Fencing season starts with tractor pull open this weekend

This weekend starts the fencing year for the Maryland Division of the United States Fencing Association. While fencing in high school and college is a winter sport, with its competitions from November through February, everyday fencers train and compete all year. The fencing year runs from August 1 through July 31. Here in Maryland the season opener is the Tractor Pull Open, consisting of three events: Mixed Foil (10am Saturday), Mixed Epee (10am Sunday), and Mixed Saber (1:30pm Saturday). Mixed means both genders, competing together. These are Senior events, so competitors must be at least 13 years old by Jan. 1, 2009. 

All three events will be at the Baltimore Fencing Center - Timonium club, on 10 W. Aylesbury Rd. in Timonium, between Carpet World and Schumacher & Seiler Plumbing Supply. Spectators are welcome with no charge. To compete the entry fee is $15 per event and, as always, USFA membership is required.

The Tractor Pull foil and epee events look like they will be well-represented, with pre-registrations predicting a Group A2 for each event. There are a number of class A competitors participating this weekend, including Baltimore Fencing Center powerhouses the Weicht twins, Jake and Wesley, who start their last season as high school fencers, and Columbia University's Lorenzo Casertano. It looks like saber will have enough competitors to field a competition - a rarity these days. Preregistration shows class A saberist Peter Souders from D.C. Fencers' Club plans on attending - hopefully some of the stronger local saber fencers (I'm looking at you, Tri-Weapon Boys' Club saber squad) will deign to attend.

A bit of trivia on the tournament's name... Back when the Baltimore Fencing Center was new, and it first started hosting competitions, its fencers brainstormed creative tournament names and marketing themes. One of BFC-T's prinicipals, long time foil competitor Bruce Milligan, suggested that since the fencing year opener was on/about the same time as the Maryland State Fair, and the fair grounds were just a stone's throw from the club, that there be some kind of tie-in. Milligan pondered this and thought that perhaps borrowing the name Tractor Pull from one of the fair's main attractions would draw in competitors and generate some amused buzz. He secured various state fair themed prizes, including passes to the fair. A few years ago, when I was still a competitor, yours truly managed to snag a pair of passes to the fair and a set of John Deere coasters that I still have to this day.

So for those of you curious about the sport of fencing... If you happen to be going to the fair this weekend, take a few minutes and stop by the Baltimore Fencing Center in Timonium and check out all of the sword fighting action.