Trial by Fire

Noah had another amazing day fencing yesterday!

The Winter Garden Fencing Club hosted this senior foil "Trial by Fire" event at a venue in Ocoee, Florida. Eighteen fencers participated, twelve of whom were ranked fencers. The event carried a B1 rating.

Since Noah is ranked a C15 in foil, he drew the number four seed going into the pool round. His pool included one B-rated fencer, Noah (C-rated), one D-rated and one E-rated fencer, as well as two unrated fencers.

Noah handled the unrated fencers easily, winning those bouts by scores of 5-1 and 5-2. The D-rated fencer who he had fenced before, also proved to be no match for him; Noah prevailed in this bout 5-1. The E-rated fencer put up a bit more of a fight before going down 5-3.

Noah's battle with the older B-rated fencer was the one to watch. Noah has never beaten this fencer. Last week, Noah had him on the ropes, ahead 3-1 before finally losing 4-5 to this guy. So today the stage was set for a gritty rematch. Noah fought hard in this close bout and pulled out the win!!  5-4.

Having won all of his pool bouts, Noah earned the number 3 seed in the Direct Elimination bracket. (There were two other fencers who won all of their pool bouts. They placed ahead of Noah because they had allowed fewer touches to be scored against them.) As a high seed, Noah earned an easier path in this round. His first match was against the number 14 seed, an E-rated fencer. Noah won 15-12--not a blow out, but we'll take it.  Next he faced the number 6 seed, a D-rated fencer. Noah again found the win, 15-9--in better form. Noah arrives in the semifinal round, assured of a medal. He faced the number 2 seed (C-rated) in the semis. He's fenced this guy before and had trouble. Today proved to be not much different; Noah fought hard and went down in a good match by the score of 12-15.  This guy went on to be the gold-medal winner in the event.

Noah wins a bronze medal (third place) in a senior B-rated event. Bravo to Noah!!!

Blue and Orange

Noah competed in the senior mixed foil event at the University of Florida Blue and Orange tournament yesterday.

Some good fencing.

Noah had a tremendous showing against a B-rated fencer in the pool round. Noah scored first, then his opponent matched him. Two hard-fought touches brought Noah a 3-1 lead. One more touch by each fencer brought the score to 4-2, Noah was within one touch of winning. His opponent was able to fight back to win the match, however.  A very exciting bout.

Noah lost one other bout in the pools, earning the #17 seed going into the Direct Elimination round.

His first DE was an easy 15-4 win against the #16 seed. His next bout pitted him against the number one seed--an A-rated fencer considered to be one of the best fencers in Florida.  Noah found a way to score several touches against him, but could not prevail, losing 5-15.

Taming the Bull

Noah had a wonderful time yesterday at the University of South Florida's "Da'Bull Touch" fencing tournament.

The day began early (after a two-hour drive) with the Senior Mixed Foil event. Noah started slow with two quick losses in the pools. His third bout, against a D-rated fencer, was a close one. After starting behind 0-2, Noah came back to tie the score. They then traded touches scoring : 2-3, 3-3, 3-4. Noah fought hard and tied the score, 4-4. His opponent was able to score the winning touch, though.  Noah won his last two pool bouts. First a 5-1 win against an unrated fencer, then a close victory (5-4) on a come-from-behind effort aided by a red card awarded to the other fencer.

Noah earned the number 15 seed going into the elimination bracket of this senior event. He faced an E-rated fencer in the first round. Noah started the encounter fairly strong edging ahead with a 7-5 score. His opponent put on the gas and scored three times in a row, taking the lead, 7-8.  Noah came back with a strong push to bring the score to 12-9 at the break. The other fencer scored first after the break, but Noah then scored three times to win the encounter 15-10.

Noah's next bout was against the number two seed. This guy was good; he jumped out to a 5-0 lead as Noah lost points rushing to attack. The first period ended with Noah down 2-9. In the second period, Noah was able to make a few more touches and also improved his defense, holding on to end the second period 6-14. Noah scored first in the third period, but could not avoid the inevitable, losing this one 7-15 to the fencer who eventually won the event.  Noah finished 16th in the senior mixed foil event.

After a break for lunch, the Div 3 Foil event began.  After the busy morning, Noah fenced well in the pools for this event. In fact, you might say he dominated this round of competition, winning his bouts 5-1, 5-1, 5-0, 5-1, 5-1, and 5-0. As a result he earned the number one seed and a first-round bye going into the elimination bracket. He won his first DE 15-5, and had a similarly easy time with his next opponent, winning 15-3. The semifinal match-up was a good one, with Noah winning 15-7.

The gold-medal bout was the toughest encounter Noah faced all day. The fencing was intense; the score stayed close, tied 7-7 at the break. Noah scored first after the break, but his opponent kept matching him to a score of 12-12. Noah was able to finish with three consecutive touches to win the Div 3 Foil event. With this win, Noah earned a C2015 rating.

Interesting tidbits:
- The semifinals of this event included three women and Noah.
- The top eight fencers in the Div 3 event were from eight different fencing clubs.

Golden Boy!

Yesterday, Noah competed in an RYC Y14 foil event in Atlanta.

Noah had seven in his pool, so he fenced six bouts. His first encounter was with a fencer from Virginia. He was up for a moment, 2-1, early on, but quickly fell behind as the other fencer scored three touches in a row. Down now, 2-4, Noah scored again, but couldn't pull it out, losing by a score of 3-5.

The remainder of his pool bouts went pretty well. He won four of them by a score of 5-2, and won the last 5-1.  He was the top fencer in his pool, earning the number two seed going into the elimination bracket.

Noah earned a bye in the round of 16. This round took forever since the organizers only used two strips and two referees. Eventually, Noah's DE bout in the round of 8 started. After all that waiting, this was a good warm-up bout for Noah. He was facing the number seven seed. Noah scored the first seven touches, allowing him to relax and try some new things. He won, 15-6.

The number three seed was next. Not an easy bout, this.  Noah fell behind quickly, down 1-6. Not looking good. But Noah rallied and brought the score to within one, and edging ahead to lead at the break 9-8. In the second period, Noah scored, then his opponent scored, then Noah, then his opponent.  11-10.  Then Noah scored twice. Then the other fencer scored twice.  Noah was then able to make the final two touches for the win. A hotly-contested battle.  Noah wins, 15-12.

The gold-medal final bout was against the fencer who beat him in the pools. I don't think Noah was too concerned since he tends to warm up during the course of an event, and he was fencing well. Noah began strong, scoring three unanswered touches. His opponent won 5 of the next nine points, but at the break Noah was still in the lead, 7-5. Noah came back after the break to score two more quick touches to extend his lead. These were then matched by his opponent, but then Noah scored four unanswered points to bring the score to 13-7.  Then it was the opponent's turn. He turned turned it up and scored the next four touches. Now 13-11. Not over yet. Noah did eventually score the final two touches to win the day. 15-11. A gold-medal performance!

Another Medal!

This week, Noah fenced an RYC Y14 foil event in the Orlando area.

Noah lost two of his five pool bouts, earning the fifth seed going into the direct elimination round. He beat the number 12 seeded fencer handily, 15-3. The number four seed gave him a bit more of a fight, but Noah came out on top, 15-12.

In the semifinals, Noah faced the number one seed, losing 3-15 in a one-sided encounter.

Noah comes away with a bronze medal to add to his collection!!!  He also earned points that will help in the regional points race.

USF Oktoberfence

Noah's most exciting tournament so far this year took place on October 10 at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The day began with the Senior Foil event. Noah was looking good in his pool bouts, winning three and losing a close one with a score of 3-4. This proved good enough to earn the fifth seed and a first-round bye going into the elimination round. The four fencers seeded above him were all rated fencers.

His round-of-sixteen match was against the number 12 seed. Noah survived a close duel with a 15-14 score. His next match was against the number-four, rated fencer. Noah was feeling good, leading 11-0 at the break.  But he fell apart in the second period and took a hard loss with a score of 14-15.

After a break for some food and to gain his composure, the Div 3 competition began. This event was initially a C2 event with 25 participants, however, one person withdrew at the last minute to bring the classification of the event down to a D1. It was still a strong event, with ten ranked fencers vying for gold.

Noah got off to a slow start in the pool round, winning two bouts, and losing two more. This earned him the 14th seed going in to the direct elimination round. He faced the 19th seed in the round of 32, winning easily, 15-4. His second encounter was with the number three seed. Noah dug deep and had an amazing bout--pulling out the win, 15-11. In the next round, he was to face the number six seed, another rated fencer. Working on the adrenaline from his win against the number 3 seed, Noah fought valiantly and pulled off another win!  15-10.  With this victory, Noah enters the semi-final and becomes eligible for his first USFA rating. (The top four fencers could earn ratings in this event.)

The semi final match was against the number two seed. Noah was on a roll. Winning 15-5.  On to the final, gold-medal bout.

In the gold-medal final, the number nine seed proved a valiant opponent in a fiercely-contested match. But Noah survived (15-13) winning his first senior/adult-event gold medal and earning a D rating!!!!  Go Noah!!!!!!

The finalists

Official Results

View full results on askfred.com.

A New Season

The 2015-1016 fencing season has begun. Noah's first event was a referee observation tournament in Newberry. Noah fenced the Senior Foil competition. This was his first-ever adult tournament. Now that he is 13, he can fence in several adult fencing events. Noah is looking forward to the challenge!

Noah won two pool bouts, and lost two, earning the number 9 seed. He lost his first DE bout, 11-15, to the number 8 seeded fencer. This guy was an E-rated fencer who placed sixth in this competition to earn a D rating. Noah wasn't pleased that he lost, but this was a nearby event run to help young referees practice and be observed. Not bad for a first-of-the-season event.

Noah's second competition this fall was the Atlanta Fencing Classic SYC. This was a big event. He fenced Y14 and Cadet foil events. The Y14 competition included 44 fencers, several of whom were highly rated. Noah struggled in the pools as he faced these guys, winning two and losing three bouts. He earned the 26 seed going into the next round of competition. He won his first DE against the 39th seed, 15-5. He then faced the number seven seed in a tough match, losing 10-15.

In the Cadet Foil event, Noah would fence much larger opponents. He won two of his six pool bouts.  Lots of good fencing, but a tough result.  Entering the DEs, he was the 22nd seed. Outmatched by the number 11 seed, Noah succumbed 1-15. 

His results in Atlanta did not earn him national points or qualify him for the summer nationals, but hopefully he learned a few things about himself and had a pretty good time doing it. He does not regret his losses.  

On to face the rest of the season!!

Atlanta SYC

This weekend, Noah heads to Atlanta for a super-regional, national-qualifying fencing tournament. Here he will have a chance to earn points toward a national ranking, and qualification for the National Championship Tournament next summer.

The Chayevsky Atlanta Fencing Classic SYC will be held at the Atlanta Convention Center / Cobb Galleria Centre. Should you wish to attend, here are some details:

Venue address: Cobb Galleria Centre; 2 Galleria Parkway, SE; Atlanta, GA
Venue web site: http://cobbgalleria.com/
Parking at the Centre is free.
Entrance to the tournament is free for spectators.

Noah will be fencing on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3. Registration for his events closes at 8am. We check in by then, but fencing will not start right away. Competition will begin with pool bouts (groups of 6 or 7 fencers) results of which will determine seeding in a single-elimination bracket. Noah will fence five or six brief, but exciting, bouts over the span of an hour or two. The elimination round consists of longer bouts. Noah will fence until he loses. Maybe one bout (20 minutes or so), or several, which could keep him active until mid-afternoon. We won't be easy to find in the hall, so call my cell phone if you need to find us. (contact me via email if you need my number: jhelton@ufl.edu).

They keep the hall quite cool for the comfort of the fencers. It is often a good idea to bring a sweater. Also, bring a good book, there is lots of down time between bouts.

On Friday, Noah will fence in the Y14 Foil event. This is his age group--he is 13. On Saturday, he will fence in the Cadet Foil event, then next-highest age-group (for fencers aged 13-16). There are 46 fencers registered for the Y14 event, and 32 Cadet fencers registered. Both events are "rated."

Fencers who place in the top 8 in the Y14, C2 event, will earn Ratings. The Cadet event is rated B2; the top 12 fencers will earn ratings there. The top 40% of fencers in each event will earn national points and be eligible to compete in the summer National Championship Tournament in Dallas, Texas. Medals will also be awarded to the top finishers.

See our Rules page for more information on the format of the event, and more detail on ratings and points.

Looking forward to the fun!!

State Champ!!

Noah competed at the Sunshine State Games--Florida State Fencing Championship--this past weekend. He had a spectacular showing that demonstrates how he has worked his way back from last year's injury and is ready for the future.

Saturday he saw competition in the Y14 Foil event. This event, open to fencers 14 and under, included six rated fencers, one A (the highest rating), 3 Bs, and 2 Es.  Noah is unrated. He enjoyed fencing the older crowd.

He had a thrilling encounter with a B-rated fencer during the pool bouts. Noah started the bout winning the first three touches. Exciting! His opponent evened the score, then Noah went up 4-3. One more touch and Noah would beat the older, B-rated fencer! His opponent tied it up. The next person to score a touch will win the bout. After some fierce fencing, Noah's opponent scored the winning touch. Noah was excited about almost winning that one. An excellent showing against a strong opponent.

He won three of his five pool bouts, losing only to the two B-rated fencers in his group. This earned him the 5th seed going into the next round (the single-elimination bracket) of the Y14 foil competition.

Noah won his first Direct Elimination round match 15-6 against the #12 seed. His second match was against the #4 seed, another B-rated fencer. Noah fought valiantly before succumbing to this guy. It was quite an accomplishment to score 10 touches on this fencer who eventually won the silver medal in this event. Noah placed fifth,  just out of the medals, right behind all of the A- and B-rated fencers.   Noah was very happy with his performance on this day.

Sunday, Noah competed in the Y12 Foil competition. This is his age group. Going into the pool round, he started with the number 2 seed behind an E-rated fencer.  It takes some excellent fencing to earn an E rating as a 12-year-old. This fencer is also nationally ranked. As a result of their #1 and #2 preliminary seeding, Noah and this fencer were placed in different pools.

Noah had great success in his pool bouts, winning them all and allowing only 3 touches against him in five bouts. As a result, Noah earned the #1 seed going into the single-elimination round of the Y12 foil event.

He received a bye in the first round. His second round match was against the #8 seed.  At the end of the first period, Noah was ahead 9-2.  He then scored six quick touches in the second period to win the match 15-2.

His semi-final bout was against the #5 seed. His opponent scored first, but Noah quickly retaliated with 8 unanswered touches.  He was up 12-4 at the break, and finished the match with three straight touches early in the second period.  Winning 15-4.

Noah's final match was against the #2 seed--the much larger, E-rated, nationally-ranked fencer. Just as the match got underway, Noah was issued a yellow card--in the noisy hall, Noah had thought an off-target touch had been scored so he turned his back on his opponent. When play resumed, the opponent scored the first touch on Noah. Noah tied it up.  1-1.  The larger fencer then scored the next two touches. 1-3. Noah scored again, then his opponent scored four touches in a row. Noah was down 2-7. After a few words of advice from his coach, Noah regrouped and came back. He scored. His opponent scored. Then Noah went on a tear and scored five consecutive touches, tying the score at 8-8. Wow!  What excitement. His opponent scored twice more bringing us to the break at 8-10 with Noah down by 2.

When the second period began, Noah fought hard and won the next four touches in a row. Ahead now, 12-10.  Still anyone's game.  His opponent scored. And scored again. Now 12-12. Noah bore down and was able to fight for three more consecutive touches to win the match and the gold medal!!!!  An amazing come-from-behind win!  Noah is the 2015 Florida State Champion in Y12 Foil.

He can't wait until competition resumes in the fall.

Competition Venue

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 EXPO HALLS B, C, and D. A map of the set-up in these halls can be found online at: http://bit.ly/1zgXeJm

Noah will be staying with relatives, so he'll have a great time visiting with them when he is not fencing.

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 should be some chairs at the tournament, but it'll be nice to have some nearby in case there are not enough.
- 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 be free wi-fi avialable.
- 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.
- 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:

SATURDAY
Noah will fence the Y12 epee event on Saturday.  It it slated to begin around 2:00 pm and will last into the evening. There will be 68 competitors in this event.

SUNDAY
Noah will fence the Y12 foil event on Sunday.  It should begin shortly after 11:30 am.  This event will last all day long and into the evening. There will be 108 competitors in this event.

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

- Parking: National Harbor public parking garages will cost $11 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://nationalharbor.com/parking
              Discount parking in the Gaylord Resort lot will cost $12 for self park ($35 for valet parking) You'll need to collect a blue discount parking card outside Hall C. Present this card (or insert in the machine) when you leave along with your parking ticket.

- Driving directions: http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylord-national/directions-transportation/directions/index.html

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

2015 Capitol Clash

Noah is preparing for the 2015 Capitol Clash SYC Fencing Tournament, a super-regional level, national qualifying tournament where he can win points that will earn him a national ranking. He will compete February 7 and 8 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Noah is slated to compete in two events: Y12 foil and Y12 epee.

68fencers will compete in Y12 men's epee on Saturday
108 fencers will compete in Y12 men's foil on Sunday

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

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

He's Back!!!

After a one-year hiatus due to an injury, Noah is now back to fencing. And he's loving it.

This past weekend he saw success at the Region 6 Regional Youth Circuit (RYC) Tournament in Dunedin, Florida. He had a great day fencing Y12 epee and Y12 foil events.  He won silver medals (2nd place) in both events!!

A big tournament is slated for next weekend. Stay tuned....