The first Eastern Region Competition for 2009 has gone off with a bang at Fioretto FC. On Saturday 18th of April, 21 fencers from 4 clubs competed in this open foil event. It was fantastic to see such growth in this series and Fioretto is preparing itself for even bigger participation throughout the year, as many regulars could be there for this round!
What is the ERC? In a nut shell it is the ‘Eastern Region Competition’. It is open to all clubs in Melbourne’s east. Why regional competition? Regional level events are the next step above interclub events, and they are great for ‘neighboring’ clubs to get to know each other better. ERC fills the gaps in the fencing calendar, and provides extra experience and practice to fencers in our region. For the first time in 2009 we have had to explain to fencers from the ‘central’ region of Melbourne why they can’t participate. I could cit a few good ones but after round 1 let’s just stick with this; practically speaking, our venue isn’t big enough to host more clubs. If a pot of gold falls on our heads and we can change that – we’ll let you all know!
Despite the limited capacity of the venue at Fioretto FC, the atmosphere at the ERC was as vibrant and enthusiastic as ever. Fencers that came along not only had a great time, but they were great sports. Everyone competed hard on the piste, and encouraged hard when off the piste. There was a new diversity in the competition, with many new faces taking on the challenge. Young fencers challenging (and beating in many cases) older and larger opponents, new fencers winning upset bouts over seasoned competitors. It was not only a great day for the fencers but an entertaining competition for all the family and friends that came to watch.
Congratulations to TC Reynolds from Blacklords Fencing Club who, as an under 15’s fencer, defeated an open field take gold in his first ERC appearance. As the day went on TC continually lifted his game and energy to meet the rising challenges. Most memorable would be his effort against new fencer Alexander for Monash Uni – David vs Goliath. Despite barely reaching Alexander’s chest TC tenaciously fought his way inside Alexander’s impressive reach to score points and win their bout. Impressive confidence and commitment.
2009 will be the first year that the ERC championship will be decided by an accumulated points system. As such we are looking forward not only to a more competitive series, but as to more feedback on what fencers are looking for in local competition. So far regional competition has proved a great low cost way for fencers to get a taste for competition, and build their interest into going further and fencing at a State level. With that in mind we look forward to the future.The results. Please see below for the final standings. Please go to the championship page to check points allocation. If you are interested in being added to the mailing list to receive group notifications regarding ERC events (only), please email your details to info@fioretto.com.au
Tableau A: 1 TC Reynolds, 2 Yen Sen-Lee, 3 CJJ Hobbs,
Tableau B: 1 Josh Lazarus, 2 Kenneth Yuen, 3 Emma Sun
If You would like your club competition details entered; email chris@swordfightersaustralia.com