Post by schlager7 on Apr 26, 2009 8:51:54 GMT -6
Tournament tests beginners' skills
The Galveston County Daily News
Link to Actual Article
By Lionel Green
The Daily News
Published April 26, 2009
GALVESTON — The sounds of sword fighting filled the gym Saturday at Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church.
Fencers from Galveston County and the surrounding area competed in the third annual Jean Laffite Classic, organized by the Galveston Fencing Club.
The tournament featured about 50 unrated males and females testing their skills. Thirty-one participated in the foil event, 18 in the epee and seven in the saber.
“Foil turned out to be pretty much what we expected and actually wound out being two to three times more than the size of last year’s tournament,” John Trojanowski, president of the Galveston Fencing Club, said. “It’s the first time we had saber, and we were able to award a rating. We had enough people for that. The winner got his E2009. Epee is running along with 18 fencers, so the winner will be getting their D, and second and third place will each get an E ranking. That makes it easily twice what it was last year in size.”
Fencers are classified on an A, B, C, D and E system with A the top classification. Top finishers were able to earn a rating at Saturday’s tournament.
Paden Hilborn, 16, won mixed saber and an E classification. The El Lago teen explained why he chose it over the other weapons.
“I like the kinetic feeling of it,” Hilborn said. “In foil, it’s about controlling the space between to get the advantage. In epee, it’s just pointy end goes in the other man. In saber, you have to control the whole strip with a combination of your feet, your arm and your blade.
“There’s a lot to think about, and I really like that.”
Bryndon Adams, of the South Houston High School Fencing Team, won mixed foil. John Willcutt, of Katy Blades Fencing Academy, won mixed epee.
The mixed tournament included males and females ages 13 and older competing against one another. Most of the participants were beginners.
“Many people do this for fun, and others are very competitive,” Nicole Trojanowski, president of the Clear Lake Fencing Club, said. She assisted with the event.
“We have some who don’t care if they win, and we have some just starting out who really want the rating.”
Why fencing?
Some of the competitors said they enjoyed fencing as an emotional outlet; others liked the exercise.
James Smith, 57, is an instrument technician from Houston whose son, Sean, got him into fencing about two and a half years ago.
Smith actually dueled his wife, Susie, in the saber Saturday.
“I won that pool bout although she didn’t make it easy on me,” Smith said.
Smith likes saber because “there’s strategy in it, but it’s mostly just run up and hit somebody. In foil and epee, it’s more of a dance.”
Galveston resident Sean Halvorsen, 15, started fencing in January 2008 after being introduced to the sport by a friend.
“It’s a great workout first and foremost, but there’s nothing that really gets my heart pumping as much as stabbing someone with a sword,” said Halvorsen, smiling. “It’s a great way to let out anger. It’s a very expressive sport. Any way you can stand or hold your stance, you put your own little twist on it. Every fencer’s different.”
Halvorsen competes with the epee because “you can hit anywhere on the body instead of just a set target area. It’s the heaviest, most satisfying weapon if you want to go back to the anger-releasing thing.
“This is a very intense sport. It’s a workout. If you can get past that, it’s easily the most fun sport I’ve ever played.”
At 14, Seabrook resident Adrian Tiscornia was one of the younger participants.
“I’ve always been a big swords person,” Tiscornia said. “I still go messing around with a stick. It’s one of the few sports where you actually get a sword and get to go and beat your opponent with it.”
South Houston resident Jesenia Reyna, 18, has four years of fencing experience.
“I wanted to try something different because I was used to the whole basketball and volleyball thing,” Reyna said. “I use it to lose out my anger within me, and it’s nice to know you’re fighting the way they used to back in the day.”
Mixed tournaments
In mixed tournaments, the women may duel male opponents. Reyna was not intimidated by the guys at all Saturday.
“Most men are not used to going against girls,” Reyna said. “They see you as a little tiny girl, pretty and sweet and think that they’re going to beat you easily. Once you’re on, it’s completely different.”
Also, in mixed tournaments, teenagers may face much older opponents.
The 57-year-old Smith is realistic but said some of the best fencers in the state are older.
“Of course, you can’t have an ego when you’re in your 50s and fencing guys 16, 18, 20, because they’re going to beat you every night,” Smith said. “But it’s still fun. You usually fence to 15 touches to win. I don’t fence 15-touch bouts. I fence 15 one-touch bouts. If he gets the point, he won. If I get the point, I won. You take victories where you can find them.”
The 16-year-old Hilborn said the sport is physically taxing, even for him, but experience is definitely important.
“I’ve seen people anywhere from the ages of 13 to 60,” Hilborn said. “It’s an advantage if you can move as quickly as everybody else and have the stamina for it. On the other hand, the longer you’ve been fencing the trickier you get.”
Hilborn’s mother, Marilyn, was in the crowd watching the event. She said fencing challenges the mind and helps with confidence.
“It’s an individual sport but, at the same time, very social,” Marilyn said. “I want him to be able to handle pressure. It teaches grace under pressure, it teaches thinking under pressure, and it teaches losing gracefully, because you lose a lot before you win.”
For some fencers, winning or losing is not the point.
“I’m just here to have fun and poke people,” Halvorsen said.
+++
Results
Results from the third annual Jean Lafitte Classic
(D2009 or E2009 designates the rating earned for the fencer’s finish. For example, D2009 means D class in year 2009.)
Mixed Foil
1. D2009, Bryndon Adams, South Houston High School Fencing Team
2. E2009, Daniel Pepin, Bayou City Fencing Academy
3. (tie), E2009, Trey Cole, Clear Lake Fencing Club, and Phil Whisnant, University of St. Thomas Fencing Club
Mixed Epee
1. D2009, John Willcutt, Katy Blades Fencing Academy
2. E2009, Ryan Leigon, Brazosport Fencing Extravaganza
3. (tie), E2009, Jose Aguilar, South Houston High School Fencing Team, and Travis Hinton, Texas A&M University Fencing Club
Mixed Saber
1. E2009, Paden Hilborn, Clear Lake Fencing Club
2. Samuel Sypien, South Houston High School Fencing Team
3. (tie), Jorge Novo, University of St. Thomas Fencing Club, and Ryan Amos, Salle Mauro
+++
At A Glance
A quick review of the three disciplines:
• Epee: Touches are scored with the point of the blade. The entire body — head to toe — is a valid target.
• Foil: Touches are scored with the point of the blade, but only the torso from shoulders to groin in the front and to the waist in the back. The arms, neck, head and legs are considered off target.
• Saber: The modern version of the slashing cavalry sword. The major difference between saber and the other two weapons is that saberists can score with the edge of their blade as well as their point. In saber, the target area is the entire body above the waist, excluding the hands. The lower half is not a valid target, which is meant to simulate a cavalry rider on a horse.
SOURCE: www.usfencing.org
The Galveston County Daily News
Link to Actual Article
By Lionel Green
The Daily News
Published April 26, 2009
GALVESTON — The sounds of sword fighting filled the gym Saturday at Moody Memorial First United Methodist Church.
Fencers from Galveston County and the surrounding area competed in the third annual Jean Laffite Classic, organized by the Galveston Fencing Club.
The tournament featured about 50 unrated males and females testing their skills. Thirty-one participated in the foil event, 18 in the epee and seven in the saber.
“Foil turned out to be pretty much what we expected and actually wound out being two to three times more than the size of last year’s tournament,” John Trojanowski, president of the Galveston Fencing Club, said. “It’s the first time we had saber, and we were able to award a rating. We had enough people for that. The winner got his E2009. Epee is running along with 18 fencers, so the winner will be getting their D, and second and third place will each get an E ranking. That makes it easily twice what it was last year in size.”
Fencers are classified on an A, B, C, D and E system with A the top classification. Top finishers were able to earn a rating at Saturday’s tournament.
Paden Hilborn, 16, won mixed saber and an E classification. The El Lago teen explained why he chose it over the other weapons.
“I like the kinetic feeling of it,” Hilborn said. “In foil, it’s about controlling the space between to get the advantage. In epee, it’s just pointy end goes in the other man. In saber, you have to control the whole strip with a combination of your feet, your arm and your blade.
“There’s a lot to think about, and I really like that.”
Bryndon Adams, of the South Houston High School Fencing Team, won mixed foil. John Willcutt, of Katy Blades Fencing Academy, won mixed epee.
The mixed tournament included males and females ages 13 and older competing against one another. Most of the participants were beginners.
“Many people do this for fun, and others are very competitive,” Nicole Trojanowski, president of the Clear Lake Fencing Club, said. She assisted with the event.
“We have some who don’t care if they win, and we have some just starting out who really want the rating.”
Why fencing?
Some of the competitors said they enjoyed fencing as an emotional outlet; others liked the exercise.
James Smith, 57, is an instrument technician from Houston whose son, Sean, got him into fencing about two and a half years ago.
Smith actually dueled his wife, Susie, in the saber Saturday.
“I won that pool bout although she didn’t make it easy on me,” Smith said.
Smith likes saber because “there’s strategy in it, but it’s mostly just run up and hit somebody. In foil and epee, it’s more of a dance.”
Galveston resident Sean Halvorsen, 15, started fencing in January 2008 after being introduced to the sport by a friend.
“It’s a great workout first and foremost, but there’s nothing that really gets my heart pumping as much as stabbing someone with a sword,” said Halvorsen, smiling. “It’s a great way to let out anger. It’s a very expressive sport. Any way you can stand or hold your stance, you put your own little twist on it. Every fencer’s different.”
Halvorsen competes with the epee because “you can hit anywhere on the body instead of just a set target area. It’s the heaviest, most satisfying weapon if you want to go back to the anger-releasing thing.
“This is a very intense sport. It’s a workout. If you can get past that, it’s easily the most fun sport I’ve ever played.”
At 14, Seabrook resident Adrian Tiscornia was one of the younger participants.
“I’ve always been a big swords person,” Tiscornia said. “I still go messing around with a stick. It’s one of the few sports where you actually get a sword and get to go and beat your opponent with it.”
South Houston resident Jesenia Reyna, 18, has four years of fencing experience.
“I wanted to try something different because I was used to the whole basketball and volleyball thing,” Reyna said. “I use it to lose out my anger within me, and it’s nice to know you’re fighting the way they used to back in the day.”
Mixed tournaments
In mixed tournaments, the women may duel male opponents. Reyna was not intimidated by the guys at all Saturday.
“Most men are not used to going against girls,” Reyna said. “They see you as a little tiny girl, pretty and sweet and think that they’re going to beat you easily. Once you’re on, it’s completely different.”
Also, in mixed tournaments, teenagers may face much older opponents.
The 57-year-old Smith is realistic but said some of the best fencers in the state are older.
“Of course, you can’t have an ego when you’re in your 50s and fencing guys 16, 18, 20, because they’re going to beat you every night,” Smith said. “But it’s still fun. You usually fence to 15 touches to win. I don’t fence 15-touch bouts. I fence 15 one-touch bouts. If he gets the point, he won. If I get the point, I won. You take victories where you can find them.”
The 16-year-old Hilborn said the sport is physically taxing, even for him, but experience is definitely important.
“I’ve seen people anywhere from the ages of 13 to 60,” Hilborn said. “It’s an advantage if you can move as quickly as everybody else and have the stamina for it. On the other hand, the longer you’ve been fencing the trickier you get.”
Hilborn’s mother, Marilyn, was in the crowd watching the event. She said fencing challenges the mind and helps with confidence.
“It’s an individual sport but, at the same time, very social,” Marilyn said. “I want him to be able to handle pressure. It teaches grace under pressure, it teaches thinking under pressure, and it teaches losing gracefully, because you lose a lot before you win.”
For some fencers, winning or losing is not the point.
“I’m just here to have fun and poke people,” Halvorsen said.
+++
Results
Results from the third annual Jean Lafitte Classic
(D2009 or E2009 designates the rating earned for the fencer’s finish. For example, D2009 means D class in year 2009.)
Mixed Foil
1. D2009, Bryndon Adams, South Houston High School Fencing Team
2. E2009, Daniel Pepin, Bayou City Fencing Academy
3. (tie), E2009, Trey Cole, Clear Lake Fencing Club, and Phil Whisnant, University of St. Thomas Fencing Club
Mixed Epee
1. D2009, John Willcutt, Katy Blades Fencing Academy
2. E2009, Ryan Leigon, Brazosport Fencing Extravaganza
3. (tie), E2009, Jose Aguilar, South Houston High School Fencing Team, and Travis Hinton, Texas A&M University Fencing Club
Mixed Saber
1. E2009, Paden Hilborn, Clear Lake Fencing Club
2. Samuel Sypien, South Houston High School Fencing Team
3. (tie), Jorge Novo, University of St. Thomas Fencing Club, and Ryan Amos, Salle Mauro
+++
At A Glance
A quick review of the three disciplines:
• Epee: Touches are scored with the point of the blade. The entire body — head to toe — is a valid target.
• Foil: Touches are scored with the point of the blade, but only the torso from shoulders to groin in the front and to the waist in the back. The arms, neck, head and legs are considered off target.
• Saber: The modern version of the slashing cavalry sword. The major difference between saber and the other two weapons is that saberists can score with the edge of their blade as well as their point. In saber, the target area is the entire body above the waist, excluding the hands. The lower half is not a valid target, which is meant to simulate a cavalry rider on a horse.
SOURCE: www.usfencing.org