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!