More Gold

Yes, Noah won all the gold medals at the Tampa December Youth Tournament!  Noah was tired after yesterday's three-medal sweep, but mustered the energy to win the Y12 foil event today as well.

The day began with a bunch of pool bouts. He lost one.  He won one very close bout 2-2 after time ran out with Noah having priority (GREAT defensive work by Noah during this final minute).  His pool results earned him the number two seed in the elimination rounds. Noah's first DE bout went pretty fast, but he saw a lot of torrid action in the semi-final and final bouts. Noah carried the day, winning Y12 foil Gold.

He Does It Again!

Today was very nerve-wracking for Noah. He traveled to Tampa again to compete in three events today: Y10 epee, Y10, foil, and Y12 epee.  The Y10 epee event was fun; he won both his pool bouts to earn a bye and the top seed in the DE round.  With only three competitors, Noah advanced directly to the gold medal bout.

The Y10 epee Gold Medal Bout was tough.  The competitor was a fencer Noah had seen earlier in the year--he has clearly improved since last time.  The first encounter was fought to a 2-2 tie in regulation.  Noah lost the coin toss, so he had one more minute to either get a touch on his opponent or lose. Fortunately, Noah scored just in time, winning the first encounter.  The second encounter was even more tense.  Noah lost the first touch, but by the end of regulation, the score was tied again, 3-3 this time.  Noah again lost the coin toss, and again came through with a touch when the pressure was on.  Noah wins Y10 epee Gold, 3-2, 4-3.

The Y10 foil event began immediately after the epee event ended. There were only two competitors, but competition for the gold was fierce.  Noah won the first DE encounter 5-2, but started out behind (0-2) in the second encounter--a deficit he was not able to erase.  The third and deciding bout was another nail-biter.  Noah lost the first two touches, but came up with three touches before time expired to win the bout.  Noah wins Y10 foil Gold, 5-2, 3-5, 3-2.

There were many more competitors in the Y12 epee event which followed. Noah was looking a bit sluggish in his pool bouts---he lost three of his four bouts to earn the number seven seed in the DE tableau.  He did earn a first-round bye, but he had to win at least one DE bout to make it into the medal rounds.  His first DE bout was against the number two seed, one of the top youth epee fencers in Tampa.  Noah was a bit worried.

The first encounter began with a double touch, but quickly got out of hand as the older girl added two more touches in short order.  Another double touch, and one more touch on Noah, and Noah drops the first encounter 5-2.  The second encounter was a clinic on double touches.  Four successive double touches brought the score to 4-4.  There were even more double touches before time expired.  This time, Noah won the coin toss so he had one minute to avoid being touched (or to score himself) to win the encounter and avoid elimination. Great defense, and a quick counterattack on the arm won the bout for Noah.  Noah stays alive and moves on to the semifinal round.

Noah's next elimination bout was against one of his friends from another club--the number three seed in this event.  It was another hard-fought duel.  Noah squeaked by with a 5-4 win in the first encounter, but lost the second encounter 3-5.  In the final encounter Noah scored first, forced a couple of double touches, but then gave up a touch to tie the score.  After some more intense fighting, time ran out to force another minute of priority fencing.  Noah won the coin toss, and was finally able to sneak in a touch to win.  On to the gold medal bout!

The gold medal bout was rather quick.  Noah's competitor had a great run to make it to the final, but was out of steam.  Noah wins Y12 epee Gold, 5-1, 5-1.

Three gold medals in one day.  A repeat of the results in the October Tampa Youth Tournament.  Noah commented that today's fencing was much more rewarding.  Many of the fencers he faced today had improved considerably and proved to be formidable challengers on the piste.

What a day!!    Y12 foil tomorrow.

Winter Garden Win

Noah just completed another spectacular tournament day.  Today's events were hosted by the Winter Garden Fencing Academy. Noah fenced in both the Y10 and Y12 foil events.  There were good fencers in both age categories, but, as expected, Noah's biggest challenge came in the Y12 duels.

Noah woke up at 5:00 am, partly in anticipation of the excitement of the day ahead, partly because we had to leave at 6:30 am to get to the venue on time.  Fencing kicked off at 9:00 am.  After a week of very little fencing due to some minor injuries, the morning Y10 foil event proved to be an excellent warm up for the day. Noah won all of his pool bouts to earn the number one seed for the direct elimination rounds.  His DE bouts were well-fought by all, but Noah swept his encounters to emerge victorious as the gold-medal winner in Y10 foil.

The Y12 foil event included several, more advanced fencers from clubs throughout central Florida.  Noah won all of his pool bouts to earn a first-round bye and the number one seed in the direct elimination rounds.  His first DE bout began with a bit of trepidation, but he pulled out a first-encounter win with a score of 5-3.  After adapting to his opponent, he was able to clinch the win with a 5-0 score in encounter number two.  The semi-final bout started well (with a 5-0 win), but became a bit more intense as Noah fell behind 1-2 in the second encounter.  The tide turned, however, and Noah came away with a second-encounter win (5-2) to advance to the gold medal bout.

The Y12 gold medal bout was very intense.  Noah was fencing a tall girl with very long arms. She defeated the number 2 and 3 seeds to advance to the gold medal bout.  She was not easy to beat.  Noah took the first encounter 5-3, but lost the second in a come-from-behind nail-biter by the score of 4-5.  A few quick touches at the beginning of the third and final deciding bout gave Noah the upper hand which he did not relinquish despite some very intense fencing.  Noah wins gold, 5-3, 4-5, 5-3.

Noah was very surprised to have won both gold medals today.  As often happens, tournament competition and talented opponents, inspire him to exceed his own expectations.  Bravo to Noah!!

We must acknowledge the great folks at the Winter Garden Fencing Academy, especially coaches Jennifer and Jason, for running a most excellent event.  Thank you!!  We hope to see you all again soon!

Foil Fun

Noah had another great day fencing today at the Gateway Circuit Foil Fencing Tournament at his home club in Gainesville. The day began with Noah watching his club mates fencing the Open and Unrated events.  The action here was fast and furious. Noah always enjoys watching the older athletes fence.

Noah's events started in the afternoon.  Both Y10 foil and Y12 foil events drew some new fencers that Noah hadn't seen before.  The high points for Noah were the Y12 semifinal and final bouts.  At the end of the day, he was able to add two more Gold Medals to his collection.

Congratulations, Noah!!

More Metal

Noah competed in the Gateway Curcuit Epee tournament today, bringing home a Gold Medal in the Y10 event, and a sliver medal in the Y12 event. Earlier in the day, Noah was able to watch some of his older club-mates earn new ratings (A and E).  It is always very instructional to watch the older fencers.

Foil next weekend!

Tampa Triumph

Noah just completed a grueling weekend of fencing at the Tampa October Youth Fencing Tournament. He competed in three events on Saturday: Y10 foil, Y10 epee, and Y12 epee. Sunday's event was Y12 foil. Despite the crazy schedule (at one point all three events on Saturday were happening at the same time), Noah had great results: three gold medals and one silver medal.

Some statistics:

Saturday:
Arrived at the venue at 12:30 pm, left at 6:00 pm
Fenced three events:  Y10 foil, Y10 epee, Y12 epee
Fenced three different weapons: 32" short foil, 32" short epee, 35" long epee
Faced 19 different competitors
Fenced 15 pool bouts, winning 12, losing only 3
Fenced 16 DE encounters, winning all 16
Switched between weapons/events five times
Scored 148 touches on his opponents
Opponents scored 43 touches on him
Won three gold medals in one day!!
Drank 60 ounces of Gatorade

And that was just on Saturday! 

Fencing on Sunday was also a lot of fun.  Competitors in Sunday's Y12 foil event spanned a wide experience range, but the gold medal bout was intense--both fencers worked very hard.  Noah was happy to come away with a silver medal.

This was a well-run event with lots of great competition.  Noah had a fantastic time.

Epic Epee

Wow!!  Noah had a great day fencing Y12 epee today at the Back to School Duel in Newberry, Florida. He won all but one of his pool bouts and earned the number two seed for the Direct Elimination bouts.  He faced some very good competitors as he fought his way through his DE encounters.  The final, gold medal bout was very intense.  Noah won the first encounter by winning a touch in overtime.  He lost the second encounter 3-5 after some very exciting fencing.  The bout was decided in the third and final encounter where, in the last 19 seconds, Noah scored four touches to win the gold.  Final score: 1-0, 3-5, 5-2.  This is Noah's first gold medal of the year.  It is especially nice to achieve this in a Y12 event where he was fencing mostly older fencers.

First Tournament of the Year

Noah headed back into competition today at the "Back To School Duel" in Newberry, Florida. Today's event was Y12 foil.  Lots of great competitors. Noah won all of his pool bouts to earn the number two seed for the Direct Elimination round. He had a bye in the first round, and went on to win one DE bout, and lost  in the semifinals.  Noah placed third, earning a bronze medal.  Many, many great touches, good competitors, fast action, and great friends made for a spectacular day of fencing.

Can't wait until tomorrow's Y12 epee event.

Back to Fencing

Noah's tendon is fine and he is back to training.
Noah loves to fence.

He'll still be fencing Y10 events (foil and epee), and will attempt a few Y12 events as well.
Looking forward to another exciting year.

Video from April NAC

Here's a Y10 foil bout from the April 2012 NAC in Virginia Beach, VA.

April NAC :: Monday

Noah's tendon recovered so he was able to fence his Y10 foil pool bouts on Monday morning. Some very exciting fencing.  Noah won one, and some of his other bouts were very close.  After one call, Noah made the gesture requesting a video review.  Everyone burst out laughing.  Even the referee had a huge smile for quite some time.  (There is no video review in Y10 fencing.)

Noah re-injured his tendon during his first DE bout and had to withdraw.  But all in all, a great day of competition. 

We saw a doctor today. Noah's tendon will recover with some rest and physical therapy.  No fencing for a while.

More pictures and videos will be posted in the coming weeks.

April NAC :: Sunday

Noah fenced Y10 epee today.  It was very cool to be fencing such amazing athletes from all over the country.  Noah fenced very well.  He won a couple of his pool bouts, and lost a very close DE bout before being eliminated today.  He had a great time.  It was nice to see him smile when congratulating the fencer that eliminated him.

Other highlights of the day:
Watched some Div I women's foil.
Saw the announcement and introduction of the US Olympic Team for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Got to see some of the US Olympic Team fencers compete over the course of the last two days.

Noah aggravated his right Achilles tendon at the very end of his last bout.  We visited the medical booth where they iced it and gave us some very good advice.  Hopefully, Noah will be able to fence tomorrow.

Y10 foil tomorrow.  The excitement continues.

April NAC :: Saturday

Day One in Virginia Beach.

Noah worked out with Dylan for a bit in the morning.
Watched some amazing fencing today:
Div I Women's Epee and Div I Men's Foil.
Visited the armorer for equipment check.
Bought some fencing socks and a new type of grip. Noah has been using a Belgian grip on his weapons and seems to like the XS Visconti grip so we picked one up to try.

Up early in the morning for epee!!!

Live Results From Va. Beach Online

Follow Noah's progress at the tournament this weekend online!

Events are listed here: http://usfencingresults.com/apr-nac/

Noah will be fencing:
  the Y10 men's epee event on Sunday
  the Y10 men's foil event on Monday

Events will begin between 8:30 and 9:00am and will go on into the afternoon.  Check in if you can and follow Noah from afar.

:)

On to Nationals

Virginia Beach Convention Center

Noah is gearing up for the North American Cup National Youth Fencing Tournament next weekend in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Keep an eye on this blog for updates from the tournament.

Noah will compete on Sunday, April 15 (Y10 epee) and on Monday, April 16 (Y10 foil). Live results may be available online--if so, we'll post a link here. Events will begin in the morning each day, possibly before 8:00 am, and will run into the afternoon. For each competition he will fence five or six pool bouts (single, five-touch bouts) to determine the seeding for the Direct Elimination round. And could fence as many as five elimination bouts (best of three, five-touch encounters) before the day is done.

Thirty fencers have entered the Y10 epee competition.
Fifty-one fencers will compete in the Y10 foil duels.

We are fortunate that Dylan Smith, the Assistant Coach at the Florida Fencing Academy, will be traveling with us to coach Noah and help us with all the equipment hassles.

Best of luck to Noah!!

Success in Newberry

Noah carried the day at the Newberry April Fool's Duel winning gold medals in Y10 epee and Y10 sabre.

But it wasn't easy.

The day began with epee...

Noah had a tough round of Pool bouts; he beat only one of the fencers he faced in this preliminary round of competition.  He happened to score enough touches in his bouts to receive a number two seed in the Direct Elimination round that followed, however.

With the help of one of his coaches, Noah was able to raise his level of play for the elimination round. He fought hard, came up on the short end in some of his encounters, but succeeded in winning all of his bouts to capture the Y10 Epee Gold Medal.

Later in the afternoon, Noah fenced a couple of very accomplished youngsters in the Y10 sabre competition. Boy, do those blades move fast!!  Sabre bouts don't last long.  The action is quick and touches are scored rapidly.  It was a fun combination of pool and DE bouts.  Noah came away with the Gold Medal in the end.

All in all, a great day of competition that pushed Noah to his limits.  Bravo to the other fencers and to the organizers of this great event.

Epee day

Noah had a rough day yesterday at the Tampa Youth Fencing event. He was fencing in a Y12 (12 and under) epee event.  Equipment problems and tough competition made for some very interesting fencing.  The highlight of the day was when Noah beat the number one seed--and eventual gold medalist--in their first DE encounter (5-1).  Ultimately, the older, larger competitors won the day.  Noah enjoyed the competition; it was a good workout with several fencers he hadn't seen before.

Video from Miami

Here's a video from the Arnold Mercado Memorial/RYC.

More Gold

Noah participated in the Arnold Mercado Memorial RYC Tournament in Miami, Florida this past weekend.  He garnered two more gold medals, winning both Y10 foil and Y10 epee competitions. He really enjoys the competition; doing well doesn't hurt!

Just a few short weeks until the big North American Cup tournament in Virginia Beach.  Here he will fence top fencers from around the country.  We'll also get to watch a lot of amazing fencers in action.

Another Great Day of Fencing

Noah won two Gold Medals at the GAC (Gateway Circuit) Foil Tournament today in a very hard-fought afternoon of fencing.  From about 1:45 pm to 4:45 pm he fenced eight pool bouts and five three-bout DE matchups.  Both the Y10 foil and Y12 foil events were running at the same time, so there was  a lot of running back and forth between strips. At times, it seemed like he was fencing non-stop.Today's fencing was especially good because he got to fence a number of new people.

The competition was excellent.  Noah lost a number of his pool bouts, but was still able to bring home wins in the Direct Elimination rounds. 

Bravo, Noah!!!

Noah Golden at Central Florida RYC

Noah (on left in photo) won two GOLD MEDALS at the 2012 Central Florida Regional Youth Circuit National Qualifying Fencing Tournament this weekend. It was a long (9 hours), tough day of competition.  He placed first in both of his events--Y10 epee and Y10 foil.

This was our first real out-of-town tournament. We went down the night before and stayed in a hotel in Tampa. Dad had created a fancy "Tournament Packing List" but still managed to forget the chest protector.  Fortunately, Noah's new heavy-duty plastron was enough for the day.  He only got poked badly one time.

We arrived at the venue, the Dunedin Community Center, at 8:30am. Registration and equipment check was a breeze. Bouts were a little late getting started, but that gave Noah time to find a few other fencers for some warm ups.

There were eight Y10 epeeists competing. They were divided into two pools of four.  Noah won all of his pool bouts and was seeded first for the Direct Elimination round.  Competition was tough, but Noah emerged the winner.

Immediately after his gold-medal final bout, Noah was called to the strip to fence his first Y10 foil event. He quickly changed his body cord, donned his lame' and grabbed his foil. It took him a few minutes to become accustomed to the new set-up, but he did escape with a low-scoring win in this first bout.  With 11 foilists competing, Noah was placed in the smaller pool of 5 fencers.  He won all his pool bouts and was seeded second in the Direct Elimination bracket, earning a bye in the first round.

The foil competition was exceptionally difficult.  There were many scary moments as he got behind and almost lost some of his bouts.  But somehow, he found a way to win.  Later he remarked that this was the most difficult fencing he's done.  He also observed that the high level of competition seemed to raise his own skill level to new heights.

This was Noah's most exhilarating fencing experience to date. He talked about the event for three solid hours on the way home. Reliving the bouts, the scary moments, and the victories. Discussing strategy, exceptionally good winning moves, and possible areas for improvement. He just couldn't contain himself.

Noah also picked up a few tips from watching other great fencers at work. A great facility and well-run tournament. Many thanks to the organizers.

Fencing blog

This is Noah's Fencing Blog. Here, friends can keep up to date on Noah's fencing accomplishments and travel.

Hope to see you at a tournament soon!!