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AFM Newsletter #98 - November 2021

November is naturally a time of gratitude, and we are deeply grateful for the commitment and diligence of our fencing families, coaches, and of course our fencers. 

Though last year we were all isolated and away from one another thanks to the strictures of the pandemic, this year is one in which we can celebrate with friends and loved ones as we walk in gratitude for how far we’ve come and how much we value one another. Reflecting on how far we’ve come since the spring and even since one year ago, it’s hard not to think that we were in another world back then. We walked through it, and now we’ve come out on the other side with pride and purpose that we couldn’t have seen when we were in the thick of it. 

This year, we’re very excited to see our fencers traveling all over the country as we work through what is finally a normal competitive season. The holiday season, in particular, is one that’s busy for fencers, because our rate of competitions doesn’t slow down! We’ll see lots of travel during the next few months, and we’re so happy to see our fencers smiling and flitting around all over as they engage with their competitive spirit. 

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen incredible results from our fencers as they move around the country and continue to show absolutely fantastic fencing to the world and hard-earned results that fill us with pride and excitement. Every weekend, we have fencers showing their best selves on the strip in competition, and it’s a point of pride that we get to watch those red jackets representing AFM. We are a force to be reckoned with!

We are so, so thankful for all of our incredible fencers and fencing families at AFM. This year, more than ever, we realize what wonderful value you bring to our lives and how you make it all worthwhile. It’s never the medals that count for us, but the people and their dedication that both inspire and astound us. We appreciate every hour spent in the club and at home, and please know that we’re here for you as we all move forward together. 

                              With gratitude,

                                                           Irina
 


Competition Results in October and Beginning of November

Our AFM fencers are taking the fencing competition circuit by storm in this first regular competitive season after the pandemic! We couldn’t be prouder of all of the hard work and wonderful results that our epeeists are getting across the country. Thank you for your hard work and we are so incredibly proud of you!


UCSD Blade Runner


We had a great time and a fantastic performance at the ROC/RJC in San Diego! The university campus is spacious and beautiful, and the event was organized very well. 

Div 1A Women's Epee 
Great result today at Division 1A women’s Epee event at UCSD Blade Runner ROC/RJC! Congratulations to Leehi Machulsky for winning the tournament, Lefu Chen for medalling, and Alice Lan for a well-earned 9th place finish! Congratulations to the girls, their parents, and coaches! Wayt to go! 
Warm congratulations to coach Zhanna, coach Bonnie and the whole team!



Div 1A Men's Epee 

Great results in the Division 1A event in UCSD Blade Runner! Yasha Shur medalled and got his A rating! And 3 more boys received their ratings in that tournament- Adam Chirashnya received C rating, Allan Chu got D rating and Alex Ulinich got E rating! Congratulations to the boys, coaches, and parents! 

Junior Women's Epee 
Great result in Junior Women’s Epee in San Diego’s Blade Runner! We got 3 medals: Lefu Chen with Silver, Priscilla Leang with Bronze, and Zandra Feland with 6 place! Another good performance is shown by Alice Lan who finished 12th. Congratulations to the girls, their coaches, and their parents! Special hugs are going to coach Bonnie, coach Dima, and coach Alexander, and to the whole coaching team! Way to go!


Priscilla with coach Dima - Fantastic refult!  

Lefu with her coach and mom - Way to go, Bonnie! 

Zandra with coach Alexander  - way to go!

Junior Men's Epee 

Congratulations to Ziad Khayat, AFM graduate, for winning this event! Yasha Shur for Bronze, Victor Ma for medalling with 6th place, and additional recognition goes to the top 16 finishes of Ben Kim with 10th place, Adam Chirashnya with 11th place, and Jonathan Levitsky 15th place in the field of 82 fencers. But we also had a few more near misses of 1 touch, which will wait for the next tournament rematch! Great job, boys, and congratulations to you, your coaches, and your parents!
Congratulations, coach Alexander and the team!


October NAC
Cadet Women's Epee
 

Congratulations to Leehi Machulsky, coach Zhanna, and AFM  outstanding coaches! Leehi won  6th place in Cadet Women’s Epee event at October NAC! Wow! AFM's unstoppable rocket once again showed outstanding dedication to fencing and high-level national result! Way to go!!


Cadet Men's Epee
Great fencing by Ben Kim in Cadet Men’s Epee in October NAC in St. Louis. Ben finished 9th out of 214 fencers.

Dick Berry 90th Birthday Invitational tournament in Davis
Congratulations to Ben Kim and Sarthak Jain for winning the Bronze Medal in Dick Berry 90th Birthday Invitational tournament in Davis, which was all for the celebration of life and fencing! Kudos also go to Adam Chirashnya for finishing 12th and earning D-rating and to David Zaydman did renewing his E rating. Thanks to Davis Fencing Academy for organizing it and we hope to be able to participate in the next year's birthday tournaments of Mr. Berry for years to come!


Torrance RYC
Congratulations to Ariia Blanco for medalling in Y12 Women’s Epee in Torrance RYC! Great job Ariia!


Congratulations to Leehi Machulsky for winning Gold at Junior Women’s Epee event at Torrance! Way to go!


Congratulations to Daniel Chirashnya for medalling in Y14 Men’s Epee event in Torrance RYC and earning E rating! Also good result by Riley Dowdell for top 16 finish! Great job boys, way to go! Congratulations to the fencers, parents and coaches!


Great performance at Junior Men’s Epee event in Torrance RYC/RJC! Jonathan Levitsky won Bronze, Agniv Sarkar medalled and earned a C-rating! Congratulations also go to Adam Chirashnya for finishing 9th and earning a D-rating! The notable performance also by Anish Sarkar, Victor Ma, and Sanil Sharma for finishing in top 16 as well with 12,13, and 14th places! Congratulations fencers, parents, and their coaches! Way to go!


Fairfax RJCC in Virginia
Congratulations to Leehi Machulsky for winning Gold in Cadet Women’s Epee in Fairfax RJCC in Virginia! Way to go Leehi!


RYC at TFC in October 
Fantastic fencing of all our fencers at the last RYC! Way to go! Be ready for the SYC coming soon!


Go, AFM! 

The AFM Youth Epee Cup

Y8/Y10/Y12/Y14  - Sunday, December 18th, 2021
& AFM Sunnyvale



 
Coming soon on December 19, AFM will be hosting an epee tournament for Y8/Y10/Y12/Y14 that is the perfect fencing competition for fencers who aren’t too experienced, but who are ready to enjoy the wonderful world of competitive fencing. 

We’ve designed this competition to be an affordable and super-friendly fencing tournament in an effort to both encourage fencers who are new to epee tournaments to join in, as well as providing a way for fencers who are already competitive to have a chance to fence in a comfortable environment. 

This is the first of a series of competitions hosted at AFM that will run throughout the season. At each event, the top four epeeists will medal, earning points towards their placement in the overall standings for the cup. When all of the tournaments have been completed, the top point earners in each age/gender category across the competitions will be awarded the top prizes in the AFM Youth Epee Cup! This competition structure is a perfect way for fencers to experience what it’s like to participate in a cumulative system of fencing competition, something that’s much broader and more exciting than even a one-off event. 

The friendly and supportive nature of the AFM Youth Epee Cup is a hallmark of this program, and we highly encourage all of our fencers to participate. It’s a great way to hone those skills while having lots of fun! This tournament is especially great for fencers who are in our Beginner/Intermediate classes. 

You can register for the tournament at the link below, and please remember to sign up via askFred. If you’re excited about this competition, don’t delay in signing up ASAP as it’s important for us to be able to establish the number of participants as early as possible to put the right logistics in place to allow for a smooth running on tournament day. 

https://askfred.net/Events/moreInfo.php?tournament_id=49244 


Thanksgiving Closure 

Thursday, November 25th, and Friday, November 26th
 

 

AFM will be closed on Thursday, November 25th, and Friday, November 26th. We’ll reopen as usual on Saturday, November 27. 

Please go home and enjoy the wonderful Thanksgiving time with your family and friends as we can now gather again! We wish you to have all the best yummy food and all the best quality time with your family during these days that we set aside to give thanks.

 

New Parents Orientation 

November 15th from 8pm-9pm via Zoom

Are you a new parent to AFM? Do you know someone who is?

On Monday, November 15th from 8pm-9pm, AFM will host an orientation for new fencing parents. This hour-long, information packet seminar will give you a valuable and personal insight into what it means to be a competitive fencer, and we highly encourage all of our new parents to participate. 

Knowledge is power, and we’ve got a wealth of it for competitive fencing parents at AFM. You’ll learn about fencing, AFM programs, and fencing competitions, as well as connecting with other fencing parents. The best thing about AFM is our community, so please come for the support that we can give you! There’s nothing like being able to ask questions, some of them that you didn’t even know you had until you sat down with other parents!

For those fencers who are looking toward the TFC SYC tournament as your first competitive experience as a fencing family, this highly informational meeting is highly recommended for you to attend. Please pass the word along and reach out if you have any questions about this event. 


Mental Preparation Clinic
by Corwin Duncan
Sunday, January 2 from 1 pm-5 pm  
Fencers 13 y.o. and up only

Half of what fencers need to succeed is physical conditioning, but the other half is mental training. 

On Sunday, January 2 from 1pm-5pm, AFM will offer a Mental Preparation Clinic with National Champion and former World Team Member Corwin Duncan to support our fencers through the use of sports psychology, an important aspect of competitive fencing and overall wellbeing as an athlete. 

This seminar will include specific methods to build resilience skills, maintain focus under pressure, and expand mental acuity during bouting. Duncan will offer specific techniques through on-strip practice sessions during the clinic, and this real word practice will allow our fencers to improve their skills and extend their performance ability. This clinic is specifically important for AFM advanced and competitive epeeists, and all Cadet, Junior, and Senior fencers who are getting ready for the NAC and Junior Olympics in the coming months will want to participate!

You can register here for the clinic - https://askfred.net/Clinics/moreInfo.php?clinic_id=49286

AFM Nike Jackets are Coming Back!
 

Look for our famous AFM Nike jackets to come back into stock at the club store in the next two weeks. These long-wearing, sturdy, and fashionable jackets are a great way to show off your AFM pride and to take part in the community that we are so blessed to be a part of. 

These jackets are great to wear to school and out in the world now that the weather is cooling, and of course, parents and family members are welcome to get their own as well. We also know that fencers outgrow their red jackets, and if that’s you then be sure to check in to order a bigger size!

Every competitor must have either an AFM hoodie or an AFM jacket when going to a competition, as well as an AFM patch sewn on the arm of their fencing uniform. This is a strict requirement that is mandatory for all fencers. During the warm-up at competitions and at the closing ceremonies of competition, all fencers should be wearing their AFM uniforms. 

When you go to a competition, you are representing the club! Our famous red jackets are an important part of that representation. Please order yours today if you haven’t already!




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