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Five fencing fields lined Acker Gym Saturday as Chico State co-hosted the third annual Dare Mighty Things Open.
The fencing club helped officiate bouts and provided the facilities, but only three Chico State students competed in the event.
Graduate student Phil Colbert placed seventh in the open seniors mixed foil. Freshman Daniel Cohn-Postar placed eighth in the unrated seniors mixed foil. Senior Gabe Cervantes also competed in the unrated foil, but didn't place.
Cervantes was ranked higher than Cohn-Postar after the pool bouts and going into direct eliminations, but all it took was one fight to change that.
Cervantes' face was gleaming with sweat after his fifth bout. He was tired when his name was called to battle his teammate Cohn-Postar. Nevertheless, he stood and grabbed his foils.
The bout was close with each fencer pulling ahead before the other caught up. The score tied four times, the final time just before the winning point.
Both said they were thinking the same thing, "Don't get hit," as their opponents came forward, and their swords collided. Cervantes backed out, trying to keep his distance before both charged forward. Cohn-Postar dealt the final blow to his opponent.
"He got a good shot right on my hip," Cervantes said.
Cohn-Postar left the match with a win and another match lined up. Cervantes left with his right index finger rubbed raw from the foil and a ninth place spot, just short of getting a medal.
"That was a hell of a battle," Cohn-Postar said to Cervantes after the bout.
Assistant coach Ben Wade said it was a great match.
"It's hard to have a bad fencing match, as long as they're trying," Wade said.
Another great bout took place later in the afternoon, when C-ranked Wade fought an A-ranked opponent. An "A" ranking is Olympic level, while a "C" ranking is intermediate, said Margaret Brunelle, owner of My Fencing Center.
The score was within two points for all but one score, and the battle lasted well into the third round, but a strong shot by Wade ended the bout with a score of 15-13. Wade went on to finish second in the epee competition after a 15-12 loss.
This was Wade's, as well as Cervantes' and Cohn-Postar's, first year competing in the Dare Mighty Things Open.
The name of the event, Dare Mighty Things, is based on a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt, Brunelle said. The quote in its entirety means the journey to winning is tempered by failure, but the truly glorious winners don't let defeats be the end of it.
The purpose of the tournament was to make money to take young fencers to the national competition in San Jose, Brunelle said. It costs about $300 per fencer with entry fees, hotel accommodations and meals.
"You have to help supplement the kids," Brunelle said. "But I don't mind. I love my kids."
Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@theorion.com
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