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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City is hosting one of the largest fencing tournaments in history this week, as the 2017 National Championship and July Challenge takes place at the Salt Palace Convention Center. The 10-day event began July 1 and will continue through July 10.
“There are more than 4,000 athletes competing. We are just shy of 4,500 athletes competing over the course of 10 days,” said Nicole Jomantas, communications director of USA Fencing. “There are over 80 events being held, and the largest event is 284 competitors going for a single gold medal. So it is definitely a huge event.”
Athletes range in age from 8 to 94 and come from 47 states. There are also 10 Olympians in town who will be training for the 2017 Senior World Championships, which begin in Germany this month.
Jomantas said the wide range of ages competing this week shows that “fencing is a lifetime sport. You can compete essentially forever as long as you’re interested and active.”
Not only are competitors' ages impressive, the athletes' dedication to the sport is, as well. Some fencers travel up to 10 times a year to various fencing competitions around the country and worldwide.
“Our athletes who are competing at Olympic level, many of them are training full-time," Jomantas said. "Those who don’t train full-time are balancing a collegiate fencing schedule along with an international fencing schedule, so they are definitely training upwards of 20, 25 or 30 hours a week."
Utah also boasts its share of high-caliber fencers, with 80 athletes from seven Utah clubs competing at the national championships this week. Jomantas said Salt Lake City is a place with a lot of opportunities to get involved in fencing.
“We definitely encourage folks to come and check it out," she said. "Fencing is one of those sports that a lot of people see on TV or have heard about it but haven’t had the chance to see it in person. Salt Lake has a number of great fencing clubs. … It is a good chance to see a sport up close and personal but also know that, if you see it and are interested in trying it out yourself, that there are opportunities in Salt Lake to do so.”
Schoolhouse Fencing from West Valley has three athletes competing in the national championships who have represented the state and their club well in world championships. Other clubs represented from Utah this week are Utah Swords Academy Fencing Club, Wasatch Fencing, Utah Fencing Academy, Park City Fencing Academy, JJL Fencing Club and the Salle D’Escrime Utah Valley Club.
For a complete schedule of events, visit the USA Fencing website. Medals are awarded daily, and all events are free and open to the public. Lindsey Peterson is a Brigham Young University student studying broadcast journalism. Contact her at lindspeterson4@gmail.com or on Twitter @LindsPetey.
