SoCal Division Quarterly Meeting

Please note that our upcoming Southern California Division meeting has been moved to Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time due to a scheduling conflict with the international competition calendar.

The meeting will be available in person and via Zoom.

In Person:

Swords Fencing Studio
2515 E Washington Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 747 1259 0568
Passcode: 2wjHee

Please update your calendars accordingly. We look forward to seeing everyone on October 13.

Southern California Division

Every fencing club in the Division is entitled to representation on the Executive Committee. If your club is not currently represented, please consider designating a representative so your club has a voice in Division governance.

Ballots were emailed to all eligible voters on July 3, 2026. Voting will close at 11:59 PM on Friday, July 17, 2026. Update: Voting has been extended to 11:59 PM on Friday, July 24, 2026.

To be eligible to vote, you must have been a member of the Southern California Division on or before May 4, 2026, have been at least 18 years old as of that date, and not hold an International License.

If you are eligible to vote but did not receive a ballot by email, please contact Addison Worley at information@usafencing.org, or vote by proxy.

Your participation helps shape the future of fencing in Southern California. Please take a few minutes to cast your ballot before the July 17 24 deadline.

The candidates are listed below.

Division Chair (select ONE choice)
Jim Beihold (UCLA Fencing)
Tigran Shaginian (Swords Fencing Studio)

Vice Chair (select ONE choice)
Karl Jordon (Points West Fencing Center)
David Chong (Swords Fencing Studio)

Treasurer (select ONE choice)
Eric Speicher (Ace Fencing Academy)
Grace Lee (Swords Fencing Studio)

Secretary (select ONE choice)
Karen Lieu (Avant Garde Fencers Club)
Samantha Arnold (Swords Fencing Studio)

At Large Members (vote for ZERO to EIGHT choices)
Bianca Costin (Avant Garde Fencers Club)
Liz Geyer (Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation)
Phillip Hareff (Conejo Fencing Club)
Anna Jordon (United Fencing Academy)
Tim Robinson (Presidio Fencing Club)
Greg Schiller (Bridgeport Fencers Club)
Rudolph Streitz (Kern Athletic Fencing Foundation)
Mike Vazquez (Elite Fencing Club)

Brentwood School was host to this year’s Summer Nationals Qualifier, where approximately 100 fencers competed for the opportunity to advance to the Summer Nationals Fencing Championships in Portland, Oregon (June 27–July 6, 2026).

A total of 12 events were contested—six Division II and six Youth-14—with the top 25% of competitors in each event earning qualification.

Congratulations to all who qualified, and best of luck in Portland!

Fencers who qualified for the Summer Nationals at this tournament are listed in the table below. For complete results, go here.

Qualified Fencers – Women

Qualified Fencers – Men

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Officially known as the National Championships and July Challenge, the competition took place from June 28 to July 7, 2025 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

SoCal medalist are listed below. For full results go here.

SoCal Medalist – Men

SoCal Medalists – Women

When: Jul 19, 2025, 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Please register in advance for this online meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/_haQ4hHHTpa9JzEM26Vz5A

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to elect officers and directors for the Division year 8/1/2025 to 7/31/2026.

The members of the Division met in March for the semi-annual meeting. At this meeting, the following members were nominated to serve as officers of the Division for the 2025-2026 fiscal year:

Officers Nominated: (Vote for one for each position)

The election slate for 2025/2026

Current Board running for re-election:

Chair: James Beihold (Swords/UCLA)
Vice Chair: Karl Jordon (UFA/Points West)
Treasurer: Eric Speicher (Ace/Conejo)
Secretary: Karen Lieu (Avant Garde)

Additional nominations:

Chair: Tigran Shaginian (Swords)
Vice Chair: Nana Demerchian (Swords)
Treasurer: Swan Kim (Swords)
Secretary: Shelby Kim (Swords)

Executive Committee running for re-election:

Liz Geyer (KAFF)
Phil Hareff (Conejo)
Anna Jordon (UFA)
Tim Robinson (Presidio)
Greg Schiller (Bridgeport/VAPA)
Rudy Streitz (KAFF)
Daryl Taylor (Fortune)
Mike Vazquez (Elite)

These nominations, and any additional, will be subject to the membership vote in July. The time for nominations for officers for the 2025-2026 has expired. However, additional nominations for Directors (also known as Executive Committee members) may be made from the floor, at the July meeting, or by written nomination submitted to the Division Secretary, Karen Lieu, at email address kblieu@pacbell.net.

To be eligible to vote at the July meeting, Voter must be Southern California Division members, at least 18 years old, and have USA Fencing membership current as of February 2025. You may vote during the meeting or submit a Proxy (complete Proxy form from link below and submit to Southern California Division Secretary Karen Lieu by email at kblieu@pacbell.net Proxies must be received by Wednesday, July 16, 2025).

Proxy Ballot

We hope to see you at the July meeting, and we hope you will consider volunteering to join the Southern California Division leadership!

When: July 13, 2024, 12 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

For Online Meeting – Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrduGrqzgrHtX8qkj9CIhfrF9MvuYC_eVn

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to elect officers and directors for the Division year 8/1/2024 to 7/31/2025, as follows:

The members of the Division met in May for the semi-annual meeting. During this meeting, the following members were nominated to serve as officers of the Division for the 2024-2025 fiscal year:

• Chairperson – James Beihold* and Tigran Shaginian
• Vice Chairperson – Karl Jordan*
• Treasurer – Eric Speicher*
• Secretary – Karen Lieu*

(Asterisk * indicates current office holder. In each case, members may vote for only one candidate per position.)

In addition, the following were nominated to serve on the Board of Directors (aka, Executive Committee) for the same period: James Beihold (Swords), Elizabeth Geyer (Kern), Anna Jordon (United Fencing Academy), Karl Jordon (Points West), Karen Lieu (AGFC), Brando Messinese (LAIFC), Tim Robinson (Presidio), Tigran Shaginian (Swords), Greg Schiller (Bridgeport), Eric Speicher (ACE/Conejo), Rudy Streitz (Kern), Daryl Taylor (Fortune), and Mike Vazquez (LAIFC).

These nominations, and any additional, will be subject to the membership vote in July. The time for nominations for officers for the 2024-2025 has expired. However, additional nominations for Directors (also known as Executive Committee members) may be made from the floor, at the July meeting, or prior to the meeting by written nomination submitted to the Division Secretary, Karen Lieu, at email address kblieu@pacbell.net.

To be eligible to vote at the July meeting, you must be at least 18 years old, and have been a member of the SoCal Division since Feb. 1 of this year. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you may vote by proxy. Proxy ballots must be submitted to the Division Secretary by July 10. For more information and to download a proxy ballot see the SoCal Division Operating Guide.

We hope to see you at the July meeting, and we hope you will consider volunteering to join the Southern California Division leadership!

Tedd Padgitt (left) discusses the finer points of fencing with Referee Derek Cotton at a tournament in Rome, Italy.

On Sunday, September 24, internationally rated fencing referee Derek Cotton will be conducting one of his rare clinics for aspiring referees, and you could attend for FREE! See details below.

Qualified referees are an essential component at any fencing competition, and the SoCal Division is always looking for more. One of the requirements to become an official USA Fencing Referee is to attend a referee clinic taught by a certified instructor. So, if you are interested in contributing to the sport you love while earning money at the same time, or just want a better understanding of the rules of fencing, this is your opportunity to learn from one of the very best!

Derek Cotton is the most highly rated fencing referee in Southern California. He has an International Rating of B in all three weapons and has refereed many National Finals. His international experience includes the Pan American Games, the World University Games, the Junior World Championships and the Senior World Championships. In 1996, he was selected for the Paralympic Games in Atlanta. He was the only US referee selected to go to the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004. Derek is a member of the Fencing Officials Commission where he previously served as Chair of the Referee Development Committee and as a member of the FIE Arbitrage Commission.

This clinic is FREE to all members of the Southern California Division who are under 18.

This clinic is FREE to members of the Southern California Division over 18 if they have taken the following steps to becoming a referee (accessible through the USA Fencing member’s profile page):

• purchased the +CheckEd membership add-on
• completed the 90-minute, online SafeSport course
• applied for a background check

For everyone else the cost is just $60.

Attendees will benefit from studying the following material prior to attending the clinic:

• Referees’ Commission National Referee Examination Study Guide
• Rule Book
• Penalty Chart

When: Sunday, September 24, 2023 from 8 AM to 4 PM

Where: Fortune Fencing, 139 W Maple Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016

Sign up today on AskFred!

Download Flyer

When: Jul 18, 2021 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

To participate in this meeting, please register in advance:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqdeyppjwoGNYqgpoVSh6z061zK-ZsISnJ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting is to elect officers and directors for the Division year 8/1/2021 to 7/31/2022, as follows.

The members of the Division met in February for the semi-annual meeting. At this meeting, the following members were nominated to serve as officers of the Division for the 2021-2022 fiscal year:

• Chairperson – Tigran Shaginian*
• Vice Chairperson – Eric Speicher
• Treasurer – James Beihold*
• Secretary – Karen Lieu*
• Student Representative – Gus Ahn

(Asterisk * indicates current office holder. In each case, members may vote for only one candidate per position.)

In addition, the following were nominated to serve on the Board of Directors (aka, Executive Committee) for the same period: Tim Robinson (Presidio), Az Mikayelyan (unattached), Karen Lieu (BHFC), Phil Hareff (Conejo), Tigran Shaginian (Swords), James Beihold (Swords), Clare Deffense (Swords), Daryl Taylor (LAIFC), Richard Lee (unattached), Eric Speicher (Conejo), Karl Jordon (Points West), Anna Jordon (Points West), Rudy Streitz (Kern).

These nominations, and any additional, will be subject to the membership vote in July. The time for nominations for officers for the 2021-2022 has expired. However, additional nominations for Directors (also known as Executive Committee members) may be made from the floor, at the July meeting, or by written nomination submitted to the Division Secretary, Karen Lieu, at email address kblieu@pacbell.net.

To be eligible to vote at the July meeting, members must be at least 18 years old as of February 1, 2021 and hold a membership of Supporting or higher, and they must be present in person or online at the meeting. (Proxies are not allowed.)

We hope to see you at the July meeting, and we hope you will consider volunteering to join the Southern California Division leadership!