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!!!