Fencing in the News

[LongBlade]

Fencing brothers are rivals in Great Neck
By DORIC SAM
Newsday.com
January 7, 2012

www.newsday.com/news/fencing-brothers-are-rivals-in-great-neck-1.3436349


Photo credit: Patrick E. McCarthy | Great Neck South fencer (top r-l) Tyler Healy with brother Dylan and (bottom right) fencer Kody Horiuchi with brother Kenji. (Jan. 5, 2012)

Great Neck North vs. Great Neck South is already a major rivalry, but that turned into a family feud last Tuesday when the schools' fencing teams faced off at North.

Tyler Healy and Kody Horiuchi fence foil for South. Their brothers, Dylan Healy and Kenji Horiuchi, are assistant coaches for North.

The battle of the Great Neck boys was won by South, 20-7. Kody, a freshman, went 2-0 on the day; Tyler, a senior, went 1-2.

All four brothers train and compete in outside competitions together. The younger siblings said they decided to start fencing because they wanted to be as good as their brothers.

Dylan fenced for South and said it wasn't a surprise when Tyler decided to become a Rebel, but Kenji was a Blazer and he admits he did question his brother's decision.

"It had me thinking 'What? Why would you do that,'" Kenji said. "It definitely had me feeling a little sour at first but eventually I got used to it. I don't root for his team, but I always root for him because I want him to do well."

There was plenty of trash-talking leading up to the match, and after the younger brothers won, they said that winning against their older siblings wasn't as important as topping North.

"It's a crosstown rivalry, so no matter who's on the other side I feel like we always have to beat our rivals," Tyler said.

Neither coach watched their brothers' first match because they also coach the North girls team that was competing against South. But during Kody's second match, Kenji gave his opponent tips on how to defeat him. Still, the younger Horiuchi came out with a 5-2 victory, causing Kenji to throw his hands up and walk away.

"It's frustrating because I know his weaknesses," Kenji said. "So I tell the kids what I think they should do, but it still doesn't work, so it's very frustrating."

When asked what he thought about his brother's reaction to his win, Kody laughed and said, "It makes me feel great."

After the match, the war of words ended for the Healy brothers. "Once the meet is over, we're back on the same side," Dylan said.

That's not the story for the Horiuchi brothers.

"I always trash-talk, I might even get on Tyler for losing," Kenji joked. "Our girls won today, so that gives me something to brag about."

Still, despite all the verbal sparring, the respect and admiration the brothers share for each other shined through.

"They're both very accomplished in what they do because they've been training a lot longer than most high school fencers," Kenji said. "It's really hard to fence against them because even though we might know their weaknesses, they still find a way to win."

Said Dylan, "It's really fun to watch both of them grow as fencers. We're both really proud of them."

[LongBlade]

Jacksonville Fencing Tournament Debuts 'Dagger Fencing'
First Coast News
Jan 15, 2012

www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/236339/483/Jacksonville-Fencing-Tournament-Debuts-Dagger-Fencing?odyssey=tab|topnews|bc|large

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Fencing Club hosted the "Duel Til You Drop Tournament", an event which has grown very popular over the last ten years.

Fencers came from all over the southeast to participate, from New Orleans to North Carolina.

www.firstcoastnews.com/images/300/225/2/assetpool/images/120115103533_fencing2.jpg [/img]

Jacksonville Fencing Club hosts 10th annual Duel Til You Drop tournament.

"We started this 10 years ago with 25 fencers, now we have 225," said the club's coach, Raul Toro.

Fencing is one of only four sports to be in every Olympics since 1896.

It is growing in popularity because it offers a high degree of exercise, both physical and mental.

Princess Rashid described the mental and physical workout fencers endure. (Watch the video in the link above.)

"It's like physical chess and ballet mixed together," said Rashid. "You really get to be aggressive and show sportsmanship. It is a real mental game. You're exerting yourself mentally, but also physically. It's an awesome workout".

For the first time ever, there is dagger fencing where the competitors use two weapons. They use an epee, a longer weapon, and a shorter dagger.

New technology helped develop a shorter weapon that was safe.

Scoring is done by wireless equipment that allows fencers not to be attached to a tether.

They can move around a square pist in any direction they want.

Organizers hope it can soon be a part of the Olympics.

"We hope one day dagger fencing will be the first Olympic sport to be non-gender specific, where women and men can compete equally," said David Falcon of the Dagger Fencing Association.

For more information about fencing you can contact the Jacksonville Fencing Club at 904-579-6858.

[LongBlade]

James Williams, Kelley Hurley and Michael Dudey Win Fencing Gold in Portland
Boxscore News
January 15, 2012

boxscorenews.com/james-williams-kelley-hurley-and-michael-dudey-win-fencing-gold-in-portlan-p31207-68.htm

Portland, Ore. – They say that sometimes you need to walk away from what you love to realize how much you loved it.

The people who say that are usually talking about actual relationships, but for 2008 Olympic silver medalist James Williams (New York City, N.Y.), the same rule applies to fencing.

Less than two years after winning silver in the men’s saber team event in Beijing, the Columbia graduate decided to walk away from the sport to pursue a career with a hedge fund in March of 2010. Six months later, though, Williams was back competing on his third Senior World Team and remained committed to qualifying for the London Games.

On Saturday, Williams fenced in the second of three domestic qualifying tournaments for the 2012 Games at the January North American Cup at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland and won his first NAC title since 2006.

Williams won his first three bouts by decisive margins to advance to the quarter-finals against 2011 Junior World Team member Rhys Douglas (Apache Junction, Ariz.) who had upset three-time Senior World Team member Daryl Homer (New York City, N.Y.) in the table of 32, 15-9.

Williams controlled his bout against Douglas to earn the win, 15-9, and advance to the semifinals against Jeff Spear (Wyantskill, N.Y.) who he also defeated, 15-9.

The gold medal final pitted Williams against Avery Zuck (Portland, Ore.), a former NCAA Champion who was competing in front of his hometown crowd.

“I was actually very nervous before the last bout because this quadrennial I think I’m 0 and three for that last match and I was getting nervous that I had some kind of mental block with winning competitions,” Williams said.

Although Zuck kept the score within a touch for the first half of the first period, Williams went on to dominate the remainder of the bout and earn the win, 15-7.

“I fenced better each bout today. I think I made some real progress. I was much more confident in my actions in the center so overall I think this was a big improvement for me. I was moving pretty well and I would have a premeditated action and be able to follow through with it,” Williams said.

Williams went on to say that he was happy he took a break before the final run towards Olympic qualification.

“Fencing was driving me crazy when I stopped. I got up to 18th in the world or something like that and I really wanted to break into the top 16 in the world and I just wasn’t doing it. I was fencing worse and worse and it was driving me nuts,” Williams said. “I felt really anxious about graduating college in 2007 and wanting to start a career and that is something I still feel anxious about, but if I had stopped, I never could have come back. I haven’t made the Olympic Team yet and really hope I do, but, even if I don’t, I think the experience was worth it.”

Williams will now turn his focus to the start of the World Cup season next month.

“I was just really focused on getting a really good result at this NAC so I don’t have to worry about Nationals. I really want to put up some good results in the beginning of the international season so it doesn’t come down to the end,” Williams said.

In 2008, Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) qualified for her first Olympic Team and competed as the lone representative for Team USA in women’s epee in Beijing.

Since then, Hurley has earned a top-16 finish at the 2010 Senior Worlds and gold medals at both the 2011 Pan Am Championships and Games, but when she failed to qualify for the table of 64 at the Senior Worlds in October, Hurley watched as her ranking fell to #4 in the nation while younger sister Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas) held onto her position as #1 with the top three athletes in the national standings qualifying for individual competition in London and the fourth traveling as a replacement athlete for the team event.

With just three months remaining to qualify for Team USA, Kelley has ground to make up and she made strides in that quest on Saturday

Kelley won her first three direct elimination bouts before she fenced Courtney to qualify for the quarter-finals. After fencing each other nearly half a dozen times in 2011, the sisters were back at it again with Kelley taking an early lead before going on to win the bout, 15-10.

As epee is the only weapon in which repechage is held at the January NAC, Courtney remained in contention while Kelley secured her spot in the quarters.

Courtney qualified for the quarter-finals after a 15-9 win over her New York Athletic Club teammate Holly Buechel (New York City, N.Y.) – the first of several bouts between the Hurleys and their teammates.

“It’s always hard fencing your teammates, especially when it’s all towards the end of the day, but we do this a lot we’re used to it,” Kelley said.

In the quarter-finals, Courtney won a close bout against another NYAC teammate, 16-year-old Audrey Abend (New York City, N.Y.), 15-13, while Kelley defeated NYAC fencer Ashley Severson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), 15-9.

Kelley held off four-time Senior World Team member and NYAC athlete Maya Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.) by a score of 15-12 in the semifinals. The win put Kelley into the finals against Courtney who won her semi against Lacey Burt-Abram (Beaverton, Ore.), 15-10.

Much like their previous bout, Kelley took an early lead over Courtney in the gold medal final and went on to win the bout, 15-12.

“I feel like I fenced better than I have in a long time at this NAC. I’ve been training a lot and I have a lot of energy and usually the more energy I have, the better I fence and the better I fence, the happier I am, so it’s all connected,” said Kelley who is keenly aware of the fact that every bout could be the difference between competing in London and staying home.

“That’s all I think about coming into this. That’s constantly on my mind which is usually why I’m in a bad mood,” she laughed.

Like the rest of her U.S. teammates, Kelley will return to the World Cup circuit in February and maintains that her status as a past Olympic Team member doesn’t give her an advantage this time.

“I obviously have more experience at the Olympics, but first I have to get there and I’ll take any points I can get because every one counts!” she said. “Last time was different with qualification and I was also having a fantastic year, so I was on a roll versus now where I’m in a ditch and just trying to dig myself out of it to get to light!”

In the day’s only junior event, Michael Dudey (Bellaire, Texas) earned his third junior medal this season after he took bronze in men’s foil at the London Junior World Cup in December.

Fencing 2011 Cadet World Team member Jerry Chang (Mountain View, Calif.) for gold, the score was tied at nine after the first period and 14 at the end of the second.

During the first exchange of the third period, Dudey scored a quick touch to win gold.

“I fenced very well and think I got better and better throughout the day, but I didn’t want to do anything too risky and wanted to be defensive on that last touch,” Dudey said.

Competition continues on Sunday with the schedule as follows:

Sunday, January 15
8:30 a.m.
Division I Men’s Epee
Division I Women’s Saber

1:30 p.m.
Junior Women’s Foil

Division I Women’s Epee
1. Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas)
2. Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas)
3. Lacey Burt-Abram (Beaverton, Ore.)
3. Maya Lawrence (Teaneck, N.J.)
5. Susannah Scanlan (St. Paul, Minn.)
6. Ashley Severson (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)
7. Jessica O’Neill-Lyublinsky (North Salem, N.Y.)
8. Audrey Abend (New York City, N.Y.)

Division I Men’s Saber
1. James Williams (New York City, N.Y.)
2. Avery Zuck (Portland, Ore.)
3. Jeff Spear (Wyantskill, N.Y.)
3. Daniel Bak (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)
5. Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass.)
6. Rhys Douglas (Apache Junction, Ariz.)
7. Alexander Ryjik Jr. (Alexandria, Va.)
8. Andrew Herczak (Randolph, N.J.)

Junior Men’s Foil
1. Michael Dudey (Bellaire, Texas)
2. Jerry Chang (Mountain View, Calif.)
3. Jason Chang (Mountain View, Calif.)
3. Stephen Mageras (Darien, Conn.)
5. Adam Mathieu (Union City, N.J.)
6. David Gomez Tanamachi (MEX)
7. Maximilien Van Haaster (CAN)
8. Brian Kaneshige (Maplewood, N.J.)

[LongBlade]

Penn State Fencing First in USFCA Rankings
Nittany Lions top national poll
Coach Kaidanov is looking to guide his team to a 13th NCAA Championship
GoPSUsports.com
Jan. 18, 2012

www.gopsusports.com/sports/m-fenc/spec-rel/011812aab.html

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The first USFCA College Fencing Coaches' Poll of the season has been released, with Penn State on top. Both the men's and women's teams took first, surpassing some of the most dominating fencing programs in the country, including Notre Dame, who the Nittany Lions fell to in last years National Championship. This is the first of three polls that will be released throughout the remainder of the season with the next two taking place in mid-February and early March.

Penn State will look to live up to their ranking this weekend when they travel to Queens, N.Y., to compete in the St. John's Invitational. The one-day event will pin the Nittany Lions up against teams who join them on the USFCA poll including; Harvard, Notre Dame, Ohio State and St. John's. Action will begin at 10 a.m.

The complete rankings for the USFCA College Fencing Coaches' Poll are listed below.

Men
1. Penn State
2. Princeton
3. Harvard
4. Notre Dame
5. Ohio State
6. St. John's (NY)
7. Pennsylvania
8. Duke
9. Sacred Heart
10. Yale
Others receiving votes: North Carolina, Columbia, Standford, Air Force, NYU, Brown, Wayne State (MI)

Women
1. Penn State
2. Princeton
3. Notre Dame
4. Northwestern
5. St. John's (NY)
6. Ohio State
7. Harvard
8. Temple
9. Pennsylvania
10.Duke
Others receiving votes: Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Yale, North Carolina, Sacred Heart, NYU, MIT, Boston College

[LongBlade]

Wounded warrior program uses fencing for therapy
Veterans on the mend gain strength, physical agility from fencing
By April Molina, Investigative Reporter
KSAT.com
Feb 03 2012

www.ksat.com/news/Wounded-warrior-program-uses-fencing-for-therapy/-/478452/8592256/-/5mtb5l/-/



SAN ANTONIO - Andre Cook, 32, has been undergoing rehabilitation at Fort Sam since being injured in Afghanistan.

A new program there is using the strategy, strength and physical agility required for the sport of fencing as physical therapy.

"I got shot in the leg and I've been through 12 surgeries, physical therapy and I've been participating with this, this has been helping me with my leg," Cook said.

Cook doesn't just like the physical aspects of fencing, he loves the mental strategy involved.

Paralympic Military Coordinator Jennifer Cooper said the injured warriors returning these days are a much younger generation.

"They were physically active before, and so giving them that opportunity to be physically active and show them they can still participate in sports just like they did before their injury is key to their mental and physical well being," Cooper said.

Participant Chris Manegold remembers fencing as an eight-year-old boy. Two decades later, he enjoys it more than ever.

He said fencing utilizes every muscle in the body giving him more mobility.

What he appreciates the most is the camaraderie of a group full of warriors he has so much in common with.

"Whether the injury or illness is the same or not, we're all here to get well, get better and either go back to our unit or go back to civilization," Manegold said.

Cook said the big takeaway for him, friendships that may last a lifetime.

[LongBlade]

Bexar County poised to approve fencing center
John W. Gonzalez
San Antonio Express-News
March 13, 2012

www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Bexar-County-poised-to-approve-fencing-center-3401166.php

Fencing might not seem like a major sport in San Antonio, but it's important enough to earn $3 million in public and private backing for construction of one of the nation's best fencing centers.


San Antonio sisters Kelley and Courtney Hurley battle during a fencing women’s individual epee final bout at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Oct. 26. Courtney won the gold medal. Photo: Jorge Saenz, Associated Press/ SA

Today, Bexar County commissioners are expected to approve $2 million in sports venue funding for the Fencing and International Sports Center to be operated by University of the Incarnate Word, which is investing $1 million in the project.

But the facility won't be built on the university campus. After months of analysis, officials opted to put the fencing center at St. Anthony Catholic High School in Monte Vista.

Although the area is home to a threatened spider, officials see no obstacles to completion of the facility by late this year, and the site would be available for the NCAA fencing finals awarded to San Antonio in 2013 and 2014.

San Antonio Sports Foundation Director Susan Blackwood said her group and UIW will be co-hosts of the 2013 NCAA Men's and Women's Fencing Championships. This year, the sport is dominated by Penn State in both men's and women's fencing.

“We would host that event March 21-24, 2013, and a similar date in 2014,” Blackwood said.

The city has a handful of private fencing clubs and facilities and enthusiasts of all ages. The sport used to be much bigger locally when the U.S. Modern Pentathlon Training Center was based here, but it moved to Colorado several years ago.

“There are not too many Olympians in town who are fencers. I can count them on a couple of fingers,” said former fencer Tracy Hurley of San Antonio, whose two daughters are world-class competitors currently training in Paris.

The void here is training facilities for national and world competition, Hurley said. Her daughters, Courtney and Kelley, sometimes train in Houston, but in San Antonio they either duel at a private club or at home.

“Right now, we have a fencing strip in the backyard for the bulk of our footwork and conditioning,” she said.

The planned facility will offer 20 fencing strips, which will make it one of the nation's best, Hurley said.

“New York comes close, but there is nothing anywhere else that comes even close to that,” Hurley said.

“The significance to the community is how much they can attract competitions which will include the hotels and tourist industry,” she said. “It has some big potential for that, but it's a matter of how they run it,” she added.

Daniel I. Ochoa, the dean of UIW's preparatory programs who oversees St. Anthony High at 3200 McCollough, said the sport will be offered at the university and its high schools, but the center will serve the entire community.

“Fencing is one of those sports that you see on the East Coast and West Coast, and not so much in South Texas,” Ochoa said.

Commissioner Paul Elizondo said the facility, which will be in his Precinct 2, views fencing as a highly specialized — if not elite — sport that isn't widely accessible, but he's optimistic that will change.

“Hopefully San Antonio will become a fencing center because of this. My hope is that the activities there develop inner-city youth,” he added.

For the county, the project would be the 13th of 13 sports venue projects funded through the 2008 voter-approved Community Venues Program, which included $80 million for sports facilities. The 12 others will serve baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, rugby, tennis and swimming enthusiasts.


A rendering depicts the interior of the Fencing and International Sports Center planned for St. Anthony High School in the Monte Vista neighborhood. The center could be completed by late this year, and the site would be available for the NCAA fencing finals in 2013 and 2014.Photo: Courtesy Of Bexar County/SA

[LongBlade]

Fencing facility gets Bexar County's green light
By John W. Gonzalez
San Antonio Express-News
March 14, 2012

www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Bexar-County-approves-fencing-sports-center-3403052.php

A $2.85 million training and competition facility for the sport of fencing won final approval Tuesday from Bexar County commissioners, but neighbors around the planned construction site in historic Monte Vista still have questions about the project's impact.

The Fencing and International Sports Center will be completed late this year at St. Anthony Catholic High School and will be operated by the University of the Incarnate Word, officials said.

Commissioners unanimously approved use of $2 million for the project, with the remainder coming from the university.

The 18,000-square-foot facility is designed to draw major fencing competitions. Officials said it would be the biggest in the region and among the largest in the nation, with 20 fencing strips.

“There is no such facility in the state of Texas, let alone the Southwest, so this facility will be utilized by USA Fencing (Association) as well as Incarnate Word” and others, said Michael Sculley, director of the county's Community Venues Program, which is underwriting the project.

“It's a great opportunity. ... it's been a long time coming,” Sculley said, adding that the site's design is compatible with the high school.

The site was selected after a protracted search, first at the university campus and later other properties. The site choice was disclosed last month.

Last week, the project architect went before the city's Historic and Design Review Commission seeking preliminary approval of the design concept, but action was postponed because neighbors said they had not been consulted and had concerns about the design.

Jane Lewis, president of the Monte Vista Historical Association, said the group learned of the plans at the HDRC meeting while there for another agenda item.

“Our concern is anything of an institutional nature that could have an impact on the residential character of the neighborhood,” Lewis said.

Questions have arisen about the site's potential impact on traffic and other neighborhood activities, she said.

“We really needed a full briefing,” she said.

The project's architect agreed to meet with the group's architecture review committee within a few weeks before returning to HDRC for reconsideration of the design concept, Lewis said.

Another potential issue is protecting the habitat of the endangered Robber Baron Cave meshweaver spider. The high school is almost entirely within spider's habitat, but county and university officials insist it won't be affected at the chosen site.

“Be kind to the spiders,” said Commissioner Paul Elizondo, whose Precinct 2 includes the high school.

Sculley said the approval was a milestone for the sports venues program.

It's the last of 13 projects to be approved, “but it's one of the quickest ones,” Sculley said.

The $80 million program has also built a variety of sports fields, tracks and other facilities throughout the county — all funded by a county tax on visitors.

[LongBlade]

Olympic Fencing Preview: Women's Epee Team
By Peter Souders
Yahoo! Contributor Network
June 22, 2012

sports.yahoo.com/news/olympic-fencing-preview-womens-epee-team-142700785--oly.html

The women's épée event was not contested in the 2008 games as part of a cycle that stops the contention of two team events during each Olympic rotation (in 2012, the team events in women's sabre and men's épée will not be held). But women's épée returns in 2012, where the world number one is not necessarily the favorite, and the American team stands ready to make a strong push for the podium. For those readers who have never been introduced to the sport of fencing before, here is your introduction to the women's épée team event in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Basic Overview

Épée is the single weapon of the three (also including foil and sabre) which does not have "right of way" regulations. This makes it, by far, the easiest for a first time viewer to understand. The sword, referred to as a weapon in the sport, is heavy, with a bell guard that covers the entirety of the fencer's hand. At the end of the blade there is a tip which can be pressed down. When that tip is pressed down by being pushed into the opposing fencer, a light (either green or red, depending on which fencer scored the touch) will go off. In épée, if a fencer's light goes off, they receive a touch. If both fencers' lights are lit, then both fencers receive a touch.

The other distinctive fact about épée, aside from the lack of "right of way" rules, is that the entire body is a target. In foil and sabre, there are specific areas of the opponent that must be touched in order for a point to be scored. But in épée, in the tradition of "first blood" dueling, any hit with the point on an opponent's body, from head to toe, is considered a valid touch.

Medal Predictions

Bronze: Italy

Though ranked out of medal position as a team (currently 4th), the Italians are my pick to take home the bronze due to their exceptional individual talent and battle-tested abilities in the difficult European region of international fencing. The Italians currently have two women ranked in the top ten on the world rankings (Rossella Fiamingo at 7th and Mara Navarria at 9th) and a third ranked 17th. This gives them the third highest aggregate ranking of their individual fencers (the ranks of their top three individuals added together) in the world. Additionally, Italy possesses the 4th place team ranking in the world and finished second in the most recent women's épée world cup in May.

Silver: China

Perhaps the most difficult team to figure out, China has, on paper, the most individual talent in this competition. The country's three highest ranked women's épée fencers are currently 1st (Yujie Sun), 2nd (Na Li) and 8th (Xiaojuan Luo), which comprises the best aggregate of any team in the Games. But despite all of that individual talent, and the fact that they fence in a relatively weak (compared to Europe) region (allowing them to pick up easier FIE points for rankings), China still does not have the number one ranking in the world. Instead they are ranked 2nd, and have a disturbing record against highly ranked opposing teams. This season, the Chinese women are 22-28 against their upcoming Olympic opponents. Subtract their record against the Ukraine (the lowest ranked team to qualify for the Games), and China has only a 17-26 record (.395 winning percentage) against the opposition they're about to face. All of the individual talent is in place to win the Gold; but the records China has against top-tier teams are troubling.

Gold: Russia

I predict, in a surprising turn of events, that not only will Russia, the number three ranked team in the world, win the gold medal, but that Romania, the number one ranked team, will not make the podium. Russia is a classic example of a team being greater than the sum of its parts. Despite having only one fencer ranked in the top 20 in the world individually, the Russian women's épée team has put together a remarkable season in which they have a record of 41-21 against their Olympic opposition, and have a losing record against only one team, Italy, where they were bested by a slight 6-8 margin. Their third place ranking in the world stems from a disappointing result at World Championships last year where they finished ninth, but this season the Russians have won three of the four World Cups they have fenced in, and recently won European Championships. Why their fencers perform better in a team setting than individual one, I do not know. But I do know that they have put up some very impressive results this season, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them standing alone at the top of the podium when all is said and done.

American Hopes

The American team comes in as an underdog to make the podium, but an underdog with a fighting chance. They are currently ranked fifth in the world, and are led by Courtney Hurley, who is ranked 23rd individually. They recently won the Pan-American Championships, and in March finished second as a team in a World Cup in France. They're a young team, with two of their top three fencers still under the age of 23, but they have the talent level to pull an upset if they are all fencing well on the same day. At the very least, they are going to give one of the top four teams a tough test in the first round of the team event.

Peter Souders is a nationally competitive men's sabre fencer who has been competing for nearly a decade. He has been ranked as highly as 12th in the country, and was a four-time NCAA Championships qualifier during his collegiate career at Boston College.

[LongBlade]

Fun of fencing
By ALYSSA HARVEY
The Daily News
Bowling Green, Kentucky
June 23, 2012

www.bgdailynews.com/features/wellness/fun-of-fencing/article_d970595a-bcd0-11e1-8244-001a4bcf887a.html

April Eastman was looking for a way to spend more time with her son.

“My son has been fencing for a couple of years. It always looked fun,” she said. “I thought it was something we could do together.”

The Bowling Green woman has been participating in the Bowling Green Fencing Academy.

The classes, taught by U.S. Fencing Coaches Association-certified fencing instructor Stephen Fisher, meet weekly at Bowling Green Parks and Recreation. The class, now approaching its fourth week, first met June 1 and lasts six weeks. The class is for people ages 12 and up and offers a nontraditional form of fitness.

“It’s been a lot of fun. Stephen Fisher is a knowledgeable, great coach,” Eastman said.

Fisher started fencing when he was 12 years old. He teaches members of the Western Kentucky University’s Fencing Club and offers private lessons. He was a champion in the U.S. Fencing Association tournament in 1999.

“It’s the national governing body of the sport,” he said.

Fencing is shown more realistically in competitions than in movies, Fisher said.

“It’s a far cry from swashbuckling in the movies,” he said.

“It’s one of the sports with the least injuries (because of the gear fencers have to wear),” he said. “You might have a torn muscle or light bruises.”

The sport requires people to make quick decisions, Fisher said.

“Fencing is like a physical game of chess,” he said. “It’s general fitness for the mind and body.”

Eastman agreed.

“You have to have a plan of attack, anticipate what your opponent is doing and follow the rules,” she said.

She believes the physical aspects will come in time.

“Right now I think I find it mentally challenging,” she said. “I think it will become more physically challenging as I learn more. It keeps my son very active when he fences.”

The current class has eight participants who are learning very basic fencing moves. Fisher said it’s designed for people who have never fenced before.

“We learned the en garde position, the pieces of our foil and some parries,” said Eastman, describing the preparatory position for a match, the weapon and defense moves in fencing.

Fisher said he hopes the class becomes ongoing with another beginners class and, eventually, an intermediate class. He will also set up a booth and do demonstrations at the Second Saturday street fair downtown July 14.

“Hopefully we’ll have (another beginners class) in the last week of July,” he said. “Fencing is a lifelong sport. It’s challenging. Something is always different.”

Eastman said her son was “very excited” when she told him she was taking a fencing class. He hasn’t asked her for a match yet, though.

“I’m glad because I’m not ready for that. I don’t think the bout would last very long,” she said, laughing.

— For more information about fencing classes, call Fisher at 270-223-7544 or email [e-mail].

[LongBlade]

Chicago Fencing Event Honors Korfanty
Polish emigre turned U.S. athletes into champions
Globetrotting by Philip Hersh
Chicago Tribune
June 21, 2012

www.chicagotribune.com/sports/globetrotting/chi-chicago-fencing-event-honors-korfanty-20120621,0,4082513.column

Ed Korfanty is a member of the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame, a three-time world champion in the veterans’ saber division and coach of the most decorated fencer in U.S. history.

And now he is an event.

This week’s saber World Cup meet in Chicago has been renamed the Korfanty Cup.

And it’s perfectly fitting that the only senior World Cup event in the United States honors the coach who has played a huge role in giving his adopted country what International Fencing Federation official Ioan Pop calls “an important international presence” after years of inconsequential status.

Mariel Zagunis, whom Korfanty has coached to two Olympic titles and two world titles, is among those scheduled to compete in the event that runs Friday through Sunday at Navy Pier.

Zagunis, an NCAA champion at Notre Dame, is to be joined by the other five members of the 2012 U.S. OIympic men’s and women’s saber teams, including 2008 silver medalists Tim Morehouse and James Williams.

The women’s field includes six of the top ten in the current world ranking, topped by Zagunis (1) and Olga Kharlan of Ukraine (3), a member of the 2008 Olympic team gold medalists.

Korfanty, 60, left his native Poland in 1990. He would spend three years as an assistantcoach at Notre Dame before becoming head coach at Zagunis’ club, the Oregon Fencing Alliance, in 1994.

“Notre Dame was a good place to work, but (college fencing) is only a six-month season, and I thought I was still young enough to produce top-ranked international fencers if I worked with them full time,” he said of the move.

His students at OFA include two women’s senior world champions, Zagunis and Becca Ward. All told, OFA fencers under Korfanty’s tutelage have won more than 40 world championship medals at various age levels.

[LongBlade]

Fencing: Russian fencers made a big splash in Europe
Malakhova Elena, Roman Kosarev
Russian Sports Daily
The Voice of Russia
June 21, 2012

english.ruvr.ru/radio_broadcast/36560725/78859330.html

Let’s talk about fencing today – an event where Russian athletes are expected to harvest medals in London. And by the way national fencers have checked their readiness to fight for the Olympic silverware at the continental tournament that finished in Italy on Wednesday.

Judging by the results displayed at the European championship it’s safe to say that team Russia are completely ready to fight for podium places in Great Britain. On Tuesday Russian women’s sabre squad comprised of Sofia Velikaya, Yulia Gavrilova, Ekaterina Dyachenko and Diana Galiakbarova earned gold medals defeating the reigning Olympic champions - national team of Ukraine in the final. Russian girls took a solid 45-37 victory and proved they are the strongest fencers in Europe.

And let’s remind our listeners that absolutely the same golden result was shown by both men’s and women’s sabre squads at last year’s world tournament. So, we can hope that Olympic gold in this fencing event will be in Russian pocket.

So, at the pre-Olympic European championship Russian athletes have won a total of 11 awards 7 gold one silver and three bronze medals. This is the result all of the fencers and their coaches can be proud of. National athletes participated in 8 out of 12 finals where they took 7 brilliant victories. Notably Russia’s well-known fencer Alexei Yakimenko became a 9time European champion after he managed to beat his French opponent Bolade Apithy in individual sabre final on the 16th of June.

And two days later Yakimenko grabbed another medal of the highest value. But this time it was not an individual award for Yakimenko as he was accompanied by his compatriots Veniamin Reshetnikov, Nikolai Kovalev, and Pavel Bykov who uspet Romainan team leaving them with just silver. With this triumph Alexey Yakimenko became 10 time European title holder.

Alexei Cheremisinov appeared unrivaled in individual foil event where he upset the German fencer Benjamin Klaibrink who was forced to settle for silver. The same result was displayed by another representative of Russia Pavel Sukhov who was unmatched in epee discipline.

A stunning performance was showed by Russian ladies in individual foil competition where all three steps of the podium were occupied by Inna Deriglazova, Kamila Gafurzyanova and Larisa Korobeynikova respectively. The same girls also added bronze in team event.

I would also like to mention the performance of Russian epee fencers who managed to reclaim the European crown from Romania defeating the reigning champions by the smallest of margins. So, Tatyana Logunova, Anna Sivkova, Violetta Kolobova and Lubov Shutova appeared unrivaled at the European tournament and now they will fully concentrate on their preparation for the biggest sports spectacle of this summer – London Games.

And while we’ve touched upon the topic of summer Olympics let’s inform everybody that men and women will compete in all three fencing events (epee, foil and sabre) at the 2012 games. There will be individual events in all three weapons for both genders. Additionally, there will be team events in men's sabre and foil and in women's foil and epee. So on the whole athletes will battle for 10 sets of medals at summer Olympics in London.

Let’s talk about team event. Eight squads that earned Olympic berths will be seeded for the tournaments in accordance with their world ranking. So the top seeded team will face off against the lowest ranked squad. Each team will consist of three fencers, plus one reserved athlete. Every athlete from one team will meet with three opposing fencers.

In individual events 32 fencers will participate in enduring race for the coveted Olympic title. And again they will receive their first round opponents in accordance with the world ranking.

Let’s inform our listeners who are unfamiliar with fencing that are three separate fencing disciplines that are represented at the Olympic Games: sabre, foil and epee. They differ in three regards: the swords are physically different, the rules of battling and scoring are different, and finallythe pace at which the weapon is contested is different.

Sabre is the fastest of all the three fencing tools. The biggest difference between sabre and the other two disciplines is that a sabre competitor can earn points by hitting his rival with the side of the blade, and he can slash his counterpart only above waist area. Additionally, in sabre, there is a set of rules called "right of way," which determine which competitor receives a point in a situation where both rivals hit the target.

A foil fencer can only hit with the tip of his or her blade, and the striking area is everything above waist with the exception of the arms and head. Hitting such a limited area is not an easy task especially when the target is moving and defended by another blade.

Epee is often referred to as a "thinking man's weapon," it moves at the slowest pace of any of the three weapons, and requires intense mental focus. There is no right of way rule in this event, meaning if a light goes off signifying that a fencer has made a valid hit this athlete receives a point. If both fencers make hits simultaneously, then they both are awarded with a point. By the way, the target area in épée is the whole body.

Let’s also inform our listeners that the Olympic tournament for fencers will run from the 28th of July until August the 5th . And of course we hope that Russian athletes will return home with a nice collection of Olympic awards.

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Augusta Fencers Club founder Rudy Volkmann followed dream
Health issue gave push to club founder
By Gracie Shepherd
Augusta Chronicle
June 24, 2012

chronicle.augusta.com/news/business/local-business/2012-06-24/augusta-boxing-club-founder-rudy-volkmann-followed-dream?v=1340573263

Fencing master, musician, composer and builder: Rudy Volkmann answers to any of the above.


Rudy Volkman discusses the electrical wiring in the epee (sword) after giving a lesson at the Augusta Fencers Club. Photo: Sara Caldwell

Volkmann’s most visible role has been as the founder and head coach of the Au­gusta Fencers Club. The internationally ranked fencer has also written about the sport.

Introduced to fencing through a college class, Volk­mann first taught it in a physical education class at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan in 1964. Before coming to Augusta, he also lived in Albany, Ga., and Atlanta and was involved in music teaching, painting and construction work.

He came to Augusta in 1986 to work for Paine Col­lege’s music department and started a weekly fencing class at the Augusta Ballet School. His following grew, and after open-heart surgery in 1999 he realized he wanted to teach fencing full time and drop his music professorship.

“It often happens that people have a ‘come to Jesus’ moment after surgery like that, and I realized I did not want to keep teaching college music but also did not want to leave Augusta,” he said. “So, just on a lark, I opened the Augusta Fencers Club.”

The club has been in the same location since 2000 but will move to the old Gur­ley’s grocery store on Greene Street this summer. Volk­­mann is reroofing and renovating the space himself and plans to offer a wider variety of private and group lessons. The club’s numbers have dropped slightly during the economic downturn, but Volkmann still has more than 30 students who take lessons from him every week.

Volkmann believes the charm of fencing lies in its marriage of mental and physical agilities, as well as an innate desire in everyone to play with swords.

“There’s just nothing like just going whack!” he said.

Students are often drawn to fencing through old movies or plays, but Volkmann said fencers stay with the sport because of its many unique aspects.

“You yourself are the target; they’re not after your goal or your ball or stick,” he said. “They’re after you.”

Studying fencing helps with balance, hand-eye coordination, spatial judgment and rapid reaction. It uses the entire body, he said, and fencers must have extreme control over their muscles. Fen­cing is a low-injury sport, he said, without concussions or broken bones to worry about.

“The only thing hurt is your pride; it’s a personal feeling to lose a bout,” he said. “It’s like, do you belong in this community? Well, let’s find out.”

Deborah Collins was at the Augusta Fencers Club with her grandson Taylor Corbett. At 10, Taylor is much young­er than Volkmann usually likes his pupils to be. He asked persistently, though, and has already showed a lot of promise, Volkmann said.

Collins said fencing is a great fit for Taylor, who does not enjoy team sports.

“He’s very much a one-on-one kid,” she said. “I think Rudy has been absolutely great.”

Taylor stopped lunging at carpet targets on the wall to chime in.

“I like it a lot,” he said. “It’s fun, and I have a good time with it.”

Volkmann said he counts himself lucky to be able to spend his life doing things loves. He is as passionate about music and composition as he is about fencing, and he was the chairman of the music department at Paine for years.

He plays several instruments, from the tuba to strings to drums, and is an accomplished a conductor. He has founded numerous music groups and organizations in the area over the years and performs with the Augusta Jazz Project, the Savannah River Brassworks quintet and the Channelheimers Oompah Band.

His family immigrated from Germany when he was very young, and he believes his upbringing gave him a work ethic that helped him to follow his passions.

“Anything I’ve ever had, I’ve had to build or work for,” he said. “I’m very lucky to have these things a part of my life, but I’ve always made them a part of my life.”

[LongBlade]

Mariel Zagunis Ends Season with Seventh Straight Individual Fencing Medal at the Korfanty Cup in Chicago

BoxScore
USA Fencing
June 24, 2012

boxscorenews.com/mariel-zagunis-ends-season-with-seventh-straight-individual-fencing-medal-a-p39839-68.htm

Chicago, Ill. – After a silver medal win at the Korfanty Cup in Chicago on Saturday, two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis (Chicago, Ill.) will enter the Olympic Games as the top seed in London.

The win was the seventh straight individual podium finish for the saber fencer this season.

As the top seed in the tournament, Zagunis had little trouble with either of her first two opponents as she defeated junior Allison Lee (Saddle River, N.J.), 15-3, and Olga Zhovnir (UKR), 15-7.

Fencing fans crowded around Zagunis’s strip at the Navy Pier event for every bout and Zagunis took time to sign autographs and take pictures with the youngsters throughout the day – most of whom had never seen their idol fence.

In the table of 16, Zagunis had a close bout with Shan Liu (CHN), but took the win, 15-12.

Zagunis fenced Liu’s countrywoman, Fei Li, in the quarters and safely advanced to the semifinals with a 15-8 victory.

In the evening semifinal, Zagunis faced Min Zhu (CHN) – a top-eight finisher at the 2011 Senior Worlds who split her bouts with Mariel, 1-1, last season. Zhu held an 8-7 lead at the half, but Zagunis kept the score within a touch in the second half. Zagunis went on to tie Zhu at 12 and take the bout, 15-13.

The gold medal final featured the bout fans were waiting for all day – Zagunis vs. Olga Kharlan (UKR).

The bout would be the third of the season between the #1 and #3 fencers in the world and Kharlan entered the bout with confidence after a 15-5 semifinal win over Irene Vecchi (ITA).

The two exchanged touches in the first period and Kharlan, who lost to Zagunis in the finals of both the 2009 and 2010 Senior Worlds, had an 8-7 lead at the break.

In the second half, however, Kharlan scored five straight touches to bring the bout to 13-7. Still fighting, Zagunis scored three in a row, but Kharlan closed out the bout, 15-13.

“Overall, I fenced really well and, this seems to be a repeating theme, but I always fence really well until the bout that I lost,” Zagunis said. “I was happy with all of my other bouts except the one with Kharlan today, but it’s a good indication of what I need to work on for the next month leading into London. I’m taking this away as a learning experience and just gonna learn from my mistakes and make sure in London it’s a different outcome.”

The final World Cup of the season had special meaning for Zagunis as it was recently named the Korfanty Cup in honor of Ed Korfanty (Portland, Ore.) – Zagunis’s personal coach who has been by her side for two Olympic and four Senior World Championship titles.

The Korfanty Cup is sponsored in part by The Mariel Zagunis Women’s Sabre Fund and a group of Chicago Area businesses and organizations affiliated with the local Polish-American Community including the Polish National Alliance, Korfanty Sports Foundation, Doors for Builders Inc., Slava Tenenbaum Law Offices, Advanced Cabinets Corp. and B&M Auto Collision Center.

“It’s the first annual Korfanty Cup and it’s a big honor for Ed and something that is well deserved for him. He’s very humble and he would never go after people naming a World Cup after him. I think this is going to be the first of many successful Korfanty Cups and I’m glad that I was able to come here and represent him well today,” Zagunis said. “I’ve known him since I was 10 years old and he’s watched me grow up and has taught me everything I know about fencing. Fencing is a huge part of my life and it’s really made me the type of person that I am today. I think all of those values that he’s helped instill in me have really helped make me who I am. I love my life and all of the success we’ve had together and it’s been a really fun journey we’ve had together."

Ibtihaj Muhammad (Avenel, N.J.) entered the tournament as the 13th seed and the number held true as she placed 13th overall.

In the table of 64, Muhammad looked unstoppable as she took an 8-2 lead in the first half against two-time Olympian Alejandra Benitez (VEN) and went on to with the bout, 15-3.

Muhammad won the next bout, 15-10, over Alexandra Shatalova (RUS).

In the table of 16, Muhammad met Azza Besbes (TUN) – the fourth seed in the tournament who finished in the top eight as a 17-year-old in Beijing. Besbes won the bout, but withdrew from the quarter-finals with an injury after trailing Zhu, 10-2.

Ranked eighth in the world and seeded fourth at the Korfanty Cup, London Olympic nominee Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.) was a favorite to win her fifth career World Cup medal and she opened with a 15-5 victory over Aziza Hassan (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the table of 64. In the table of 32, however, Wozniak tied up her bout against Seira Nakayama (JPN), but lost, 15-14, when Nakayama scored the final touch. Wozniak finished 17th overall.

Daria Schneider (New York City, N.Y.) won bronze at the 2011 and 2012 Senior Worlds with Zagunis, Muhammad and Wozniak. After edging Katarzyna Kedziora (POL), 15-14, Schneider built a 8-6 lead over Rossella Gregorio (ITA) at the half, but Gregorio came back to win the bout, 15-14, and Schneider finished in 23rd place.

Sixteen-year-old Skyla Powers (Decatur, Ga.) finished 32nd – the best result at a Senior World Cup ever for the 2012 Cadet World medalist.

The 51st seed in the table of 64, Powers drew Sabina Mikina (AZE) – a top-eight finisher at the 2011 Senior Worlds.

Powers controlled the bout well as she built a 12-11 lead. She gave up just one more touch to win the bout, 15-12.

Powers will join Zagunis, Wozniak and Muhammad in the team event on Sunday where she will make her debut in a Senior World Cup team competition.

In the table of 32, Powers fell to Viktoriya Kovaleva (RUS), 15-12.

In addition to Lee and Hassan, who lost to Zagunis and Wozniak in the openers, eight U.S. women advanced were eliminated in the table of 64.

Adrienne Jarocki (Middle Village, N.Y.) lost to Olga Zhovnir (UKR), 15-10.

Reigning Cadet World bronze medalist Francesca Russo (Wayne, N.J.) lost to Li, 15-6.

Kamali Thompson (Teaneck, N.J.) came close to upsetting Zhu who led the bout, 11-10, before going on to take a 15-12 win.

Former Cadet World medalist Nicole Glon (State College, Pa.) lost to Ilaria Bianco (ITA), 15-10.

Sage Palmedo (Portland, Ore.), a 2012 Cadet World Team member, fell to Besbes, 15-11.

Faizah Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.), the younger sister of 13th place finisher Ibtihaj Muhammad, was a touch away from meeting Wozniak in the table of 32, but she lost to Nakayama, 15-14.

Sixteen-year-old Claudia Kulmacz (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) lost to Kovaleva, 15-9.

Junior Lena Johnson (Peachtree City, Ga.) dropped her bout to Vecchi, 15-5.

In the men’s event, London Olympic nominee James Williams (New York City, N.Y.) earned the top finish for Team USA with a 15th place result.

Williams won his table of 64 bout over junior Geoffrey Loss (Laguna Beach, Calif.), 15-12, and trounced Baptiste Gans (FRA), 15-5, in the table of 32.

Williams nearly had a career highlighting upset, however, in the table of 16 where he came two touches away from defeating second seed Nicolas Limbach (GER). Limbach, the

2009 Senior World Champion and a runner-up at the last two Worlds, won the bout, 15-13, and went on to take the bronze medal after withdrawing with an injury from his semifinal bout against Aron Szilagyi (HUN).

Injuries remained a theme on the men’s side on Saturday as Junghwan Kim (KOR) withdrew from the final bout as well. Kim, who was being treated by trainers minutes before taking the strip, fought the first half of the bout where he trailed by four touches before pulling out of the match against Szilagyi.

Ben Igoe (Staten Island, N.Y.), a 2011 Senior World Team member, and Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass.), a 2012 Junior World medalist each advanced to the table of 32.

Igoe placed 28th after a 15-11 win over Julien Medard (FRA) in the table of 64 and a 15-5 loss to Kim in the table of 32.

Dershwitz won his first bout against Wei He (CHN), 15-13, but lost the next to 2012 Pan Am Champion Joseph Polossifakis (CAN), 15-13, and finished 29th overall.

In addition to Loss, seven other U.S. athletes lost bouts in the table of 64.

London nominees Daryl Homer (New York City, N.Y.), Tim Morehouse (New York City, N.Y.) and Jeff Spear (Wyantskill, N.Y.) each lost in the opening round.

Homer, a 15th seed, lost by a touch to Gans, 15-14.

After a 3-3 finish in the pools on Saturday, Morehouse entered the event as a 61st seed and drew 2010 Senior World Champion Woo Young Won (KOR) in the first round. Won earned the victory, 15-9, and Morehouse was eliminated.

Spear, Team USA’s replacement athlete in London, lost to Nicolas Rousset (FRA), 15-10.

Spear’s younger brother, Will Spear (Wyantskill, N.Y.) also lost in the table of 64. A 2011 Junior World Team member, the younger Spear lost to Polossifakis, 15-13.

Competing in his first senior international event, 19-year-old Michael Josephs (Chevy Chase, Md.) lost to Kim, 15-6.

Michael Costin (Culver City, Calif.), a 2012 Junior and Cadet World Team member, lost to Dmitri Lapkes (BLR), 15-8.

Eighteen-year-old Duncan O’Brien (Wellesley Hills, Mass.) lost to Limbach, 15-3, in the opener.

[LongBlade]

London 2012: Nothing else matters for Natalya
The Journal (Ireland)
June 24, 2012

www.thejournal.ie/london-2012-nothing-else-matters-for-natalya-497288-Jun2012/

ASK NATALYA COYLE about the personal sacrifices, the early training sessions on wet winter mornings, the feeling that she’s living her life out of a travel bag in hotel rooms, and each answer invariably begins with the same response. A shrug of the shoulders and five words that make it all worthwhile.

“I’m going to the Olympics.”


Image: ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Coyle is no ordinary 21-year-old. While her Trinity College classmates stressed over the results of their first-year BESS exams, the Tara native was waiting for a different type of call.

On 16 June, two agonising weeks later than expected, it finally came. She became the first Irish athlete to qualify in modern pentathlon — a multi-discipline event which combines fencing, swimming, riding, running and shooting — and the country’s first representative since Moscow 1980.

The news was the culmination of a journey which started back in 2009. Coyle was competing nationally and internationally in tetrathlon, a variation of pentathlon for younger athletes without fencing, when her friend and training partner Eanna Bailey put an épée in her hand. As someone who is by her own definition “incredibly competitive”, she didn’t take much convincing.

Her step up coincided with the arrival of high performance director Lindsey Weedon who has transformed the country’s approach and attitude to the sport, Coyle explains.

“At the start, you’d think ‘Ok we’ll fence here’ and then someone else would say ‘But aren’t you supposed to do swimming there?’ And there’d be a meltdown.

It wasn’t even chaos, we weren’t really doing any training. Well, we were training but we weren’t training to get to the Olympics. Lindsey came along and she put a structure down, she put a plan in place. That was a big shock to the system on our part.
A former pentathlete herself, Weedon was able to plot a path forward. Earlier this year, she convinced Polish fencing coach Marek Makay to come on board while sports psychologist Kate Kirby is also a regular presence now.

“I used to think it wasn’t important,” Coyle says of her sessions with Kirby, “and I probably pushed it away a good bit but it’s essential. It’s like a sixth sport at this stage.

“It’s like a job — you don’t want to get up and do a different thing every time, you want to do the same thing each time so it comes naturally.”

But the most trying mental challenge must be living the dual life of a 21-year-old college student and an Olympian. While her friends and classmates are hanging out and socialising, Coyle is either dashing to a training session or catching up on some hard-earned sleep.

“A couple of people when they first meet me say ‘Oh, I haven’t seen you out.’ Well, there’s a reason for that. I sleep at night.

Everyone always asks if it’s difficult because you’ve to sacrifice so much but it’s not really. I’m going to the Olympics. Is there anything else? What else would I be doing?
The feeling of constantly being on the move from country to country, tournament to tournament, is the one thing that does get to her slightly. “I must be the world’s best packer,” she jokes but as she runs through a sample itinerary which takes in America, Rio, Paris, Budapest, Moscow and Rostov, it’s impossible not to feel exhausted just listening.

Olympic qualification began last August in London where Coyle finished 20th in a World Cup Final and didn’t finish until another World Cup Final in China last month. It has been a long year, particularly in the bleak winter months, but she has made some good friends along the way.

“Pentathlon is different to other sports. Sprinters probably don’t associate with each other; we live with other from February to October. Some of my best friends compete with me. I live abroad, I live with them pretty much.”

That bond was most evident when Coyle failed to qualify for the World Championship finals. The first person to console her was Great Britain’s world champion and top Olympic hope Mhairi Spence: “She was the first person to pick me up off the ground and tell me I can do this.”

Spence’s gesture is an example of the way in which Coyle has always tried to live her own life, both on the road and at home.

I think an athlete has to have two separate lives. You don’t want to be this hyper-competitive freak the whole time, and then you don’t want to be this mellow, chilled out person either. You need to get the job done.

[Sports psychologist] Liam Moggan said to me the first time I met him that there’s no point in ever winning medals if there’s nobody to bring them home to. That’s the attitude, that’s what I live by. What’s the point in winning gold and everyone thinking you’re horrible?

Winning gold is still some distance away though, and as Coyle talks excitedly about London, it becomes clear that this summer is only the first phase of her masterplan.

“It’s about soaking it up and getting the most experience. Of course I’m going to perform to the best I can possibly do but I’m 21, there’s probably only going to be two or three people younger than me at the start line.

“In Rio I’ll still be young — 24, nearly 25 — so that’s when I’ll look to do my best performance.”

[LongBlade]

Gabi Down dreams of wheelchair fencing success at Paralympics
By Elizabeth Hudson
BBC Paralympic sport reporter
June 25, 2012

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/disability-sport/18461274

To her Year Nine classmates at Oakgrove School in Milton Keynes, Gabi Down is just another typical 14-year-old.

She dislikes maths and likes PE, The Only Way Is Essex, her cat Wallace and hamster Eric and her friends describe her as "funny", "confident", "honest" and "a great friend".

But swap the school books for a sword and a mask and she becomes a top wheelchair fencer who will be making her Paralympic debut in London later this year.

Down, who trains at Touche Fencing Club in nearby Towcester, will be one of the youngest members of the ParalympicsGB team and will be taking part in the women's team epee event alongside team-mates Gemma Collis and Justine Moore on Friday, 7 September at the ExCel centre while the rest of the school are enjoying the first days of the new term.

But despite her tender years, Down, who started wheelchair fencing after being talent-spotted at a sports camp aged 11, is looking forward to taking on her rivals.


Down will be one of the youngest members of the GB team in London


"I know I will be the youngest fencer there and now I don't feel intimidated by my older rivals," she told BBC Sport. "I've been competing for just over a year now and I see the same people at every competition.

"At my first couple of events I was a bit intimidated and I thought my rivals were all going to destroy me but now I've got far more used to it and I feel really comfortable going to competitions. There are some really tough opponents but some I have a good chance against so I will just go and try my best.

"The more experienced guys on the team like David Heaton, who will be going to his fifth Games, are a great help and support to us all and tell us what to expect from different opponents and different competitions."

Down has a condition called skeletal dysplasia which means that her bones are not properly formed. She was born with two toes on her right leg and had it amputated when she was three.

However, sport has always played an important role in her life and she now has the chance to show off her talents on the world stage.

The teenager has also played wheelchair basketball and taken part in athletics and gymnastics but they have taken a back seat for the moment to allow her to concentrate on wheelchair fencing.

While a medal is probably beyond Down with the GB epee team ranked ninth in the world, she wants to enjoy the whole Games experience.

"Since I've been selected I've been training about five days a week," she said. "I was over the moon to be selected and it is such a big thing to compete in a home Games for my first Games and I feel really privileged.

"I'm just looking forward to everything at the Games and staying at the Olympic Lodge. It will be absolutely amazing to have a home crowd cheering you on, no matter what.

"I'm hoping to go and see some wheelchair basketball at the Paralympics and I've also got Olympic tickets for some athletics heats and the women's football."

But she admits that trying to juggle school work and training can be challenging.

"I have fallen behind at school because of different tournaments and training weekends but the teachers have been really great and to help me to catch up they give me work to do," she said.

"It is really hard when my friends are going out and I can't go as well but I've given it up for a really good cause. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and friends will still be there afterwards so it makes it all worthwhile.

"I never thought I would be able to get any of my friends to come and watch me compete as not many have seen me fence before so it will be great for them to come along and support me in London."

And her form teacher Sam Watson, who will be among a group from Oakgrove School travelling to support Down when she competes at the Games, hopes her pupil will enjoy the experience.

"The school is really proud of Gabi, not only as a student but for her sporting excellence and the success she has had," she said.

"It has been a tough balancing act for her but we can't wait to support her and hopefully she will do well and enjoy the event. The fact that she can share this amazing opportunity with her friends and the rest of the school is fantastic."