News

 This year our club was represented by a team of 13 fencers and 2 coaches at the Junior & Cadet Fencing National Championships in Dallas, TX. Six girls: Sarah Gruman, Sandhya Nadadur, Lauren Rangel-Friedman, Anastasia Pineschi, Anastasia Ivanoff and Mila Wolpert; seven boys: Geoffrey Loss, Josiah Yiu, Alex Rey Palabrica, Michael Costin, Zac Strauss, Walker DuBois and Jake Zeiss; and of course, our coaches, Daniel Costin and Daniel Grigore. Everybody worked hard for months to prepare and qualify for this important tournament that happens only once a year.

February 18, the first day of the tournament, everybody fenced really well. Josiah, Alex Rey, Michael and Geoffrey got Junior National Points by placing in top 32. Geoffrey entered this championship with an even bigger challenge than his team mates: the events over the weekend would determine his qualification to the Fencing World Championships. Before Dallas he was placed number three on the saber cadet point list, but the two results combined from the junior and cadet events will decide who will be on the US cadet team. The formula is even  more complicated taking into consideration the other athletes striving to be part of the national team, but Geoffrey was very determined, fenced his best and got defeated only in the gold bout, by Kaito Streets, from Sacramento, another contestant to the cadet national team.

 February 19, was the day for the girls’ junior event. Our brave girls, Anastasia P, Anastasia I, Sarah, Lauren and Sandhya, fenced really well and two of them finished in top 32 gaining National Points as well. Sarah placed 18^th and Anastasia Pineschi medaled by placing 5^th. Another day to celebrate good fencing and great results!

 February 20, was the day for the boys cadet event, a very important day for everybody: Zac, Walker and Jake’s first JOs, Josiah and Geoffrey’s last cadet event (also called 17 & under), and Alex Rey and Michael are considered strong fencers in this age category. All fencers tried really hard and applied the best of their knowledge and skills. At the end of the day Michael finished 5^th and Geoffrey placed again 2^nd. Geoffrey’s result earned him the second spot on the National Cadet Saber Team that will represent the US at the 2011 Fencing World Championships in Jordan at the end of March, along with Eli Derschwitz, from Boston (1^st) and Peter Pak , from New York (3^rd). Congratulations to all three of them and good luck at the Worlds!

February 21, the last day of the championships, had two events: girls’ cadet and boys’ junior team. The girls who fenced were Sarah, Sandhya, Anastasia P, Anastasia I and Mila (the last two first time at JOs). Daniel praised their performances and was especially proud of Anastasia I for earning her “E11” rating and Anastasia P for placing 7^th and receiving a medal. The boys’ team formed of Geoffrey, Josiah, Alex Rey and Michael fenced really well, but was away from placing in top four by only one touch (44 – 45 with Nellya Fencers).

The whole weekend was a success for our club. Congratulations to the entire AGFC team (fencers and coaches)!

 

AGFC is honored to have guest coach VILMOS SZABO, saber national coach of Germany, return this summer to teach in our facility. Maestro Szabo, a former Olympian of Romania, has numerous outstanding results in his athletic as well as coaching career. Currently Szabo is well known world wide for being NICOLAS LIMBACH's coach (number 1 ranked saber fencer in the world). In addition, this year in April, at the 2011 Junior and Cadet World Championships in Dead Sea, Jordan, maestro Szabo earned double glory: first when his own son, MATYAS SZABO, won the 2011 Junior Saber world title and then, just a few days later, when Matyas and his German team mates won the world championships team title as well.
The elite camp is offered to competitive fencers interested to refine their fencing skills. Not only will athletes enhance their technique, but they will discover a new approach to the fencing world. Come and train this summer with the best! It will be a fantastic experience!

 

Cost: $600 per session if registered by July 10, 2011 or $700 per session after deadline.

Download the registration form here.

 

 

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Is your daughter or son interested in sword fighting like a Musketeer, Jedi, Gladiator, Knight, Robin Hood or Joan of Arc? Then fencing is the answer! During this week-long program, students will learn the basics of the sport through games and fun activities in Southern California's premier fencing location. While learning this Olympic sport campers will discover a strong sense of empowerment, self confidence and leadership. Your child will discover a sport that is both centuries old and completely contemporary because it uses high-tech equipment. Be ready for a fantastic experience.

Cost: $400 per session
Protective Gear: $50 per session

Download the registration form here.

 

 

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Fencers planning to compete at the 2011 National Championships in Reno, Nevada, would not want to miss out on this intensive training camp. The camp consists of 8 days of high level physical and mental preparation. Training will take place in the fencing club as well as at the beach. This camp is also recommended for athletes planning to start competing in the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

Cost: $500 for session 1, $400 for session 2, or $850 for both sessions if registered by June 10th, 2011. After the deadline the cost for session 1 is $550 and for session 2 is $450 (no cumulative discount applies).

Download the registration form here.

Congratulations to AGFC fencers who qualified today to the 2011 USFA Junior Olympic Championships, which will be held Presidents' weekend in Dallas TX: ANASTASIA IVANOFF, SANDHYA NADADUR, MILA WOLPERT, ALEX REY PALABRICA, ZAC STRAUSS, JAKE ZEISS and WALKER DUBOIS. In addition the following athletes are auto qualified: ANASTASIA PINESCHI, SARAH GRUMAN, LAUREN RANGEL-FRIEDMAN, GEOFFREY LOSS, JOSIAH YIU and MICHAEL COSTIN.

AGFC fencers win top places in both women and men events: ANASTASIA IVANOFF (1st), SANDHYA NADADUR (2nd), JOSIAH YIU (1st) and MICHAEL LEUCHTER (2nd). NINA GILSHTEYN who just started fencing a couple of months ago placed 4th. Congratulations to all of them!

The 2010 Fencing World Championships is hosted by France, the country who's national sport is fencing. Paris is promoting the event by featuring posters on buses and buildings all over the town. The Championships are held in the historic Grand Palais. Congratulations to US double Olympian MARIEL ZAGUNIS who has won the title in the women's saber event! To learn more about this tournament please visit http://www.escrime-2010.com/en.

LAUREN RANGEL-FRIEDMAN and GEOFFREY LOSS qualify for the NYC Fencing Masters tournament. Results.

The summer went by really quickly with lots of practice and plenty of fun. Competitive fencers had the opportunity to train for two weeks with world-renowned fencing coach from Germany maestro Vilmos Szabo.

During camp a surprise visitor showed up: maestro Christian Bauer, double Olympic coach for Italian Aldo Montano in 2004 and Chinese Man Zhong in 2008.

The campers got to train along Matyas Szabo, 2010 World Champion with national team from Germany, and Eric Arzoian, bronze medalist at the 2010 World Championships with USA team.

On the last day of camp former top US ranked fencer Harry Mahaffey visited and enjoyed fencing a few bouts demonstrating that he is still invincible.

AGFC fencer Anastasia Pineschi wins silver in Women's Saber Cadet event, and is a finalist in the Junior and Division II events.

AGFC Women's Junior Team, Sarah Gruman, Sandhya Nadadur, Anastasia Pineschi and Lauren Rangel-Friedman, get recognized as top point holders for the 2009-2010 season and recieve award.

Jae Sang is a finalist in the Veteran's 40 Men's Saber event.

(Anastasia and her coach, Daniel)

Good luck to all AGFC fencers who are going to compete at the 2010 Summer Nationals!

Jonathan Alder
Eric Arzoian
Nick Bartuzik
Michael Costin
Anita Grigore
Sarah Gruman
Darian Joso
Davery Joso
Spencer Koo
Geoffrey Loss
Gerard Moreno
Jachin Moss
Sandhya Nadadur
Alex Rey Palabrica
Anastasia Pineschi
Lauren Rangel-Friedman
Eric Sang
Jae Sang
Chris Schorman
Zac Strauss
Mila Wolpert
Josiah Yiu
Jake Zeiss

American double Oylmpic champion Mariel Zagunis wins women's saber event and Italian Olympic champion Aldo Montano wins the men's saber event. Complete results.

Zac Strauss (Youth 14) and Eric Sang (Youth 10) become 2009-2010 Youth Challenge Champions. To learn more about this tournament please visit complete results.

Congratulations to: Daryl, Evan, Eric and Aleksander!

Please click here to view complete results.

   Gold: Germany     Silver: Canada     Bronze: USA

Happening now: April 2 - 10, 2010 in Baku, Azerbaijan. To stay connected and to find out the latest results. click here.

Advanced Level: Summer Nationals Prep Camp
Fencers planning to compete at the 2010 Summer National Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, would not want to miss out on this intensive training camp. The camp consists of 8 days of high level preparation and will culminate with a tournament. This camp is also recommended for athletes planning to start competing in the upcoming 2010-2011 season.
Session 1: June 21 – June 25
Session 2: June 28 – July 1

Advanced Level: International Camp with Fencing Master Vilmos Szabo
AGFC is honored to have guest coach Vilmos Szabo, saber national coach of Germany, teach a two weeks camp this summer in our facility. Maestro Szabo, a former Olympian of Romania, has numerous outstanding results in his athletic, as well as coaching careers. Currently his student Nicolas Limbach is ranked number 1 saber fencer in the world, and his own son, Matyas Szabo, has just won the world championship title together with the German junior team at the 2010 Junior Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Matyas will also honor us with his presence at camp.
Session 1: July 26 – July 30
Session 2: August 2 – August 6

Beginner Level: Intro to Saber
Stay cool this summer while in a high-tech air-conditioned gym and discover the wonderful sport of fencing. Learn coordination, discipline and sportsmanship in a sport that earned the US team 6 medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Whether for fun, for competition or for a possible college scholarship, fencing can be enjoyed all year long as an indoor sport.
Session 1: July 12 – July 16
Session 2: August 16 – August 21

Beginner Level: Intermediate Saber Camp
This camp is meant for the youngest competitive or recreational fencer. Campers will develop proficiency in footwork, drills and fencing bouts. Fencing games and mini tournaments will be the highlights of these fun sessions.
Session 1: July 12 – July 16
Session 2: August 16 – August 21

Please contact us directly if you would like to recieve a brochure.

AGFC had six fencers compete in the Men's Junior event today. They all fenced really well passing cut offs after pools (only 80% of competitors advance after pools) and one round of direct eliminations. Outstanding results were shown by Eric Arzoian and Geoffrey Loss who placed in top 32, and Spencer Koo a finalist in top 8, his best result of his fencing career so far. Spencer, a student at Harvard-Westlake School, Los Angeles, has received a likely commitment from Princeton University, New Jersey, and looks forward to being a member of the fencing team once he is officially accepted. Congratulations!

The United States Fencing Association announced today in Memphis, TN, at the 2010 Junior Olympic Championships, the official Junior Men's Saber Team that will represent the United State at the 2010 Junior/Cadet Fencing World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. AGFC fencer Eric Arzoian qualified to be part of the team by only 6 points apart from Aleksander Ochocki from New Jersey. The team consists of the following athletes:
1. Daryl Homer
2. Evan Prochniak
3. Eric Arzoian
4. Aleksander Ochoki (alternate)
Congratulations to all of them and good luck at the World Championships!

The North American Cup in San Jose this weekend was quite intense for Avant-Garde fencer Eric Arzoian, as well as some of the top national ranked fencers who tried to qualify for the US Junior National Team that will compete in April at the 2010 Junior/Cadet Fencing World Championships, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The results on Friday in the Junior Men's Saber event came as a surprise to many of the team member challengers, with a hazy picture of the team's configuration at the end of the day. But Sunday, January 17th,  Eric Arzoian placed 3rd in the Division I. event and his result increased his overall national point standings score to a favorable position on the US Junior team. Eric still has one important tournament to prepare for, the 2010 Junior Olympic Championships in Memphis, TN during President's weekend.

2010 starts with an outstanding achievement for AGFC fencer Eric Arzoian who won bronze at Heracles Junior World Cup in Budapest, Hungary, on January 3rd, in the men's saber event. Eric has shown his gift for fencing from a young age winning local and regional tournaments. Some of his remarkable results are: 2006 National Champion in the Junior Team Men's Saber event in Atlanta, GA, 2007 National Champion in the Senior Team Men's Saber event in Miami, FL, 5th place at 2009 North American Cup D in Louisville, KY, 1st place at 2009 North American Cup B in Kansas City, MO, and 3rd place at the 2009 Carl Schwende Junior World Cup in Montreal, Canada. But the bronze he earned at the Heracles Junior World Cup in Budapest brings Eric closer to a spot on the US Saber Junior Team which will compete at the 2010 Junior/Cadet World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan in April. Eric, who got accepted to Harvard University in 2009, decided to dedicate one year of intensive training to fencing and focus on his athletic career, before starting college. His efforts are striking and he is very close to having the honor to represent the United States at the 2010 Junior World Championships. Congratulations to Eric!

Complete Results

Please join us for a delightful afternoon to celebrate the opening of our new fencing club.
The first part of the afternoon is dedicated to our community to meet fencers who achieved the prestigious honor in representing the US at the Olympic Games.
The second part of the program will emphasize on fencing demonstrations by our own members, so please feel free to invite your family and friends to stop by, watch and discover the wonderful world of fencing.

Featured events:

1 - 2 pm Southern California Fencing Olympians
Carl Borack - Montreal 1972
Gerard Moreno - Sidney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 unable to attend
Jason Rogers - Athens 2004, Beijijng 2008 - Silver Medalist

2 - 4 pm Mini Fencing Demos - bouts with AGFC members

Sign up for a beginners class and recieve 30% off regular cost. Offer valid from December 6 through December 13, 2009 for classes offered in January, February and March of 2010 only.