Fencing in the News

[LongBlade]

Missoula Fencing Association Helps Sport Grow
By Dominic Shelden
ABC/Fox Momtana
June 30, 2014

www.abcfoxmontana.com/story/25910998/missoula-fencing-association-helps-sport-grow

In a Missoula warehouse building up against the train tracks, sits an unassuming spot, where the Missoula Fencing Club is working to share their sport with the community

"People have a misconception about fencing, thinking it's not a real sport, or that it's a staged thing. Fencing is a lot like boxing, there are a lot of tactics, and it's a very physical athletic sport, but one thing it's unique about it is the strategy involved," says Arthur Befumo, a high school fencer.
While there are plenty of misconceptions about the sport, the notion of it being highly respectful and gentleman-like, is plenty accurate.

"Whenever you picture Fencing, you picture two guys saluting, and putting on their mask, and it's a dual more or less, so that is something we encourage, we encourage fair play. You always shake hands at the end whether you've won or lost," says Missoula Fencing coach Chris Leclercq

The Missoula Fencing Club has athletes from grade school through adults that compete and train. While their numbers are solid, with it being a smaller sport state-wide, the athletes have to travel a fair amount.

"Fencing in our division, which includes Montana, Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington is pretty sparse. There are only three or four major clubs, so for larger tournaments, I've traveled to Seattle several times, we went to nationals in California, I've gone to Minneapolis and Oregon, so in this area, the sport is just starting to gain some traction" says Befumo.

Gaining that traction starts from a young age, with the fencing club welcoming six year olds, but their training is a little different

"Six and seven year olds, they really have this pirate fantasy that they want to express, and we play on that, we let them do creative stuff, we do some stage combat and let them exercise those dreams until they get to an age where they can start taking on more of the material, more of the technique and more of the skill," Laura Lee, Director of Missoula Fencing Association

"For me, fencing has to be fun, before it becomes competitive. Because like most things you tend to plateau after awhile. If you're having fun in the sport before you plateau, you having fun will get you through the plateau," adds Leclercq.

This past weekend, the fencing club took part in Olympic day 2014, nearly 160 countries take part in the event, preaching the importance of the Olympic values.

"Respect, Sportsmanship, discipline, self discipline, and that's a big part of fencing. Fencing is a gentleman or gentlewoman's game, and there is etiquette you have to follow on the strip, when you salute your partner you're very respectful, and everything is in good fun. You can be really competitive, but at the same time you recognize someone's achievement and you give them that recognition," explains Lee.

[LongBlade]

Legendary illustrator Vebell lands in US Fencing Hall of Fame
By Ryan Lacey
Westport News
July 2, 2014

www.westport-news.com/sports/article/Legendary-illustrator-Vebell-lands-in-US-Fencing-5596024.php#photo-6544564

As a teenager growing up during the depression, Ed Vebell read about the exploits of swashbucklers in books like "The Three Musketeers." He was captivated by the duels in movies like "The Mark of Zorro." And he fantacized about fencing.


Ed Vebell, 93, holds a photo of himself competing in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics in epee fencing.
Vebell, who was recently inducted into the US Fencing Hall of Fame, finished 13th at the event.
Photo: Ryan Lacey/Staff Photo

The stories painted pictures of chivalry and heroes who handed out justice with their swordsmanship. The tales also planted the seeds of an avocation that -- 80 years and multiple lifetimes worth of experience later -- has landed the 93-year-old Westporter in the US Fencing Hall of Fame.

People in Westport's arts community may know Vebell as one of the nation's leading 20th century illustrators. But his fencing career, which started in his youth on the south side of Chicago, carried him to international championships and the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki.

"He's one of our greatest fencers," said US Fencing Hall of Fame director Andy Shaw. "He was the first American to win an international epee competition; he was great in two techniques (epee and foil) and his game was developed in a number of different places."

Vebell, who fenced for 41 years, was inducted into the hall last Friday at the Columbus Convention Center by Sacred Heart University fencing coach Tom Vrabel.

At the Helsinki Olympics, Vebell reached the semifinals and placed 13th. He won the North American Championships in 1953, and, in 1964 became the lone American to win the World Cup.


Ed Vebell, right, fences in France in 1944.
Photo: Andy Shaw/Contributed Photo

All of his fencing accomplishments coincided with a career of a different kind. Vebell developed into one of the most well-known illustrators in the United States, a career that lasted 70 years with his work appearing in virtually every significant magazine in the country, including Time, Life, Sports Illustrated and Reader's Digest.

Vebell began fencing at age 14 and was largely self-taught through books. He competed in the Chicago Championships and won the novice bracket before the advent of war changed the course of his life forever.

"I started fencing mostly because I read a lot of romantic books," Vebell said. "It kind of fired my imagination; and the early movies by Douglas Fairbanks. I was fascinated by fencing."

In 1942, at the age of 20, Vebell was drafted into the Army and was sent to North Africa. When his artistic talent was discovered, he was offered a job as an illustrator with Stars and Stripes, published by the Defense Department and the nation's most widely read military newspaper. Not only did that keep him out of the front line, it allowed him a unique opportunity to continue his fencing training with some of the best teachers in the world.

"(Stars and Stripes) allowed time to get trained for fencing in North Africa," Vebell said. "I trained at the French officers club because they had a gymnasium attached to it."

Vebell moved from Africa to Italy and onto France as the war progressed, illustrating the battlefield while honing his fencing craft. He received one-on-one instruction -- which he partly paid for with Army-issued cans of Spam -- from the game's brightest minds.

"I got great instruction because they were the best in the world; the French and Italians," Vebell said. "I was training for the Olympics while in Europe; I think I was the only one to do that during the war."

With Stars and Stripes, Vebell covered many significant war events, including the Nuremburg trials in 1945.

Vebell remained in Paris following the war to receive more training before moving to New York in 1947. While he didn't have the necessary time to accumulate ratings points to compete in the 1948 Olympics, Vebell finished in third place in the individual epee competition at the Pan American Games in 1951 and helped the US finish first in foil and second in epee.

Although Vebell enjoyed success on the domestic level, competing against the best fencers in the world posed a different challenge. Vebell trained six hours a week and dueled with Europeans that made the sport their full time jobs.

"For many of the great (Americans), we had to deal with the European being sponsored," Shaw said. "Many countries would give everything to their athletes. If you work a job, and you go to work and fence on the weekends. Compared to (the Europeans) fencing all day long. You don't have to earn money if you are sponsored."

In 1952, Vebell reached the semifinals of the Helsinki Olympics. In the semifinal round, he was matched up with Italian brothers Dario and Edoardo Mangiarotti, who ended up winning gold and silver.

"I felt if I could train like the Europeans, I would have been much stronger," Labell said. "I still did very well, 13th in the Olympics isn't bad; all of the other Americans were out in the first round and I lasted for three rounds."

Following the Olympics, Vebell moved to Westport in 1953 to continue both interests. Vebell freelanced for a variety of magazines while continuing his twice-a-week training schedule with hopes of placing higher at the 1956 Olympics. His hopes were dashed as he suffered a detached retina in training leading up to the games.

"Things happen, athletes get hurt, which is very common when you're training so hard," Vebell said. "You have to be lucky; sometimes it's not winning, it's avoiding injuries."

Vebell was ranked No. 1 in the US heading into the 1960 games. Fate again intervened when his wife Elsa -- the two were married for nearly 60 years -- gave birth the night before the National Championships. Vebell was left of the team after an uneven performance the following morning.

"All I needed was a night's sleep," Vebell said. "We had to fence at 8 a.m. after being on my feet all night long."

Vebell rebounded and, at age 39, finished first in the 1964 World Cup, a tournament held in New York. The tournament featured most of the best fencers in the world, with the exception of the Soviet Union, which chose not to participate.

"I was world champion, but the caveat was that the Russians weren't there," Vebell said. "I might not have done as well if the Russians were there. The Europeans were tough. That was my biggest victory for sure."

Vebell's fencing career began to wind down following his World Cup win. He taught the fencing at Roger Ludlowe High School in Fairfield as he turned his attention to illustrating and continued to compete locally before retiring in 1980.

His studio in Westport, the same one since 1953, remains a museum of years of books, artwork and warfront collections. Among stacks of drawings spanning years of history is a small pile of fencing photos dating back to 1944.

"Fencing is the reason I've arrived to this age," Vebell said. "The repetitive motions; I think it's conducive to longevity. It's helpful physically."

And at 93, he's proof of it.

[LongBlade]

Mastering the art of the blade: Local fencers face off at national competition
by JENNIFFER WARDELL
The Davis Clipper
Jul 03, 2014

www.davisclipper.com/view/full_story/25379273/article-Mastering-the-art-of-the-blade--Local-fencers-face-off-at-national-competition?instance=lead_story_left_column

KAYSVILLE - You don’t have to be a fantasy re-enactor to enjoy a good swordfight.

Schoolhouse Fencing, which does part of its training in Davis County, teaches students of all ages and skill levels the art of fencing. Some of the club’s more skilled members are with coach Kenny Nopens at the 2014 USA Fencing National Championships, but those with all skill levels are welcome as newcomers swell the sport’s ranks.

“Fencing has really grown as a sport in the last 10 years,” said Jennifer Nollner, with Schoolhouse Fencing. “It’s partly because of how well we’ve done in recent Olympics, but the number of people at events like this have probably quadrupled in size.”

The club has 12 students at the event, including Tatijana Stewart, currently the top 14-year-old fencer in the nation. Though she’ll only be in 10th grade this fall, she won the Cadet gold medal at the Junior Olympics in February.

“She’s our little female phenomenon,” said Nollner.

Though most of the individual events started this week, the club’s senior team finished 6th out of 38 teams at their event. They lost by a few points to the U.S. National team, which went on to win the gold medal at the event.

“It stinks,” said Nollner. “But if you have to lose to someone, you might as well lose to them.”

Several fencers who have competed with the club have gone on to college careers. Among those is Dylan Nollner, who fenced for Duke in the NCAA championships for four years, and Elias Johnson, currently an NCAA competitor at the United States Air Force Academy.

Most of the fencers trained by the club specialize in epee, a type of fencing where the entire body is the target.

“While it’s easy to pick up a weapon and learn to fence, becoming skilled at the sport takes years,” said Nollner. “It is a sport that combines physicality with mental ability, as you move with precise actions in order to draw the desired reaction from your opponent so you can capitalize on their mistake.”

Still, Schoolhouse Fencing has plenty of room for beginners and those who aren’t yet sure that they’re dedicated to the sport. Students can spend anywhere from one to two years in the beginner classes, where instructors don’t make them pay for any of the equipment used.

“Even if you’re seven and come in hoping to swing a sword, you’ll start learning proper technique,” said Nollner. “We don’t like parents to have to buy $150-$200 in equipment, then have to sell it on Ebay when their kids change their minds.”

If you do decide to invest in the equipment, old age won’t be a reason to shut it back in the closet. The national competition has an entire sub-category for veterans, with 50-year olds and 70-year olds competing against people in their own age group.

“It’s not a sport you have to give up just because your knees gave out,” said Nollner. “You can fence at any age.”

Fencing as an adult can have a profound effect on your life in other ways, as well. Nollner had been divorced for a year when her son decided to take fencing lessons at Wasatch Fencing, another club in Kaysville. A month later, Kenny Nopens came in as a volunteer instructor.

“I told him, if I was going to help with the club, I really should know how to fence,” said Nollner.

The lessons eventually led to marriage, as well as the opening of Schoolhouse Fencing.

“That’s our fencing love story,” she laughed.

For more information, visit schoolhousefencing.com.

[LongBlade]

Fencer still finds ways to win at age 64
By St. Clair Murraine
Tallahassee Democrat
July 4, 2014

www.tallahassee.com/story/sports/local-sports/2014/07/04/fencer-still-finds-ways-win-age/12214559/

MONTICELLO – After about 10 minutes or so of a practice bout, John McFarland took a break. Beads of sweat rolled off his forehead.

He was breathing hard, too – much to the surprise of a visitor. The sparring between McFarland and his longtime friend Wayne Frey inside the Monticello Boy Scout’s building didn’t seem grueling enough to work up a sweat.

“It may not look like much,” McFarland said, twiddling his epee sword around, while hopping backwards and forward to give a clearer picture of how demanding the sport could be.

McFarland, a retired 64-year-old, spent another hour or so practicing techniques that he’s put in play countless times in a lengthy career that started when he was a student at Duke University.

Recently, he captured gold medal in the veterans’ epee division at the Sunshine State Games.

It was his second gold medal victory in the Games. He won his first medal 29 years ago, six years after he participated in the inaugural State Games.

McFarland is just as driven now as he when he began competing.

“In fencing, the sport doesn’t spit you out,” he said, explaining that the sport isn’t one that could hasten the end of a career because of injuries.

“That’s what keeps me going in fencing.”

McFarland trains just like any other athlete. He runs, sometimes as many as five miles. Occasionally, he lifts weights and practice bouts are on his schedule twice each week.

McFarland’s competitive schedule isn’t as full as it was at the peak of his career, when he was winning regional titles in the Southeast Sectional championships. He has seven of those in all, a feat accomplished by just one other fencer.

Back when winning titles was the norm for McFarland, he attained a B-level rating (there are six ratings, with A being the highest). He’s now competing at a C-level, primarily because of a 16-year hiatus that ended in 2001.

“He is still a formidable opponent,” said Frey, one of McFarland’s protégés. “He is still definitely pretty quick.”

Frey knows that first hand. He and McFarland have faced off several times in competition. Their most recent was in this year’s Sunshine State Games.

They were tied at the midway point of the bout before McFarland began to take control.

Neither man has a clear memory of the outcome of their many meetings, but Frey admits it’s never an easy task to face the man who got him into the sport.

“I always know it’s going to be a difficult battle because I can’t guarantee that I’m going to win,” he said. “It’s challenging.”

Epee has become McFarland’s favorite weapon of the three that’s used in the sport. He finds it to be especially effective in open-class competition, where he could likely face a teenage competitor.

Most times, McFarland admitted, the younger man’s speed and strength wins out. But McFarland said he never misses the chance to school a younger opponent when he can.

“They get trained in certain things and they don’t realize that there may be another way to do something that they are trying to do,” he said.

“Another thing, a lot of them do is they get caught up in fencing other young guys and they just think that I have to be tougher and faster,” McFarland said. “So guys like me can go in there and say it’s not just being faster; it also being smarter and more careful about what you are doing.”

Ask him what’s the thrill of competing at his age, and McFarland will tell you it’s the push to regain his B-level rating. And, he doesn’t intend to stop there.

“It’s not one more shot,” he said.

“I’m going to be fencing as long as I can do it. The fact that I can compete full speed, gives me an intensity that’s hard to capture in anything else.”

[LongBlade]

Barr finds peace in fencing
By ALEX BIGELOW
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
July 9, 2014

www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/07/09/3742712/barr-finds-peace-in-fencing.html?sp=/99/110/

Abby Barr countered questions from her fencing coach Rance Bayman with a few blinks of her eyes - nothing more.

She couldn't muster the ability to offer anything resembling an answer.

"I used to owl at him," Barr, 14, said in a phone interview. "I would just stare at him and blink. ... I was a very shy little fifth grader. I didn't like to talk at all."

Sports weren't her thing, either. Barr expressed little interest in anything other than watching baseball until her mother enrolled her in classes at the Bellingham Bay Fencing Association three years ago.

Even then, her quiet nature made embracing fencing difficult. In time, though, the uniqueness of the sport - the demand of mental toughness - captured her.


Bellingham Bay Fencing Association member Abby Barr, left, fences with Jason Lenz, right, on
Thursday, June 5, 2014, in Bellingham, Wash. Photo by EVAN ABELL

"I feel like it has a bit of creativity involved," Barr said. "You see what your opponent is going to do and you get to figure out what am I going to do to counter that. It's very intellectual."

Bayman watched on as a girl once fearful of raising her own voice became a nationally-recognized fencer, earning five bids into the 2014 USA Fencing Association Championships in Columbus, Ohio, in late June and early July.

"It's one of the rewards for doing this - the investment that I put in time-wise in watching kids develop like that," Bayman said in a phone interview.

With a laugh, Bayman remembers the tenseness in which Barr use to compete with.

"Her shoulder blades were almost touching her ears," Bayman said. "One of the techniques we work on is keeping the upper body relaxed to react quicker. ... She's learned to relax and now her form is very good."

At championships, Barr competed in the Division III Women's Epee, Division II Women's Epee, Junior Women's Team Epee, Y-14 Women's Epee and Cadet Women's Epee. Her strongest finish came in the Division III Women's Epee class, taking 72nd in the field of 117 competitors.

That finish was much to the surprise of Barr, who entered the competition seeded 85th.

"That's people above my skill level," said Barr of competing in Division III.

Nathan Cox was the lone other fencer from the Bellingham Bay Fencing Association to earn a bid to championships. Cox finished 101st in the 136-person field in the Division III Men's Foil.

"He's dedicated to it," Bayman said, "that's why he succeeds. ... He's a very tactical fencer, always thinking and planning."

Both he and Barr arrived, as Bayman recalled, reserved and shy.

Barr, albeit a good deal younger than Cox, found comfort and purpose in fencing. Before arriving there as a fifth grader, Barr said she suffered from a lack of self-confidence. Fencing offered something she had yet to find: something she was increasingly good at.

"I just get a feeling where I am doing something meaningful with my time and something I put a lot of effort into and that I'm proud of," Barr said. "I had low self-esteem, so just knowing people believed in me and that I was good at something helped me gain a lot of self-confidence."

[LongBlade]

Grace blends with danger in obscure machete fencing tradition practiced in rural Haiti
By David McFadden
Associated Press
July 09, 2014

www.foxnews.com/world/2014/07/09/grace-blends-with-danger-in-obscure-machete-fencing-tradition-practiced-in/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fworld+(Internal+-+World+Latest+-+Text)

JACMEL, Haiti – Two men pivot and slide in a forest clearing, their bodies weaving before a handful of spectators in what could be a graceful dance except that each waves a machete, blades glinting in tropical sunlight.

The barefoot men are father and son, Alfred and Roland Avril, and are farmers by trade in southern Haiti. Their passion, however, is machete fencing, an obscure martial art with roots in the Caribbean country's history of slavery and rebellion.

In the smoky, greenish light under the trees of his property, 70-year-old Alfred, a master of machete fencing, moves back and forth in fluid, trance-like steps. He explains later that his skills have been honed through decades of practice and mystical visions. "At the moment I am about to fight with the machete, I can see it all unfold in a dream," he said without further explanation on a recent morning.


In this July 2, 2014, photo, Haitian machete fencing expert Alfred Avril, left, instructs a student in the art of combat using faux-machetes carved out of wood from an orange tree, just outside Jacmel, Haiti. The barefoot man and his son, Roland Avril, are farmers by trade in southern Haiti. Their passion, however, is machete fencing, an obscure martial art with roots in the Caribbean country’s history of slavery and rebellion. (AP Photo/David McFadden)The Associated Press

This obscure practice that emerged around the Caribbean in the colonial period is gaining new attention thanks to the very modern phenomenon known as Reddit. Videos showing the elder Avril instructing students were posted on the popular Internet site, catching the attention of a Miami-based writer and filmmaker who quickly was hooked with the menacing beauty of the fencing.

"When I found out that there was an actual martial art using the machete, and that somehow it was wrapped up in the history of the Haitian revolution, I knew I had to go to Haiti to train," said Jason Jeffers, one of the founders of the Haitian Machete Fencing Project, which seeks to promote and preserve a vanishing practice that is part sport, part art.

Jeffers is putting the finishing touches on a short, crowd-sourced documentary about Avril called "Papa Machete" that he's hoping to get into film festivals. He's in early planning stages for a full film, perhaps featuring other machete masters in Haiti's central Artibonite region, where the tradition is most common. Other project members are organizing summer training sessions with Avril in the southern beach village of Jacmel.

Experts say machete-based martial arts can be found among people of African descent in other countries, including Colombia and Cuba. Related styles of fighting include "stick-licking" in Barbados and "kalenda" in Trinidad and Tobago. But the Haitian tradition is a unique fusion of traditional African stick-fighting and European saber fencing that researchers say can be traced back to the earliest days of Haiti's slave revolution at the end of the 1700s.

T.J. Desch-Obi, an associate professor of history at New York's Baruch College who has researched machete fencing, said the art is rooted in combat methods used by the slaves who rose up against their French oppressors in the Haitian revolution of 1791-1804.

"Haiti's revolution really started with just machetes in the early days of the war when they didn't have much access to firearms," said Desch-Obi, author of a 2008 book "Fighting for Honor: The History of African Martial Art Traditions in the Atlantic World," which suggests expertise in machete combat contributed to the success of the slave revolution.

In the 20th century, Haiti's machete-fighting tradition was kept alive by secret societies that required initiates to learn the art, Desch-Obi said. Over the years, he said, he has met about 10 machete masters in Haiti but the exact number in the country is unknown.

It's imbued, at least in Avril's version, with some of the esoteric ideas of Voodoo, a blend of West African religions created by slaves during the colonial period also known as Vodou. The martial art served mostly as a means of self-defense among people living in the Haitian countryside where the handy agricultural tool is used for nearly every purpose under the sun.

Michael Rogers, founder of the Haitian Machete Fencing Project, hopes that showcasing the tradition for visitors will help his aging teacher and preserve what remains of the practice passed down through generations. Although Avril lives close to Jacmel, a coastal town that draws tourists, it tends to be practiced by people in communities deep in the countryside where few foreigners venture.

"I'm also hoping that other masters in other parts of Haiti will come out and show their stuff," Rogers said in a phone interview from Britain.

Historically, the rural tradition of machete fencing has been shrouded in secrecy. Initially, Rogers said Avril would only instruct him behind a wall of woven coconut fronds.

Trying to bring the secretive, rural Haitian martial art to foreigners involves certain trade-offs, but Avril is now eager to share his machete-fighting expertise with anyone who is interested. The former Haitian army drill instructor trained his sons, grandsons and neighbors to carry on his school.

So far, Avril says he's instructed about a dozen people from abroad. Novices are instructed on faux-machetes carved out of wood. Students say it takes weeks to graduate to a real machete.

One of Avril's veteran students is local bar owner Reginald Turnier, who was raised in the New York City suburbs by Haitian parents. He feels like he's unlocking the fighting techniques of his ancestors, and has several small scars on his hands and scalp from early lessons. "There's definitely a martial lineage I feel I'm connecting to," he said.

[LongBlade]

United States women win sabre gold at World Fencing Championships
By Sarah Barshop
Sports Illustrated
July 21, 2014

www.si.com/more-sports/2014/07/21/united-states-women-win-sabre-gold-world-fencing-championships

The United States women's team won a gold medal in sabre at the World Fencing Championships on Monday in Kazan, Russia.



Eliza Stone fenced in the seventh of nine legs in the final match against France and extended the United States' lead by three points.

In the final leg, two-time Olympic champion Mariel Zagunis closed out a 45-39 victory.

The victory for the U.S. women was their first world team title since 2005.

Zagunis won an individual sliver medal after losing to top-ranked Olga Kharlan in the sabre final. It was the 11th careers Worlds medal for Zagunis.

Russia leads the competition with six total medals. Italy and Russia share the lead with two gold medals each. The United States is tied with Germany for fourth with two medals.

[LongBlade]

Mariel Zagunis makes fifth Senior World Fencing individual medal a silver in Russia
Boxscore
July 19, 2014

boxscorenews.com/mariel-zagunis-makes-fifth-senior-world-fencing-individual-medal-a-silver-i-p94912-68.htm


Silver medalist Mariel Zagunis (far left) on the podium with Senior World Champion Olga Kharlan (UKR) and bronze  
medalists Yana Egoain and Ekaterina Dyachenko. Photo Credit: Serge Timacheff / FIE / FencingPhotos.com


USA Fencing: KAZAN, Russia – July 19, 2014 - Two-time Olympic Champion Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.) won her fifth individual Senior World medal with a silver on Friday at the Senior World Championships in Kazan.
Zagunis, whose five individual medals came in just seven championships between 2006 and 2014, came into the event as the No. 2-ranked fencer in the world and was determined to return to the podium after a three year hiatus since her last silver medal at the 2011 Senior Worlds.

After earning a bye into today’s table of 64 due to her No. 2 world ranking, Zagunis defeated Hin Wai Lam (HKG), 15-4, in the table of 64 and Kata Varhelyi (HUN), 15-7, in the 32.

Zagunis won her next two bouts by 15-11 scores over two-time Senior World medalist Cecilia Berder (FRA) and 2003 Senior World medalist Aleksandra Socha (POL) to qualify for the semifinals.

The women’s saber semis were held after Opening Ceremony as the first bouts of the evening at the Kazan Tennis Academy and Zagunis drew 20-year-old Russian Yana Egorian in front of a crowd that came out in force to support the host team.

“Based on the Russian contingent that was in Budapest last year, the crowd was something I was definitely prepared for, whether or not I was going against a Russian. You could hear them all day being really enthusiastic for fencers on other strips. So I knew the semifinal was going to be really tough to concentrate in because of all the cheering for her,” Zagunis said. “So when they were saying “Russia!’ I was just imagining that they were chanting ‘Mariel!’ instead and that helped me kind of focus and keep my motivation up and not be bothered by it much.”

Although Egorian held a 8-7 lead at the end of the first period, Zagunis regained the lead at 10-9 and never looked back as she went on to win the bout, 15-12.

The gold medal final would not only be a battle between the top two fencers in the world – Zagunis and 2013 Senior World Champion Olga Kharlan (UKR) – but it was the third gold medal final between the two fencers out of the last five Senior World Championships with Zagunis winning gold after their last two meetings in 2009 and 2010.

Zagunis held an 8-6 lead at the break, but Kharlan had scored five of the next seven touches to be up by two when she slipped during a retreat and fell off the side of the strip. After a brief injury timeout for Kharlan, Zagunis scored the next touch to tie the bout.

Kharlan responded with three straight touches and gave up just one to Zagunis before going on to take the win and the gold with a 15-12 victory.

“If you look at the competition as a whole, that’s what it should have come down to – No. 1 and No. 2 going at it for a gold medal. She and I were 1-1 this season so I felt pretty confident going into that match and I knew she was going to be a really tough competitor so I was happy to have made it to the gold medal round,” Zagunis said. “I wish the bout could have been a little bit better and I could have pulled out a win, but, then again, I am happy to be back on the podium. Kharlan is such a great competitor and she just fenced better than me tonight.”

When asked about looking back at her success at the Senior World Championships, Zagunis said she thinks less about the history she makes with her results and more about each individual competition.

“I take it one tournament by one tournament. I just try to focus on fencing well. You don’t want to think about the numbers because it could be the first, it could be the seventh. To have it be the fifth medal and having won my first one eight years ago, I think that’s a pretty good track record,” Zagunis said.

While she may not think about historical consequence, Zagunis is now focused on her next goal – a trip to the finals in the team event on Monday when she’ll fence with Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.),Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.) and Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.)

Together the four won bronze in 2013 and Zagunis took two more bronzes at the Senior Worlds with Wozniak and Muhammad in 2011 and 2012.

Team USA won gold earlier this season in Antalya, Turkey and Zagunis’s goal is to bring home the squad’s first team title at this event since 2005.

“I’m really looking forward to fencing the team event with these girls. We’ve had a really great season. A couple of really good results and our not-so-good results were near misses to make the podium or make the gold medal round,” Zagunis said. “So I think we’re going to come out swinging and come out motivated. We all worked really hard at the training camp before this competition and as a team all season. I’m really looking forward to fencing well and getting past that third place and getting into the gold medal round on Monday.”

Both Wozniak and Stone earned career-best individual Senior World finishes on Friday.

Wozniak got off to a strong start with a 15-8 win over Fei Li (CHN) in the table of 64 and a 15-5 victory against Stefanie Kubissa (GER) in the 32.

Wozniak controlled her table of 16 bout against Malgorzata Kozaczuk (POL) as well where she followed an 8-5 lead in the first period by giving up just four more touches to take a 15-9 victory.

In the quarter-finals, Wozniak was dominant again with an 11-7 lead against Ekaterina Dyachenko (RUS) – a silver medalist in both the individual and team events at the 2013 Senior Worlds. Dyachenko couldn’t be stopped as she scored eight touches to close the bout out, 15-13, to secure a fifth career Senior World medal.

Wozniak, who also fenced in the quarters at the 2012 Olympic Games, placed sixth overall.

Stone placed 10th in her second Senior World outing. After a 15-12 win against Sabina Mikina (AZE) and a 15-10 win in the 32 over Rossy Felix Lara (DOM), Stone faced Socha for a chance to take on Zagunis in the quarters. Stone held a one-touch lead at the break at 8-7, but Socha controlled the second period and won the bout, 15-11.

Although Muhammad came into the Senior Worlds with a pair of bronze medals to her credit this season after wins at the Moscow Grand Prix and Pan American Championships, she fell short in Kazan after a loss in the table of 64. Muhammad trailed Karen Ngai Hing Chang (HKG) early in the bout and couldn’t make up ground as Chang took the win, 15-7. The loss left Muhammad with a 35th place finish.

In the men’s event, London Olympian Daryl Homer (Bronx, N.Y.) and Jeff Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y.) each advanced to the table of 32.

Homer, who was exempt from the pools and preliminary rounds on Tuesday, defeated Shaul Gordon (CAN), a two-time NCAA All-American, 15-11, in his table of 64 bout.

Homer dominated the first half of his semifinal bout against Alin Badea (ROU) as he built an 8-1 lead over the 2013 Senior World team silver medalist. Midway through the second period, however, Badea had cut Homer’s lead to 12-8. Badea went on to tie the bout at 12 and take the win, 15-13. Homer finished 19th overall.

Seeded 26th, Spear won his table of 64 bout over Ziad Elsissy (EGY), 15-11. Spear’s low seed pitted him against 2012 Olympic silver medalist Diego Occhiuzzi (ITA). Undaunted by his opponent’s credentials, Spear methodically picked off touches to take an 8-6 lead at the break. Occhiuzzi came back in the second half and was poised to close out the bout at 14-12 before Spear scored twice for a tie at 14. Occhiuzzi took the next touch to finish the bout, 15-14. Spear finished 26th at his second Senior Worlds.

Also fencing at his second Senior Worlds, three-time Junior World medalist Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass.) led Matyas Szabo (GER), 8-4, at the break. Szabo adjusted during the break, however, and outscored Dershwitz, 10-3, for a 14-11 lead. Dershwitz picked up three touches to tie the bout at 14, but Szabo scored the final touch for the win.

Four-time Senior World Team member Ben Igoe (Staten Island, N.Y.) drew Nikolay Kovalev (RUS) in the table of 64, but lost the bout, 15-6, and ended the day in 50th place.

The U.S. Men’s Saber Team will return to competition on Monday when Homer, Spear, Dershwitz and 2014 Junior World team medalist Andrew Mackiewicz (Westwood, Mass.) compete in the team event.

On Saturday, the individual competition continues with the men’s and women’s foil events.

The following athletes will take the strip for Team USA:

· Miles Chamley-Watson (New York City, N.Y.), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World Champion

· Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif.), 2012 Olympian and two-time Senior World medalist

· Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World team silver medalist

· Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World team silver medalist

· Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky.), 2012 Olympian and 2011 Senior World bronze medalist

· Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2012 Olympian and two-time Grand Prix medalist

· Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y.), 2009 Junior World Team Champion

· Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn.), four-time Junior World medalist

Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. local time (12:30 a.m. Eastern) for the women and at 10:10 a.m. local time (2:10 a.m. Eastern) for the men.

For complete results, visit www.fencingworldwide.com.

Top eight and U.S. results are as follows:

Men’s Saber Senior World Championships
1. Nikolay Kovalev (RUS)
2. Bongil Gu (KOR)
3. Tiberiu Dolniceanu (ROU)
3. Alexey Yakimenko (RUS)
5. Aron Szilagyi (HUN)
6. Aldo Montano (ITA)
7. Max Hartung (GER)
8. Woo Young Won (KOR)
19. Daryl Homer (Bronx, N.Y.)
26. Jeff Spear (Wynantskill, N.Y.)
36. Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass.)
50. Ben Igoe (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Women’s Saber Senior World Championships
1. Olga Kharlan (UKR)
2. Mariel Zagunis (Beaverton, Ore.)
3. Ekaterina Dyachenko (RUS)
3. Yana Egorian (RUS)
5. Vassiliki Vougiouka (GRE)
6. Dagmara Wozniak (Avenel, N.J.)
7. Aleksandra Socha (POL)
8. Sofya Velikaya (RUS)
10. Eliza Stone (Chicago, Ill.)
35. Ibtihaj Muhammad (Maplewood, N.J.)

[LongBlade]

Salem teen wins national fencing gold, silver, bronze
By Corey Staver
The Statesman Journal
August 13, 2014

href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/sports/2014/08/12/teen-brings-home-fencing-gold-silver-bronze/13983369/"]

Thirteen is the youngest age at which a fencer is allowed to compete in USA Fencing's adult divisions. Salem's Megan Eno handled the transition gracefully — by winning Nationals.

At 13 years old, Eno faced off with 113 competitors in the Division II Women's Epee competition on June 23 at the USA Fencing National Championships in Columbus, Ohio. She won 12 consecutive matches to reach the finals, where she defeated Jerica Vie of Arizona for the gold medal.

This was Eno's first time competing in an adult division at Nationals, and she didn't expect the outcome she got.

"It hadn't really sunk in for a while," she said of the gold medal win. "I just didn't really believe it."


(Photo: Courtesy of Joy Eno)

And her successes continued. Two days later, she captured a silver medal in the Division III Women's Epee, and she added a bronze in the Y-14 Women's Epee on July 3.

(Epee fencing, which descended from dueling, is one of three styles of competitive fencing.)

Eno had a lot of people backing her during six days of competition at Nationals.

She was accompanied on the trip by her mom, Joy Eno, and Delphine Rivier, a 17-year-old exchange student from Switzerland staying with the family at the time. Rivier is also a fencer and competed at Nationals.

Because Eno's coaches weren't able to make the trip, Cody Mattern, a former Olympic and world-champion fencer who coaches at Northwest Fencing Center in Beaverton, stepped in to guide her.

And Eno was joined at Nationals by a large contingent of fencers, coaches and supporters from around Oregon and Washington whom she knows and regularly competes with.

As she progressed through her Division II matches, a crowd of Pacific Northwesterners steadily grew and cheered her on.

"She was well supported," said Joy Eno, who updated family and friends via text messages about Megan's progress during the competition.

Eno started fencing at age 8, and she remembers the moment her interest in the sport began. She was watching U.S. fencer Mariel Zagunis compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on television and decided she wanted to do the same thing.

Zagunis, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Beaverton, is now one of Eno's favorite fencers.

"I met her once," Eno said. "She signed my glove."

Eno turned 14 a few weeks ago and will begin high school at Sprague this fall.

In addition to fencing, she plays volleyball, runs track and plays the cello.

Is fencing her favorite?

"Oh yeah," she said.

She likes fencing because it's more of a mind game than a physical sport and there are many aspects to it, and she enjoys going to competitions where you've got to take everything you know and prove it, she explained.

And Eno must know a thing or two about fencing.

At one point during an interview at her family's home, she left the room and returned a moment later holding an epee horizontally in front of her with both hands. Between the tip and handle of the sword hung about 40 medals that clanked together as she walked.

Eno has put a lot of time into developing her skills. She practices four to five days per week at Salem Fencing Club, where she is coached by Nanci Keatley and Josh Fowler.

Eno sees a lot more fencing in her future.

Coming up, there are a few tournaments on the West Coast she's interested in attending, and she might try to make the Junior Olympics in February in Richmond, Virginia.

"I want to fence in college," she added.

Although deciding on a college is a few years away, she's got her eye on Princeton University.

"They have a really good fencing team and that's kinda cool," she said.

She said fencing is a sport that a person can do for a long time and that there were fencers in their seventies competing at Nationals.

Will she some day be one of those septuagenarian fencers?

"I hope so," she said.

[LongBlade]

Farmers Branch-based Fencing Institute of Texas teaches strategy to all ages
By SARAH SPELLINGS
Neighborsgo
The Dallas Morning News
15 August 2014

www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/northwest-dallas-county/headlines/20140815-fencing-institute-of-texas-teaches-strategy-to-all-ages.ece

As athletes across North Texas prepare for football, volleyball and cross country, a group of competitors at the Fencing Institute of Texas sharpens its skills in a niche sport.

“It’s the largest collection of type-A people you’ll find,” said Ovy Waddoups, vice chairman of the institute’s board of directors. “These are the kids who generally don’t much care for soccer or lacrosse or other sports. You’re in charge of your own destiny on that strip.”

The nonprofit organization has been around for almost 20 years and coaches about 90 students. Students can start at age 6, and they can start competing at age 7.

“I like to say that you can come in at 6 and finish at 106,” said Waddoups. “The whole deal is to bring the sport of fencing to as many people as possible.”

The facility’s main room is covered with flags and pennants from various elite colleges such as Harvard and Stanford — representing both where the fencers are from and where they go. Trophies and photos decorate another wall, which boasts a picture of two Olympians on the Lebanese team who trained at the institute.

Started in 1998, the institute has grown to include all three weapons of the sport — foil, epee and sabre — plus five coaches and a team that travels nationally and internationally. The coaches each have a specialty, with the exception of head coach Volodymyr Yefimov.

Epee coach Hossam Mahmoud, a transfer from the Egyptian national team, started fencing 35 years ago.

“I’m giving them my experience,” he said. “You pass the torch to them. It’s like anything you do. When I have one who comes and knows nothing and two months from now they can stick someone, you see them happy and that’s what you want.”

The sport, which Waddoups calls “physical chess,” requires athletes to think two or three steps ahead of their opponent.

“In a one-on-one lesson, I’ll give them a situation and tell him to think about how to approach it from offense and defense,” Mahmoud said.

Tommy Manley, 15, has been fencing for five years. On the strip, jousting against his opponent, he’ll wield his foil while they talk smack through their masks. After a series of quick lunges and bouts, the opponents shake hands and get ready for the next round.

Manley, an incoming sophomore at The Westwood School, trains five days a week and competes nationally. He started fencing after visiting the Fencing Institute with a friend.

“We liked the mental component,” his mother, Lockette Manley, said. “His activity level is a lot higher and he also shows a lot of maturity, in part due to the sport.”

St. Marks School of Texas and The Hockaday School have a joint fencing program, but most schools don’t. Mahmoud has been teaching at both schools for almost 20 years.

“That’s how we recruit fencers,” he said. “I have no idea why other schools don’t have it.”

There are 15 fencing facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Waddoups. The institute is one of five United States Fencing Association clubs.

“If you come in here, chances are you’re going to stay here,” Waddoups said.

The Farmers Branch location, Waddoups said, is ideal.

“If you look at the map, right here is the epicenter,” he said. “This location is easy to find, it’s easy to get to and it’s a big facility. We can get kids from Rockwall who come because it’s here.”

When they’re practicing, everyone fences against everyone. The more experienced fencers help the younger ones hone their skills.

“I don’t like getting knocked over, and this is one of the safest sports,” Manley said. “It’s also fun to stab people.”

[LongBlade]

Team USA Fencing begins Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing on Sunday
Boxscore
August 16, 2014

boxscorenews.com/team-usa-fencing-begins-youth-olympic-games-in-nanjing-on-sunday-p97508-68.htm

Colorado Springs, Colorado - August 16, 2014 – The U.S. Fencing Team will feature five Cadet World medalists when competition begins at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China on Sunday.
Selected based on their results at the Cadet World Championships in April, Team USA’s fencers are part of a 92-member U.S. delegation that includes athletes between the ages of 15 and 18 who are competing in 22 different sports.

Each individual event will be held in one day, beginning with pool rounds and concluding with the gold medal finals.

Sunday will kick off with the women’s foil and men’s saber events and Team USA will be represented by Sabrina Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.) and Karol Metryka (Linden, N.J.)

The younger sister of 2012 Olympian Alexander Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.), Sabrina is hoping to follow her brother’s silver at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games with a gold of her own. Coached by her father, three-time Olympian Greg Massialas (San Francisco, Calif.), Sabrina won silver medals at the last two Cadet World Championships and anchored Team USA to a gold at the Junior Worlds. This will be the third international event of the summer for Sabrina who won gold in the team competition at the Senior Pan Am Championships in Costa Rica in June and fenced at her first Senior Worlds last month in Russia. Massialas will face a tough field that includes 2014 Cadet World Champion Marta Martyanova (RUS) as well as bronze medalists Flora Pasztor (HUN) and Claudia Borella (ITA).

Two months after winning his first Junior Olympic Fencing Championship title, Metryka took bronze in his debut at the Cadet World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Although 2013-2014 was just his second season on the international circuit, Metryka won international medals out of four total events. Three of Metryka’s 2014 Cadet World opponents will be back in action in China. Metryka’s table of 32 and quarter-final opponents – Pietro Jose Di Martino (ARG) and Dongju Kim (KOR), respectively – will each be back for a another shot against Metryka who will be looking to avenge his lone loss at the Cadet Worlds to eventual silver medalist Marios Giakoumatos (GRE). Russian Ivan Ilyin is the reigning Cadet World Champion and will be the one to watch at the Youth Olympic Games.

On Monday, the men’s and women’s epee fencers will take the stage.

Justin Yoo (La Verne, Calif.) made history in Plovdiv when he became the first U.S. man to win individual epee medals in both the cadet and junior events at the same World Championships. At the Youth Olympic Games, Yoo will be looking for a rematch against Patrik Esztergalyos (HUN) who defeated the American in the gold medal final. Cadet World bronze medalist Dylan French (CAN) andLinus Islas Flygare (SWE), the No. 2-ranked fencer in the Cadet European standings.

Fencing at her second Cadet Worlds, Yoo’s teammate, Kasia Nixon (Los Angeles, Calif.), came home with a bronze after a season that included a gold medal at the Gothenburg Cadet European Cup. This time, Nixon will face a field loaded will all of the top five finishers from Plovdiv, including gold medalist Eleonora De Marchi (ITA), silver medalist Kinga Nagy (HUN) and bronze medalist Asa Linde (SWE).

Team USA will conclude the individual event on Tuesday with George Haglund (Califon, N.J.) fencing in the men’s foil event. Haglund is hoping to build off his momentum from the cadet season where he won his final Cadet European Cup of the year in Pisa in January and took silver at the Cadet Worlds in April. The reigning Cadet World Champion is Andrzej Rzadkowski who won Poland its first men’s foil Cadet World title in an event that is often controlled by Italy, the United States and Russia, among others. Cadet World bronze medalists Guillaume Bianchi (ITA) and Enguerrand Roger (FRA) could be top challengers for gold as well.

In a unique format, a one-day mixed weapon team event will take place on Wednesday with athletes selected for the continental squads based on their results in the individual competition.

Results will be updated live at www.nanjing2014.org.

[LongBlade]

Europeans claim last individual golds in fencing
Xinhua News Agency
August 8, 2014

href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/xinhua-news-agency/140819/europeans-claim-last-individual-golds-fencing"

NANJING, China, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- European fencing powerhouses grabbed the last individual medals in the men's foil and women's sabre events at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing.

Andrzej Rzadkowski of Poland confirmed his title as a world champion when he won gold in a close bout with crowd favorite Choi Chun Yin Ryan from Hong Kong, China.

The cadet world champion in sabre, Alina Moysenko of Russia, was also able to repeat her golden success after a shaky start in the competition, defeating Italy's Chiara Crovari.

Enguerand Roger of France disappointed Seo Myeong Cheol in the bronze medal match, as the latter tried to get South Korea's third medal in fencing at the Youth Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, Petra Zahonyi of Hungary was overjoyed to win bronze in the women's sabre event after a 15-13 bout with Misaki Emura of Japan and celebrated her achievement with her teammates, including the gold medalist in men's epee.

[LongBlade]

Tournament marks 50th year for Ligonier fencing coach
TribLive
By Deborah A. Brehun
Aug. 20, 2014

triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourligonier/6610099-74/fencing-ligonier-flam

Growing up in California in the 1960s, 11-year-old Norm Flam was captivated by the action-packed adventure movies of Hollywood's Golden Age.

It was these swashbuckling movies, starring Errol Flynn — in classics such as “Captain Blood” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood” — that led Flam to fulfill a lifelong passion for the sport of fencing.

Flam said he got his start at Falcon Studios in Los Angeles, which was frequented by such Hollywood stars as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., John Barrymore and Flynn.

“I lived in North Hollywood and took lessons from Ralph Faulkner, the man who taught Errol Flynn how to fence,” said Flam. “I started with foil fencing. I thought I would do it a few times and here I am still doing it 50 years later. I've been coaching at the Y for the last 15 years.”

In 1986, Flam sold his four Toy Soldier Stores in California and moved to the east coast to be closer to his customer base. The Pittsburgh native chose to live in Ligonier because of the childhood memories he had visiting the Valley during fishing trips with his father.

Flam said he began looking for a place to practice his sport in the Ligonier area after he opened the Toy Solider Gallery here.

There was no local fencing team, so he proposed starting a program at the Ligonier Valley YMCA. Since that time, the team has developed into a world class team, with numerous accomplishments.

“In the beginning we had a few people, but it soon caught on. A lot of students came through the program and went on to get college fencing scholarships, which was great,” he said.

Flam teaches the basic skills of fencing. He provides instruction for all levels, from beginners to national champions.

“This is one of the little surprises Ligonier has,” said Flam. “Not many small towns have a fencing club, let alone one that performs as well as ours.”

The class encompasses the use of foil, epee (dueling sword) and sabre.

Flam marked his 50th year in the sport Friday with a tournament for more than 40 former and current team members of the Ligonier Fencing Amateur Sports Team at the Ligonier Valley YMCA.

“We had competitors here from age 10 to 86, some of them were students here 15 years ago,” Flam said. “Ligonier has had some of the best teams in the country.”

The fencers competed in a classic sabre tournament for a 3” pewter fencing dinosaur, designed and hand-painted by Flam.

The trophy was awarded to Josh McCue, 17, of Scottdale.

Dennis Kraft of Ligonier won the one-touch epee tournament. He received a replica full-scale rapier sword.

While Flam provides individual instruction, his wife, Roberta, takes care of the club's equipment.

“Norm likes to work with the individuals and bring each along according to their abilities,” said Robbie Flam about her husband's personalized fencing instruction methods.

As club armourer, she maintains the equipment and makes sure it is functioning property. She was certified at the U.S. Olympic Headquarters in Colorado.

“I fenced in the past, now I just fix the equipment,” said Robbie Flam. “It is an older technology and us being a small group, our equipment gets a lot of hard use.”

In July, the team participated in the USA Fencing National Championships in Columbus, Ohio. This year two women's and two men's team qualified for the national competition.

“It is a very tough competition and I like everyone to get to experience it. There is nothing else like it,” Flam said.

Flam said he has to teach his students how to lose and take it well.

“They will lose a lot but hopefully, success will come,” Flam said.

Flam said he offers the program to children as young as 8 years old. The eldest member of the team this year is Chuck Younkin, who is 86.

As a result of the varied age of participants, many families participate on the team together.

McCue, 17, of Scottdale, started at the age of 11 after watching the sport during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His parents, Debbie and Jeff, both 49, are also on the fencing team.

“He wanted to do it and we just tagged along. It is a great sport to do as a family,” said Debbie McCue. “We traveled along with Josh and enjoyed the ride.”

McCue said he has learned leadership skills, self control and how to be focused. He hopes to fence at the college level.

Robbie Higgins, 13, started when he was 8 years old.

“He showed up on his eighth birthday to start class,” said Flam.

Higgins praised Flam's teaching techniques and said he has learned a great deal from his instructor.

“Norm is the Napoleon of fencing,” said Higgins. “He can see things in slow motion. He can advise you to change the position of your wrist and you get the touch.”

Sophie O'Sullivan, 15, of Ligonier is a two-year member of the team.

“It is an amazing sport in and of itself,” said O'Sullivan, a Ligonier Valley High School sophomore. “The people here are one-of-a-kind. Each one has their own style of fencing. I learn something here from each and every one of them.”

O'Sullivan said the skills she learns in class are beneficially to her life outside of fencing.

“You learn about etiquette,” she said. “Now, I think about what my next step will be. Fencing forces you to think ahead. That will definitely help me in school.”

Reid Gentile, 62, of Johnstown has been fencing since 1970 when he was a member of the University of Pennsylvania team. He joined the Ligonier club six months ago. He said, while other clubs around the country charge thousands of dollars for lessons, Flam provides his instructions at no cost.

“I didn't think there were people left like him. Ligonier is very lucky to have him,” Gentile said.

Local Ligonier Radio personality Ron Adams experienced his first bout in February at Indiana University of Pa.

Adams, 54, of Ligonier said his daughter, Paisley, have been fencing with the club for three years. Last year, she qualified for the nationals and the Olympics tryouts.

“She got me into it. I came at first to help set up,” Adams said. “Before long, I got sucked in. Everyone is so nice, This group is like a family.”

Adams praised Flam's teaching skills.

“Norm is fabulous and patient with this old guy as a student,” Adams said. “It is a constant learning process. Norm says you don't get real good until you are five years into it.”

Adams said he was impressed to see the team compete at the national level against much larger organizations.

Representing the Central Pennsylvania region, the Ligonier Fencing Club won the silver medal at the U.S. Fencing National Championships in Anaheim, Calif. in 2012. The team was seeded third among 47 teams that qualified from a pool of 700 clubs that year.

“It shows what a quality club this is for Ligonier to compete with major cities who obviously have more fencers in their clubs,” Adams said.

Jack Berger, 74, of Greensburg has been on the team for nearly 13 years. A frequent visitor in Ligonier since he was a child, Berger said he was visiting Flam's Toy Solder Shop when he noticed a sign behind the counter about the fencing team.

“Norm said you are never to old to start. So, at age 61 I did,” Berger said.

Berger placed seventh in sabers at the 2003 national competition in Austin, Texas.

“I love the sport. It was one of my bucket list things,” said Berger. “I plan to keep at it as long as I can.”

Berger agreed it is a great family experience to be associated with Flam's club.

“The young people in Ligonier are a great inspiration. They keep me young,” he said.

Joe Russell, 63, of Ligonier just completed his first year on the team. After retiring from the U.S. Navy, he moved to Ligonier last year so he could fence with Flam.

“With the over-40 crowd, I started 120th and ended up 13th in the nation.”

The Ligonier Fencing team practices 6 to 9 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday at the Ligonier Valley YMCA activity center. The monthly fee is $20 for YMCA members and $40 for nonmembers. There is a drop-in fee of $3 for members and $5 for nonmembers. For more information, call 724-238-7580.

[LongBlade]

U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge loses fencing duel to Stephen Colbert in episode that aired this week
By STEPHANIE WARSMITH
The Akron Beacon Journal
August 29, 2014

www.ohio.com/blogs/ohio-politics/ohio-politics-1.297397/u-s-rep-marcia-fudge-loses-fencing-duel-to-stephen-colbert-in-episode-that-aired-this-week-1.518021

U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge needs to brush up on her fencing skills.

Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights, who was a fencing champion in high school, lost a duel to Stephen Colbert in an episode of the Colbert Report that aired Tuesday. Fudge, who heads the Congressional Black Caucus, had promised to make Colbert an honorary member if he won.

"I am now a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus!" Colbert said triumphantly, after beating Fudge 2-1.

The duel followed a segment of Colbert's "Better Know A District" featuring Fudge's 11th district that stretches from Cleveland to Akron. Colbert focused on Cleveland and never touched on Akron during the segment. He did, however, mention the blimp in a song he sang to Fudge attempting to get her to induct him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

[LongBlade]

For Some, Back To School Means Time To Start Fencing
BY PAUL D. BOWKER
Teamusa.org
SEPT. 04, 2014

www.teamusa.org/News/2014/September/04/For-Some-Back-To-School-Means-Time-To-Start-Fencing

The journey toward an Olympic medal in fencing began in an unlikely way for Tim Morehouse.

He was a 13-year-old seventh grader hoping to avoid gym class. Morehouse noticed a sign at Riverdale Country School in Bronx, New York, that carried the message: Try fencing, get out of PE.

Morehouse, a two-time Olympian and a former schoolteacher in New York City, laughs about that now. He won a silver team medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and is now the driving force behind Fencing in the Schools, an initiative he hopes will eventually introduce the sport to 1 million kids in the United States.

“Fencing was a sport that really changed my life,” Morehouse said. “Thinking back, what if I had never found this sport? I was just fortunate that I went to a school that had fencing.”

Now Morehouse and a group of other Olympians, including 2012 Olympic teammates Susie Scanlan, Nzingha Prescod and Daryl Homer, are teaching fencing in the same physical-education setting that Morehouse disliked as a teen.

The numbers are impressive. In its first year, 2013, Fencing in the Schools delivered the sport to 10,000 kids nationally in nine states. The plan is to increase that number to 20,000 this year in 15 states.

“We’re bringing the Olympic Movement to all these schools around the country,” Morehouse said.

Morehouse and his training partners spent the first week of September in Idaho, where the participating schools in Pocatello, Blackfoot and Rigby nearly doubled from 2013 and the number of kids totaled 2,500. School principals are delighted that their schools are being targeted by Olympians. Excitement among the students becomes quickly obvious.

“The kids literally jump up and down,” Morehouse said. “They have a great time with it. The teachers are really excited to do something new.”

Other athlete ambassadors in the program include Gerek Meinhardt, who was ranked No. 1 in the world in men’s foil earlier this year; Jeff Spear, a 2012 Olympian; Dagmara Wozniak, a two-time Olympian; and Maria Cruz Garcia, a speedskater who competed at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games.

Morehouse is hoping that the Fencing in the Schools program leads other sports into doing the same thing with kids across the country.

“What I want out of Fencing in the Schools is I want us to be a model both how to grow a sport and also impact children’s lives using sports,” Morehouse said.

Morehouse began brainstorming the idea in 2011. While taking part in a number of promotional settings leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games, he heard a similar question in many communities: How can our school get a fencing program?

Since Morehouse began as a social studies and English teacher for Teach For America, he found that Fencing in the Schools would combine “my passion for education and my passion for the sport of fencing together.”

The teaching begins with the physical-education instructors. And it involves much more than bringing some fencing equipment into a room and doing a demonstration. A curriculum was developed by Morehouse, Fencing in the Schools’ chief executive officer; Spear, chief operating officer; Kalle Weekes, past president of USA Fencing; and Jeff Imrich, a Teach For America alumnus.

Once the PE teachers learn the sport, they use the curriculum to teach the kids. During in-school visits, Fencing in the Schools instructors demonstrate the sport and speak to the kids at school assemblies. Scanlan brings her bronze medal from the London 2012 Olympic Games to show the students.

“We’re real excited to be working with all these great teachers to teach them something new and then have them go out and work with the kids,” Morehouse said.

Fencing in the Schools is being taught in six- to 12-week units this year at five schools in Harlem, New York, and two schools in south Bronx. Dennis Wolfe, athletic director at Democracy Prep Public Schools, has seen the program become a difference maker in physical education classes.

"It's very gender neutral. Anyone in the class can be successful as long as they're following the core values and skills that we're teaching," Wolfe said. "It's amazing to see some of the girls in class who aren't really excited about some of the other sport-oriented things that we do. Once they pick up a foil and put on a vest, they're extremely excited about being in class. And for us, that's huge."

The curriculum is developed for students in the third through 12th grades. It is Morehouse’s hope that the program will help start high school varsity programs so that kids can be in competitive matches and start a pipeline that extends to college programs and the Olympic Games.

It can cost between $20,000 and $30,000 to start a varsity program in fencing, Morehouse said, which is why program officials are working with equipment sponsors to find a way to cut that cost in half.

“That’s a big project,” he said. “Everything else we’re working on, that’s as important as anything else because if we can lower the cost of the equipment, we just make the sport that much more reachable for kids and families to go to.”

Sponsorships have helped the organization in its early stages. A grant from P&G will bring several school programs to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Fencing equipment was specially designed for the classes so that fencing jackets light up and buzz when a point is made. Plastic swords are used. The technology has been so successful, Morehouse said, that the International Fencing Federation (FIE) has adopted much of the design for its own programs.

The path of Fencing in the Schools has fueled Morehouse so much that he may not try for another Olympic berth in 2016.

“Now when I think about the kind of impact I should make with my life, I think having this program really succeed is a priority for me,” said Morehouse, the first Olympian in Brandeis University history and a three-time NCAA All-American. “As much as making the Olympics, winning a medal, winning a gold, is important, too, I feel like this is as important to me and maybe more so.”

Paul D. Bowker has been writing about Olympic sports since 1990 and was Olympic assistant bureau chief for Morris Communications at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. He also writes about Olympic sports for the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. Bowker has written for TeamUSA.org since 2010 as a freelance contributor on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc .