Olympic sport of fencing in Des Moines, Iowa
Learn to Fence
Sarah competed at the October North American Cup tournament in Milwaukee, WI on Sunday. In Division 2 Women’s Epee, she went 3-3 in the first round (pools, where you fence to 5 points), won her first 15-point direct elimination bout, and lost her next bout 12-15. She placed 52nd of 127. Full results: https://www.fencingtimelive.com/events/results/C35BE1F20B1F40DBAAED338591C3EE34
For our first tournament of the season, Sarah fenced at the Glitter Open women’s tournament at the Iowa City Fencing Center today and tied for 3rd of 12. Full results: https://askfred.net/Results/results.php?tournament_id=40929
By “relaxing and recharging” in August, we actually meant “moving heavy items, tearing down walls, cleaning, and painting”. We’ve expanded the club to take up the entire basement of the building, which means we have a new entrance off E. 3rd St. (don’t worry – the ramp door will still be open) and room for 4 regulation-size strips so we can host small tournaments at the club!
Speaking of tournaments, Valley High School Fencing Club is using our space for their “Rajah Invitational” Oct. 5-7, and we’re having a youth tournament on Saturday, Dec. 8.
We especially appreciate all the help from the volunteers who helped us move junk, equipment, furniture and floor mats, painted, cleaned, and managed rainwater! We still have a few minor tasks that we’ll be completing in the next month or so (and the owner of the building is taking care of the sloped-toward-the-foundation sidewalk situation so there won’t be a small lake when it rains), but we’ve been able to start practicing in the space this first week of September.
Carl and Daniel competed today at Iowa Games! They both fenced well in pools, Daniel won his first 15-point bout, but unfortunately his next opponent was Carl. Their bout was close and well-fenced, and Carl won 15-13. Carl tied for 3rd, and Daniel finished 7th out of 13 epee fencers.
Last week was our 3-day youth camp and coaching workshop with guest Coach Gary Copeland from Norther Colorado Fencers. In the mornings, kids ages 8-14 (who have fenced before – this was not a beginner camp) worked on a variety of techniques, as well as staying balanced and being focused, so they could apply those skills when it was time to bout. In the afternoons, two intrepid older kids stuck around to be students while Gary helped Kevin and Sarah with their coaching. We think everyone came away with some good things to focus on for next season!
Registration for fall beginner classes is now available! We’re running two classes: Youth Beginner Fencing on Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 pm starting Sept. 4, and Teen/Adult Beginner Fencing on Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 pm starting Sept. 5. Each session is 6 weeks long. Cost is $60, equipment is provided. More details and registration: https://reddoorfencing.com/join/beginner-classes/
RDF sent 3 athletes to Summer Nationals in St. Louis this year; Jim, Jared, and Sarah each fenced two epee events, and Jared earned a medal! Here’s the recap:
Jim started us off on Sunday, July 1, fencing Div 1A Men’s Epee. He struggled a bit in pools, coming out 157th with 1 victory and 5 losses, but he made the cut and won his first 15-point direct elimination bout 15-8. His next bout was 29th seed and he went down 11-15, ending up 128th out of 197 competitors.
The next day, Jim was back for Vet-40 Men’s Epee. He did better in pools this time, going 3-3. He won his first direct elimination match (they only fence to 10 points in veterans events) decisively, 10-4. After that, he had a close match that was tied 8-8 when time ran out. In the priority minute, Jim’s opponent – the eventual winner of the event – scored a 9th touch and Jim finished 25th of 55.
On Tuesday, Jared fenced Div 2 Men’s Epee, his first time competing in epee at the national level (his primary weapon is foil, but he’s been fencing epee with us when he comes home from college). He fenced well in pools, coming out tied for 51st with 4 wins and 2 losses. He got a bye into the round of 128, where he won his first bout 15-10. Then he fenced 14th seed and lost 11-15, which put him 45th of 226 overall.
Sarah’s first event was Div 3 Women’s Epee on the 4th of July. One fencer in her pool dropped out due to injury, but Sarah won her other 5 pool bouts and was tied for 3rd thanks to a +20 indicator (“indicator” = touches scored – touches received). She won a string of direct elimination matches 15-6, 15-11, and 15-12 before losing 8-15 to 13th seed in the round of 16. She missed the medals by one place, ending 9th of 174.
Jared also fenced Div 2 Men’s Foil on Wednesday morning, representing the Des Moines Fencing Club, and finished 146th of 223.
Both Jared and Sarah fenced on Thursday, starting bright and early with Div 3 Men’s Epee at 8 am. Jared came out of pools 3-3, tied for 87th, but he stayed focused and battled back to upset 40th seed 15-12. He won his next direct elimination matches 15-11, 15-9, and 15-2 before going down 10-15 in the quarterfinals. He placed 8th of 183 and earned his first national medal!
In Div 2 Women’s Epee, Sarah swept her pool again and came out tied for 2nd seed. She won two bouts 15-11 and then lost 12-15 in the round of 32, finishing 17th of 159.
Full results: https://www.fencingtimelive.com/tournaments/eventSchedule/02669F3AE6FF4EDBA43449105CC3A0E1#today
We have a few tweaks to our schedule for July and August:
JULY 3-5 – CLOSED (we’ll be in St. Louis for Summer Nationals!)
July 18-20th – Youth Day Camp with guest coach Gary Copeland
Wednesday, AUGUST 1 – CLOSED
Wednesday, AUGUST 8 – CLOSED
NO SATURDAY PRACTICE IN AUGUST
We’re taking some time in August to relax and recharge, but we’ll be back to our full, regular schedule in September!
On Monday night, Kevin, Sarah, and Jim taught a crash course in fencing to middle school campers in Simpson College’s Magic, Mythology and More! camp. Not pictured: people actually fencing each other, but it did happen (albeit with a “saber target only” rule)!
