LIGHTSPEED RESULTS

WINNER

  1. Steve Perez (KB)

  2. Jose Ortiz-Miranda (KB)

  3. Tony Zaldua Jr. (KB)

PROMOTIONS & RE-GRADES

  1. Steve re-earns his A

  2. Jose earns his B

  3. William tentatively earns his C

SOFTSWORD RESULTS

WINNERS

  1. Jose Ortiz-Miranda (KB)

  2. Shawn Santiago

  3. Walter Simbol (KC)

PROMOTIONS & RE-GRADES

  1. Walter re-earns his E

  2. Shawn earns his E

  3. Becca debuts at E

The Lightspeed Beach Tournament Extravaganza! (lovingly referred to as simply Lightspeed Beach because nobody wanted to say all that) got off to a cloudy start with an overcast sky that covered what was supposed to be an otherwise sunny day. Set up behind Lifeguard Tower 20, tournament director John Mullins built the ring in the sand and waited for competitors to arrive.

The day was split into two events, with softsword starting in the late morning and Lightspeed in the afternoon. The first softsword match was Dinah Kolasa vs. Jose Ortiz-Miranda and we learned quickly that fighting on sand is not nearly the same as fighting on solid ground, since Kolasa was unable to remain standing on the uneven terrain. Next up was one of the tournament’s first-time softsword competitors, Phoebe Camilletti, up against Walter Simbol. Desite being new to the sport, Phoebe held her own against Walter in a match that timed out 4-3 in Simbol’s favor. Next, we had the tournament’s other softsword beginner, Rebecca Moore who went up against Ortiz-Miranda. That match went less favorably for the newcomer, but she’d soon find her sea (sand?) legs to earn fourth place in the tournament.

Shawn Santiago was the afternoon’s standout competitor, winning all 6 of his qualifiers matches. He headed the bracket, up first against Moore. The match ended 6-2 in Santiago’s favor, but Moore still came out with a new softsword grade to show for her tough battle. Simbol and Ortiz-Miranda were up next for a tight match, that saw Ortiz-Miranda move on, and again a renewed letter grade for Simbol. Ortiz-Miranda and Santiago then battled for gold in a close match that saw Ortiz-Miranda take gold, Santiago take silver, and Simbol take bronze, having fought Moore for the third place title.

When the sun started to set, it was time to break out the sabers! Kolasa was once again up first in the pools, this time against Krait Base captain Tony Zaldua, Jr. Following them was Camilletti vs. Steve Perez, one of Lightspeed’s two current A ranked fencers. William Alonzo, who was originally supposed to compete in softsword but didn’t make it in time, showed up during the break and was able to compete for Lightspeed saber. His first match was up against Becca Moore. Ortiz-Miranda won all of his qualifier matches, earning him the top bracket spot.

Unlike with softsword, everyone proceeded to the brackets for Lightspeed saber. Ortiz-Miranda’s sweep earned him a buy-in past the first round of brackets so they started off with, once again, Dinah Kolasa, this time up against Alonzo. This was a fierce match with both competitors fighting hard. The numbers inched up back and forth for each fencer leaving it as anyone’s game throughout the match, but Will ultimately won with a final clean snipe that ended the match 16-15, earning him his C grade. Up next was Moore vs. Prerez, which Perez won. Then, Camilletti vs. Zaldua. Alonzo’s win set him up against Ortiz-Miranda’s buy in, and Perez went up against Zaldua in a tight match that saw Perez come out ahead 24-17.

There was a brief interlude during the matches when a drone light display went off over the Santa Monica pier and fencers, audience, and judges alike stopped in their tracks to decipher the weird firework-like shapes. Then it was back to battle. Ortiz-Miranda and Perez’s fierce match for first place was one, 24 point round that ended 9-16 and crowed Perez gold medalist for the evening. But Ortiz-Miranda still came out with a silver medal and a brand new B rank, right off the heels of his rank up to C last month at Los Angele’s Open tournament.

This is a tournament that has been in the works for nearly a year, and we’re very excited to have finally made it happen. We thank all the fencers, spectators, and staff who showed up for this day. Hopefully we’ll see you at the beach again soon for The Lightspeed Beach Tournament Extravangaza…. 2!

LIGHTSPEED SABER EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
DINAH KOLASA

 

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