USA Fencing

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — It’s been quite a year for Veteran fencing in the United States, culminating with a record 24 medals at the 2023 Veteran Fencing World Championships, hosted by USA Fencing in Daytona Beach, Fla.

With so much success, including nine individual world champions, selecting highlights from the year is an exciting but challenging exercise. Still, that’s just what the Veterans Committee has done, selecting the best of the best in a banner year.

Today, the committee unveils its list of 2023 award recipients in two distinct awards: Lifetime Achievement and Fencer of the Year (see past honorees here).

The Lifetime Achievement Award pays homage to Vet fencers who have showcased remarkable talent and dedication both in and out of competitive bouts over a span of a decade or longer. 

Conversely, the Fencer of the Year Award celebrates those who have demonstrated unparalleled skill and accomplishments in the most recent season. For these awards, the committee uses points-based criteria to identify the most outstanding fencers in each age group — across all weapons and genders. Three top results were used for each category.

That means instead of one male Fencer of the Year and one female Fencer of the Year, as in the past, the committee will now recognize fencers across five age categories with one Fencer of the Year awardee in each: Vet 40, Vet 50, Vet 60, Vet 70 and Vet 80. The change underscores the committee’s commitment to honoring excellence at all competitive levels within the tight-knit Vet fencing community.

"In recognizing these seven stellar athletes, I also want to acknowledge all the outstanding performances by veteran athletes this season,” says Valerie Asher, chair of the Veterans Committee and an accomplished Vet fencer herself. “The number of candidates who were under consideration was impressive for both awards. We had nine world champions across three age brackets in contention for Fencer of the Year. The nominations for Lifetime Achievement Awards also identified a large number of exceptional athletes. We look forward to honoring many of these in future years.”

Meanwhile, USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews expressed his appreciation for the Veteran community.

“The Veterans Committee's dedication to acknowledging our seasoned athletes is wonderful to see,” he says. “It's heartening to witness the legacy and impact these athletes continue to make in the fencing community.”

Let’s meet the 2023 winners!

• Jan Patterson

• Jennette Starks-Faulkner

Jan Patterson earned his first national medal in Vet foil in 1998. He earned two more medals that season, made the 1999 Vet Worlds team and competed in Lake Balaton, Hungary, where he finished 24th. This was the first six-weapon Veteran World Championships, and Patterson continued to have a tremendous amount of success in foil at the national and international levels ever since. Patterson started his fencing career as a right-handed fencer, but a shoulder injury in late 2012 forced him to start fencing left-handed. Throughout Patterson’s career, he earned dozens of national medals and was an excellent ambassador for USA Fencing.

Jennette Starks-Faulkner has many accomplishments since she returned to fencing as a Veteran. These include earning 62 individual medals at the national level, including 11 national foil titles and two national saber titles. She has been a member of the Veteran World Team for 17 years and has won seven individual medals (including world champion) and four team medals. While Starks-Faulkner’s fencing accomplishments are outstanding, she has also excelled at coaching and leadership. She ran her own club in Connecticut until recently and coached students at local, regional and national events. She is a rated referee who brings a great deal of knowledge and patience to this difficult job.

• Vet 40: Inga Cho

• Vet 50: Julie Seal

• Vet 60: Mark Lundborg

• Vet 70: Jane Eyre

• Vet 80: Costa Nichols

The list of Fencer of the Year winners includes three individuals who have been recognized in previous years — athletes who continued their tradition of excellence by winning world championships after a strong domestic season: Julie Seal (V50), Mark Lundborg (V60) and Jane Eyre (V70). Inga Cho took top honors in the V40 category with two golds in her age group and a gold in the Vet Combined event. V80 honoree Costa Nichols earned two gold medals in V80 men’s saber and a podium finish in V70. He also took home a silver and a bronze in V80 men’s epee.

Mark your calendars for the Annual Veteran Committee Awards Dinner, where these seven exceptional athletes will be honored.

Date: Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024

Time: 7–10 p.m. PT

Location: Hilton San Jose, 300 Almaden Blvd, San Jose, CA 95110

Tickets: Available here

This dinner, presented by the USA Fencing Veterans Committee and the U.S. Fencing Foundation, promises an evening brimming with connection, networking and a celebration of our Veterans. 

Given the limited seating, it's crucial to secure your tickets promptly. All donations made during registration or on the event night will be directed to the Veterans Fund of the U.S. Fencing Foundation. We’ll see you there!