EAST PROVIDENCE — It was a typically active and successful spring and summer run of results for competitors from the East Providence-based Rhode Island Fencing Academy & Club, culminating last month at the annual national championships held in Phoenix, Ariz., were many of the fencers enjoyed solid results, but only one actually received a top-eight medal.

The build up to nationals included RIFAC athletes vying in the Pomme de Terre Fencing Tournament held in June on the campus of Brandeis University in Boston.

The name Pomme de Terre (French for potato), of course, reflects nothing about fencing; it started as a bit of a joke—a quirky title invented by the organizers of the competition who wanted to outdo a rival tournament. The atmosphere at Brandeis is always electric and intense—hundreds of fencers from throughout the Northeast and beyond, competing for medals and coveted potato-themed prizes (chips and Potato Head figures obvious choices).

Events are organized by age group and ability level—“E” and under for fencers holding a national rating no higher than “E” (national ratings range from “A” at the highest to “E”), senior categories for fencers with a minimum age requirement of 13 years old, and veteran events for athletes aged 40 and up.

Three RIFAC athletes earned places at Pomme in the top eight of their respective categories. Alexandra Smuk from Barrington earned chips with a 6th place finish in Senior Women’s Epee. She performed well in pools, winning four of five bouts, placing 7th after this initial round. Smuk lex earned a bye for her first direct elimination bout; she skillfully maneuvered through two more DE bouts until the 4th round when her run, unfortunately, came to an end.

Justin Tibbetts, also from Barrington, scored a 7th place win for RIFAC in “E” and Under Men’s Foil. He defeated five of six opponents in pools and emerged 11th after this round. Tibbetts showed extreme tenacity and determination in direct elimination events. He won the first by one point, the second by three, and the third by one again. Justin’s loss in the fourth round was also by just one point.

Didi Sklar from Providence fenced in “E” and under Women’s Epee, securing an 8th place finish. Didi’s pool was challenging. She won only one of five bouts and was ranked 22nd after this round. She fought back strongly in DE’s, though the fight was tough. She earned her first DE victory by a slim margin of one point. The subsequent two DE’s were only a bit easier with wins of 15 to 11 and 15 to 12. Sklar clearly refused to let pools define her performance; she improved 14 places throughout the DE round.

Pomme de Terre is, historically, a major warm-up tournament to Summer Nationals, the final, scheduled competition of the regular fencing season. The competition, where national champions will be crowned, takes place this year in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 30 to July 9. The RIFAC team will complete training at the club’s East Providence facility, with all qualified athletes looking forward to the possibilities to be found at Nationals, the world’s largest fencing tournament.

Award winners
Three East Providence residents were recognized for their overall performances during last season: Alden Beals, Jack Masse and Dean Masse.

Each the high point winners of the 2022-23 RIFAC Championship Series for their respective age groups: Beals was the high point winner for the Junior/Cadet Men’s Epee category; Jack Masse was the high point winner for the Y14 Men’s Epee category; and Dean Masse was the high point winner for the Y12 Men’s Epee category.

Worcester tourney
Ian Thompson from Pawtucket, Philip Stein and Lily Tibbetts from Barrington, all claimed top eight finishes at a local, “D” and under fencing tournament hosted by Worcester Fencing Club May 20-21, 2023. Entrants were restricted to athletes holding a national rating no higher than “D.” Ratings range from the top down, “A” to “E.”

In pools, Thompson lost only one bout of five, a result significant enough to earn him a bye in the first round of direct elimination. He went on to win three DE bouts, but came up just short in the semi-finals to secure bronze in Men’s Epee. Stein was seriously challenged in pools, winning only one of six possible bouts. His score was not sufficient to earn a bye into DE’s, though he was victorious in his first two rounds and secured an 8th place finish in the same Men’s Epee event. Tibbetts fenced in Women’s Epee. She split her pool with three victories and two losses. This effort was good enough to allow her to skip her first DE. She was successful in round two of direct elimination, but lost in the next. Lily placed 8th overall in her event.

Rock Point results
In May, Smuk brought her considerable skills to Mission Fencing Center in Rocky Point, NY, to compete in a Super Youth Circuit fencing tournament where she captured a silver medal in Y-14 Women’s Epee (for fencers aged 14 years old and under).

Smuk is aggressive and tall with a long reach effectively used against her tournament opponents. She competed in pools and won five of six bouts. She was ranked 4th after this initial round. Alex’s excellent performance in pools gained her a first round bye in direct elimination. She then dispatched three competitors in the next DE rounds with final scores of 15 to 4, 15 to 8, and 15 to 7. In the fifth DE round, Smuk met the fencer who was ranked #1 after pools; Alex had a closer bout, but emerged victorious with a score of 15 to 12. In the gold medal round, unfortunately, the scores were reversed—15 to 12 for Smuk’s opponent. Smuk might have missed the top spot, but displayed a persistent drive to score a hard-fought silver. She holds a national rating of “B,” one step away from “A,” the highest available from the United States Fencing Association.

In the Long Island Challenge Regional Open Circuit portion of the event, Cameron Ostiguy from North Kingstown won the gold in Division II Men’s Epee. He had a successful pool competition, losing only one bout of five. Ranked 6th after pools, Ostiguy proceeded through four rounds of direct elimination bouts without a loss to reach the championship round where he easily defeated the fencer ranked 1st after pools with a score of 15 to 6.

Beals from Rumford followed closely behind Cam when he clinched the 3rd place bronze in the same Div II Men’s Epee event. He won only two of five pool bouts, emerging down in 20th position after this initial round. After three successful DE’s, Beals ended his day with a semifinal loss to the same opponent Cam defeated for the gold medal victory.

Pietro Savoretti from Lincoln won three and lost two of his pool bouts in Div II Men’s Epee, ranking 9th after this round. Savoretti collected two comfortable DE victories before he, too, coincidentally, fell to the number one pool fencer in the quarter finals. Pietro finished the event in 6th place.

Emmett Rollo from Providence had numerous obstacles to overcome on his path to bronze in the semifinals in Division 1-A Men’s Epee. He won two bouts and lost four in pools. This result placed Rollo 43rd going into direct elimination. He had an amazing comeback in DE’s, however, with three consistent wins with identical scores of 15 to 10. Rollo, unfortunately, lost in the semifinals; the bronze was still a significant reward for his improved performance. With the 3rd place victory, Rollo also secured another reward, a renewal of his national rating of “B,” just short of the highest available from the United States Fencing Association.

Middle School tourney
Weapons clashed, safely of course, while teams cheered their respective athletes at the first annual Rhode Island Middle School Invitational Fencing Tournament held in April and co-hosted by RIFAC and the Providence Country Day School.

Thirty-five athletes from grades 5 through 8, representing 14 middle schools from both Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, competed in epee at the event. Epee rules allow touches to be gained by a fencer from any part of the opponent’s body—arms, legs, torso, head (in a highly protective mask), a circumstance which promotes vigorous action and lively team support.

Winners in Girls’ Epee: Gold medal — Julia Mancini (Providence Country Day, from Barrington); Silver medal — Julia Crowder (homeschooled, from Coventry); Bronze medal (tie) — Habeeba Fouda (Al-Noor Academy, from Mansfield); Bronze medal (tie) — Caroline Steger (Barrington Middle School, from Barrington)

Winners in Boys’ Epee: Gold medal — Logan Jones (Providence Country Day, from Swansea); Silver medal — Anthony Mechrefe (De La Salle Middle School, from Lincoln); Bronze medal (tie) — Logan Ashely (Barrington Middle School, from Barrington); Bronze medal (tie) — Jacob Deacon (Providence Country Day, from Cumberland)

Overall school team winners: Girls’ Gold medal — Providence Country Day; Silver medal — Barrington Middle School; Boys’ Gold medal — Providence Country Day; Silver medal — Barrington Middle School

More April events
In Suffern, N.Y., for a major regional tournament also in April, veteran fencer (in the over 40 age group) Tom Bush from Pawcatuck, Conn., scored a 3rd place bronze medal, competing against twenty-three other fencers in Veteran Men’s Epee. He won four and lost one bout in pools, earning a first round bye in the direct elimination section. Bush had two near misses in the next two DE bouts, but he won both with identical scores of 10 to 9. He lost his final DE to the fencer ranked #1 after pools.

Chaissen Costello from Tiverton fenced in Division 1-A Men’s Foil, a challenging category with eighty-one experienced, high-level athletes. Costello won four and lost one bout in pools, a result which placed him 16th after this round. He earned a first round DE bye, then breezed through a second round DE bout. Costello next had a nail-biter with a win at 15 to 14 followed by another easy DE victory. Costello reached the top eight, ultimately finishing in 6th place. This result, however, combined with the quality of the competition, was sufficient to reward Costello with a new national rating of “A,” the highest available from the United States Fencing Association.

Pietro Savoretti who lives in Lincoln grabbed another 6th place win for RIFAC in Division II Men’s Epee. Division II requires participants to hold a national rating of “C” or under. Savoretti won four and lost two bouts in pools, finishing this section in 8th place. He received a first round bye into direct elimination, then easily defeated two opponents in the next two rounds. Savoretti, unfortunately, met the #1 pool seed in his last DE bout, preventing his advance to the semifinals.

Elliot Davidson from Barrington competed in Division II Men’s Foil. He went three and three in pools, emerging 25th after this round, and earned a bye going into DE’s. Davidson won his first DE bout by a slim margin of one point. His next DE was also a challenge, though he was eventually victorious at 15 to 13. Davidson’s successes in DE’s allowed him to improve his standing into 8th place, up substantially from 25th after pools.

At a summer nationals qualifying tournament, held at Boston Fencing Club, Gareth Stafford from Barrington fenced in Y-14 Men’s Foil. In the initial pool round, Stafford won every bout. He was ranked 1st after pools, thus receiving a bye for his first direct elimination bout. Stafford squeaked by his opponent in round two of DE’s with a winning score of 15 to 14. He ultimately made the top eight, finishing 5th overall, a result sufficient enough to secure his slot at Nationals in Y-14 Men’s Foil.

Justin Tibbetts from Barrington also qualified for Nationals with a 7th place finish in the same Y-14 Men’s Foil event. Tibbetts won five bouts and lost one in pools. He was ranked 4th overall going into the direct elimination round. He was granted a first round bye and had a decisive, second round victory with a score of 15 to 4. Tibbetts ultimately ran into a serious opponent, but a top-eight finish was sufficient to gain him a spot at Nationals.

Vindhya Doddapaneni from Bellingham competed in Y-14 Women’s Foil. She had two wins and two losses in pools, emerging 8th after this round. She did not receive the hoped-for bye in round one of DE’s, but she succeeded in grabbing an easy victory with a score of 15 to 4. Doddapaneni’s streak ended short of the top three, but she did well enough to finish 5th, a result which landed her a place at Nationals in Y-14 Women’s Foil.

New Jersey tourney
Alexandra Smuk won a gold and a bronze at a regional tournament in Metuchen, N.J., in March. Smuk competed in two events: Cadet Women’s Epee (for athletes aged 17 years old and under) and Div I-A Women’s Epee (a high-level competition for experienced fencers over the age of 13).

In pools, Smuk swept every bout in both Cadet and Div I-A events and was ranked number one both times after this round. These results earned her a first round bye in both direct elimination sections. In the Cadet event where she won gold, she had five successive and successful DE bouts where her skills were not seriously challenged. Even the gold medal bout was not particularly worrisome with a final score of 15 to 8. In Div 1-A, Smuk overwhelmed her first DE opponent 15 to 5. Her next DE was a nail-bitter, though victorious at 14 to 13. After one more, easy DE (score of 15 to 5), Smuk finished her day in the semi-final round, collecting a bronze, 3rd place medal. The Div I-A bronze also procured for Smuk another reward—a new national rating of “B,” up from the “C” she had held previously. (Ratings range from “A” at the highest to “E.”)

Francesco Savoretti from Lincoln also participated at the New Jersey tournament, competing in Cadet Men’s Epee. In pools, he won four bouts and lost one, placing him ninth overall after this initial round. Like Smuk, he received a first round bye into DE’s. Savoretti had little difficulty in three DE bouts, winning with two scores of 15 to 7 and one score of 15 to 4. He reached the semi-final round to secure a bronze medal. Savoretti is an aggressive, physical fencer whose skills served him well at the tournament. He presently holds a national rating of “B.”

More Boston results
Another nationals qualifier took place in March in Boston where Marketa Douglas from Barrington won gold in Division II Women’s Epee, a category for fencers holding a national rating of “C” or under. (National ratings range from “A” at the highest to “E.”) Douglas swept her pool of eight fencers and was ranked first after this initial round. She subsequently had three direct elimination bouts, all victorious. She scored two 15-4 point wins before the gold medal bout against the second seed with a final score considerably closer at 15-11. Douglas, who has a “C” rating earned in 2022, easily qualified for Division II Women’s Foil at Nationals.

Giovanni Chessa from New Bedford claimed the 3rd place bronze medal in Division II Men’s Foil. He won four and lost one bout in pools, emerging in a tie for seventh after this round. He bypassed the first direct elimination bout thanks to his successful pool result. He proceeded through three DE’s, winning with scores of 15-10, 15-4, and 15-2, the last against the number two seed. Chessa reached the semifinals where he secured bronze. Chessa has a national rating of “D”; he qualified for Division II and III Men’s Foil at Nationals with his 3rd place victory.

In addition, RIFAC athletes qualified for nationals in the following: Ai Jia (Angel) Tang from Johnston— Div II and III Women’s Foil; Lily Tibbetts from Barrington — Div III Women’s Epee; Cora Powledge from Portsmouth— Division III Women’s Foil; Ian Thompson from Pawtucket—Div III Men’s Epee; Eddie Egan from Warwick—Div III Men’s Epee.