CFFA update for 1/6

Busy weekend with multiple events going on.  At the NAC in Charlotte we had Erica Julien and Nicole Milewski competing in the Division 1 women’s epee.  This is the highest level of fencing there is in the United States.  It has a convoluted format.  It is a two day event.  The first day the top 62 fencers are given a bye into the second day.  The other fencers fence a tournament that stops when they get to the top 64 fencers.  Those 126 then basically continue into a second tournament on the 2nd day, and fence to a winner.  Everyone who gets knocked out on the first day get to have their own new tournament on the second day.  Erica and Nicole both fenced on the first day and then the “consolation” round the second.  Erica got a lot of play on the Vet’s website for easily being the oldest fencer in the event.  She didn’t win any, but pushed one of the fencers who finished in the mid-forties to 4-5.  Plus, she is on a first name basis with Miles Chamley-Watson.  Nicole went 2-3 in her pool, but lost her first DE to an A fencer.  On the second day, she went 4-1 and won her first DE.  She then lost 12-15 to the Notre Dame A fencer who went on to win the whole event.  Today Nicole fenced in the Junior event and the last two days of hard fencing showed as she did not make the cut into the DEs.  Also fencing a Division 1 event today was Kim Phillips.  He was also probably the oldest fencer in the field.  (Where are our younger fencers?)  Division 1 sabre is done in the usual individual format.  Kim just missed the cut into the DEs by 3 or 4 positions.  Will Golder fenced the men’s epee Division 1.  He has never fenced an epee event outside of local events.  That is like going from junior high basketball to playing in the NBA.  Will didn’t make the cut, so he will be fencing in the “consolation” tournament tomorrow.  Also fencing tomorrow will be a women’s epee team of Erica, Nicole, and Christi Golder.  I will let you all know how they do.

On Saturday, there was also a homeschool meet in Winston-Salem.  Th Southeastern Cardinal team of Eoin, Eilis, and Eamon O’Brien went 3-1.  The Jacksonville Hurricanes team of Noah Snyder, Matthew Burns, and Matthan Droke went 1-3.  In the Individual B pool, Ellery O’Brien was 1-1.

No afterschool on Monday January 7th as I will still be in Charlotte with Will.

The new evening class will start on Tuesday, January 8th, at 6:30 pm.  The new class at Topsail Middle school will start on Friday, January 11th.  Camp Lejeune will also get started back up on that Friday with a new beginner class.

January 12 is the next NCFL meet.  It will be held at Chapel Hill.  It will be the final regular season team meet.

Also on this weekend is a foil and epee RYC in Apex.  The events are Y-10, Y-12, and Y-14.  Registration at the regular price has ended.  It looks like Amelia and Jackson are fencing on the 13th, so I will be up for that.

For adults, there is the Hangover in Richmond that weekend.  Right now it looks small, but it is hard to tell with entries only being accepted through askfred.

Also on the 13th is Mid-South’s first set of Youth events for 2019.  Check askfred for particulars.

January 19th is a homeschool meet at our club.  Looking at a 10 am start time.

Our first event of 2019 will be the Old Man Winter on January 26th.  Open foil, open epee, and Vet epee.  IMPORTANT!!  We are going to start requiring that people are registered a week before the event to get the regular pricing.  We have been unable to gauge the size of events in a manner that lets us hire the correct number of referees.  If we expect a large crowd that doesn’t materialize the club loses money.  If we wait and things pop a day or two before the event, it can be hard to find any local referees.  Then some of our fencers have to drop out to help referee.  Anyone registering after the deadline will be charged $10 extra per event, so that will hopefully be the incentive for people to get signed up earlier.  Read the More Information section on askfred to get the full information.  Right now the Mixed epee should become at least a B, the Mixed foil is smaller than it should be, and the Vet epee is at 9 people, also smaller than it should be.  Remember that Vet events can be rated if we get enough people.  With the ratings available plus a few more bodies, it could end up a C event.

The February 2nd homeschool meet has been moved to the 16th, so I will be up to the Capitol Clash.  

The Capitol Clash is up by DC on that weekend.  Here is whom I see as entered.  If you are entered and I missed, let me know.  Friday – nobody  If you are entered on Friday, definitely let me know as it will have an impact upon Topsail and Lejeune on that date.  Saturday:  8 am Nicole Y-14 WE should be an A-2; 9 am Herman VME looks to be an A; 9 am Christi and Erica VWE, needs bodies to be a B; 12:30 pm Jackson Y-10 MF; Amelia, 1:30 pm Y14 WF, could be a B2; 1:30 pm Kim VMS, an A2; 1:30 pm Erica VWS; and Will 2 pm CME an A2.  There will also be Vet foil with the women being a B1 and the men needing bodies to get past an E rating.  Sunday:  8 am Will Cadet MF, an A2; 8 am Amelia Y12 WF, a C2; and 12:30 pm Nicole Cadet WE, a C2.

pax vobiscum,