Past: Last weekend's Conomikes-Gutenberg Memorial Open was as much fun as ever, despite a smaller turnout than usual. On Saturday, Shane and Rhiannon showed the club colors in fine style, both winning their first DEs. The second round put them up against the eventual second- and third-place finishers, which made for some tough fencing, but they both took away some good lessons for their next outings! A couple of ODU fencers were there as well, Charles fencing and Tim taking pictures (which you can see by following Tim's comment on IWFC's Facebook page). Good to see ODU back out on the strip again!
Sunday's epee field was small but strong -- 21 fencers but 3 As and 2 Bs kept everyone on their toes. Tim flew solo and handled himself well for his first tournament outing. Hopefully it was just the first of many more to come! And congratulations to frequent vistor Seth who took second and updated his C.
(Almost) present: Remember, the April NAC starts tomorrow in Virginia Beach and runs through Monday. This is the National Championship for top-rated (Div I) fencers and wheelchair fencers. (Top wheelie fencing is amazing, I highly recommend trying to catch at least a few bouts.) And immediately following the Div I women's foil final Sunday afternoon, they'll announce the fencers who will represent USA in the London Olympics! Per the USFA, 'After the announcement there will be a meet and greet with the Olympic and Paralympic athletes and autograph cards will be available for anyone in attendance.' How cool is that?
And in case that's not enough for you, there will also be youth fencing (Y10, Y12, and Y14). The full schedule of events is here. Admission is free plus just about every equipment vendor will be there so you can try out and try on equipment to your heart's content! Need a new bag? Want to try on shoes? See what that weird grip feels like? This is your chance! And don't forget to bring your cameras. Photos and videos are always encouraged. (Just be sure to turn off the flash!)
Bonus: If you're a student needing some community service work (or just want to help out and earn a few dozen 'good noodle' points), the USFA is looking for volunteers to do simple but highly necessary tasks, such as posting information around the venue so the bout committee can stay focused on the complex job of keeping things running smoothly. You don't have to know anything about fencing to help, you just need to be willing and there! Email volunteer@usfencing.org to let them know if you can help. Thanks!
Future: Effective August 1, 2012, the lower portion of the bib will become target area in foil. You may have seen some of the new masks already in use and you'll definitely see them around this weekend. Does this mean you have to buy a whole new mask? No, most vendors have conversions available for their masks (I have some on hand at IWFC for Absolute masks) and they seem easy to put in place. You'll also need a mask cord like the ones used for saber; this connects the bib to the lamé so touches will register correctly. Note: Masks with foil bibs cannot be used for epee fencing as they can cause touches to fail to register. If you only want to have one mask for both weapons, the lamé fabric on the bib must be covered with tape or similar when fencing epee.
