The Championships are held every year by the Federation Internationale d’Escrime (FIE), the international governing body of the sport of fencing.

Three athletes have been selected by the USFA in each weapon (men's epee, foil, and saber; women's epee, foil and saber) for the two age categories, Cadet (Under-17) and Junior (Under-20).

The Championships includes individual competitions in each age group and weapon, plus Junior Team competitions in each weapon. Four fencers -- three fencers plus one substitute -- compete on each team.

In 2006, the U.S. contingent earned a record 11 medals -- ten individual and one team -- and finished third in the Nations Cup count. This year’s challenge is to surpass that count.

The goal is well within reach. Many members of this year’s team are veterans of one or more Championships teams, including several who reached the medal podium.

Rebecca Ward (17, Portland, Ore.), last year's triple World Champion (Cadet, Junior and Senior World Champion), returns to the competition this year ranked #1 in the world Junior standings. She will anchor the Junior women's saber team which will attempt to defend its 2006 title.

Other returning medalists include Caroline Vloka (silver, 2006 Cadet saber event and bronze in the Junior individual and gold in the team event); Graham Wicas, the 2006 Cadet men's epee champion (17, Philadelphia, Pa.); Raskyrie Davidson (18, Newark, N.J.), Cadet men's saber bronze medalist; and Courtney Hurley (16, San Antonio), the 2006 Cadet women's epee world champion and now ranked #15 in the world senior women's epee standings.

The U.S. is rapidly gaining international recognition by the international medal performances of its young fencers; in 1992, Felicia Zimmermann won the first World Championship medal since 1975. U.S. fencers have earned multiple medals every single year since 1994.

History of the Championships
The World Under-20 Championships was first hosted in 1950 by the Federation Internationale d'Escrime (FIE) and included men’s foil. Men’s saber was added in 1952, followed by men’s epee in 1955, women’s foil in 1956, women’s epee in 1989 and women’s saber in 1999. The World Under-17 Championships began in 1987. The two championships have been held together since 1993. Last year’s championships were held in Taebek, South Korea.

More than 100 countries are members of the FIE, including the U.S. The USFA is the national governing body for the sport in the United States.


Roster:
Cadet Men's Foil
Enzo Castellani (16, Keller, Texas/Fenc., Inst. Of Texas)
Ariel DeSmet (16, Portland, Ore./NorthWest Fencing Center)
Gerek Meinhardt (16, San Francisco, Calif./Massialas Found.)

Junior Men's Foil
Nicholas Chinman (17, Boulder, Colo./Northern Colo. Fencers)
Ariel DeSmet (16, Portland, Ore./NorthWest Fencing Center)
Gerek Meinhardt (16, San Francisco, Calif./Massialas Found.)
Team Event: Ben Parkins (17, The Woodlands, Texas/Salle Mauro)

Cadet Women's Foil
Kylei McGill (14, Jamaica, N.Y./Westbrook Foundation)
Nzingha Prescod (14, New York, N.Y./Westbrook Found.)
Hayley Reese (16, Louisville, Ky./Louisville F.C.)

Junior Women's Foil
Samantha Nemecek (19, Alto, Mich./West Mich. F.A/Northwestern '09)
Nzingha Prescod (14, New York, N.Y./Westbrook Found.)
Doris Willette (18, Rodeo, Calif./Golden Gate/Penn State '10)
Team Event: Kylei McGill (14, Jamaica, N.Y./Westbrook Foundation)

Cadet Women's Epee
Neely Brandfield-Harvey (16, Houston, Texas/Salle Mauro)
Courtney Hurley (16, San Antonio, Texas/Team Hurley)
Susannah Scanlan (16, St. Paul, Minn./Twin Cities F.C.)

Junior Women's Epee
Courtney Hurley (16, San Antonio, Texas/Team Hurley)
Kelley Hurley (18, San Antonio, Texas/Team Hurley/Notre Dame '09)
Susannah Scanlan (16, St. Paul, Minn./Twin Cities F.C.)

Cadet Men's Epee
Joshua Dolezal (16, South Bend, Ind./Escrime du Luc)
James Kaull (16, Washington, D.C./Chevy Chase F.C.)
Adam Watson (16, Richford, Vt., Vermont Fencing Alliance)

Junior Men's Epee
Dwight Smith (19, Elmont, N.Y./Westbrook Foundation/Columbia '09)
Stanley Vaksman (18, North Woodmere, N.Y./NYAC/St. John's '09)
Graham Wicas (17, Philadelphia, Pa./Fencing Acad. Of Phila.)
Team Event:Ben Weider (19, Westfield, N.J./Medeo Fencing/UPenn '09)

Cadet Men's Saber
Daryl Homer (16, New York, N.Y./Fencers Club)
Harrison Mahaffey (16, Los Angeles, Calif./Los Angeles Int’l .F.C.)
Aleksander Ochocki (16, Clark, N.J./Fencers Club)

Junior Men's Saber
Raskyrie Davidson (18, Newark, N.J./Westbrook Found.)
Harrison Mahaffey (16, Los Angeles, Calif./Los Angeles Int’l .F.C.)
Jeff Spear (18, Wynantskill, N.Y./Fencers Club/Columbia '10)
Team Event: Aleksander Ochocki (16, Clark, N.J./Fencers Club)

Cadet Women's Saber
Monica Aksamit (17, Matawan, N.J./Fencers Club)
Caroline Vloka (16, Upper Saddle River, N.J./Fencers Club)
Rebecca Ward (17, Portland, Ore./Oregon Fenc. Alliance/home school)

Junior Women's Saber
Rebecca Ward (17, Portland, Ore./Oregon Fenc. Alliance/home school)
Caroline Vloka (16, Upper Saddle River, N.J./Fencers Club)
Dagmara Wozniak (18, Colonia, N.J./Fencers Club/St. John's '10)
Team: Eileen Hassett (17, Beaverton, Ore./Oregon Fenc. Alliance)


COACHING ROSTER
Boris Vaksman, North Woodmere, N.Y.
Michael Itkin, New York, N.Y.
Yuri Gelman, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ro Sobalvarro, St. Paul, Minn.
Michael Pederson, San Francisco, Calif.
Edward Korfanty, Portland, Ore.


CADRE
Chief Of Mission Sam Cheris, Denver, Colo.
Captain Jim Carpenter, Celina, Texas
Team Leader Andrea Lagan, Boulder, Colo.
Staff Liaison Corinne Greenman, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lead Armorer Scott Harkey, Shreveport, La.
Armorer Gary Spruill, Flowermound, Texas
Lead Trainers Nick Tobianski, Sterling Heights, Mich.
Trainer Marli Carollo, San Antonio, Texas

Referee from the U.S., appointed by the F.I.E.: Ariana Klinkov, Billerica, Mass.

Junior and Cadet World Championships
Belek, Turkey
Schedule of Events:
10 April 2007
Cadet Women's Saber, Cadet Men's Foil
11 April 2007
Cadet Men's Saber, Cadet Women's Epee
12 April 2007
Cadet Women's Foil, Cadet Men's Epee
13 April 2007
Junior Women's Saber, Junior Men's Foil
14 April 2007
Junior Men's Saber, Junior Women's Epee
15 April 2007
Junior Women's Foil, Junior Men's Epee
16 April 2007
Junior Team Women's Saber, Junior Team Men's Foil
17 April 2007
Junior Team Men's Saber, Junior Team Women's Epee
18 April 2007
Junior Team Women's Foil, Junior Team Men's Epee


For More Information, Please Contact:
Cindy Bent Findlay
US Fencing Media Relations
614.746.6733 * USFencingMedia@earthlink.net
www.USFencing.org