Dawn Still Needs Help To Rep Team USA In Slovenia

I posted this back on August 6 about my homegirl Dawn Wilson  qualifying for the USA veterans fencing world championship team and trying to raise $3,000 to cover the expenses for her upcoming trip to maribor, Slovenia and the FIE Veterans World Fencing tournament set to kick off there on October 15.

So far she's only raised a little over $1,200 of the $3500 she's set as the target that she wishes to reach.

I know we have had several natural disasters that have gotten people's deserved attention.   but can y'all spear $1, $5, $10, $20 or more if you can to help her reach her goal.

Help a sister out so she can get to Slovenia and have a shot at bringing home world championship  gold (or silver, or bronze)

Here's the link to the GoFundMe 

Help Dawn Represent Team USA!

I've talked more than a few times on this blog about the fencing exploits of my Louisville homegirl Dawn Wilson, and me getting to tag along and watch from time to time when I lived in Da Ville.

She's good at it as well.  Dawn donates her time to a lot of worthy causes in the Louisville area in addition to serving on the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission and as an elder at her church.

But her passion is fencing.  She is one of the top five 5 ranked veterans saberists in the USA, and recently she accomplished a long sought after goal of qualifying for and making a USA Veterans national fencing team.

She now gets a long sought after opportunity to prove she's one of the best in the world.      

That USA Veterans fencing team will be competing in the FIE Veterans Fencing World Championship tournament in Maribor, Slovenia October 15-21, and it will be an expensive trip for travel and lodging while she's there.  Dawn can cover some of her expenses, but to be at her absolute best, she would also like to bring her coach with her.  

The goal is to raise $3,500 and you can click on this link to the GoFundMe page to donate whatever you can afford and whenever you can do so.  

Help her get to Slovenia for this tournament and rep Team USA to the best of her ability.

Saber Claus Is Beating You Down

As many of you long time readers know, during my eight years as a Texan in Exile my housemate started fencing.  Polar and I got to tag along on some of her fencing tournament trips and watch her exploits. 

Along the way I got to meet many of the Baby Vets and the Senior Mama's (AKA the US Fencing Association's Vet 40 and Vet 50's division fencers), many of the officials, coaches and parents in the USFA, the Kentucky Division and Great Lakes region of USFA, Maestro Les Stawicki, the LFC, Bluegrass and Knight of Swords clubs along with Uof L's fencers. 

I even had the pleasure of watching the rise of a US Olympic fencer in Lee Kiefer, who was a 2011 Pan Am Games gold medalist, competed in London and fell just short of collecting a medal there.

And yes, Fencing World, I miss y'all.

So with Dawn telling me she'd be in Dallas next week for an upcoming North American Cup tournament (presuming everything's thawed out up there by then), this fencing themed Christmas rewrite came to mind.

It's not the first time I've written one of those fencing themed rewrites.   The Baby Vets unofficial theme song is one I penned to the tune of the Supremes 'Baby Love', and 'All The Saber Ladies' is sung to Beyonce's 'Single Ladies'. 

So pull out your iPod's and sing along with Moni's remixed lyric as I wish all you peeps in Fencing World a hearty Season's Beatings!        

Saber Claus Is Beating You Down
(sung to the tune of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town)

En garde now watch out
Ow!  You better not cry
I got the touch
Ref is telling you why
Cause Saber Claus is beating you down.

She's racking up points
And fleched on you twice
That jump lunge touch
Was naughty and nice
Cause Saber Claus is beating you down

She's got another victory
The gold is hers to take
So you go back to your salle
To get better for your sake

Oh! En garde now watch out
Ow!  You better not cry
I got the touch ref is telling you why
Cause Saber Claus is beating...
Saber Claus is beating you down
  

The Olympian I Know

I look forward to watching the Olympics and  rooting for the athletes representing my country and others in various sports  

The intensity and interest goes up another notch when you actually have a personal connection with the person you're watching compete for Olympic glory

When I first started watching my then roommate pick up a sabre and start participating in various fencing tournaments inside the Kentucky Division and the Great Lakes Region, in the process of supporting my homegirl Dawn I got to meet some of the wonderful people who are part of US Fencing in that part of the world.

In addition to meeting the families, parents and friends of fencers, the 'Baby Vets' and the 'Senior Mama's, the gang at LFC, Maestro Stawicki, various officials and referees in US fencing, I also got to meet some of the up and coming US fencers when I was the announcer for the Super Youth Regional tourney that was held in Louisville in 2010.  

One of the fencing families I got to know during my time in Kentucky were the Kiefers.  Lee, her sister Alex and her baby brother are all foil fencers and pretty darned good ones.   Lee was already fencing on the international cadet level when I met them and their proud parents a few years ago.

When Dawn and I used to discuss Lee's tremendous talent or her  chances to be on or selected for a USA Olympic fencing team, we never used the word 'if' when discussing her, but 'when'  

Dawn and I along with everyone else in the Kentucky Division expected her to be in London, and here she is competing at age 18 with a 2011 Pan Am Games gold medal and a raft of cadet and junior championship medals in hand.  She also has the distinction of being only the second American woman to ever earn a medal at the senior World Fencing Championships when she picked up a bronze last October. . 

Lee made it to the quarterfinals of her first Olympic foil tournament before being ousted by the eventual silver medalist Arriana Errigo of Italy.   Lee is also a smart, super sweet person in addition to having serious fencing ability and talent.

I was up early to watch her match yesterday morning, and while I was sad she fell just short of the medal round, she made some fencing history in the process.  I have no doubts I will be seeing her again in Rio four years from now and she'll be standing on the medal platform when she competes in that 2016 tournament.

She still has the team foil event to go in a few days (August 2), so if things break her way, she may head back to Kentucky with a London Olympic medal after all.   

Congrats Lee.  It's an honor to have a personal connection with an Olympic athlete and know firsthand the levels of hard work, determination and effort it took for you to be standing on that London Olympic strip.

I'm one more person who is immensely proud of you

Dawn Gets Bronze

I wrote a fencing post about Dawn and her trip to Reno, NV for the USA Summer Nationals tournament that concluded on July 10.  

Dawn fenced in the Division 1A event as a warmup for the Vet 40 competition.  She took out a B and C rated fencer in pools before falling to an A rated fencer 15-8 in the elimination round.   That particular Div 1A was a nasty one with over a third of the competitors in it holding A ratings.

So my number 4 nationally ranked homegirl is now nice and warmed up and ready to rumble with the rest of the 'Baby Vets' in their Vet 40 competition.   She made it to the semifinals before falling to the eventual champion Liz Enochs 10-7.  

She fell just short of her goal of coming home with the gold, but she didn't come back to Da Ville empty handed.   She's adding another bronze medal to her collection. 

Congratulations Dawn once again for coming home with another medal and renewing your C rating.   Hope you get that gold one and the Summer nationals title you want next year!

All The Sabre Ladies

As y'all know I like doing song rewrites for time to time, and a few years ago in a moment of inspiration I came up with a theme song for the Veteran 40 sabre fencing Baby Vets based on the Supremes 'Baby Love.'  I heard it allegedly got on the 'Senior Mamas' nerves at one NAC tournament Dawn participated in.

Well, in honor of my homegirl heading to Reno for the US summer nationals, it's time for another song rewrite they might be singing at one of their next tournaments.

So y'all know the drill.   Fire up the IPods or CD players for you old schoolers and sing along with Moni's remixed lyrics.

All the Sabre Ladies
Sung to the tune of Single Ladies by Beyonce

 


All the sabre ladies, all the sabre ladies
All the sabre ladies, all the sabre ladies
All the sabre ladies, all the sabre ladies
All the sabre ladies,  now put your blades up

Up in the club, we just suited up
I'm doing my own fencing thing
Felt my blade tip now you wanna trip
Cause that's another point for me

I'm up on you, you're down to me
Don't pay you any attention
I sense your fears, epee and foil sneers
Ya can't be mad at me

If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Don't be mad once you see that you want it
If you liked it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (X2) 

If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Don't be mad once you see that you want it
If you liked it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it

I got gloss on my lips, uniform on my hips
We're the baddest fencers on the scene
Blade is up, parry, slash and thrust
I can care less what you think

I need no permission, did I mention
Don't pay y'all any attention
Cause you had your turn and now you gonna learn
What it feels like to mess with me

If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Don't be mad once you see that you want it
If you liked it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (X2) 

If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Don't be mad once you see that you want it
If you liked it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (X2) 

Epeeists and foillists of the world
I'm not that kind of girl
Sabre is what I prefer, what I deserve

Here's a plan that makes me then takes me
And delivers me to fencing destiny, to infinity and beyond
Tapping you upon your arms, you're the one I love to pwn
As I hear your losing groan
And a hard victory is won

All the sabre ladies, all the sabre ladies
All the sabre ladies, all the sabre ladies
All the sabre ladies, all the sabre ladies
All the sabre ladies now put your blades up
Oh, oh, oh

If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Don't be mad once you see that you want it
If you liked it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh (X2) 

If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
If you like it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Don't be mad once you see that you want it
If you liked it then you shoulda fenced sabre darn it
Oh, oh, oh

Dawn's Trying Her Fencing Luck In Reno

It's been a while since I had a post up about the fencing exploits of my one time housemate and it's past time for an update.

Dawn's taking her C rating and leaving Louisville on a jet plane this week bound for Reno, NV and the 2011 USA Fencing Summer Nationals.

The 2011 edition of the Summer Nationals started on July 1 and will run through July 10 at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.  The tournament is also serving as a qualifier to select the US fencing team for the 2011 Pan Am Games that will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico October 14-30.

So if you folks in the Reno area want to see some future Olympians and some world class athletes, may want to head down there and check them out.

When I last talked to her she said she was ready and had just come back from rolling up I-65 to play with Linda, Andria and the rest of the IndySabre peeps.

She wasn't selling me any woof tickets about that either.  When I checked her ranking I noticed she's now up to Number 4 in the nation in Veterans 40 womens sabre, and was tied for Number 18 with four other fencers in the combined Veterans rankings.  Her best Veterans 40 ranking when I lived in Da Ville with her was Number 6.

In Reno she'll be competing with the rest of the Baby Vets in the Veterans 40 Division sabre tournament.

As for the 'Senior Mamas' AKA the Vet 50's they'll also be there in full effect along with the Vet 60's and Vet 70's doing their thang as well.

There will be much good natured trash talking to be had between the 'Baby Vets' and 'Senior Mamas' as usual before and after they step on the strip.

Sniff sniff, I miss y'all too.

I got to meet some of the Baby Vets, Senior Mamas, referees, and fencing world officials in the Kentucky Division and the Great Lakes Region in connection to hanging out with Dawn on some of those fencing journeys, and was the announcer at the 2010 Super Youth regional they hosted in Da Ville.   I had a lot of fun that weekend and was told by her that many of the kids and various people were looking for me during the 2011 event.


Dawn finished third in last year's Summer Nationals in the ATL and is looking to slash, parry and fleche her way back to Da Ville with a nicer color medal than the bronze one she brought back from Georgia to add to her considerable collection of fencing medals and trophies..

Good luck in Reno Dawn and to all you sabre ladies, unless you're on the strip with my homegirl..