Summer Tactics Class, 2nd Session: Videos

(Updated August 5, 2010)

For those of you in my second-session summer Tactics class, here are links to the videos you'll be asked to watch. For Week 1 (due Monday, August 9), watch any three bouts. (Note that some bouts may have more than one part -- if you pick the Varga vs. Vezzalli bout, be sure to watch all three parts!) For each bout, write down three things that strike you as interesting about the fencing.

You don't have to pick three bouts from one category, but if you've decided to specialize in a particular weapon, you might want to focus on your specialty.

Happy viewing! - RJL

Women's foil:

2009/07/14 World Cup, Plovdiv

Semifinal: Gabriella VARGA HUN vs Valentina VEZZALI ITA

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfVtwjqbIEE&feature=channel

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxAaB5RIVnA

Junior Fencing World Championships 2010 Baku Azerbaijan

Semifinal: Alice VOLPI (ITA) vs Anita BLAZE (FRA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpBdnb-r3uI&feature=channel

Cadets Fencing World Championships 2010

Semifinal: Lee KIEFER (USA) vs Dora LUPKOVICS (HUN)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYzwFPw6Mb4

Men's Foil

Zhu vs Baldini- Foil - Antalya 09 – Finals

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbZ3yN8-pQ8

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dSsh89UcLU

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB3wYVZUa4Y

Junior Fencing World Championships 2010 Baku, Azerbaijan

Semi-Final: David WILLETTE (USA) vs Alaa El Din EL SAYED (EGY)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9YF3JJaqF8&feature=channel

Cadet Fencing World Championships 2010 Baku, Azerbaidjan
Mens Foil - Semi-Final 1
Alexander MASSIALAS (USA) vs Kirill LICHAGIN (RUS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMdRMwIO6_M

Women's Epee

Junior Fencing World Championships 2010 Baku, Azerbaidjan

Gold Medal Match: Johanna BERGDAHL (SWE) vs Lauren REMBI (FRA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFBM__4uc58

April 02, 2010 — Cadets Womens Epee Semi-Final 2: TATARAN Amalia (ROU) vs SANTUCCIO Alberta (ITA)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK37GEoVnSQ&sns=em

2010 European Championships: Women's Epee Final PIEKARSKA (POL) vs. DUPLITZER (GER)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88corN79lCg

Men's Epee

2009 World Cup, Antalya

Finals: Avdeev VS Tagliariol

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfqLtc5_C6g

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTU1pk4-9tE&feature=related

Junior Fencing World Championships 2010 Baku, Azerbaijan

Semi-Final: SUN Qi (CHN) vs Nikita GLAZKOV (RUS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZDeyh7oIv8

2010 US Fencing National Championships Div I Men's Epee Finals Mattern vs. Kelsey

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov7jKzLuFr8

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emvlKOHFnuo&feature=related

Women's Sabre:

Beijing 2008 - WSI - L4 - Jacobson USA v Velikaya RUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSl7VREGBzc&feature=related

20090716 ws Plovdiv final KHARLAN Olga UKR vs DIATCHENKO Ekateri RUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzTIgZRYXXk

June 2010: New York World Cup, GOLD Medal Bout - Benko HUN v Zagunis USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9kxjxGY7eE

Men's Sabre

Beijing 2008 - MSI - GOLD - Zhong CHN v Lopez FRA

1 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIgQhBdc0eA&feature=related

2 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsOXjGWV_-Y&feature=related

Istanbul 2010 - L8 - Morehouse USA v Zalomir ROU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYuVhoTkpHw&feature=related

Junior Fencing World Championships 2010 Baku, Azerbaidjan
Semi-Final: Aron Szilagyi (HUN) vs Sebastian SCHRÖDTER (GER)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5tYRjayBk&feature=channel

Rocking Atlanta

I would have posted more updates from Nationals, but the Omni Hotel charges $9.95 per day for internet access. I'm elsewhere using someone else's free access to make this post.

DMFC's experience at Nationals includes a third day of improvement. Today, Nile finished in the middle of the pack in Division 2 Men's Sabre, a good showing for his second tournament at this level. Kaley fenced in Division 2 Women's Epee, just twenty four hours after her triumph in the Division 3 event. She picked up where she left off, but ran out of gas and finished somewhere around 35th of 117.

Our two best-conditioned fencers, Kaley and Allison, were the two who had to fence on back-to-back days. Both had great first days, though. Everyone who has fenced has improved on their results from previous Nationals or NACs, and everyone has something to build on for the future.

Our two foilists, Abbey and Samantha, fence on Monday the 12th in the Division 3 Women's event. Both are first-time competitors at Nationals, though Samantha has a NAC under her belt. We're looking forward to seeing their debuts!

There is more to National Championships than just the fencing, of course. Several of us attended the USFA's Hall of Fame Reception, at which seven notables were inducted. We met Tim Morehouse, who spoke with our younger fencers for a while afterward. We scoped out the vendors, found some good bargains on some of the tables, and renewed acquaintances with fencing friends from across the country. When I get back, we'll have more to share with our teammates and friends about the wonderful experience. Suffice to say that this has been a great Nationals. Sure the results have been great, but the experience gained and the lessons learned have been even greater. We'll have a lot to digest when we get back, and a lot to apply when we return to practice.

- R. J. Lesch, proud to be a member of DMFC!

Summer Nationals in Atlanta, July 4-13

It's official! Six members of the Des Moines Fencing Club will be fencing in the U.S. Summer National Fencing Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, this summer:

Kaley Chicoine, Division II women's epee (July 11), Division III women's epee (July 12)

Allison Crawford, Division II women's sabre (July 10), Division III women's sabre (July 9)

Samantha Crawford, Division III women's foil (July 12)

Nile Engelhart, Division II men's sabre (July 11), Division III men's sabre (July 9)

Abbey Janecek, Division II women's foil (July 9), Division III women's foil (July 12)

Sydney Royal, Division III women's epee (July 10)

All qualified at divisional championships in April. Our two sabreurs are fencing in their second Nationals; the rest are going for the first time, though three have fenced in NACs before.

Congratulations to DMFC's Super Six! Watch this space for updates.

Max's Maxims

Maxine Mitchell (1917-1991) was one of the top U.S. foilists in the 1950s: four-time women's foil national champion and three-time Olympian. Mary Huddleston, interviewing Mitchell many years ago, collected these thoughts from the champ.

MAX'S MAXIMS
* If you are winning, don't change your tactics.
* If you are losing ask yourself "WHY am I getting hit?"
* Each motion should have a purpose. Your feint must get a reaction from your opponent.
* If you want your opponent to attack, you don' t have to back up.
* Fence different opponents in different ways.
* Don't use the same tactics for everyone.
* To get something from fencing, you have to give something to it in terms of hard work.
* You meet many nice people and make many friends, BUT, just remember that fencing isn't everything!

Cautionary Tales and Optimistic Forecasts

At last, I'm home and can post again. My hotel's internet connection was out for the past four days (even the lobby PC couldn't connect after a while), so I haven't been able to post updates. However, to summarize:

* Bethany Dorin's 28th place finish (out of 133) in Division II women's foil was the high-water mark for DMFC at Summer Nationals. (For full results, go to the USFA results pages.) Bethany fenced well and, in her quiet and patient way, got it done!

* Allison made the cut in her second event, fencing better in Division II women's sabre than she did in Division III, and earning 48th place. The difference was experience and energy. (Congratulations, by the way, to Rachel Arkebauer, one of our friends at the Lincoln [NE] Fencing Club, who took the gold medal in the Div II women's sabre event.)

* Sarah Timmons, an alumnus of DMFC now fencing for Iowa State, took 39th (out of 113th) in Division II women's epee in her first National event. Way to go, Sarah!

* I missed the cut for direct elimination this year (in Vet-40 men's sabre) by one touch. Had I scored one more touch, in any of my bouts -- had I lost one bout by 5-2 instead of 5-1, for instance -- I would have made the cut. (Even better would have been to get that one more touch in one of the two bouts I lost 5-4, of course.)
As a fencer, I'm disappointed, but as a coach I'm delighted to serve as a cautionary tale for my students: in pools, every touch matters!

* One of the high points for me was my conversation with Maestro Dan DeChaine, one of the world's top armorers, who entertained me for over three hours with stories and perspectives from his career in fencing. That conversation deserves a separate post, so (pending his approval), I'll share that here in the near future.

I'm exhausted, but delighted and optimistic about DMFC's future on the national scene. Respect is earned in fencing. Our fencers earned a measure of respect from competitors this year, and can build on that during the upcoming season. More importantly, I think all of us from DMFC -- fencers, coaches and parents alike -- developed a higher level of respect and appreciation for the sport of fencing in the United States: for the talent and dedication needed to compete at the national level, and for the richness of the fencing experience.

- RJL

Five Fencers in Three Events in One Day

The internet connection in my hotel room is dead, so I'm using the lobby computer. So, my time is limited and I can't postany photos. However, I can say that we had a big day today. Allison and Nile made their national tournament debuts; Allison fenced Div III women's sabre, while Nile teamed with me and Preston in the Men's Sabre Team event. Also, Bethany fenced in Div II women's foil.

Our men's sabre team lost its only match today, but we made them earn every touch. After a bystander predicted that this New York team would beat us 45-0, Preston and Nile staked us to a 10-5 lead. The other team came back to defeat us 45-28, but they won't forget us any time soon! Hee hee hee. Bethany made the round of 32 (out of 130+ competitors). Allison didn't make the cut in her event, but gets another chance on Sunday.

Tomorrow (Friday the 10th), Preston takes the strip for Div III men's sabre. If he is switched on the way he was today during the team event, he'll be unstoppable.

It's so great to be able to share the Nationals experience with other DMFC members and families.

- RJL

More than just our seven at Nationals

In addition to the seven Des Moines Fencing Club fencers participating in Nationals next week, at least two DMFC alumni will also be there. Yuly Suvorov (Division 1A men's epee) and Sarah Timmons (Division II and III women's epee) represent the Iowa State University Fencing Club, and we knew 'em back when!

A recent USFA email reports 6,325 registrations for fencers at this year's Nationals. I don't know how many people are fencing more than one event, but my guess is that between 3,500 and 4,000 individual fencers are participating. Our guy Jack is in the second-largest single event; Y12 (age 12 and under) men's foil has 190 fencers registered. Seven days from now, that event takes the strip. If I can manage an internet connection, I'll write it up here.

- RJL

One week before Nationals, DMFC fencers are on FIRE!

We have one week of practice left, and our doughty competitors looked pretty sharp last night. I'm probably most excited about watching our 12-and-under fencers in their first national competition. Jack kicks us off on the 4th in Y12 men's foil and Reid goes two days later in Y12 men's sabre.

We had a discussion the other night about preparing for a major tournament like this. Fencing on a metal strip in a huge convention hall while sixty other bouts are going on around you can be intimidating first time out. It can also be an exhilarating and educational experience. Last year when Preston and I went, we kept saying how much we'd love to be able to share the experience with folks back at the club. This year we'll have five people experiencing a national tournament for the first time (one has been to a NAC, which helps).

I can't shut up about it. I'll try to post updates here if I can. We will also bring back pictures and video.

Press release: Seven Des Moines Fencers to Nationals

A club-record seven members of the Des Moines Fencing Club will compete in the U.S. National Championships Fencing Tournament, to be held in Dallas, Texas, July 3-12, 2009.

All fencers qualified through tournaments held earlier in the season. Leading the charge will be Heartland Circuit champions Preston Kirkpatrick and Bethany Dorin. Kirkpatrick, of Des Moines, will compete in Division II men's sabre on July 8 and and Division III men's sabre on July 10. Dorin, of Pleasant Hill, will compete in Division II women's foil on July 9.

Also representing DMFC:

• Jack Fitzpatrick of Des Moines, 12-and-under men's foil, July 4;
• Reid Wade of Des Moines, 12-and-under men's sabre, July 6;
• Allison Crawford of Granger, Division III women's sabre, July 9, and Division II women's sabre, July 12;
• R. J. Lesch of Adel, veteran's men's sabre, July 12;
• Nile Engelhardt of Waukee, who will join Kirkpatrick and Lesch in the men's sabre team event, July 9.