USA Fencing

(Columbus, Ohio) – The USA Fencing National Championships and July North American Cup will break records again this summer as more than 4,000 athletes compete in the world’s largest fencing tournament when it comes to Columbus from June 22 – July 3 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

“The response to last year’s tournament was amazing and, as our sport continues to grow, we’re set to break the record number of participants that competed at the 2013 Nationals and NAC,” said USA Fencing Executive Director Kris Ekeren (Littleton, Colo.) “The staff of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission was one of the best we’ve worked with and the local organizing committee has stepped up and has offered tremendous help as we work together on coordinating a top-notch event, so we’re looking forward to being back in Columbus. We have eight members of our 2012 Olympic Team fencing in preparation for this year’s World Championships and encourage the central Ohio community to come see our fencers in action.”

As the largest fencing tournament of any kind in the world, more than 4,300 athletes and more than 300 teams will compete at the USA Fencing National Championships and July North American Cup with athletes ranging in age from nine to 90-years-old. With more than 10,000 competitors, family members and fans traveling to Columbus for USA Fencing’s marquee event, the city of Columbus is expected to generate more than $5 million during the 12-day tournament.

Competition will begin daily at 8 a.m. in and conclude at approximately 9:30 p.m. with medal rounds being held throughout each day of competition. The tournament, which will be held in Halls D, E and F of the Convention Center, is free and open to the public.

Athletes will fence in two tournaments during 12 days that will include both individual and team competitions in all three weapons: epee, foil and saber.

During the National Championships, titles will be awarded in Division IA, Division II, Division III, Y14 and Veteran (40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and +70) competitions. The July North American Cup is open to both U.S. and foreign fencers and will include competitions for the Division I, Y10, Y12, U16 and U19 age groups.

Due to the new addition of the Division I (senior elite) events to the July NAC, 15 members of the U.S. National Team are expected to compete in a final tune-up event before Team USA travels to Kazan, Russia to fence at the 2014 Senior World Championships from July 15-23.

• Courtney Hurley (San Antonio, Texas / epee), 2012 Olympic team bronze medalist
• Kelley Hurley (San Antonio, Texas / epee), 2012 Olympic team bronze medalist
• Miles Chamley-Watson (New York City, N.Y. / foil), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World Champion
• Gerek Meinhardt (San Francisco, Calif. / foil), two-time Olympian and two-time Senior World medalist
• Race Imboden (Brooklyn, N.Y. / foil), 2012 Olympian and 2013 Senior World team silver medalist
• Lee Kiefer (Lexington, Ky. / foil), 2012 Olympian and 2011 Senior World bronze medalist
• Nzingha Prescod (Brooklyn, N.Y. / foil), 2012 Olympian and two-time Junior World Champion
• Nicole Ross (New York City, N.Y. / foil), 2012 Olympian and 2009 Junior World Team Champion
• Margaret Lu (Greenwich, Conn. / foil), two-time Senior World Team member and 2014 Junior World Team Champion
• Eli Dershwitz (Sherborn, Mass. / saber), two-time Senior World Team member and three-time Junior World medalist
• Katharine Holmes (Washington, D.C. / epee), two-time Senior World Team member and two-time Junior World medalist
• Andras Horanyi (Colorado Springs, Colo. / epee), four-time Senior World Team member
• Jason Pryor (Colorado Springs, Colo. / epee), two-time Senior World Team member
• Adam Watson (Richfield, Vt. / epee), two-time Senior World Team member​
• Jimmy Moody (Colorado Springs, Colo. / epee), 2014 Senior World Team member

In addition to competing at the July NAC, the U.S. Men’s Foil Team also will be holding a training camp in Columbus from June 28-30 in preparation for the Senior World Championships.

Two members of the 2014 Senior World Team also have ties to the Columbus area as Jason Pryor and Andras Horanyi both fenced for Ohio State University where Horanyi won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008.

One of the premier destinations for sports events in the United States, Columbus hosted the National Championships and July NAC in 2013 and was the site of the 2014 NCAA Championships – an event that will return to Columbus in 2015 for the fifth time in eight year. The nationally-renown Steelwood Athletic Training Facility, home to the Ohio State fencing team, boasts one of the largest fencing centers in the country with 14 electronic practice strips and approximately 8,800-square feet of training space.

“We are so happy to be hosting the USA Fencing National Championships and the North American Cup for the second consecutive year.  Hosting the best fencers in the United States will be the highlight of our summer,” said Greater Columbus Sports Commission Executive Director Linda Shetina Logan (Columbus, Ohio). “The group has expanded their dates and added more competitions within the championships with more opportunities to roll out the red carpet to USA Fencing participants and fans visiting our city.”

USA Fencing is the recognized National Governing Body for the sport of fencing in the United States. The organization’s mission is to serve and foster the growth, participation and development of domestic fencing at all levels and to achieve sustained international success. USA Fencing is affiliated with the Féderation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE), the international federation for fencing. A 501-c-3 non-profit organization, USA Fencing is based out of Colorado Springs, Colo. and has a membership of more than 30,000 individuals, including grassroots, elite and veteran fencers.

​The Greater Columbus Sports Commission is a catalyst, driving the collaborative efforts of the Central Ohio region in attracting and hosting a wide variety of sporting events.  The Sports Commission provides the experience and expertise in sports marketing and event management that has established our region as a premier sports destination, hosting more than 240 new sporting events since 2002, which have generated close to an estimated $500 million in visitor spending. For more information, visitwww.columbussports.org.