April NAC :: Foil

Amazing competition in today's Y10 foil event.  Noah saw the most intense fencing of his career today.

Noah opened his pool bouts with two fairly easy wins, but subsequently faced some very strong fencers. The fencing was fast and furious. Noah won two of his pool bouts, and scored six points on the opponents who beat him.  Some great fencing.

Noah did have to make a visit to the athletic trainer's table between the pool bouts and the direct elimination round.  In his last pool bout he was hit very hard and needed some massage, stretching, and ice.  He recovered well, thanks to the good professionals on staff at the tournament.

Noah began the direct elimination round as the number thirty seed. He easily won his first DE 5-0, 5-1.  His next bout was against the number three seed in the DE round. Yikes!!  This guy was good (he went on to win the tournament).

Noah had a great day fencing.  He fought hard and didn't mind losing to such great fencers. He placed 29th in this national tournament appearance, and earned a #49 national ranking.

April NAC :: Epee

Noah had quite the day today.  Many ups and downs in a fun day of fencing.

Today's event was the Y10 epee competition. Almost all of the nation's top Y10 fencers were participating in this national competition. As a result, Noah's initial seed was #10.

He had a great pool round, winning five of six bouts, including a defeat of the number one seed.  He earned the number seven seed in the direct elimination tableau. After a bye in the first round, he easily won his first DE, 5-1, 5-1.   In his next bout he faced a very strong fencer from Peru.  Noah lost the first encounter, but came from behind to win the second encounter 5-4.  The final encounter was close all the way.  Finally, tied 4-4 Noah's opponent scored the winning touch.

Noah placed 10th in this national tournament.

April NAC :: Results Live Online

You can follow Noah's progress at the North American Cup National Fencing Tournament in real time online at:
http://www.usfencing.org/page/show/795496-april-2013-dvi-chr-nat-championships-and-nac

Sunday, April 14, 1:00 pm   (Y10 men's epee)
Monday, April 15, 1:00 pm   (Y10 men's foil)

Scroll down the page to locate his events.

April NAC :: Richmond, Virginia

Noah will travel to Richmond, Virginia this week to compete in a national fencing tournament.  The North American Cup tournament is the top level of fencing for youth fencers in the USA.  Noah will try and improve on his national epee ranking, and to earn a national ranking in foil.  But really he is competing this weekend in order to have fun participating in the sport he loves!

Here are a few details for friends and family who are planning to attend.

WHAT
North American Cup National Fencing Tournament
Noah will be fencing two events:
Y10 epee
Y10 foil

Scores can be followed live online.
We'll post the link on this blog when it becomes active (probably sometime in the middle of the week).

WHEN
Sunday, April 14, 1:00 pm   (Y10 men's epee)
Monday, April 15, 1:00 pm   (Y10 men's foil)

WHERE
Greater Richmond Convention Center
http://www.richmondcenter.com/

PARKING
Parking in the Convention Center lot costs $6/day.
http://www.richmondcenter.com/parking/
Address for GPS or Google Maps for directions to the parking garage:
351 North 3rd Street
Richmond, Va. 23219

Hope to see you all there!!!!

More Newberry Gold

Another great day in Newberry.  Noah fenced the Y10 epee and Y12 epee events today at the April Fools Duel.

The Y10 event was another quick affair--just one competitor.  Noah wins the gold medal 5-3, 5-1.  A good warm up for the day.

The Y12 epee event proved to be the most challenging event of the weekend. The pool bouts were tough--Noah won two by the narrowest margin (5-4) and lost one hotly contested bout 4-5.  He was seeded third going into the direct elimination bracket.

Noah's first DE bout was easily won (5-1, 5-3), but then things got very difficult. In the semifinal bout Noah fought hard to a 3-3 tie at the end of the first encounter. He won priority for the one-minute overtime period, but lost the encounter as his opponent scored the first touch.  The second encounter was also a nail-biter.  Noah just pulled out the win 5-4 to stay alive.  The third and deciding encounter was also very close, but after some tenacious dueling Noah emerged victorious with a 4-3 victory.

The gold medal bout proved equally as challenging.  Noah lost the opening encounter 3-5 and fell behind in the second encounter, but he managed to rally in the final minute to win the encounter and prolong the duel.  In the final confrontation Noah's opponent started strong, but Noah was able to rise to the challenge and win the bout to earn the gold medal.

Noah is looking forward to the national competition in Richmond next weekend.

A Good Day in Newberry

Noah Scores !!

Noah had a good day of fencing today. He competed in two events, Y10 foil and Y12 foil at the Newberry April Fools Duel.

The afternoon began with the Y12 foil event.  Noah had decisive victories in all of his pool bouts and earned the number one seed in the single (direct) elimination round (DE).  His first two DE bouts were very hard-fought, but Noah came away with solid wins.  The Y12 gold medal bout was another story. Down 1-2 in the first encounter, Noah found a opening and finished quickly to win 5-2.  The second encounter opened with Noah's opponent scoring three unanswered touches and, soon thereafter, Noah found himself behind by a score of 1-4.  One more touch and his opponent would win and send the bout to a third and deciding encounter.  Noah went on the attack. 2-4.  3-4.  4-4.  The score was now tied. The next touch wins.  Noah scores the winning touch in a thrilling, come-from-behind battle to take the bout and earn the gold medal!

Somewhere in the middle of the Y12 bouting, they snuck in the small Y10 foil event. With two fencers, it didn't last long.  Noah was again victorious.

Great fun today!
Epee fencing tomorrow!!

Newberry Tournament Detail

If you plan to come out to watch Noah fence this weekend, here is what you need to know:

COST
Admission is free!!!!
Sometimes they charge for parking for a football or baseball game.  If something like this is going on this weekend, just tell them you're there for fencing and they'll let you park for free.

TIME
Events run all day on both Saturday and Sunday, but Noah's events will take place at the following times:
Saturday
3:00 Y12 Foil
4:00 Y10 Foil
Sunday
1:00 Y10 epee
2:00 Y12 epee
These times are "close of registration" times. Fencing will start sometime after this. Sometimes it starts soon after, sometimes there is a wait for other events to finish. You just never know. Bring a book.  :)

EVENTS
Y10 = An event for fencers aged 10 and under.  So far, these Y10 events have only two people registered, so they won't last long.  They won't happen at all if the other guy doesn't show up.
Y12 = An event for fencers 12 and under.  Based on the number of registrations, these Y12 events will each last two hours or more, but Noah is sure to fence a good bit near the beginning. Once they reach the elimination rounds, you never know.
Foil: a weapon that requires a touch to be scored on a conductive vest.
Epee: touches (points) can be scored anywhere on the body with this weapon

VENUE
Newberry Sports Complex
24880 N.W. 16th Avenue Newberry , FL 32669
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/OPkbs

FENCING
If you are not familiar with the format of the sport, you may want to take a look at the rules page on this blog (see the link above). Feel free also to ask Noah (or his mom or dad) questions at the event.

We'd love to see you there.  In any case, check back here to find out the results!!!!

Number Nine

Noah moves up to the number nine position in 
the newest Y10 epee national rankings.

National Ranking for Noah

The new national rankings for Y10 epee have been published. 

Noah is ranked number ten in the country.

RYC Gold

Noah wins three gold medals in the Central Florida (Region 6) Regional Youth fencing tournament today!

Another busy day of fencing for Noah as he left home at 6:30 am and returned at 9:30 pm. Today's events were hosted by the Dunedin (FL) Fencing Academy. Noah participated in two ten-and-under events (Y10 epee and Y10 foil), and one event for competitors aged 12 and under (Y12 epee).

Fencing was fast and furious in the morning as Noah competed in two events that were scheduled at the same time.  Running between Y10 foil and Y10 epee meant many equipment and clothing changes, no rest between bouts, and quite a bit of stress (at least for his parents). Nonetheless, Noah was able to perform spectacularly. He won all his pool bouts in both events, and cruised through his DEs to win the first two gold medals of the day.

The Y12 epee competition proved a bit more challenging. He won two of his pool bouts by the smallest of margins (5-4), but did secure the number two seed for the direct elimination rounds (DEs). Noah met a formidable challenger in the semifinal bout.  Noah lost the first encounter, and came from behind to win the second encounter by a score of 5-4.  The third and final encounter played out to the last second with Noah winning 3-2 as time expired.

The gold medal bout pitted Noah against one of his fencing friends from another city. This is the first time they have faced each other in a final bout, so it was a very welcome moment for them both. Noah was able to pull off a bittersweet two-encounter win to secure the Y12 epee gold medal.

A long, but rewarding day of fencing for Noah!!

Super Win!!!

Noah wins gold in Y10 epee at the Capitol Clash SYC in Maryland!!

Noah earned the number one seed for the direct elimination round by doing well in his pool bouts--only four touches were scored against him in his six pool bouts.

He enjoyed fencing the direct elimination bouts, especially the challenging semi-final and final bouts.  This was the first tournament where Noah faced a number of fencers from the northeast, and was glad to find he was competitive.

The gold medal bout was particularly thrilling.  Noah won the first encounter 5-0 as his opponent was flustered by equipment problems (resulting in a red card).  The second encounter was tied 2-2 when time expired.  Noah won priority but lost when his opponent got the winning touch.  The third encounter was the ultimate in low scoring, however.  After three minutes of lackluster flailing, the score was tied 0-0.  The entire bout came down to the one-touch overtime period.  Noah's opponent began the period with priority.  With twenty seconds left, Noah scored the winning touch to win the gold!

Yesterday, Noah fenced Y12 foil.  Lots of amazing competition there.  Noah placed 81st out of 96 but did win a pool bout, and one DE encounter.  It was a great warmup for today's events.

The Y12 epee.event was also enjoyable for Noah. He fenced some VERY tall 12 year-old boys.  He was pleased to be able to win three pool bouts, and one DE bout.  He was also one of the few fencers to score points on the number-one- and number-two-seeded fencers. Noah placed 28th out of 56 in this 12-and-under event.

Results for the Y10 epee event are at:
http://live.capitolclash.com/FTEvent17104899.htm

Capitol Clash SYC

Noah is preparing for the 2013 Capitol Clash SYC Fencing Tournament, a super-regional level, national qualifying tournament where he can win points that will earn him a national ranking. The event will be held February 1-3 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Noah is slated to compete in three events: Y12 foil, Y10 epee, and Y12 epee.

22 fencers will compete in Y10 epee on Saturday
57 fencers will compete in Y12 epee on Sunday
98 fencers will compete in Y12 foil on Friday

Start times, and live scoring can be viewed at: http://live.capitolclash.com/

This will be Noah's largest competition to date.

We'll try to keep you updated as things progress!