and under-17 foil titles. "It was a breakout year for me," she says. For the next three years Comerford was part of the national team in the cadet or junior category. She just missed making the national team last season after the criteria was changed. It was a year of change for Comerford, who moved into the city to attend the U of S. "I came from Asquith with a class of 20 and the adjustment was big," she says. This year Comerford is more comfortable with all aspects of her life and is determined to reclaim her spot on the national team. "Everything is clicking and I'm feeling comfortable with where I'm at," she says. "My goal is to be No. 1 in Canada and win some medals at the world championships (in mid-April in Italy)." Comerford competes only in foil and has never really considered the other two disciplines, sabre and epee. "Sabre is faster and a lot of it is instinct and reaction," she says. "Epee is a lot slower and everything is planned. "Foil has the right combination of speed and planning." In preparation for this season Comerford spent a couple of weeks training in Poland. It proved to be an enlightening experience both mentally and physically. She says Canadians have a mental block when it comes to competing against Europeans. In training with the Polish fencers, she realized their methods were like hers and she could compete with them. "I was able to keep up with them and beat them," she says. Coach Seguin says Comerford has untapped potential. "If things go right she could see two or three Olympics," Seguin says. NEW DIGS FOR FENCERS: The Salle Seguin fencing centre has a new location, at 414 First Ave., N. The Salle is operated by Claude and Lynn Seguin. "It's nice to be on street level," says Lynn Seguin. The Salle is still being renovated, but when finished will consist of three pistes or fencing strips, change rooms, armory, weight room and office. Lynn says they had been at their previous location in the Rumely Building for 10 years. It is being converted into condos. A Salle Warming is scheduled for Nov. 1 and all current and former members are invited to attend. It will be a big week for the Seguins as Claude is being inducted into the Saskatoon Hall of Fame on Nov. 3.
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:29:05 GMT -5
Pittsford's Griepp wins fencing gold medalBy John Boccacino, Staff writer Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Rochester, NY, USA 10/16/07 www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071016/SPORTS/710160307/1007/SPORTS(October 16, 2007) — Slowing down wasn't a familiar concept for Anton Griepp. Everything Griepp did in fencing occurred at 100 mph, whether he was on the attack or eluding an opponent's blade on the defensive. But it's safe to say that Griepp has learned the value of slowing down, and he earned his first gold medal in the process. Griepp won gold at the North American Cup Division III men's foil competition Oct. 8 in Tucson, Ariz., by following his coach's advice and taking his time. "I used to fence really fast and wouldn't really think about what I was doing out there," said Griepp, 15, a Pittsford resident who trains at the Rochester Fencing Club. "Before, I would rush things, but my coach (Nat Goodhartz) taught me to slow down and look for openings in my opponent. When I slow down, it really makes a difference in how I compete." Griepp, a sophomore at Pittsford Sutherland High School, outlasted Joseph Soldate 15-14 for his first gold. He trailed 2-0 in the finals before rattling off five straight points to take control. "Everyone dreams of gold, but they usually never get it," said Griepp, who admitted that his goal had been to finish in the top 32 among the 75 athletes at the first of three national Division III competitions. "My strength is my mobility. There are lots of fencers that don't move a lot, and I get them to move and try to tire them out, then when they're least expecting it, I strike." Griepp won all seven of his matches to claim gold. With the win, he improved his national ranking from "E" to "C" and is now eligible to compete against Division I fencers (Olympic hopefuls and World Championship-level fencers) at future tournaments. "For him to jump levels like that is huge; it's a big jump and a hard jump to make in just two years," said Goodhartz, a Hilton resident who is head coach at the Rochester Fencing Club and co-coach of the national women's foil team. "He's a tenacious competitor who enjoys the thrill of competition. "He's extremely dedicated and is always trying to get better."
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:29:43 GMT -5
Feners battle for new homeIslington Gazette London, England, UK 24 October, 2007 www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED24%20Oct%202007%2014%3A03%3A19%3A167HOPES that the old Quasar premises in Archway may play host to a youth fencing club may have been dashed - because a pool hall with gambling machines seems likely to get the go ahead instead. Jed Beardmore, 40, has run a fencing club in Hargrave Park Junior School for several years but desperately needs more space. He hoped that moving into the premises in Junction Road, Archway, might help them find future Olympic fencing champions among Islington's youth. But the dream seems doomed - because he fears the owner would prefer a pool hall because of the guaranteed income from slot machines. Mr Beardmore said: "Archway has never been the most salubrious area - it needs something that isn't gambling to bring the area up. The sort of people that frequent snooker halls are not what we need to head in the right direction. "It will cost a lot of money in rent and business rates - and they will need a lot of people playing machines to get that back. But fencing would bring in something really positive for the youth. Nineteen out of 20 people in Archway would rather have a youth project to get kids off the streets than something to drag the area down." Local councillor Ursula Woolley said: "Gambling machines and pool tables are the last thing we want more of. You can play pool anywhere - but a fencing club would be absolutely fantastic. The work Mr Beardmore has already been doing with local children is amazing - they have one local girl who's got into the national squad. "I feel really strongly about this and I am absolutely behind the fencing club's bid. It is a choice between yet another pool club and helping local children." Estate agent Peter Orfeur, of Drivers and Norris, said: "They said the whole property is too large, but if someone else could share it with them they would be interested. We certainly didn't turn them down completely - and it is still a possibility. We would consider all options at the moment.
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:30:34 GMT -5
Sword fights aren't just for piratesRegion has several dozen athletes training at two fencing clubsBy ANDREW COPPOLINO The Waterloo Record Waterloo, Ontario, Canada October 24, 2007 news.therecord.com/Sports/article/260382There are about three dozen fencing clubs in Ontario -- and many have some pretty neat names: Excalibur, Sword Players Fencing, Niagara Swordsmen, Metro Blades, Cutting Edge Fencing and Bladeworks. It's clear that the draw for fencing, at least for kids, is swordplay -- and I mean, really, who hasn't wanted to be a pirate? As a sport, fencing nicely combines athletic skill, quick footwork, power, elegance, finesse and technique -- and a chance to imagine that you are Zorro or Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. Locally, the region has several dozen athletes training as fencers between the Excelsior Fencing Club and the Kitchener-Waterloo Fencing Club. Some of these young fencers have represented their local clubs and cities at the Ontario and Canada Games--fencers like Alec Tudor, Callum Butterworth, Alex Edmonds, Laura Edmonds and Dakota Wotton. The 2008 Ontario Winter Games in Collingwood in March will see some of the region's best fencers participating. According to Jonathon Holtz, Excelsior's president and head coach, the club had about 105 members last year. There is currently a "mini-fencing" program for kids as young as six years old, and five wheelchair-athlete fencers (10 to 14 years of age), all of whom train at the gym at Waterloo's St. Louis church. The club has been a part of the region's youth sports scene in one form or another for nearly 25 years. The newer and smaller Kitchener-Waterloo Fencing Club runs its program out of the St. Anne school gym on East Avenue in Kitchener. Speaking on behalf of the club, Kathie Cameron says in an e-mail that "the club has no formal program for beginners. It is intended primarily to provide workouts and competition for . . . especially sabre fencers." The coach is Brian Landry of Guelph. Fencing is only one of four sports that has appeared in every modern Olympic Games. There are three disciplines: foil, épée, sabre, each with different target areas on the opponent's body and different ways of scoring with the weapon. Competitors wear protective masks and body gear. The bouts take place on a "piste" (a mat two meters wide and 15 meters long) and are generally three minutes in length (or eight "touches" in sabre, for instance). The fencers are watched closely by a referee called a "director." Electronics in the weapons permit hits to be registered and recorded. But for all its speed and technology, fencing is a game of protocol. Each bout begins with the director's order "En garde" and must stop at "Halt," when the director awards points or doles out a penalty. The command "Fence" begins the match again. As Holtz explains it, much of fencing depends on being in the right place at the right time, and that means excellent footwork. "Right of way" in fencing refers to a method of assigning points: the fencer who initiates an attack or who is the last to take a successful parry is said to have "right of way." So, when both fencers attack and hit at the same time, the fencer who has established "right of way" is awarded the point. Footwork and technique aside, fencing is a challenging endeavour. Holtz refers to it as "a late-development sport. It's not ideal for really young kids because fencing is a very specific, precise game which most younger kids aren't ready for. But once you get into the 13- and 14-year-old ages, kids are able to concentrate enough that they can play the game. "You can then start focusing on the internal aspect and not just the physical aspect. As you learn the actual moves, you also grow as a person and develop your own style." Originally a European martial art, fencing has now spread out over the world, Holtz says, with even China becoming strong on the international front. Canada sits in the middle of the pack, he calculates. As for athletes from Waterloo Region on international podiums any time soon, Holtz has a positive outlook: "Fencing has been growing fairly steadily in popularity. I'm hoping to have more coaches to bring in so we can seriously grow the sport in general."
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:31:25 GMT -5
Fencing club faces premature departureby Joseph Karoukian, staff writer Xpress Online Journalism Department San Francisco State University October 25, 2007 xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/sports/009398.htmlThe Fencing Club, a program in its infancy, may not be congregating this semester. The deadline to register with the Office of Student Programs Leadership Development, OSPLD, was Oct. 19, and the Fencing Club president, Karin Skoog, has yet to contact the Club Sports department with any registration inquiries. “It’s disappointing,” said Club Sports Coordinator Adrian Wise. “People are interested in participating, but there’s no feedback from the president.” A group of about five people were part of the initial start of the club, which began last spring. The club was meant to cater to both beginners and advanced fencers, with different groups focusing on different techniques depending on skill level. Competition was another focus of the Fencing Club. “Some clubs want to be social, and some want to be competitive,” Wise said. “We’re here to facilitate.” The Club Sports department’s main purpose is to help mainly student run organizations. With recent budget issues hovering among all members of both the Recreational Sports Program (RSP) and Club Sports, it is getting harder to provide students with all the help and money they may need. “The budget cuts could indirectly affect everyone,” Wise said. “We can’t fund personnel.” Currently, fencing is one of eight Club Sports on campus, which also include men’s and women’s volleyball, swimming, jogging, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Ultimate Frisbee, and sailing. If President Robert Corrigan approves the $7 increase to student fees, the RSP is hoping to fully fund 20 Club Sports by the 2008-09 school year. If the fee is not approved, the program will not be able to fund any of the clubs. According to a proposed RSP budget revised in late August, the sports program wants to allocate $5,000 to Club Sports for tourney fees, referees, conference dues and guest speakers by next year, which RSP has not been able to do. By year five in 2011, RSP is projecting $20,000 a year in the Club Sports budget, according to the proposal. With the Fencing Club, the budget is not the main issue when it comes to continuation. “We're looking for longevity,” said Ajani Byrd, Director of RSP. “It’s not for everyone. Volleyball, swimming, and Tae Kwon Do are more dedicated.” Because of the lack of communication from the Fencing Club president, there may be allowance for other programs to be established. “Some don’t fall under our umbrella, but we’ve been contacted about surfing, flag football, tennis, golf, rugby, and badminton,” Byrd said. As of now, even if clubs register later than the deadline, they have the same benefits as if they registered on time, but in the future that could change because of the budget issues. “They lose on supplemental funding,” Byrd said. “If they don’t register, they wont get funding.”
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:32:26 GMT -5
Fencing team competes in North American Cup TournamentBy Leonard Cantly The Ranger Amarillo College Amarillo, TX, USA 10/25/07 media.www.ac-ranger.com/media/storage/paper733/news/2007/10/25/News/Fencing.Team.Competes.In.North.American.Cup.Tournament-3057764.shtmlThe Amarillo College fencing team competed in the Cliff Wilson Memorial Fencing Tournament at Texas Tech University in Lubbock last weekend. "The Cliff Wilson Tournament was set up about five years ago in memory of Mr. Cliff Wilson, a Texas Tech fencer who died in a tragic automobile accident," Howard said. "His parents directed the creation of thetournament, and it has been a success since. Monies generated through the registration fees go to the Cliff Wilson Memorial Scholarship at Texas Tech." The results of the tournament were as follows: In the Y14 mixed epee, Jered Wilkinson placed first, Travis Conway placed second and Derik Nusz placed third. In the Y14 mixed foil, Jered Wilkinson placed first, Travis Conway placed second and Derik Nusz palced third. In the E and Under Senior Mixed Epee, Hans Mylant placed first, Trey Sluder placed third, Jared Brandon placed fifth, Derik Nusz placed sixth, Travis Conway placed seventh, Daniel Ross placed 11th, Christian Gulde placed 14th and Jonathan Ross placed 22nd. In the E and Under senior mixed foil, Hans Mylant placed first, Travis Conway placed second, Derik Nusz and Daniel Ross tied for third, Trey Sluder placed fifth, Kent Hilton placed sixth, Calvin Wilkinson placed seventh, Cailtlin Carroll placed 11th, Jonathan Ross placed 14th, Jaren Brandon placed 16th, Mike Sluder placed 19th and Sarah Barton placed 21st. In the E and Under senior mixed saber, Chuck Slaughter placed first, Jeremy Bauman placed second, Kent Hilton placed third, Hans Mylant placed fifth, Jered Wilkinson placed sixth and Caitlin Carroll placed seventh. The fencing team's senior members also traveled to Tuscon, Ariz., for the weekend of Oct. 5 to participate in the North American Cup tournament. According to Richard Howard, the team's coach, they competed well considering the level of competition. Caitlin Carroll, a 16-year-old high school sophomore and division cupholder, prefers using an epee. "It is a mental fight," Carroll said. "One has to predict the other's moves. You have to get them to do what you want by pure mindcraft. "Even with all the proper gear and padding, be prepared for some bruises." Howard, who has been a fencing coach for 40 years and an AC biology teacher for 32 years, said fencing "is a dueling art that was mainly brought here by the Hungarians and French. "The sport is kind of like soccer, being a very large spectator sport, but it has taken a while to catch on in America." The results of the tournament were: 114/132 Cadet Men's Epee - Jeremy Bauman 66/129 Cadet men's Foil - Jeremy Bauman 33/86 DV3 Men's Epee - Jeremy Bauman 84/89 Cadet Women's Foil - Caitlin Carroll 66/84 DV3 Women's Foil - Caitlin Carroll 40/79 DV3 Men's Foil - Hans Mylant 94/132 Cadet Men's Epee - Derik Nusz 18/93 Cadet Women's Epee - Juleah Nusz 65/86 DV3 Men's Epee - Bary Nusz 78/86 DV3 Men's Epee - Derik Nusz 51/86 DV3 Men's Epee - Trey Sluder 49/68 DV3 Men's Sabre - Trey Sluder
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Post by LongBlade on Nov 24, 2007 4:36:00 GMT -5
[size=20Way to go, AC!
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