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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:08:51 GMT -5
Team, family mourn freshmanSenior captain touts teammate's potential in fencing. BY SHAWN DAY The Daily Press Newport News, Va. November 30, 2007 www.dailypress.com/news/local/williamsburg/dp-news_wmmemorial_1130nov30,0,5498515.story WILLIAMSBURG — - As a freshman at the College of William and Mary, Ben Gutenberg quickly showed his fencing skills by nearly outdueling the school's fencing club co-captain. But the 18-year-old's passion for the sport wasn't his only legacy. Mourners who gathered on Thursday in the historic Wren Chapel for a memorial service remembered the teen as a compassionate and witty young man who often lent a hand to those around him. Gutenberg, who came to the school from Rochester, N.Y., died Tuesday of injuries he suffered Nov. 10 in a car crash that also killed longtime university fencing coach Pete S. Conomikes. They were traveling to the final fencing tournament of the year when the car struck a tree in the median of Interstate 295 near Richmond. Two other freshmen in the car survived. On Thursday, more than 100 people filled the chapel pews to reflect on Gutenberg's strong spirit and sense of adventure. The Rev. Jeffrey Buffkin described Gutenberg as overcoming adversity from the beginning, as he was born three months early and weighed less than 3 pounds. Gutenberg went on to earn high grades at a Jesuit high school, Buffkin said. In his short time at William and Mary, he developed a reputation as an avid video gamer and history enthusiast. He also was among the top fencers at the university and on his way to a tournament in Pennsylvania when he was injured in the crash. Doctors initially thought he would recover from his injuries but later realized that damage to his arteries would prove irreparable and fatal, his father, Jeff Gutenberg, told mourners. Tom Hennig, the senior and club co-captain who described Gutenberg as an up-and-coming fencer, said he had just begun to socialize with the freshman a few weeks before the crash. He said he and other club members admired Gutenberg's skills and love of the sport. He recounted a team meal early in the semester during which Gutenberg took control of cooking before food burned atop a stove. Afterward, as his teammates raved about the dish, Gutenberg downplayed the affair, Hennig said. The next statement, Hennig said, was indicative of Gutenberg's character. "He said, 'I didn't care about the spaghetti,'" Hennig recalled. "' I just didn't want the other guy to be made fun of.'"
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:12:39 GMT -5
Here's your chance to be a swashbuckler at sea By GREG COATES Toronto Star Ontario, Canada Dec 01, 2007 www.thestar.com/Travel/article/280728You may not find Pirates of the Caribbean's Capt. Jack Sparrow aboard but Cunard Cruise Line will introduce fencing on its newest ocean liner, the Queen Victoria, set to enter service Dec. 10. The program, run by Britain's Leon Paul Fencing Company, will give passengers a chance to learn the basics or fine-tune their skills with a certified instructor and the same type of equipment used by world champions. The program, an industry first, will accept 10 fencers at a time for foil fencing, the preferred method for elementary classes because of the foil's flexible, lightweight blade and blunted tip. There's daily instruction for participants aged 16 and up. For details, visit cunard.com
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:17:04 GMT -5
Olympic venues axed as costs riseBy Ian Pocock The Sunday Times London, England, UK December 2, 2007www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2983840.eceSPIRALLING costs have forced London Olympic officials to scrap plans for a £100m fencing arena, while a basketball venue is also in jeopardy. The events will be held in existing buildings rather than in the structures shown in artists’ impressions unveiled to the public by the Games organisers. The paring back of the Olympic building plans is at the centre of a review ordered by the London Organising Committee (Locog) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). Both the fencing and basketball arenas had been intended as temporary constructions and organisers believe their cost cannot be justified. It is understood that the fencing hall, planned for the north end of the Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, has already been cancelled after the builder’s estimate came in at nearly £100m, double the original budget. According to Olympics insiders, fencing will now be moved to the London ExCeL exhibition centre in nearby Docklands. Sources also said the basketball venue was under threat after a similar price rise to nearly £100m. The basketball competition may now have to be staged at the O2, formerly the Millennium Dome. Last night Games officials confirmed the review of temporary venues but insisted that no final decision had been taken. They said any changes to the park would not be made until officials from the sports concerned had been consulted.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:26:54 GMT -5
British fencing's flashing blade By Mark Ashenden BBC Sport - UK 4 December 2007news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/7113671.stm Jo Hutchison (left) shows off one of her favourite attacking movesA verbal ding dong, hiding the TV remote, slamming doors, muted apologies, and a kiss and cuddle. The usual process for a couple trying to settle an argument perhaps. Not if you're Jo Hutchison, one of Britain's top fencers, currently preparing for her next assault on Olympic qualification. "This sport is perfect if you're competitive where you get to take out your aggression on people you don't know and even people you know," she told BBC Sport. "If you're like me and your boyfriend fences, you can take out your domestic tiffs during a duel or a fight." (Something the 21-year-old said she does "very regularly") "It challenges your fitness, your mind, tactical awareness and it's not like football - it makes you think!" A happy Hutchison family in 1996 - Mum, Neil, Jo, Jenny This kind of spirit has thrust her, along with 15 others, onto British Fencing's World Class Programme. It is a UK Sport-funded initiative launched in January aiming to secure an Olympic fencing medal for the first time since 1964 at London 2012. Hutchison quickly repaid their faith in the summer when she was crowned national sabre champion. Fencing is one of only four sports featured in every Olympics since 1896, and with French being its global language ('en garde' and 'allez' are common referee phrases), its tradition and protocol is something many could scoff at. Not Hutchison, who accepts it all, although she was quick to point out there was none of that "noncy saluting they used to do in the olden days". Her steady rise is not a straightforward story. It began with a family obsessed with fencing and the inevitable happened aged eight when she had a sword in her hand at the local club in Bath. Brother Neil (another GB fencer), mum Jane, and sister Jenny are all still involved. Her father's obsession with marathon running and trombones prevents the full set. "It started out as a hobby," Hutchison added, "but after seven years of working up through all the competitions I had to stop because I was bored. "It was taking up all my spare time and I wanted to see my friends, so I quit for a year." After taking up athletics to keep "entertained", Hutchison's love for fencing was soon reignited, thanks largely to a new weapon. She qualified for the U-17 World Championships in her comeback year in 2002. "I missed the sport so much and after taking up the sabre my early success really spurred me on," she said. "It was intense. I was travelling around the world for competitions every weekend. It's an Olympic year so I've got nothing to lose. I'm just going to go for it "I've learned that how ever bad or well you do, fencing will always be a passion. I'm actually worried how I'm going to give it up." Sabre (épée and foil are the other Olympic disciplines) is all about slicing, scoring points by hitting your opponent above the waist. It is lightning quick. Blink and the bout could be over. "An entire fight is an adrenaline rush," she said. "Executing a move correctly is a massive rush, but there is no time to think. "You are trained to react - it's called habitual training. You learn the moves, and once you've mastered speeding up those moves, you can do anything." Now based in London, Hutchison represents Scimitar Fencing Club and trains every day at British Fencing's Elite Training Centre, combined with a part-time secretarial job to pay the bills and "keep her sane". With the new season starting in January, she believes her current status of being UK's second best sabre fighter will not last "for long". "Being a fencer is a hard life. It's physically draining sometimes but it is what I am paid to do," she said. "The perks are getting the right results. It's just like any job. You've got to do the bad stuff to do the good stuff. I do still have fun but this is all part of the big dream. "I've only been doing this full-time for a year so Beijing maybe unrealistic, but I should be peaking for London. "As a funded fencer we are given certain targets which does make me nervous. But it's an Olympic year so I've got nothing to lose. I'm just going to go for it." Jo Hutchison is among the British athletes who BBC Sport will be following during the countdown to London 2012.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:35:19 GMT -5
Women's fencing posts four finalists at NIWFA Christmas Invitational By Rich Coyne The Stute Stevens Institute of Technology Washington, NJ, USA 12/7/07media.www.thestute.com/media/storage/paper1092/news/2007/12/07/Sports/Womens.Fencing.Posts.Four.Finalists.At.Niwfa.Christmas.Invitational-3134947.shtmlThe Stevens Institute of Technology women's fencing team went on to post four finalists at the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association Christmas Invitational in Jersey City, N.J. on Sunday. This marks the first time in Stevens history that a women's fencing team has accomplished this feat in addition to having earned a finalist in each weapon at an open invitational. Senior Emily Freier had an outstanding performance as she finished third in epee out of 47 fencers. Junior Rachel Cannell was one of the four fencers who reached the final round as she finished seventh on the day. The Ducks received solid performances from freshmen Meagan Ritter and Stephanie Spelman. Ritter placed 14th overall as Spelman finished in 19th. Sophomore Alexis Sowuleski earned the 16th spot. In foil, the Ducks were led by senior captain Natalia Chabebe, who finished eighth overall out of 46 fencers. This marks the third time in Stevens history that they had a foil fencer qualify for the finals. Senior Samantha Myles (Snohomish, Wash.) from Temple University took the gold in the foil division. Junior Khairun Nisa Aziz earned a 14th-place finish as freshman Fatimah Naamat ended the day in 28th. The sabre squad was led by junior Laura Sodon who took eighth out of 47 fencers. Sophomore Lauren Baker (Cleveland, Ohio) from Temple finished in first-place in the sabre division. Junior Beatrice Wilson, sophomore Katelyn Seager and freshman Makeda Robinson finished in 13th, 14th and 15th, respectively. "Everything that we have been working on came together for us today," said Head Coach Linda Vollkommer-Lynch. "We made school history with all three of our weapons being represented in the finals. This was one of the most satisfying coaching moments that I have endured thus far."
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:39:28 GMT -5
Coach foresaw a fencing future McGuffin to compete for Northwestern By Sapna Pathak The Boston Globe December 9, 2007 www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/12/09/coach_foresaw_a_fencing_future/With her official signing last month, Chloe McGuffin, 17, committed to Northwestern University and its fencing program, shaping her future for the next four years, starting next fall. more stories like thisHer private coach, Dave Blake, was a prophet, forecasting four years ago that the Lexington teenager would attend Northwestern and fence. Still a novice at the time, McGuffin wasn't as confident. "I told him I wouldn't; I just didn't think I was good enough to fence collegiately," said McGuffin, a senior at Boston University Academy in Boston. "I guess I never gave it a real thought about doing something serious with fencing until after he told me he saw that potential in me." Blake's intuition was correct. And McGuffin soon will be the third fencer under Blake's tutelage to move on to the Wildcat fencing program. This past summer, competing at the national tournament run by the US Fencing Association, McGuffin met Northwestern head coach Laurie Schiller for the first time. Four months later, that meeting turned into a four-year commitment. "Chloe has seen a lot of opportunities in fencing and she's taken advantage of each one," said Blake, owner of Prise de Fer Fencing Club in Billerica. "I'm not surprised she was recruited by Northwestern. She was quite strong at the state [high school] tournament and in the national spotlight. She's very persistent and doesn't discourage easily. I think that will help her adapt to fencing at the next level." Blake, also the head fencing coach at Concord-Carlisle High School, started coaching McGuffin individually when she was in the ninth grade. Before adding private lessons, McGuffin spent one year competing on the BU Academy team as an eighth-grader. Now, she spends her time fencing for both squads, fencing about 15 hours a week. In February, McGuffin led her school's girls' epee team to second place at the state championship. Her 2007 accolades include earning 118th place at the Junior Olympics Women's Epee competition, being named a member of the Massachusetts All-Star Fencing team, taking first at the Concord-Carlisle invitational, and placing 13th in the North American Cup E Division 3 Women's Epee. "I'm pretty nervous about juggling the workload," McGuffin said. "I've been really involved in things, but I know that college fencing is going to be a big commitment, so I'm nervous about that adjustment." Judging from McGuffin's academic resume, balancing athletics and education won't present a new challenge. An honors student in linear algebra and human infectious diseases, McGuffin volunteers as a BU Academy peer tutor and a fencing instructor at Prise de Fer. Her senior thesis will focus on an experiment she formulated herself. She will join a Northwestern program that placed fifth at last year's NCAA Fencing championships. "My biology teacher was my first fencing coach," McGuffin said. "Never did I think it would get me to where I am going. I'm now preparing for my final season at BUA and then I'm just so excited about Northwestern and all the cool things I can experience. I can't wait."
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:46:07 GMT -5
Women's Fencing on Fire...Again By MADELEINE I. SHAPIRO Harvard Crimson Cambridge, MA, USA December 13, 2007 www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=521333 So I know as soon as I start to talk about fencing the average reader will put down the paper saying, “fencing’s not a real sport” or “why would I care about fencing?” Two years ago I’d say I was one of you. I didn’t know the difference between an epee and a foil or much less care for that matter. And then it happened. In the spring of 2006 fencing put together all the ingredients necessary for a championship mix: a couple of international junior-circuit medalists, a dedicated team, and a coach just crazy enough to push his fencers to believe. I was hooked. A national championship team, one that can consistently compete with the best—how many of those do we have at Harvard? Fast forward to this fall and the women failed to win the Ivy League last season, two-time Junior World Championship gold medalist Emily Cross is training for the Olympics, most of the rest of the winning team has graduated, and epee has gaping holes wide enough for all to see. Preseason prediction: a mediocre rebuilding year for the young women’s squad. So what am I doing here and why are you still reading? Give me another few seconds of your time and I promise I’ll explain. Last week, after eight days, 10 teams, and almost non-stop competition that included even the 2007 national champion—a challenge virtually no other athletic team at Harvard faces—the women sit a perfect 10-0 to end the fall season. This is all despite an epee squad that consists of a freshman walk-on, a former foil fencer, and just a single fencer trained in the weapon, despite a foil made up entirely of sophomores and despite a youthful sabre squad. So why should you care? You try switching from center to point guard or picking up pitching at age 18 and then tell me that what these women have done isn’t impressive. And if that isn’t enough to get you to climb to the third floor of the Malkin Athletic Center to see them, maybe it’ll be the intangibles that do. Maybe it’ll be what I’ll chalk up to a little bit of spunk mixed with a little bit of luck. The Crimson’s got spunk galore. Displaying everything from tattoos to war wounds, the fencers boast a family-style relationship in which each is driven to perfection by the others. And luck? If you can call it that, luck came into the picture in a hard-fought battle just two weekends ago. Facing off against a solid Penn State squad—a squad co-captain Samantha Parker said she can’t remember having defeated—the Nittany Lions’ coach made a questionable call. With the score tied at 13 and the final foil bout on deck, a fencing enthusiast would expect to see the top foil fencer from each squad lining up. Instead, Harvard sophomore Misha Goldfeder found herself across from Penn State’s third best, who she defeated handily, 5-1, to rope in the 14-13 victory. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, the Nittany Lions’ top foilist did win all three of her bouts, so it was a wash, right? Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. The last bout, even when it’s not 13-13 is a psychological maker or breaker, and Penn State coach Emmanuil Kaidanov put his fencer in a position that gave her almost no shot at winning. Numbers-wise the outcome would have been the same, but fencing is hardly a direct game of numbers. It’s just like in baseball: even if a team loses 4-2 and one run would seem to make no difference overall, a player being called out at home at some point could have changed the game’s entire complexion and made all the difference in the world. So maybe Kaidanov’s offbeat choice made a difference, maybe it didn’t. Either way the Crimson defeated the Nittany Lions in a first to 14 game, despite losing 7-2 in epee. To bring in the final tally we’ve got nailbiters, wins, spirit, luck, and spunk. And did I mention wins? With nearly two months off before the next competition and the all-important Ivy League and national matchups there isn’t much to follow now. But come February maybe knowing the full picture we’ll all think more seriously about making the trek to the MAC.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 0:56:24 GMT -5
Salute To The World Of Fencing Story By JACQUE HILBURN Feature Writer Tyler Morning Telegraph Tyler, TX, USA December 23, 2007www.tylerpaper.com/article/20071223/FEATURES01/712210334Most families prefer to handle instances of sibling rivalry as private matters that are refereed behind closed doors. At the Tyler home of Dr. Craig and Catherine Harrison, rivalry is not only tolerated, it's encouraged. They are among a loyal following of parents who see benefit in a good old fashioned duel. Two of their three sons study fencing, the art of armed combat that can involve cutting, stabbing and slicing with a sword, and mock duels to the death. This is a sport? "Yes, we actually give our children weapons," Mrs. Harrison teased. "It's not as dangerous as it sounds because of the protective gear. My husband fenced in college ... I guess because I'm around it a lot, I've gotten used to it." FENCING FANS Mrs. Harrison said her sons became keenly interested in the sport after seeing Olympic contenders on television. The family has become such fans of sport in recent years, they helped launch a fencing program at John Tyler High School, providing practice gear for students and training for coaches. The program is offered on rotation through the physical education department. "Fencing is such a controlled sport," said Mrs. Harrison. "It's an Olympic sport with expected guidelines and behaviors." Fencing is one of four sports offered during the Olympic Games, the first of which was held in 1896, according to the United States Fencing Association. There are actually several forms of fencing, including foil, epee and saber. Foil, for example, simulates a duel to the death, but it's carried out with a blunted weapon to avoid serious injury. Target areas include the torso and back. The entire body is considered a target. Epee, French for blade, is the modern equivalent of the dueling swords. Target areas include portions of the trunk and torso. Saber, which features the lightest modern fencing weapon, features attacks can be delivered with edge or point. There are many rules, including where and how the sword may contact the body. Early references of the sport, which date back to 1000 A.D., describe the scoring techniques of French noblemen, who wrapped the tips of their blades in ink so as to leave a mark on their opponent's uniform. Today, scores are tallied electronically. But as testament to the early ink blot scoring method, modern competitors still wear white uniforms. FIGHT ZONE At the Harrison home, the garage doubles as a fight zone. "I really enjoy it," said Christian Harrison, 15, who attends Robert E. Lee High School. "I get the chance to meet a lot of interesting people. It keeps me in shape, mentally and physically." Christian, who has been fencing for roughly three years, hopes to eventually quality for the Junior Olympics, a scaled-down age-appropriate competition similar to the Olympic Games. The family says athletes who become successful at the sport can vie for college scholarships. Chandler Harrison, 12, a student at Hubbard Middle School, views his participation in the sport as a type of mental contest with himself. "What I like best is scoring points," Chandler said. "I like it because it's a challenge." Christian seems to focus more on the sport's potential benefits. "There are a lot of opportunities," he said. "The Olympics is always something I could strive for, it's definitely something to reach for if I make it into the Junior Olympics." Both boys train weekly in Shreveport at the Fairfield School of Fencing. In between sessions, they spar in the garage. A recent demonstration included ample amounts of jabbing, twisting and thrusting. "Ouch," one boy said, grabbing his neck. "Careful," their mother cautioned from the doorway of a recent practice session. "Not so rough." Mrs. Harrison said sibling rivalry among her sons definitely has its upsides. Since they started fencing, she has noticed a multitude of benefits, including increased self control and improved physical fitness. "I think every boy has dreamed of being in a swashbuckling sword fight," she said. "This could be the perfect sport for them."
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 1:03:01 GMT -5
Olivia in action for GB By Marc Higginson Bolton News Bolton, England, UK 27th December 2007www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/boltonsport/display.var.1929771.0.olivia_in_action_for_gb.phpFENCING: Bolton schoolgirl Olivia Fay impressed when she represented the Great Britain Under-17s fencing team in a competition in Grenoble. The 16-year-old Thornleigh High School pupil qualified for the epee event after breaking into the top-20 ranked cadet players in the country, and won three out of five in the first round. In the second round, she won two out of five but that was not enough to see her progress and she ended the competition 141st out of 243. Olivia will fence for Great Britain in Bonn, Germany next year and is looking for sponsorship. For more information, email olivia_fay@hotmail.co.uk
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 1:29:58 GMT -5
New home keeps local fencers 'on guard'BY KASS STONE Northwest Indiana Times Munster, IN, USA January 05, 2008 nwitimes.com/articles/2008/01/05/sports/region_sports/doccde2ccab26976927862573c60075e8a2.txtST. JOHN | Some are good at making points. Others are deft at making counterpoints. Such "duels" take place twice a week in the basement of Great Lakes Orthopedics in St. John, the home of the Northwest Indiana Fencing Club. In a room dedicated solely to the club and its sport, club founder and head coach Marc Ryser is building a program that he hopes will soon become an Olympic Development Program. The club grew out of the long-running fencing program that was sponsored by the Merrillville Park Department. Looking to grow and to reach out to other Region residents, Ryser leapt at the opportunity when club member Dr. Keith Pritchford offered space in the basement of his Great Lakes Orthopedics building, located at 9614 Keilman, for practice. This allowed the club to have a place where they could have year-round practices and tournaments, and to apply to be part of the ODP. Now, the club is looking for funding and support "All the equipment we use is owned by our members," Ryser said. "Getting some funding means we can get more equipment, and more equipment means hosting larger events. I don't have any equipment for somebody to borrow. "One of the biggest problems we have now is that people want to try fencing out. But they don't know if they will like it, and don't want to have to buy a lot of equipment." One club member who tried fencing out and liked it is Alex Block of Schererville. The Marian Catholic junior qualified for the United States Fencing Association Junior Olympics this February in the Under-20 Epee division. As for Ryser, he has received a United States Fencing Association (USFA) and United States Olympic Committee (USCO) Level One coaching certification. President of the club is Don Yetsko, who said the new location provides stability and a better chance for members to improve. "When we were in a school gym, we would have to miss weeks because of holidays and take the summers off," Yetsko said. "Some of us would fence in our driveways just to keep fencing through the summers." For more information on the Northwest Indiana Fencing Club, e-mail nwindianafencing@aol.com.To learn more about the United States Fencing Association (USFA), go to www.usfencing.org.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 1:36:19 GMT -5
Cut from the same cloth By Roni Dori Ha'aretz Tel Aviv, Israel 1/6/08www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/942123.htmlIdo Herpe and Roman Yarinovsky, both 16 years old, are 11th grade students in Kfar Sava and have been fencing for six years at the Hapoel Kfar Sava fencing club. "My father fenced when he was young and I was curious to see what he liked about this sport," relates Yarinovsky, "so I started to fence, and never stopped." Herpe decided to try this sport because he was "intrigued by the idea." Herpe and Yarinovsky, who are currently ranked first and second respectively in the under-17 class in Israel, are also close friends. "They are on about the same level," says coach Ohad Balva, who also coaches Israel's national fencing team. "Until now, Ido was the more competitive of the two, but this year Roman became a stronger opponent. The effect of such a situation can be either positive or destructive; they can become even closer, or drift apart, but in this case they have managed to remain friends. Just recently Roman found a part-time job and took Ido with him." "Being opponents does not affect our friendship," says Yarinovsky. "If anything, it makes it stronger. We travel to competitions abroad, support one another and go out together to have fun." The two youths practices almost every day, and even twice a day leading up to competitions. "According to the new training theories," says Balva, "the optimum training session lasts up to an hour and 45 minutes, so we split the sessions. Instead of practicing for 3 hours straight, we practice for an hour in the morning and two hours in the evening." "It's very difficult," says Yarinovsky. "A lifestyle like that leaves very little time for work. I also want to take driving lessons, but can't afford to right now. This year I went to five competitions overseas." "We feel we are losing out on something," says Herpe. "On Fridays, for example, when everyone else is going out, I'm going to sleep at 9 P.M. because I have a competition Saturday morning. On the other hand, we gain a lot of organizational skills, discipline, an athlete's routine. These are things that help later in life." They claim their studies are not adversely affected. Herpe, for example, recently applied his serious attitude toward fencing to his studies, and significantly improved his grades. "In the end, you find the balance," says Yarinovsky. "The coach also becomes the math and history teacher on road trips, so somehow things work out." "They understand the price and some of the things they are giving up, but they are not making a total compromise," says Balva. "It is impossible to ask 16-year-olds to give up everything, because that is detrimental to them. We find the balance," he adds. The big compromises, say Herpe and Yarinovsky, are completely forgotten while they are competing abroad. "When you fence and Israel is written on the back of your shirt, that's pride," says Yarinovsky, his eyes sparkling. "You understand that you are reaping the fruits of your labors, and that is worth everything." Over the next few months, they will have more opportunities to reap those fruits, as they will be competing in Sweden in February and in the world championships in March. "Our ambition is to be the world champs," declares Herpe, "to compete in the Olympics and go as far as we can." Daily routine Ido gets up at 6:30 A.M., eats breakfast and goes to practice for an hour, starting at 7:15. ("If there's no practice," says Balva, "you can phone him at 2 P.M. and he's still sleeping.") Then he goes to school, returning home between 3 and 4 P.M. He eats, rests and goes to practice, until 8:30. When he returns home again, he does his homework, eats dinner and goes to bed by 10 P.M. Yarinovsky rises at 6:20 A.M., eats breakfast, goes to practice and from there to school. He is on the industry and management track, with classes in physics, computers, math and English, all at the highest matriculation level. Between 4 and 5 P.M, he arrives home from school, eats and goes out to practice, like Herpe, until 8:30 P.M. His evening is devoted to dinner and homework. Lights out is at 11 P.M. ("11:30 at the latest"). Nutrition: Ido watches his diet, "but not professionally," meaning that he does not consult a nutritionist. Even though fencing is not considered a sport for thin people only, he and his coach say he needs to shed a few kilograms. He tries to avoid sweet foods and sticks to a balanced diet based on three meals a day: cereal with milk for breakfast, meat and pasta or rice for lunch and tuna or cottage cheese for supper. Between meals he snacks on energy bars. Yarinovsky eats bread with chocolate spread for breakfast, washing it down with coffee. Lunch is meat with rice or couscous with vegetables, and dinner is cereal with yogurt. Between meals he snacks on fruits and raw vegetables. Nutrition is a bone of contention with their mothers. "It's a real daily struggle with the Jewish mother," says Balva. "They want their children to eat cake and finish everything on their plate." Even so, he is pleased to report that his young fencers are disciplined.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 1:42:13 GMT -5
Fencing Insider: Tinaro finds his matchBY STEPHEN HAYNES Newsday Long Island, NY, USA January 6, 2008 www.newsday.com/sports/highschool/fencing/ny-skfenceinsider0106,0,2555145.story Rich Tinaro's interest in fighting was spawned by his love of "Street Fighter" video games, and he admits that in the past, during fencing matches, he has wanted to drop the sword and go hand-to-hand, putting his martial arts experience to use. That got him nowhere. Instead, it's his recently acquired patience that earned him all-county first-team honors in Nassau. "He's very powerful and muscular for someone his age," said Great Neck South fencing coach Rob Piraino of his senior sabre standout. "Because of that, he would use too much force and aggressiveness, and there was no technique involved." With his background, it's understandable why the 17-year-old was overzealous. His father, a former police officer, has had him weightlifting since he was 14, and before Tinaro found fencing, he was a centerfielder, running back and wrestler. That was in addition to his Shotokan Karate, Okinawa Kenpo and boxing training. "I'm a good fighter," said Tinaro, who stands just 5-foot7 and weighs 150 pounds but has a wiry build. "My dad has been teaching me martial arts my whole life; he even taught me police combat training." His father, he said, grew up the youngest of five children in a Malverne family, and in order to fend off bullies and his three older brothers, he picked up martial arts. Those skills and combative instincts were passed on to his son. So when Tinaro was goaded into fencing by his friend Jared Rosen, a former Great Neck South fencer, he found the transition difficult. The sport required the kind of restraint and composure he hadn't been used to exuding. In fact, the reason he chose the sabre over the foil or epee was because it appeared to be the most aggressive weapon. "I didn't want to poke anything," he said. "I wanted to slash." That bellicosity and swashbuckling sword fighter style is what hindered him early on. "My sophomore year, I'd go up against kids who weren't as built as me and they'd whoop [me]," said Tinaro, who finished 12th in the Long Island Division USFA tournament in January 2005. "I'd get frustrated and want to just take off the mask and turn it into a fist fight." But under the tutelage last year of former captain Blake Horowitz - now a freshman on the Duke varsity fencing team - Tinaro began to understand that strategy, more so than talent and strength, were the requisite for success. It was that realization, he said, that allowed his career to burgeon. According to Piraino, his pupil now reads online manuals and studies fencing DVDs in an attempt to meliorate his skills and mental approach. He even takes notes of his opponents' favorite moves and meditates before matches. That knowledge combined with his natural quickness and southpaw style, the coach explained, is what has propelled Tinaro to a 5-2 record, and the Rebels to 3-1 this season. "Rich has got to be one of the fastest fencers on the high school level," said Piraino, whose team, like Tinaro, has made a quick ascension. "Because of that, he doesn't fence like a traditional sabre. Most of them move around a lot and Rich just stands there, baiting the opponent to come after him. His thought process is now 'I'm going to wait for the other guy's mistake then capitalize.' When the opponent attacks, he makes a quick strike. Gets in, scores, gets out. He has learned how to blend patience with his natural aggressiveness." As he has progressed, Tinaro's style has changed so much in a short period that he was named co-captain (along with Jeremy Klepner) this season. He said that as a senior, the younger fencers look up to him "and they're even coming up to me now for advice about how to not lose your cool." Even more surprising is that, despite the acclaim he has garnered in the last year, Tinaro doesn't plan to pursue fencing at the collegiate level. Although the passion is there and he intends to continue honing his skills - "Fencing is something I do for the thrill," he said - he has other, less physical long-term goals. After graduation, Tinaro plans to attend Baruch College and major in finance, like his mother did.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 1:53:37 GMT -5
Sophomore takes her best shot at Olympic glory Harvard-Westlake's Berger is one of a tiny group of U.S. teenagers pursuing their Olympic dream in the modern pentathlon. By Eric Sondheimer Los Angeles Times LA, CA, USA January 11, 2008www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-sondheimer11jan11,0,5463986.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-highschool Marisa Berger, a 15-year-old sophomore at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake, would have no problem toting a .44 Magnum while spouting, "Go ahead, make my day." She practices shooting inside her family's house and garage, using an air pistol to fire lead pellets into a steel box. She can hit a target smaller than a dime from 10 meters away. "You would not want to make me mad," she jokingly said. Her acquired skills with a gun are only a small part of what she accomplishes in her spare time. She's one of a tiny group of U.S. teenagers training for the modern pentathlon, an Olympic sport that takes place over a single day and involves shooting, epee fencing, swimming, riding and running. The modern pentathlon, created by the Baron Pierre de Coubertin, chief founder of the modern Olympic Games, to simulate the experience of 19th century military training, has been on the Olympic program continuously since 1912. A women's event was added in 2000. "I expected to hate it and ended up loving it completely," Berger said of her introduction to the sport two summers ago. She has traveled to Canada, Kentucky, New Mexico and Colorado Springs, Colo., home of the U.S. Olympic training center, for competitions. While she runs cross-country and swims for Harvard-Westlake, the rest of her time is devoted to mastering the five disciplines of the modern pentathlon. And it isn't easy. She has five coaches, all of whom want her to be committed to their practices, requiring quite a juggling act. "All my coaches fight over what day and time I can see them," she said. "If I miss one practice, it's, 'Were you swimming? Were you fencing?' " She's trying to become more than proficient in five distinct athletic skills, and it's a supreme challenge. Audrius Barzdukas, Harvard-Westlake's director of athletics, used to be the associate director of coaching at the U.S. Olympic training center. He was fascinated with the physical and mental makeup of modern pentathlon competitors. "It's this weirdly diverse skills set," he said. "It's like trying to be a poet, welder, cook, opera singer and newspaper reporter. How do you become world class at each at the same time?" Berger has been an equestrian since age 8, then was introduced to the modern pentathlon through a friend of her mother. Fencing has been her weakest discipline, causing her to pick up her practice schedule. "My fencing was quite atrocious over the summer, so I really focused on that for August, September and October," she said. Last summer, she finished fourth at a senior junior national competition and took second at a youth national event. Her goal is to make the U.S. team for the World Youth Olympics in 2010 and try for the Olympic Games in 2016. "That's my long-term goal," she said. "You have to be realistic when you talk about these things. I know when I go to college it will be a lot harder to keep my training up. "Pentathlon is one of those unique old-people sports. One of the ladies going to the Olympics is 38 and is amazing. It's not the 19-year-old swimmer or the 15-year-old ice skater." In fact, should Sheila Taormina, 38, of Livonia, Mich., already a three-time Olympian in swimming (1996) and triathlon (2000, 2004) qualify for the modern pentathlon this summer in Beijing, she would become the first U.S. athlete to make the Summer Olympics in three sports. Modern pentathlon competition starts with shooting. Competitors get to fire 20 shots at 20 targets from 10 meters with a time limit of 40 seconds for each shot. Epee fencing involves one-touch bouts lasting one minute. The winner is the first fencer to score a hit. For riding, competitors must maneuver their horses over a series of jumps. For swimming, it's a 200-meter freestyle race, with points earned or lost depending on the final time. The last event is a cross-country race of 3,000 meters. "You have to be the complete athlete," Berger said. "You have to have the mental aspect for shooting. For running and swimming, you have to be an amazing aerobic athlete. Fencing is mental mixed with your reaction time and riding is graceful and be really calm." Shooting has become one of her favorite competitions. "You have to be so still and so perfect each time," Berger said. "I used to hate it. Now I've learned, through sports psychology, I can almost make myself fall asleep when I shoot because I know I have to calm myself down." It's a frenzied life these days for this teenager, but she intends to keep training for the modern pentathlon, even if some wonder what she's doing carrying a pistol around the house.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 1:57:44 GMT -5
Fencers Go Solo at Bladerunner Classic By Jake Blanc The UCSD Guardian San Diego, CA, USA Jan 10, 2008ucsdguardian.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9363&Itemid=6FENCING — As the final warm-up before starting the official NCAA competition, UCSD fencers hosted their annual Bladerunner meet on Jan. 5 and 6. Unlike most meets, Bladerunner was not a team contest but instead an open competition, where fencers represented themselves and their scores counted only toward their personal finish. This style allowed for UCSD to face off against other fencers that they would not normally see in intercollegiate play, providing preparation for the NCAA West Invitational coming up on Jan. 12-13 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Head coach Heidi Runyan said she thought that the unique challenges in the open competition created a more unique aspect to the meet. “Many of the opponents have more experience than the average collegiate fencer and there are direct elimination bouts that go to 15 touches, instead of the usual five,” Runyan said. “Fencing smart and being in good condition are even more important to success.” Sophomore Sean Blum, who finished sixth in epee, welcomed the new format and said that it would challenge him and his teammates while allowing them to fence without worrying about the team’s overall performance. “Because Bladerunner was an open event, it drew tougher opponents than we have had to fence in the SoCal intercollegiate conference, especially in men’s and women’s epee,” Blum said. “We have to fence a lot of strangers, which brings some nervousness, especially when the strangers are world-class fencers from Europe like Benoit Bouysset and Andrea Rentmeister.” The fencers that Blum alluded to are two of the fencing world’s top names, with Bouysset hailing from France and Rentmeister from Austria. Having this added level of elite competition helped stoke a fun but aggressive atmosphere at the meet, according to some of the participants. Senior Emily Lipoma took first place in women’s foil out of 20 fencers, most of which were highly rated as either B- or C-tier fencers. In men’s saber, freshman Zach Jones notched a fantastic rookie performance with his first-place finish, with fellow Triton sophomore Bryan Kim taking third. The NCAA West Invitational in Colorado this weekend will be the first serious road trip of the season for UCSD, and will be a good transition from local meets to the competition that the Tritons will eventually be seeing at the National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, in March. “Traveling will certainly be a change,” Lipoma said. “The competition that we will face when we travel [to Colorado] will be much stronger than the competition we see in our Southern California conference. However, we will be traveling with a fairly seasoned team and traveling shouldn’t pose too much of a problem.” Sophomore saberist Anne Marie Schnecker, whose only loss at Bladerunner was to the eventual tournament champion, also said that the road trip will not hinder the team’s growing momentum and success. “With fencing, there is not really all that much advantage to fencing at home as opposed to fencing away, so I don’t think that Colorado will be too much of a challenge for us,” Schnecker said. “I heard ... that it is pretty hard to breathe there because of the high elevation, so I think that could be the only difference. Besides that, I really think that we’ll do well at the meet.” Runyan is looking forward to facing off against some of the toughest schools in the country, a chance that is not often presented to her team in the Southern California Conference. “We really are looking forward to facing Stanford,” coach Runyan said. “They are a strong school, but we match up well against them and can take them if we are fencing sharp.” After the competition in Colorado Springs, the Tritons will look to their meets at the North American Cup in Atlanta on Jan. 18 and the Northwestern tournament in Chicago on Feb. 2 in order to start qualifying their fencers for NCAA Regionals.
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Post by LongBlade on Feb 17, 2008 2:32:17 GMT -5
En garde! Fencer finds his niche Devon Brown finds combative sport to his liking with Northern Knights club By ADAM HAWBOLDT The Prince Albert Herald Prince Albert, Saskatchewan 1/12/08www.paherald.sk.ca/index.cfm?sid=97408&sc=5Devon Brown has never excelled at team sports. He didn't play hockey or basketball or soccer - nothing of that ilk appealed to him. Then he discovered fencing and has since slashed his way up the national rankings. "Combative sports are pretty much the only sports I'm decent at," admitted the 16-year-old member of the Prince Albert Northern Knights. "So fencing was great for me." Prior to donning a mask and grabbing a sword, Brown was involved in karate, a sport he said prepared him for his fencing career. "Karate helped. It gave me an idea on how to move and got me some co-ordination." However, karate soon grew stale for Brown and he turned to fencing at the age of 13. "I originally wanted to do sabre because it's the only cutting weapon. It's also the fastest and the flashiest," said Brown. "But my coach suggested I do epee." As it turns out, Brown's coach was right. Standing nearly six feet, Brown's upper body made too large a target for the sabre or foil events, but in epee his size can be used as an advantage. "I'm kind of tall, so I can do epee because I have a long reach and can create distance." These advantages - along with a natural instinct for the sport - have helped elevate Brown to the upper echelon of Canadian fencing. He is currently ranked 18th in the nation in the cadet division. "(Fencing) is awesome," said Brown. "I get to meet new people and go new places." Already this year, Brown has travelled to Montreal and Dallas as well as Saskatoon with the Northern Knights. The Knights club was founded 17 years ago by Bert Gaudet. Susan Brown, Devon's mother and the club's current president, says fencing is a sport that is perfect for people such as her son. "Kids who don't play well with others, who don't like team sports but have a competitive edge and need an outlet ... For those kids, there is fencing - as long as you can take being hit by a sword." The Prince Albert Northern Knights practise Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. at W.J. Berezowsky School.
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