Ethan Choi (OC Div., left) defends against an attack from Naael Corn (LAIFC) in the Y10 Men’s Foil event at the 7th Annual SoCal Little Musketeers RYC in Thousand Oaks, California.

The 7th Annual SoCal Little Musketeers RYC tournament was held at the Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks on Sept. 22 & 23, 2018. Over 400 fencers from all across Region 4 competed for medals in 17 events. Fencers from the Southern California Division acquitted themselves well, fighting their way to 46 medals, including 2 gold!

SoCal Medalist are listed below. Full results can be found, here.

SoCal Medalist - Boys

SoCal Medalist - Girls

Nathan Canlas (UFA, left) makes a move against Cristiano Coelho (NorCal Div.) in the finals of the Y10 Men’s Foil event.

Brielle Lee (BHFC, right) lands a touch on Maya Shum (OC Div.) in Y12 Women’s Foil.

Thien Scofield (Allez) scores a point against Sullivan Kim (BHFC) in Y12 Men’s Epee.

Jonathan Oh (Precision) finds an angle that works against Anup Banerjee (CenCal Div.) in the Y14 Men’s Foil quarterfinals.

Regional Recognition Patches.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

As tournament season gets into full swing, this seems like a good time to talk about goals. Here are a few of my thoughts on goals – their importance, how to set them, change them, and keep things healthy.

I think setting goals is a great way to start off a season of fencing. And it is important to be realistic. Is your child just starting fencing? Then help him or her decide what goals might be attainable, what are the stretches, and try to keep “pie in the sky” goals out of the discussion. You want to encourage not discourage your fencer. And if goals are quickly reached, celebrate! Then, together, set new ones. By the way, there are short-term goals too. My son and I also always discuss the events before each tournament and what the goal is for that particular event.

Here are a few goals we had when competing in the first couple of years (and all of these goals still apply, by the way):

Win all the bouts in your pool. This is a good one, because it is clear and straightforward.

Come out of pools ranked first in the seeding. This is a great goal because when a fencer begins to understand that every touch matters, (every touch scored against the fencer is subtracted from the total touches made, and affects the seeding for the next round) the approach to the pool bouts becomes more focused. (Stafford has had a goal of having a perfect pool, with no touches scored against him. He has yet to achieve this. Not sure he ever will, but it’s fun to watch him try.)

Earn a medal. Local tournaments or national tournaments, medals are medals. They are cool. And in fencing, you have to earn them. You don’t get them for just showing up.

Beat “that guy”! At a certain point, there will be some fencer that seems to be unbeatable. Name him or her. Then, make beating that fencer a goal. Early on in fencing, we had a terrible tournament. My son was nervous, had stomach cramps, wanted to leave, and begged me to take him home. We had paid the entry fee, driven all this way, I even found a great parking space (again, parking is important!) so no way were we just going to leave. And of course, his fencing at that tournament was not the best. Lost most of his pool bouts. Then came the Direct Eliminations. And my son would be fencing against him. Mr. Unbeatable. And my son beat him. I think my son was eliminated in the next round, but it didn’t even matter. He had proved something to himself. He could beat that guy. He might not win again the next time, but now he knows he can do it. And guess what – There will always be a next “that guy.” Stafford beat a fencer this summer whom he thought was truly unbeatable. He had nicknamed him The Demi-God. And now, my son has the next that guy on his radar.

I know that Stafford is now a “that guy” to a few younger fencers. I love that. There is a wonderful family in Northern California with two young fencers. The mom told me at one of the tournaments, when our boys were about to fence each other, that her son was so excited to fence my son. That he had been disappointed that they had not yet met on the strip. He couldn’t wait. He didn’t expect to win; he just wanted to fence him. That day, her son did not beat Stafford, but I’m betting that one day he will.

Every August, Stafford and I discuss the past year’s results and talk about goals for the upcoming year. We started this when he was ten, and we have found that it is very helpful to have specific attainable goals that span the year. And I feel it is important to have him be a part of the discussion, so that it is not just me telling him my expectations. We list several, knowing that they can change and evolve through the year.

The first thing we do when setting goals is to look at where my son is coming from, how did he do the year before? Set your fencer up for success, not failure.

In 2015-16, my son’s goals were clear, and all attainable, though some were a definite reach.

Goal 1. The Regional US Fencing Patch

Did you know that US Fencing awards patches in each region to the top three fencers in regional tournaments (RYCs- regional youth circuit)? This is a great incentive for young fencers and a lot of parents don’t even know about this. The patches are given out at Summer Nationals. In 2014-15, Stafford came in 4^th in the region, just missing getting a patch. But, Stafford was fencing well, and at each tournament he seemed to grow in confidence, skill, and determination. So, the patch went on the list.

Goal 2. Win an SYC

He had not yet won a sectional tournament, but had come in second, so it was perfectly reasonable to believe that it was attainable. So he set that as his second goal. By the way, he did not achieve this goal. He won his first SYC the next year.

Goal 3. Qualify for Junior Olympics

This goal was a reach. And he missed qualifying by one, placing fourth in the qualifiers. I was fine with that though. He had just turned 12, fencing against 15 and 16 year olds, and really wasn’t ready, in a number of ways. So, we kept that goal for 2016-17, and he went to his first JO’s last February.

Goal 3. Medal at a NAC (North American Cup)

By the time the March North American Cup rolled around, Stafford had already won a couple of regional tournaments and was currently ranked number one in our region (close to earning that patch!). Walking to the car from school one day shortly before leaving for Salt Lake City where the March NAC would be taking place, Stafford asked me, “Where do you think I should end up in the tournament? Do you think I could make top 8?” Well, of course, I wanted to say, “Actually, I think you could win it.” Which he could. California is one of the most competitive arenas. I think that the top three fencers in Southern California are almost always in the top eight in the nation in any given age group. Technically at this time he was number one, but there were easily five or so other fencers who could beat him on any given day. Just as he could beat them on any given day. So, I did not tell him I thought he should win. I pointed out that he was number one in the region, and SoCal is one of the most competitive, so he could certainly place in the top 8. But I thought he could make the top 3. “Really?” That made him think. He hadn’t put together his success in the regional tournaments with what that might mean nationally. “Sure,” I replied. “Why not?”

In Salt Lake City, Stafford took the bronze. It was his first national medal. He achieved his goal of placing in the top 8. On Instagram and Facebook, US Fencing posted a shot of the top four medalists. That was pretty cool. And he got a patch that said Bronze Medal Y12 National. When he got his regional patch at that year’s Summer Nationals it was almost an afterthought.

One of the wonderful outcomes of achieving goals is the gaining in confidence. Once my son won the bronze in Salt Lake City, his fencing, his focus and determination, and his true enjoyment of fencing blossomed. He went on to win the Y12 event at Summer Nationals.

It is important to remember that all of the smaller goals from the past years led to where he is now. All of those goals were stepping-stones to his maturing as a competitor and gaining self-confidence as a fencer and as a young man.

We have had fun planning our goals this year. One of them has already been reached, when we went to the World Cup in Austria in October.

USA Cadet Men’s Epee Team in Klagenfurt, Austria, October 2017.

Five years ago, my son competed in his first tournament. After eight months of fencing classes and constantly saying he was not interested in competing, my son unexpectedly announced at the end of a class that he thought he might like to try entering a tournament after all. It turned out there was a regional tournament the very next weekend. I had no idea what a regional tournament was. His coach said we should sign up on the US Fencing website, go to the tournament, and however he did, as long as he competed, he would qualify for Summer Nationals. Summer Nationals? I had no idea what that meant. But the coach seemed to think it was a good thing for him to do, so okay.

I signed him up for a competitive membership at US Fencing, and we went to the tournament that weekend. It was a disaster on so many levels. Though we did find a great parking spot, right in front. I found out later finding parking was almost as competitive as the fencing itself. Who knew?

The tournament at LAIFC (Los Angeles International Fencing Center) was an RYC (Regional Youth Circuit). There were a number of different events going on, so though there were only 14 fencers in my son’s Y10 (Youth ages 10 and under) event, the place was crowded with fencers, parents, coaches. It was overwhelming. And we had no idea what to do, where to go, etc. Luckily, a very nice mother at the desk, Ellen, who I still see all the time at tournaments, introduced herself and gave a quick rundown of what we needed to know. How the tournament worked, pools, DE’s (Direct Eliminations), and that we needed two body cords for example. The basics.

My son lost all but one pool bout, and that one he won by one touch (point). He lost his first DE. As fast as it had started, it was over. My son, still wearing his mask, shook hands with the opponent and with the referee. Then he picked up his bag and carried everything straight out to our car in that prime spot. He put his gear in the trunk, got in the back seat. We rode home in silence, with the exception of very quiet crying coming from the back seat, muffled slightly by the mask he was still wearing. “Oh, well,” I thought. “At least he tried.”

Two weeks later, much to my surprise, he wanted to try again. Luckily there was another tournament coming up that weekend. This time is was just a little local tournament. Much less intimidating. That afternoon, again, I drove back with a boy wearing a fencing mask crying in the back seat. But this time, about half way home, I heard this tearful little voice say, “So, when is the next tournament?” And we were in.

He came in last in the next tournament as well. But he took his mask off on the way home. We were making progress.

Summer Nationals took place in Anaheim that year. We went because we didn’t have to travel on a plane, so it would not be too expensive. Why not go? It would be a good experience. We drove down the day before his Y10 event. As we pulled in to the hotel, it was a sea of fencing bags. Every single person, young and old, was pulling a fencing bag behind them. My son sat in the back seat, looking out the window in horror. “I can’t do this.” I knew exactly how he was feeling. It was an intimidating sight. “Tell you what,” I said. “I’ve already paid for the room. Let’s just check in. The convention center is attached to the hotel. We can just walk over and find your coach, and look around and see what it is like. And if you don’t want to fence, that’s fine. You don’t have to. No pressure.” He ended up placing 41 out of 60. More important, though, he fenced. He was 9. And he has never looked back. That was in 2012.

What is amazing to me, and what I certainly didn’t know at the time, was that a lot of those fencers are still competing. These boys have grown up together. They see each other at tournaments across the country. They follow each other on snap chat and Instagram. They text each other. My son has friends from across the country, from New York and Texas.

He will go to his first international competition, a World Cup in Austria in four weeks. He, we, have come a long way. We have learned a lot.

I am starting this blog to help other parents, new to fencing, understand how wonderful this sport is, how it works, and how to support their child through success and failure. I will cover basics, from the first competition to how to cope with injuries. I would love feedback, welcome follow up questions, topic suggestions, and any stock tips you care to share!

USA Fencing Region 4.

Every year, USA Fencing awards its highly coveted Regional Recognition Patches to the top three Regional Point holders in Y-10, Y-12, and Y-14 for each weapon in each of the nation’s six Regions. Regional Points are earned at Regional Youth Circuit (RYC) competitions. The SoCal Division resides in Region 4, which consists of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.

Regional Recognition Patch

Fifty-six patches were awarded in Region 4 this year, and 14 of them went to SoCal Fencers. That means that 1 out of every 4 Regional Recognition Patches awarded in the entire six-state Region went to a SoCal Fencer! With results like these, the future of fencing in Southern California looks bright.

Congratulations to all of our Regional Recognition Patch Winners.

2016-17 Regional Recognition Patch Winners

A full list of 2016-17 Regional Recognition Patch Winners for Y-10, Y-12 and Y-14 can be found here.

SoCal fencers in the top 8 are listed below.

Y-14 Men’s Foil
Gold: Ilya Ayupov (UFA)
Bronze: Eric Yu (LAIFC)
Bronze: Justin Ho (UFA)
5th: Bryce Louie (LAIFC)

Y-12 Women’s Epee
Gold: Olivia Daniel (Fortune)
Silver: Nora Wang (Fortune)
Bronze: Lauren McLane (Swords)
5th: Jasmine Jin (Fortune)

Y-12 Men’s Epee
Gold: Ryan Lin (Fortune)
Bronze: Jackson Norbutas (Swords)
6th: Rowen Hicks (Swords)
7th: Nicholas Jin (Fortune)

Y-14 Women’s Foil
Gold: Rowan Park (LAIFC)
Silver: Kate Yamaguchi (UFA)
Bronze: Zoe Kalamaros (Precision)
5th: Ava Tran (UFA)

Y-14 Men’s Saber
Bronze: Matthew Limb (AGFC)
7th: Alexander Jeffords (LAIFC)

Y-10 Women’s Foil
Bronze: Ameliya Ayupova (UFA)
5th: Alexandra Tepman (UFA)

Y-10 Men’s Foil
Silver: Benjamin Musher (LAIFC)
6th: Lawrence Naygas (LAIFC)
7th: Zachary Godzhik (UFA)

Y-14 Women’s Saber
5th: Rachel Lee (AGFC)

Y-10 Women’s Saber
Bronze: Diana Gomes (GSA)
5th: Charmaine Andres (D’Asaro)
6th: Melody Huang (Z Fencing)

Y-10 Men’s Saber
Bronze: Brody Machado (AGFC)
5th: Jackson Tanner (LAIFC)
8th: Qingcheng Yang (Z Fencing)

Y-14 Women’s Epee
Gold: Irene Yeu (Swords)
Bronze: Jasmine Jin (Fortune)
Bronze: Josephine Lieber (LAIFC)
5th: Aretha Gao (LAIFC)
8th: Olivia Daniel (Fortune)

Y-14 Men’s Epee
5th: Stafford Moosekian (Swords)
8th: Wilson Zhu (Fortune)

Y-10 Women’s Epee
Gold: Ella LaBrache (LAIFC)
Bronze: Sasha Barnow (LAIFC)
Bronze: Sabrina Lo (Fortune)
5th: Jade Gauriat (BHFC)
7th: Zoe Kim (Swords)
8th: Nisa Qureshi (Fortune)

Junior Men’s Epee
Gold: Kevin Chao (LAIFC)
Silver: Emon Daroian (Swords)
5th: Aidan Kung (Swords)
6th: Zhao Chen (Swords)

Y-12 Women’s Foil
Gold: Ava Tran (UFA)
Silver: Kaila Yi (UFA)
5th: Ellen Yu (UFA)
8th: Kailey Suh (UFA)

Y-10 Men’s Epee
Gold: Nicholas Jin (Fortune)
Silver: Kyran Lin (Fortune)
Bronze: Kian Koohpareh (Swords)
5th: Sebastien Noel (BHFC)
7th: Christopher Dekermanji (Swords)

Y-12 Women’s Saber
Silver: Riya Patel (D’Asaro)
5th: Janna Freedman (D’Asaro)
8th: Kaley Plonka (D’Asaro)

Junior Women’s Epee
Gold: Rachel Bang (Swords)
Silver: Emily Beihold (Swords)
Bronze: Irene Yeu (Swords)
Bronze: Kristen Kim (Swords)
6th: Ashley Liang (Fortune)
7th: Lexiss Morgan (Swords)

Y-12 Men’s Saber
Bronze: Matthew Limb (AGFC)
Bronze: Alexander Jeffords (LAIFC)
7th: Oliver Berger (LAIFC)
8th: Aaron Licht (LAIFC)

1. Adrien Thien-Sandler (LAIFC)
2. Stephen Ewart (Swords)
3. Chloe Daniel (Fortune)
3. Jamie Bang (Fortune)
5. Isaac Gomez (Fortune)
6. Fulun Shen (Fortune)
7. Nicole Agob (Swords)
8. Lily Wilkins (Fortune)

Senior Women’s Epee Finalists

1. Madeline Kehl (Swords)
2. Katie Angen (LAIFC)
3. Belinda Mo (Swords)
3. Claire Dinhut (LAIFC)
5. Kasia Nixon (LAIFC)
6. Jennifer Horowitz (LAIFC)
7. Lily Wilkins (Fortune)
8. Karla Silva (LAIFC)

Senior Mixed Epee Finalists

1. Porter Hesslegrave (LAIFC)
2. Raymond Schorr (Swords)
3. Richard Malik Duval (BHFC)
3. Joshua DesRoches
5. Ben Riviere (Swords)
6. Daryl Taylor (PCC)
7. Madeline Kehl (Swords)
8. Charles Horowitz (LAIFC)

1. Stephen Ewart (Thrust)
2. Nicholas Hoyer (Swords)
3. John Gardner (Conejo)
3. Rachel Bang (Fortune)
5. Chris Derhartouian (Swords)
6. Jamie Bang (Fortune)
7. Cara Auerbach (LAIFC)
8. Emon Daroian (Swords)

Congratulations to our finalists in Open Epee.

1. Tigran Shaginian (Swords)
2. Trevor Shepard (Swords)
3. Jim Beihold (Swordplay)
3. Luis Dealba-Yount (Swords)
5. Raymond Schorr (Swords)
6. Madeline Kehl (Swords)
7. Wesley Martinez (Masque de Fer-Chaminade)
8. Preston Maestri-Petnunas (Swords)

Congratulations to our Y-12 finalists.

1. Rachel Bang (Fortune)
2. Cameron Downs (Swords)
3. Kyle Lee (Swords)
3. Emon Daroian (Swords)
5. Andres Rodriguez (Thrust)
6. Arvind Karuppiah (Swords)
7. Anna Carlson (Swords)
8. Garron Ireton (Thrust)

Lots of photos for this one see the slideshow.