Ball State Fencing Club

Come check out the Ball State University Fencing Club at this year’s Fall Activity Fair on Saturday, August 21st from 6pm-8pm on the Worthen Arena concourse.

Continue reading ‘BSUFC at Fall Activity Fairrgb’

Every year, fencers across America follow the same tradition; renewal of their USFA membership.  July 31 marks the end of the fencing year and the expiration of all forms of membership (unless you have a multi-year or lifetime membership).  Any fencer wishing to compete, or any club wishing to host tournaments, are required to purchase a new membership for $60.

Memberships can be renewed from the main USFA website, http://www.usfencing.org.  You can also find the link to download the paper form if you wish to pay by check, money order, or wait until your first tournament.  USFA memberships include unlimited access to any USFA-sanctioned tournament in the United States, a free subscription to American Fencing magazine (a quarterly publishing about all things fencing), and the ability to meet great, new people who have the same interests.

If any Ball State Fencing Club members have questions about getting a USFA membership, please speak with Coach Koby.  USFA memberships are not required by the Ball State Fencing Club, but are appreciated as the club in general is looking to increase its reputation in the fencing community by competing and hosting tournaments.

Summit City Fencing Club’s Summer Sizzler C & Under tournament was the best place to see some great summer fencing action in Indiana (with the World Cup going on in New York City that is).  Fencers from all over Indiana met in Fort Wayne, Indiana to shake off some rust, get some medals, and have a lot of fun.

Continue reading ‘BSUFC Members Fence Well in Ft. Waynergb’

April 10, 2010 was the date that marked the Summit City Spring Fling Open in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Ball State University Fencing Club members Brian Koby, Bill Stark, Nathaniel Correll, Caitlin Huston, and Lauren Dailey made the hour and a half drive north to experience this small, but well-rounded tournament and bring home some amazing results. Continue reading ‘Tournament Results: Spring Fling Open 2010rgb’

Saturday, March 27 was a long day for Ball State fencers.  After traveling to Lafayette on Friday night and staying with a friend, the Ball State University Fencing Club started things early in the morning with Epee.  Those competing during the day were Nathaniel Correll, Brian Koby, and Tyler Wolford in Epee, and later in the afternoon was Bill Stark in Foil. Continue reading ‘Tournament Results: 2010 Purdue Spring Openrgb’

Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7 were big days for two Ball State fencers, Brian Koby and William Stark as they traveled to Columbus, Ohio to compete in the Arnold Fencing Classic, part of the Arnold Sports Festival.  In the past the Arnold Fencing Classic has been a way for younger fencers to meet, compete, and socialize with celebrity fencers, but this year marked the first year it was open to fencers of all ages, including senior fencers.

Brian Koby competed on Saturday in the mixed epee open event.  The event was an A1 event with only 20 fencers registered, 3 of which were A-rated fencers.  Koby’s pool was difficult as he faced a few fencers he’s never seen before, and a few others he had not.  He finished 5th in his pools with only one win, a seeded 15th going in to the DEs.  He excelled during his first DE round (round of 32) to win 15-11.  He then faced A-rated Henry Reed in the round of 16 and lost 5-15, but fenced rather well.

Bill Stark had to wait until Sunday to fence in the mixed foil event, where he faced 31 competitors; 5 of which were A-rated, making it an A-2 event.  Bill started strong in his pools, but ultimately finished 7th with no wins, seeding him in 29th for the first round of DEs.  Bill changed his strategy for his DE and faired well against 4th place ranked Josh Grill; Bill lost 3-15, but learned a lot from his final bout.

To bring more excitement to the weekend, Koby and Stark were also lucky to have the chance to meet two Olympic fencers; 2008 Mens Sabre Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse and 2004/2008 Womens Sabre Gold Medalist Mariel Zagunis.

On top of the fencing celebrities, Koby and Stark also had a chance to meet the person responsible for the Arnold Sports Festival; California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Next year Koby plans to take more fencers from Ball State to experience this spectacular event, hosted by the city of Columbus, Ohio and organized by Royal Arts Fencing.

In a recent press release on the United State Fencing Association web site, a statement was made that the USFA, in alliance with the FIE, will be banning the use of the visor masks for both foil and epee events.  This ban was made due to safety concerns, but no other information is available at this point in time.  It was set to be effective immediately (as of February 9, 2010) for all USFA events (including the upcoming Junior Olympics qualifier in Memphis this weekend).

As of right now, the sabre visor masks are still legal for all USFA events.  As more information is available, it will be posted.

Some of the times have changed for the Arnold Fencing Classic (March 5-7, 2010).  Due to a very high demand of events, administrators of the events have made some adjustments to the events on Sunday.  The Senior Mixed Foil Open will begin at 11:45am Sunday, March 7.  Please remember that if you are interested in fencing, you must preregister and pre-pay.  All information can be found on AskFred.net: http://askfred.net/Events/moreInfo.php?tournament_id=9862

Any questions about this event can be directed to club coach, Brian Koby.

On Saturday, February 27, the Ball State Fencing Club will return to Ball State’s Late Nite activities to help promote the Olympics and club membership.

Ball State students will be able to chat with current club members, officers, and the club coach about fencing, how to join, look at the weapons, try out some gear, and even learn some fencing moves.  If possible, live fencing demonstrations will be available for those interested in seeing real fencing in action.

More information about Ball State’s Late Nite program can be found at http://cms.bsu.edu/About/AdministrativeOffices/StudentCenter/StudentCenterPrograms/LateNite.aspx

Have you been searching the web for information about the Ball State Fencing Club?  This blog entry will inform you of the different communication techniques the Ball State Fencing Club is using to reach out to its members and interested individuals. Continue reading ‘Find Us Onlinergb’