Cape Fear Fencing Association

We are fast approaching August 1st, so USA Fencing memberships and club dues are about ready to be due.  You can do USA Fencing memberships through Membership on their website.  Double check your membership, if you just became a member in the last couple of months, you should be good for next season – August 1, 2018 to July 31, 2019.  Those of you who get the adult competitive membership, please email Herman or me with a copy of the receipt.  To get our club insurance through USA Fencing, we need to have at least 10 adult competitive members and list their names and ID numbers.  If you are on the fence about competing, get the non-competitive as you can upgrade it throughout the season.  Of course, some people get the competitive membership to spur them on to compete.

Long term club dues are also available to be paid for August 1st.  We give you a free month if you do a six month set ($175 vs $210) or two free months if you do the year long membership.  ($350 vs $420).  Both are good for the club, we need the infusion of cash to pay for our Club USA Fencing Membership and insurance in August.  When the second set of 6 month dues arrives in February, it sets us up for the second half of the year.  Of course, paying the $35 per month is perfectly acceptable.

We had a fun beginner camp with seven fencers last week.  I am certain you will begin seeing some of them.  Up this week is our main advanced foil camp, the 23rd – 27th will be advanced epee camp, with July 30 – August 3rd being a second advanced foil camp (the same as the first one for those who cannot make that week.)

Regular Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday practice this week.  I’ll be at Camp Lejeune Friday night.

Here is the full National event schedule for next season:  (I am only listing events in which I believe our fencers might be interested.)

October 12-15  Milwaukee, WI   Div I, Div II, Cadet

November 9-12  Kansas City, MO   Junior, Cadet, Y-14

December 14-17  Cincinnati, OH  Div I, Div II, Vet Combined, Vet Age, Sr Team

January 4-7  Charlotte, NC  Div I, Junior, Senior Team

February 15 -18  Denver, CO  JOs  (Junior, Cadet)

March 1-4  Cleveland, OH  Y-14, Y-12, Y10, Div II

April 12-15  Salt lake City, UT  Div I championship, Vet Comb. Vet Age, Div II,                                             Div III

June 28 – July 7  Columbus, OH  Summer Nationals  (Everything)

To translate the events  Div I – C rating or better

                                  Div II – C rating or under

                                  Div III – D rating or under

                                  Senior – Age 13 and up

                                  Junior – Age 13-19

                                  Cadet – Age 13-16

                                  Y-14 – Age 11-14

                                  Y-12 – Age  9-12

                                  Y-10 – Age 7-10

On the age related events it depends on when your birthday falls.  We can look it up if you are interested.  Some of them require that you qualify before hand (JOs, many of the Summer National events).  I will keep you apprised.

I should be able to make Cincinnati, Charlotte, and Columbus.  The other ones will depend on a confluence of my UNCW schedule, local events, how many people are going. dates and times of their events, etc.

Obviously, for many of you, Charlotte should be a point of concentration.  If you are a C, B, or A; this will be your chance to see how you measure up against the best in the country.  If you are 13-19, this would be the perfect opportunity to take a shot at a National level event.  I will tell you now that the results for both may be brutal and scary.  However, you will learn a lot about improvements you need to make and get a feeling for what USA Fencing is like on its bigger stages.

pax vobiscum,

In our last event, Will Golder just wasn’t quite on with his point control.  He fenced pretty well in every bout, but just couldn’t get over the hump and win one.  He did have the eventual winner in his pool and had a good bout with him.

So, to recap the Nationals, we sent five fencers, who fenced in 14 events.  Of those, three of them won a total of five medals.  One qualified to a world championship.  Believe me, that is an efficiency rating most of the bigger clubs would love to have.

Next year’s Nationals are in Columbus, Ohio, about the same time of year.  It would be great to be sending a much bigger contingent of fencers.  To do so, we need to start planning to get you to the level that you can qualify.  However, be prepared; the first time or two you show up to a Nationals or a NAC (North American Cup), the OMG factor sets in and it often takes a time or two before you can settle down and fence your best.  This year’s event had 79 strips, the most I have ever seen.  There are more fencers in the convention center than you have met in the rest of your life.  Also, as an example, Nicole’s Div III event started at 4 pm and didn’t finish until almost 11 pm.  And they really didn’t have any long breaks.

The beginning foil camp starts Monday at 9 am.  Still space if you know anyone who is interested.

Practice Tuesday and Thursday evenings this week.  A new class starts on board Camp Lejeune on Friday.  I will be in Saturday for practice at 10 am.

The next week’s camp is advanced foil, then advanced epee, then a second advanced foil.

Nothing much on the Division schedule at the moment.  I will keep you updated.

pax vobiscum,

I enjoy being at these things, but I am glad it is almost over.

Robert Thomas went 3-3 in his Div III men’s epee pool.  For doing that well he drew a fencer seeded 70 spots ahead of him who was probably 25 years younger.  Robert actually led after the first period, but then the youngster changed some things up, and came out the winner.  Robert finished 107/182.

Will Golder had his Y-14 men’s foil today as well.  He went 3-3 in pools, a solid showing.  For his DE he got, honestly, the only person in the event TALLER than he is.  The first period was dead even, but in the second period his opponent figured out that little bit of extra reach.  Will finished 173/329.  Yes, you read that right, a fencing event with 329 competitors.

Nicole Milewski finished her run with her fifth event in eight days, Div II women’s epee.  She was 4-2, finishing second in her pool.  She had the misfortune of running into a person who had a move she just couldn’t figure out in one match for her first DE.  She still finished 71/159.

For homeschoolers who can remember back 4-5 years, I ran into the Amdahls.  They are now in Phoenix and Hayden was fencing the Div III epee.  He went 4-2, but lost his first DE.  Another one of those instances where I am now looking up at someone I remember as being about shoulder height.

Will is our last competitor, fencing in his foil Div III tomorrow.  I will be heading back afterwards, so I will just wait to update you on the weekly one.  Remember, beginning fencing camp starts next Monday.

pax vobiscum,

Sorry this is so late.  It’s all Nicole’s fault

First, I don’t know what happened with Erica Julien’s sabre team.  She is listed on the roster, but never appeared in their one match.  They were eliminated in the first round.  I will have to get the story from her.

Nicole Milewski was in the Div III women’s epee.  She went 5-1 in her pool which made her the top person.  She then won DE’s 15-6, 15-8, 15-10, and 6-3 in four of the best bouts I have ever seen her fence.  That put her in the medals.  She lost her next bout 10-15, but still gets the 7th place medal.  She was 7th out of 174 competitors.  We didn’t get out of the venue until after 11 pm (St. Louis time).

Later today, (at this point), we will have Robert Thomas in Division III men’s epee, Nicole in the Division II women’s epee, and the first appearance of Will Golder, fencing Men’s Y-14 foil.

pax vobiscum,

Three fencers going today.  Erica Julien competed in the Vet 70 women’s sabre.  She went 4-4 in her opening round.  That left her seeded 5th.  She then pulled a minor upset of the 4th seed.  Unfortunately she could not defeat the number one seed, but still came out with a bronze medal, her best showing in sabre at this level to date.

Nicole Milewski was in the Y-14 women’s epee.  She went 3-2 in her pool, but lost another 14-15 bout to a woman seeded higher than her in her first DE.  She finished 89/172.

In the Div II Men’s epee, Robert Thomas ran into a bunch of young bucks in his pool.  He went 1-5, but that unfortunately was not quite enough to make the cut into the next round.

Have a happy Fourth of July tomorrow.  Out here, Erica got invited to be on a Women’s Vet sabre team and Nicole has the Women’s Div III epee.

pax vobiscum,

Today was Robert Thomas’s first of his three events, Vet 40 epee.  He had a rough 1-4 pool, made worse by the fact that one of the competitors withdrew due to a knee injury.  He then lost an 8-10 bout to one of the As in the event and finished 43rd.

Tomorrow is a busy day; Erica in Vet 70 sabre, Nicole in Y-14 epee, and Robert in Div II epee.

pax vobiscum,

We had two fencers competing today, both in Veteran’s events.

In the Vet 40 sabre, Kim Phillips went 3-1 in his pool.  He won his first DE, but then lost his second DE to the eventual winner.  He still earns the fifth place medal.

In the Vet 70 epee, Erica Julien also went 3-1 in her pool.  She lost her first DE in 9-10 heartbreaker.  She also earned a 5th place medal.  However, on the good news front, Erica again qualified for the Vet 70 Women’s epee World Championship.  This time they are in Livorno, Italy, in October.

Tomorrow is Nicole Milewski in Cadet women’s epee and Kim combining with some other Vet sabre fencers for the team event.

pax vobiscum,

Here in St. Louis and Nationals have started.  Today we had Nicole Milewski competing in the Junior women’s epee.  She had a solid first round, going 3-3, beating the two Bs in her pool.  She finished 3rd out of her pool of 7.  Unfortunately, lost her first DE.  Got behind, but then did a 4-5 point comeback to tie it up.  Just couldn’t seem to get out front however.  Overall good job finishing at 140/217 in the event where she was a 14 year old fencing people from 13-19.

No one fencing tomorrow.  Kim Phillips and Erica Julien fence on Saturday.

We have a tornado warning.  Wish you were here.  LOL

pax vobiscum,