2008 Woodie Awards
Fencing team hosts on-campus tournament
Michael Golden
Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Sports & Clubs
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The tournament had three separate events-mixed foil, saber and epee. A team foil event was planned but cancelled because not enough teams signed up.
Fencers from the Gulf Coast, North Texas and Ark-La-Miss divisions attended. Sophomore studio arts major Laura Laidlaw also said that several fencers from the UST club planned to compete, but instead decided to help run the tournament.
According to fencing club president Jorge Novo, a junior liberal arts major, the UST fencers decided to drop out and help run the tournament because the number of outside fencers attending had increased rapidly. He said that the team originally expected fewer fencers and was short on help.
"Mostly members of the club, competitive and beginners, helped during the whole event," Novo said. "Without them, it would not have been possible to pull off."
Registration for the tournament was $10 per person and another $10 for each event. Some of the money raised from the tournament was used to pay the referees, while the rest went back into the club budget. Novo said the club budget helps to pay for tournament fees, weapon parts and extra supplies.
The most attended event at the tournament was mixed foil, which had 38 competitors. Only four competitors entered the saber competition and 16 competed in the mixed epee event. The mixed foil and mixed epee events had enough competitors to be ranked events. The United States Fencing Association bases ranked events on how many fencers, and ranked fencers compete.
Novo said that the fencing club will attend the Crescent City Open in New Orleans, which runs March 15-16. However, due to time conflicts, the team is not planning on attending the summer nationals.
Novo, who has fenced since his freshman year at UST, is the club president as well as its armorer, which means he takes care of and repairs the club's equipment and makes sure it is safe to use. While he is planning on stepping down as the club president next year, he will remain the club armorer.
The fencing club practices every Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. and Fridays from 2:30-5:30 p.m. The club welcomes everyone, and anyone interested in joining should e-mail Novo at novoje@stthom.edu or visit Jerabeck.