2017 Capitol Clash

Noah is heading to the 2017 Capitol Clash SYC Fencing Tournament next weekend.  This is a super-regional national qualifying tournament where he can win points that will earn him a national ranking and help him qualify to compete in the national championship tournament this summer. He will compete January 15 and 16 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Noah is slated to compete in two events: Y14 foil and Cadet foil.

173 fencers will compete in Y14 men's foil on Sunday
115 fencers will compete in Cadet (under 17) men's foil on Monday

Live scoring can be viewed at: http://live.capitolclash.com/

The Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center boasts 2000 guest rooms and 470,000 square feet of meeting space.  It is the largest combined hotel and convention center on the East Coast.

Fencing will take place in the EXPO HALLS A, B, and C on the lower level.

If you are planning to come watch Noah fence, here is what you need to know:
- Entrance to the venue is free, open to the public.
- If you have some portable, folding chairs you might want to throw them in the car.  There will be some chairs at the tournament, but it'll be nice to have an extra nearby in case there are not enough. As I recall, though we've never needed to use our own chairs.
- There will be a good bit of time when Noah is not fencing.  You can watch other fencers, explore the exhibits, read a book, do crossword puzzles... There will not be free wifi.
- Wear comfortable shoes.  You'll be standing on concrete floors all day.
- If you are not familiar with the format of the sport, take at look at our "rules" page (the link for that is in the menu bar at the top of this page).
- Plan to show up about the time each event is scheduled to begin.  They won't start on time, but Noah will fence a good bit at the beginning of each event, then the elimination rounds begin.
- I'll have my cell phone. Call if you need to find us once you arrive at the venue.
- You don't have to stay for the whole thing.  But you'll probably get hooked once it begins!

A word about the schedule:

SUNDAY, January 15
Noah will fence the Y14 foil event on Sunday.  It it slated to begin around 8:15 am and will last into the afternoon. There will be 173 competitors in this event. This is Noah's age group, open to fencers up to age 14.

MONDAY, January 16 (MLK holiday)
Noah will fence the Cadet foil event on Monday.  It should begin shortly after 11:45 am.  This event will last all day long and into the evening. There will be 109 competitors in this event. This event will include fencers up to age 16.

- Results will be available LIVE online.  You can check scores as they are updated during the event.  http://live.capitolclash.com/

- Parking: Discount parking in the Gaylord Resort lot will be available for $12 .. You'll need to collect a blue discount parking card outside the fencing hall (at the registration desk B). Present this card (or insert in the machine) when you leave along with your parking ticket.

National Harbor public parking garages will cost $18 if you are there for more than 4 hours.  The ST. GEORGE lot is the closest public lot to the fencing venue.  It is across the street from the resort.  More info at: http://parking.nationalharbor.com/


- Driving directions: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/wasgn-gaylord-national-resort-and-convention-center/

Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
201 Waterfront Street
National Harbor, Maryland 20745

Sunshine State Games

On June 18 and 19, Noah competed in the 2016 Sunshine State Games--Florida's State Fencing Championship Tournament. The festivities took place at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. West Palm Beach.

Noah competed in five events and came home with three medals!! The two days were filled with excitement.

He had two amazing bouts against brilliant fencers--he lost both encounters, but was very excited by his result. One was against a top-rated (A-rated) epee fencer. Noah was able to keep things close against this guy until the end of the third period. Noah scored nine touches and only allowed 13.

Noah had another thrilling encounter in the Div3 sabre event. His semifinal bout against a very energetic 16-year-old fencer was close all the way. Fast action. Noah lost this one 13-15.

Noah's successes let him to medal in three events:
Bronze Medal in Y14 Foil
Bronze Medal in Div 3 Sabre
Silver Medal in Y14 Sabre

Now it's time to train for Nationals.

Training

National Championships!!

Noah has qualified to fence in four events at the United States Fencing Association's National Championship Tournament in Dallas, Texas this summer. He's training hard and very much looking forward to the challenges ahead.

First a word about each event.

Three of the events he will fence are age-based competitions. Y14 men's foil, Y14 men's epee, and Cadet men's foil.

Y14 events are for fencers age 11-14. For purposes of fencing, Noah is 13--he'll be eligible to fence in Y14 events for another year. So Noah is not yet at the top of the age group.

There are currently 263 fencers registered for the Y14 men's foil event, and 201 registered for the Y14 men's epee event. Both will be A-rated events. All of the best fencers in the country will participate.

The Cadet men's foil event is for fencers age 13-16, so Noah is at the bottom of this age group. Noah loves a challenge, though. There are 199 fencers registered for this event. It will be an A-rated event.

The fourth event Noah will fence is the Div 2 men's foil event. This category is for fencers age 13 and up rated U, E, D, or C. Noah is a C-rated fencer, so he will be among the better fencers in this event despite being one of the youngest. 213 fencers in this event combine to make this a B-rated event.

Foil Fencing
Foil fencing uses a conductive vest that serves at the target. Only touches made on the vest are valid scores. Foil fencing also uses right-of-way rules. Only the fencer with the right-of-way can score. These factors create a sport that is fairly aggressive.

Epee Fencing
In epee fencing the entire body serves as the target. No right-of-way is involved. Any touch is a score. This inspires a more defensive approach for the fencers.

Here is the schedule of events for Noah:
Sunday, July 3 - Cadet Men's Foil
Tuesday, July 5 - Div2 Men's Foil
Wednesday, July 6 - Y14 Men's Epee
Thursday, July 7 - Y14 Men's Foil

The scoring can be followed live online. We'll provide the link in a later post along with tips on the venue should you be interested in attending to watch Noah fence!!

Go, Noah!!!

Hollywood!!

Okay, so it was Hollywood, Florida, but still a good time.

Noah earned two medals at the Hollywood Allez 2016 foil tournament yesterday. Some fantastic fencing with very strong opponents. Noah came away with Silver in the Y14, and Bronze in the Div2. Exhausted by the end of the day, he finished 12th in the Senior Open event.

Another great fencing experience!!!

Four more medals...

Noah earned four more medals in competitions this past weekend.

On Saturday, he saw action in the Atlanta Foil Tournament where he took gold in the Y14 event, and bronze in the Senior foil event. The senior event was especially exciting. Noah was able to beat three B-rated fencers in the pool round to earn the #1 seed going into the DEs. Pretty nice in a tournament with four B-rated fencers.

On Sunday, Noah switched over to sabre for two local events. He won gold in the Div3 competition, and silver in the Senior event.

A fun, busy weekend of fencing.

First Place Region 6 Foil Ranking

The Regional Youth Circuit season has drawn to a close and Noah has earned the number one spot on the regional rankings list for foil. Noah competed in three RYC tournaments and placed first, first, and second to earn the most number of points for the season.