2006 Junior/Cadet World Championships Predictions/Results

[Peach]

Originally Posted by qatet

Y'know, when the only really _bad_ thing you ever hear about your coach is that he dresses oddly, you know you've got a good coach. (As though the training wasn't indication enough.) And you, grasshopper, missed out on the era of flourescent shorts over flourescent spandex, with clogs. Now _those_ were some outfits.

Congratulations Graham!

Oh, man, them were blinding outfits. These days he's positively conservative! Agreed--he has odd clothes sense but he's been responsible for my earning a huge slew of medals. Wonderful coach, and he could wear a top hat and a toucan suit if he wanted as far as I'm concerned.

[MHS Fencer]

USA ME Jr Team has Benji Ungar (look for him at the top), Teddy Sherrill (he'll either do really well or mess up early), and Dwight Smith.

[Poulet]

There is now a press release on the USFA site.

Wicas won his quarterfinal matchup against Gianmaria Galassini of Italy 15-7. He then defeated Dania Budai of the Ukraine 15-11 in the semis, and beat Garozzo for the gold convincingly, 15-7.

Well, it's Daniel for starters. Second, he's from Hungary, not the Ukraine. Furthermore, the score was 15-14, not 15-11.

The results put the U.S. in the lead in the overall medal count by two over the home team Korea.

Wrong, we're in the lead by three... Korea has two medals, both from Cadet men's saber.



At least it's on the site. It's pretty pathetic that they don't care enough to have the facts right, though.

[fencerX]

Also:

Vloka defeated Janina Woschek of the Ukraine soundly, 15-4, in her semifinal bout

Woschek is from Germany, not Ukraine.

The USFA takes to press communications about as well as it does to running a web site.

[KD5MDK]

Originally Posted by Valerio Versace

Ok, let's get ready for some new predicitions. I need some info: who's in the USA ME junior team? What about the WE cadets?

www.international.usfencing.org has a list of everyone.

[k9fav]

Congrats to our Cadets! THis must be a first for us yes?

Rebecca Ward #1
Caroline Vloka #2
Jackie Jacobson #3

Here is the press release:
Subject: FENCING: Historic Day for U.S. Cadets


For Immediate Release
10 April 2006

Phenomenal Day for U.S. Cadets

U.S. cadet fencers won both of the day's gold medals plus silver and
bronze at the 2006 Junior & Cadet World Championships in South Korea.

In the cadet (Under-17) women's saber competition Rebecca Ward (16,
Portland, Ore.) won the gold medal by one touch (15-14) over teammate
Caroline Vloka (15, Upper Saddle River, N.J.). Jackie Jacobson (17,
Dunwoody, Ga.) won bronze.

On the men's side Graham Wicas (16, Philadelphia, Pa.) won the Cadet
Men's Epee competition and Cooper Gegan (15, Culver City, Calif.)
reached the final of eight.

This is the first time a U.S. man has won an epee World Championships in
any age group.

The three cadet women entered the field of 52 seeded first, fourth and
fifth, respectively. Vloka emerged from the pool round seeded first,
Ward sixth, and Jacobson tenth. All three marched through the table with
decisive victories until the quarterfinals.

There, Vloka defeated Matylda Ostojska of Poland 15-12, Ward defeated
Rossella Gregorio of Italy 15-12, and Jacobson defeated second seed
Irene Vecchi of Italy 15-13 to set the stage for Ward and Jacobson's
semifinal match.

Ward won that bout 15-11. Vloka defeated Janina Woschek of the Ukraine
soundly, 15-4, in her semifinal bout.

This is the first time U.S. fencers have ever achieved a podium sweep.

In the men's epee competition, Cooper Gegan defeated Sergiy Mymrenko of
the Ukraine 15-12 to reach the quarterfinals. Graham Wicas won his bout
in the round of 16 over Sebastian Glane of Germany 15-8.

Gegan lost a tough bout in the quarterfinals against Enrico Garozzo of
Italy 15-12. Wicas won his quarterfinal matchup against Gianmaria
Galassini of Italy 15-7. He then defeated Dania Budai of the Ukraine
15-11 in the semis, and beat Garozzo for the gold convincingly, 15-7.

Corwin Duncan (17, College Park, Md.) lost his first match in the
tableau of
64 to Samy Moussaly of Sweden 15-13.

The results put the U.S. in the lead in the overall medal count by two
over the home team Korea. U.S. fencers have now earned two gold, one
silver, and two bronze -- equaling last year's U.S. medal total by the
second day of competition.

Tomorrow is the final day of individual cadet competition; junior
competition begins Wednesday.

More results are below. Check out http://www.kff2006wcjc.com for
complete results.

2006 Junior and Cadet World Fencing Championships Taebek City, South
Korea April 9-17, 2006

April 10 results
Cadet Women's Saber
52 competitors
75 competitors
1. WARD Rebecca (16, Portland, Ore./Oregon Fenc. Alliance/home school)
2. VLOKA Caroline (15, Upper Saddle River, N.J./Fencers Club) 3T.
JACOBSON Jackie (17, Dunwoody, Ga./Nellya Fencers)
3T. WOSCHEK Janina GER
5. VECCHI Irene ITA
6. GREGORIO Rossella ITA
7. OSTOJSKA Matylda POL
8. VORONINA Olena UKR

Cadet Men's Epee
75 competitors
1 WICAS Graham (16, Philadelphia, Pa./Fencing Acad. Of Phila.)
2 GAROZZO Enrico ITA
3 BUDAI Daniel HUN
3 MOUSSALLY Samy SUI
5 BOREYKO Denys UKR
6 GALASSINI Gianmaria ITA
7 JUHASZ Bence HUN
8 GEGAN Cooper (15, Culver City, Calif./LA Int'l. F.C.)
49. DUNCAN Corwin (17, College Park, Md./DCFC)

For More Information Please Contact:
Cindy Bent Findlay

[noahz]

Originally Posted by Valerio Versace

Oh, that explains a lot of things.
I mean, I know fencers from the woman's epee cadet team there in Korea who could probably beat Galassini and Garozzo.
I'm a bit sorry for Canevari, 'cause I (most people) though he was the Italian the best chances to win.

Why does it seem like whenever the United States acheives something in fencing, a European has to pop in and "gently remind us" why the result isn't at all significant?

Perhaps somebody should pay a visit to an Italian fencing board and ask them why their cadet/junior fencing program has started to suck? **

Good job, Graham!


** I'm not actually advocating this, just trying to make a point - such an action would be incredibly asinine.

[DHCJr]

Originally Posted by Zilverzmurfen

Results!

Great to see they're updating the site.

At least partially. Much of it is 'Under Construction'. Also considering on the 2nd day the lady sabreist got 1 gold, 1 silver and a bronze and the men's epee was a gold medal for 4 total. What about the bronze medal on the first day? It does seem they have all the bronze medals for the 1st 2 days counted in the country tallies and they appear they are awaiting the result for the gold medal batch for the 3rd day. What happened to the 1st day?

The page for the organization is still under construction as well as other pages.

[Valerio Versace]

Originally Posted by noahz

Why does it seem like whenever the United States acheives something in fencing, a European has to pop in and "gently remind us" why the result isn't at all significant?

Perhaps somebody should pay a visit to an Italian fencing board and ask them why their cadet/junior fencing program has started to suck? **

Good job, Graham!


** I'm not actually advocating this, just trying to make a point - such an action would be incredibly asinine.

Don't misunderstand me... this afternoon I saw the video of the final and I was really amazed by Wicas. In this World Championship, the USA is showing its sheer superiority over Europe. I'm confident in the ability of our junior epee team, and I think that they can do really well. The best has to win each competition, being American or European doesn't matter.
When I pointed out that Garozzo or Galassini would have been a fair match even for some athletes of the WE cadet team, I wasn't trying to make Graham's achievement sound unimportant, I was complaining about the level of our cadets, possibly trying to understand the reasons.
Wicas is an amazing athlete and fencer and I wish him the best luck.

[Craig]

Now all we need to do is figure out how to keep these fencers in the sport past their college years and into their 30's. I'm always encouraged by the Cadet and Junior results but at the same time sad that we don't have the support program other countries have for their seniors.

[Fencing Mom]

Originally Posted by Craig

Now all we need to do is figure out how to keep these fencers in the sport past their college years and into their 30's.

Pay them. Now all we need to do is figure out how to pay them.

[noahz]

Originally Posted by Fencing Mom

Pay them. Now all we need to do is figure out how to pay them.

Prize money at World Cup Tournaments is the only way it's going to happen.

[KD5MDK]

Why? Among other things, that does nothing for people who aren't ready to win that level, but need the experience to become that good.

I think the WCAP, and other similar programs, are more of what we need. If the Italians give all their fencers jobs on the National Police, we ought to have something in the same vein, even if not a government program.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by noahz

Prize money at World Cup Tournaments is the only way it's going to happen.

Prize money at World Cup tournaments isn't the way the other countries pay their professional fencers, so clearly that's NOT the only way.

Additionally picking any one method and saying that it's the "only way" is a really good method of cutting off discussion/thought and avoiding the possibility of discovering non-obvious solutions that could easily be significantly better than the "only way."

-B

[fencerbill]

The CMF pool results and DE table are up. USA seeded 3, 20, 35. No CWE results up yet.

[eac]

Originally Posted by fencerbill

The CMF pool results and DE table are up. USA seeded 3, 20, 35. No CWE results up yet.

Meinhardt, seeded 3rd, hits Parkins, seeded 35th, in the round of 32 (second DE), unfortunately.

EDIT: Or not. Parkins loses to Martin Remijn from the Netherlands 15-14.

[noahz]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

Prize money at World Cup tournaments isn't the way the other countries pay their professional fencers, so clearly that's NOT the only way.

Additionally picking any one method and saying that it's the "only way" is a really good method of cutting off discussion/thought and avoiding the possibility of discovering non-obvious solutions that could easily be significantly better than the "only way."

Well, based on empirical evidence, that's how top Tennis juniors are able to make the transition to being full-time Tennis adults. Otherwise, we'll just have to continue to rely on personal sacrifice, because the USOC isn't going to fund full time fencers any time soon.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

Notes from Taebaek City:
(well, actually a 20 minute bus ride from Taebek City, and 40 minutes from the venue, but that's another story)

1. Rene Roche. Opening ceremonies, he's sitting in the VIP seats watching the Korean dancers and drummers. His name is called to go to the podium and deliver the opening address. He doesn't move. Finally, an event organizer comes and takes him by the elbow. Rene then wanders off towards an unused podium way to the left of the arena, even though the podium with the microphone is ringed with TV cameras and is less than 25 feet directly in front of him. To his credit, he failed to drop any of the 4,132 placques and medals of appreciation handed back and forth between the various movers and shakers of the Korean World Champs organizing committees and Roche.

2. Steeplechase, fencing...why not both? The pools are being fenced in a giant tent adjacent to the arena. Day two, it begins to rain. Day two, said tent begins to leak during WS/ME pools. Some irony, that, pools during pools...

Drops begin pattering onto the metal strips, and water begins running under the tent flaps, pooling on the floor and submerging the power cords snaking to the booths. Fencers begin splashing around the venue, much like steeplechase runners in the water hazard. In the WS pool I was watching, the ladies were moved from an actively flooding strip to the far end of the arena, next to an outside wall. Fencer after fencer begins slipping and falling in the same half of the strip. Each time, the director comes over to the strip, rubs his foot around, shrugs, and motions the fencers to continue. Despite heated objections from the coaches, the pool is finished, with only one 10 minute time out for an ankle to be wrapped.

3. Instant replay, Schminstant Replay: A replay system is being used here at the WChamps. It consists of a small video monitor at the base of the strip, with each action getting a half speed 3-4 second shot of the final action one time. During the bout between Becca Ward and Jackie Jacobson in the round of 4, the director several times paused to watch the replay. In one instance, he then made a correction from simultaneous to attack in prep. In four or five other points, he made no correction at all.

During the Gold Medal bout between Caroline Vloka and Becca, the Korean director appeared to never even look at the monitor. Perhaps this was because he realized--like everyone else in the arena--that his calling was so atrocious as to be too painful to watch a second time. It was amazing to hear an international arena crowd actively booing and whistling the director during an all-American final.

4. The Ladies of Saber: I can't say enough good things about the US Team of Caroline Vloka, Becca Ward and Jackie Jacobson. There's another wave of excellence coming in behind the formidable trio of the elder women sabrists--the Jacobson sisters and Mariel Zagunis.

Caroline came out of the pools ranked #1, Becca #6 and Jackie #10. They fortunately hit the 32 in three different quadrants, so as not to meet until the top four. Caroline cruised to the final, destroying her German opponent in the semis. Jackie had two gutsy come from behind victories, including the round of eight that left her #2 ranked Italian opponent slumped on the floor in disbelief for nearly 5 minutes. Jackie next met Becca in the semis, and fought hard, but was unable to muster one more rebound.

Then there was the final between Caroline and Becca. Caroline had a great game plan off the top, and ran out to a commanding 9-2 lead. Becca refused to fold, and began clawing her way back, although both fencers were baffled (and alternately outraged) by the apparently random distribution of ROW calls by the Korean director. After running up a few points, Becca pulled off a desperation jumping 2 parry that awoke the largely somnolent crowd. Despite a series of errant attack in prep calls for Caroline that had the crowd booing and whistling, Becca fought back to take a 14-12 lead. Two gift points later, the score was knotted at 14-14 and the crowd was ballistic in its excoriation of the director. After yet another pair of disputed calls, the director finally awards Becca a very questionable attack in prep, and the match is over. Caroline is understandably distraught and draws a yellow card. Becca is in tears on the strip, and it's a rather ignominious end to an amazing bout between two good friends who have fenced together since their Y-10 days dating back to 2000.

5. Good Golly, Graham! I'd never seen Graham Wicas fence before, but the young man appears to know what to do with an epee in his hand! He totally dominated his gold medal bout opponent and made it look easy. Congrats on his history setting World Championship!

6. Junior Team Trauma:The Junior WS team is scrambling a bit here, two days before the first Junior WS event. #2 Caity Thompson had a last minute injury withdrawal, and is not attending. After some yeoman efforts from Team Captain Jim Carpenter with the FIE, team comp alternate Dagmara Wozniak is allowed to move up and take Caity's individual slot. Cadet fencer Jackie Jacobson is then talked into staying over as the fourth slot for the team comp. (She and her parents had been scheduled on a 5:30 am bus this morning to head for Atlanta.)

More to come as the Championships continue....

[Peach]

Thanks for the nice comments about Graham Wicas. He's a great kid, with good support from his family, and he works hard and has a good head on his shoulders. We enjoy having him around and we're all really proud of him.

It sounds like a tumultuous day for the ladies. Great performance!