First Fencing Tournament

Today we headed a Foil Invitational, the boys' first ever fencing tournament. It ended up being a much longer day than we anticipated, but it was a great learning experience for all. I still can't figure out how they score the bouts, but I was impressed with the process.

Step 1 = each fencer battles every other in their pool. That seeds them based on touches scored, touches allowed, and matches won. Based on those numbers, Riley was seeded #2 and Dylan was #5, out of 8.

Step 2 = direct elimination with the best two out of three bouts. Dylan was bumped during his first direct elimination and it brought him to tears, but we told him he did a great job, considering he's only had four lessons! And he ended up in 4th place anyway.

Riley made it to the semi-finals before being eliminated by the kid who went on to take 2nd place. Riley ended up (tied) at 3rd place. Both boys who placed ahead of him have been fencing for three years, so he did remarkably well.

After the medal ceremony, we had lunch and met some friends for ice cream at the new Penny. Bitter Caramel, Chocolate Bergamot, Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip, and a Verve Coffee were the top picks. What a day!