Saturday, December 10, we held the first Houston Sword Sports’ School Championship Tournament. The tournament was open to kids from our afterschool programs and youth classes and provided our fencers a chance to meet each other, fence new people, and have some fun on a Saturday afternoon. 16 kids from 8 schools met and competed for the gold. Age categories were 6-8, 9-10, and 11-12, with medals for the top 3 places in each group (fencing typically has a tie for third place).
After a quick registration/setup period at the Bellaire Recreation Center, we started fencing. The 6-8 and 9-10 age groups fenced a round robin format. Jerry Fan won the 6-8, securing first with his 5-3 victory over Daniel Hernandez. Jerry fenced strong all day and represented the Herod Jets well. Ethan Martinez of Eagle Springs Elementary pulled out a narrow 5-4 victory over another Jet, George Kell in the 9-10 age group.
For the 11-12 year olds, we followed a more traditional format with a pool followed by direct eliminations. James Neeriemer of Lanier Middle School came through pools in seeded first, but Liv Rubenstein of Pin Oak Middle School stepped up her game in the gold medal match for the win.
The hard work our fencers have put into this sport was on display Saturday. We couldn’t be prouder of how hard they fought and the skills they showed. We’d like to thank the Bellaire Parks and Recreation Department for use of their facility and our officials, parents, and fencers for making this a memorable event.
Here are the winners:
Y8 (Kids born 2008-2011)
From left to right: Daniel C., Varen, Luke, William, Daniel H., Jerry
- Jerry Fan (Herod Elementary School)
- Daniel Hernandez (Westbury Christian School)
- William Chang (Briarmeadow Charter School)
- Luke Ipe (Veritas Christian Academy)
- Varen Janarthanan (Herod Elementary School)
- Daniel Chang (Briarmeadow Charter School)
Y10 (Kids born 2006-2007)
From left to right: Maximiliano, Claudia, Troy, Texas, Jorge, George, Ethan.
- Ethan Martinez (Eagle Springs Elementary School)
- George Kell (Herod Elementary School)
- Jorge Frasco (Westbury Christian School)
- Texas Burnett (Westbury Christian School)
- Troy Roberts (Westbury Christian School)
- Claudia Moore (Lovett Elementary School)
- Maximiliano Guerra (Briarmeadow Charter School)
Y12 (Kids born 2004-2005)
From left to right: River, James, Liv.
- Liv Rubenstein (Pin Oak Middle School)
- James Neeriemer (Lanier Middle School)
- River Price (Briarmeadow Charter School)
