VFA Bulletin
October 16, 2023
1. General Announcements
Usual schedule this week and next. Charlotte fencers, Tues and Thurs schedules will swap for Halloween (Level2/3 on Tues Oct 31, Level 1 on Thurs Nov 2).
2. Next Champlain Cup Tournaments
Mark your calendars and register now for the next two Champlain Cup tournaments!
Reasons to register early
a. Because it is super helpful to the organizers. We have a whole new team of volunteers running our tournaments this season. Let's make life easy for them.
b. Because it helps attract out of state fencers when they see a tournament will be well attended
c. Because the next two tournaments will be held in a small gym. Therefore competitor numbers will be capped. There is a chance some of the events will fill up. Don't miss out, reserve your spot.
e. Because there is a $15 late fee if you sign up fewer than 5 days in advance
Saturday Nov 11, Vt Commons School, S. Burlington, Stick Season Stab
10 a.m Veteran Epee, Open (Senior Mixed) Foil
1 p.m Veteran Foil, Open (Senior Mixed) Epee
Veteran events are open to fencers born 1984 or earlier (because everyone needs to play with kids their own age from time to time). Open events are open to fencers born 2010 or earlier. Veterans, please do not sign up for two events that start at the same time. You may choose one morning and one afternoon event if you wish. Unrated fencers, including first time competitors, are welcome in open events as long as you are not frustrated by fencing with more experienced opponents.
To register, get directions, and see who else is coming:
https://www.askfred.net/tournaments/8100f451-3775-4448-9e8e-3f8c248083d9
Saturday Dec 3, Vt Commons School, S. Burlington, Holiday Open
10 a.m Youth Foil, Open (Senior Mixed) Epee
1:30 p.m Youth Epee, Open (Senior Mixed) Foil
Youth events are open to kids born 2011 or later, and are great for all young fencers, including first time competitors. Open events are open to fencers born 2010 or earlier. Unrated fencers, including first time competitors, are welcome in open events as long as you are not frustrated by fencing with more experienced opponents.
To register, get directions, and see who else is coming:
https://www.askfred.net/tournaments/668c0af9-55ef-4ef1-8b86-bd2123a8b4b4
Entry fees for all GMD events: $10 registration fee, plus $10 per event (so $20 for one event or $30 for two). Payment is at the door.
3. Another Good Tournament for Veteran Fencers (born 1984 or before)
Can't wait for the Stick Season Stab? Our friends at Worcester Fencing Club in MA are hosting their annual Veteran tournament on Sunday Nov 5. They always put on a good tournament with a big turnout of New England veteran fencers, separate mens and womens events in each weapon. Karen and I are already signed up. How about a few more VFA fencers?
Registration is on the OLD askFred system (not sure why they haven't migrated to the new one). There is a link on the new one, but you have to complete your registration and pre-pay for it on old Fred here:
https://www.askfred.net/tournaments/668c0af9-55ef-4ef1-8b86-bd2123a8b4b4
Registration deadline is October 22, and (nonrefundable, prepaid) entry fee is $35
4. Tournament Results
Thank you to Anne Crocket and the UVM fencing club for hosting the Fall Foliage Classic last weekend. The Champlain Cup season is off and running! Congratulations to all our medalists.
Open Foil (15 competitors, D1 event)
1 Wendell, Jay SeacostFC, earned D rating
2 Djonouma, Toyohm Portland FC
3 Cook, Ethan UVM / VFA
3 Murdoch Roy, Grace SeacoastFC
Open Epee (23 competitors, C1 event)
1 Wald, Jonathan RPI, earned C rating
2 Bush, Thomas RIFAC
3 Djonouma, Toyohm Portland FC
3 Liu, Jeremiah CavalierFC
Unrated Mens Epee (6 competitors, E1 event)
1 Biancosino, Kirin VFA, earned E rating
2 Glazer, Adam VFA
3 Henty, Colton VFA
3 Kim, Joshua RPI
Unrated Womens Epee (6 competitors, E1 event)
1 Lamoreaux, Julie VFA, earned E rating
2 Cutler, Karen VFA
3 Lodha, Seema VFA
3 Wheeler, Michele VFA
Unrated Mens Foil (10 competitors, E1 event)
1 Yeh, Rodney VFA, earned E rating
2 Spencer, Kyus RPI
3 Macik, Axel VFA
3 Peterson, Alexander CYR PL/RPI
Unrated Womens Foil (4 competitors, NR event - they chose to fence each other rather than have a mixed event)
1. Wong, Ashley RPI
2. Martin, Devorah VFA
Performance of the Week: Shared by two adult fencers who took some time away from fencing (a few months for Rodney, 11 years for Julie) and have returned with gusto this fall. These are two fencers who make the whole club better with their enthusiasm, positive attitudes, and constant desire to learn more, so I am delighted to see them both earn E ratings. Whenever I fence with Rodney, he always asks for feedback. He is athletic and quick on his feet, so he had no problem with speed being an issue in his final against a left handed college student. He got out to a quick lead with a mix of attacks and ripostes, especially finishing under the arm (where lefties are often most vulnerable). When Rodney got to 12 or 13 points, he made the common mistake of relaxing and assuming the match was in the bag. But his opponent mounted an aggressive challenge to Rodney's lead. Rodney realized that his opponent was not just going to make careless mistakes and hand him the bout, and that he had to attack. It takes a certain amount of courage to go after your opponent when you are close to victory but your edge is slipping away! While Julie has been away from fencing, her strength, stamina and balance have all improved from doing Crossfit. She was the shortest of the women epeeists, so she had to play a different game from her opponents, who outreached her with counterattacks, especially when she advanced without extending her arm. In both her semifinal and her final, I saw her adjust to this, using short attacks to the wrist (where the opponent's height advantage didn't matter) and ripostes made with good control of the opponent's blade at close distance.
Honorable Mentions: I didn't see much of Kirin's fencing, but in his final with frequent practice partner Adam (who he lost to in pools) he played an active game from a longer distance, kept his feet moving, and made quick, committed attacks to earn his E rating. Karen used some excellent disengage attacks and counterattacks to upset the #1 seed and earn her first silver medal. Adam's best bout was in the open event, losing 15-14 to a B rated veteran. And speaking of beating higher rated fencers, Simon did just that in his pool, using his ripostes effectively against a D rated adult. I didn't get to see much of Axel either (busy reffing the women) but he went undefeated in his pool. Hats off to all our first time competitors, but especially Seema for a spectacular debut. One of her competitors described her as a "tiger" (in fencing, that's definitely a compliment). She told me after that she realized she had to keep moving and to stay focussed. Yes indeed! (And how cute were the Lodha twins with their "go mom" banner? ).