Rockville and Bethesda Residents Win Bronze at World Veteran Fencer Championships

Veteran fencers from DC Fencers Club proved that fencing is a lifelong sport with two bronze medals at the 16th Veteran World Fencing Championships (aka "Vet Worlds") on Oct. 16-21 in Krems, Austria.

Jim Adams, of Rockville, Valerie Asher, of Bethesda, and Kazimieras Campe, of Edgewater, were among 63 athletes representing Team USA at the competition, which is the premiere international fencing tournament for fencers 50 and older. Overall, Team USA earned 12 medals in both men and women’s events in all three weapons (epee, sabre, and foil).

Adams won bronze in the Veteran Men’s Foil 70+ category. This win follows a silver medal in Men’s Epee, and bronze in Veteran Men’s 70+ Foil at the 2011 Worlds in Croatia. Adams capped off the 2011-2012 fencing season with a gold in Men's Veteran 70 Foil and bronze in Veteran Men's 70+ Epee at the 2012 USA Fencing Summer Nationals in Anaheim, CA. 

In her second trip to Vet Worlds, Asher won the bronze medal in the Veteran Women’s Epee, 50-59 category. Asher previously made the top eight in her debut competition at the 2011 Worlds in Porec, Croatia. Among her top 2012 results, Asher won gold in Veteran Women’s Epee, and silver in Veteran Women’s Epee, 50-59 category at the March 2012 North American Cup in Cincinnati, OH.  She was a member of the bronze-medal team in Senior Women’s Epee at the 2012 Division 1 National Championships in Virginia Beach, VA last April.

Campe, a six-time Vet Worlds medalist made history when he won the Veteran World Champion title at the first Veteran Men's 60+ epee event at the 1998 Veteran Worlds in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Most recently, Campe won the gold in Veteran 70 Men's Epee at the 2012 USA Fencing Summer Nationals. At the Vet Men’s Epee 70+ event, Adams and Campe placed 24th and 28th, respectively. This is Campe's 11th time at Vet Worlds, where competitors have included Olympic and world champion gold medalists. 

Adams, Asher, and Campe were selected to represent Team USA based on their best two out of three results from the 2011-2012 season. All three are repeats to the Veteran World Championships, having represented USA in the 2011 at Porec, Croatia, where Team USA took home 16 medals.   

About fencing tournaments

Fencing competitions in all three weapons usually consist of two rounds of bouting. In the first round of “pools,” six to eight fencers compete in a round-robin of five-touch/three-minute bouts. Pool results inform the seeding of the next round, direct elimination, or “DE.” Direct elimination bouts are 15-touch/nine-minute bouts. Sabre direct elimination bouts also go to 15 touches, with a one-minute break when either fencer reaches eight touches. DE brackets allow for a maximum 128 fencers. Winners of each DE round advance to the tables of 64, 32, 16, 8, semifinals, and finals. 

About DC Fencers Club

Each generation of fencing champions gets its start in a beginner fencing class.  DC Fencers Club hosts several beginner fencing classes on weekdays, weeknights, and Saturdays, including beginner classes for youth, daytime classes for homeschoolers, and an all-ages/levels fencing class. Equipment is provided for beginners. For more information on getting involved in this Olympic sport, call 301-562-1990 or email dcfencers@gmail.com.

DC Fencers Club has a national and international reputation as one of the best fencing clubs in the United States. The club offers instruction through classes, camps, workshops, and individual lessons. Fencers of all ages are welcome, and members range from recreational fencers to fencers who compete in local, regional, national, and international tournaments. For more information, visit www.dcfencing.com.