This was a FOIL competition (the 2 other weapons that comprise the Olympic sport of fencing are epee and saber. We do not have any students training with those weapons yet). We had 6 club members compete, and walking into the tournament, we were all classified by the USFA as "UNCLASSIFIED". The ranking system begins at "E" and advances to level "A". The "A" level fencers are the TOP competitors who work for an Olympic team spot. To be ranked, a fencer has to finish in the top brackets of a sanctioned tournament. That being said, here are the club results for the Springfield Fencing Club from Sunday.
1st Place Open Men's Foil - Kevin Hughes Awarded "D" rating. 3rd Place Open Men's Foil - Flynn Hanners Awarded "E" rating. 3rd Place Women's Foil - Joanne Liu (10th Overall in Open Foil). 13th Place Open Men's Foil - Freddie Baskett 14th Place Open Men's Foil - Eric Mayland 17th Place Open Men's Foil - Jay Lovelace
We are having some INCREDIBLE showings for a fledgling club and all our competitors are to be congratulated for their hard-work and dedication.
Joanne won 3rd place Women's Foil, and 10th Overall! GREAT JOB Joanne!!!!!
Kevin's 1st place trophy (the wrong one! oops!) We will get a photo of Flynn & Joanne ASAP
Six members of the Springfield Fencing Club participated in an Open Foil Fencing Tournament hosted by the Peoria Fencing Academy on Sunday, February 4th. 27 fencers from six different fencing clubs throughout central Illinois and Iowa competed, including Bradley University (Peoria), Knox College (Galesburg), Peoria Fencing Academy, The Point Fencing Club (Champaign), Scattergood School (Iowa) and Springfield Fencing Club. Participants of both sexes and ranging in ages from 13 to 54 competed against each other following the fencing regulations prescribed by the United States Fencing Association (USFA). The members of the Springfield Fencing Club finished as follows: Kevin E. Hughes - 3rd place (tie); Flynn Hanners - 11th place; Joanne Liu - 12th place; Freddie Baskett - 13th; Eric Mayland - 17th; Devlin Hanners - 19th.
The Springfield Fencing Club (SFC) is an officially recognized member club of the USFA. SFC offers beginning and intermediate foil fencing classes for Springfield area community members at a recreational level. SFC also trains members to participate in foil competitions in the Midwest. SFC has assisted the local theater community with swordfight choreography, and will be conducting a stage swordcraft workshop in conjunction with the Springfield Ballet Company and the Springfield Muni Opera Association.
