RESULTS
Jamar Johnson (LSI)
Josh Isom (LSA)
Shar Carter
PROMOTIONS
Clark Dizon to E
Emilio Sierra to E (LSA)
Chris Isom to E (LSA)
Juran Oliver to E (LSA)
The Lightspeed Saber SoCal March To Advancement novice tournament was the largest such tournament in a long while, boasting 18 competitors, putting the event exactly at capacity.
Jamar Johnson made his long awaited return to the box, hoping that the tournament would be rated high enough to re-earn his C rating. Josh Isom, though still fresh to the scene, was the only other equivalently ranked competitor to possibly challenge Johnson in terms of experience of results. SImialrly, 2023 women’s national champion Shar Carter returned to competition after a lengthy hiatus from a prior injury.
Other hopefuls included Jacob Areias and Dinah Kolasa, both Ds, and Kat Rodriguez and Hien Pham, both E’s, also from Lightspeed Saber Academy. These aforementioned seven represented the only ranked fencers in the whole tournament, and nearly all of them would have to make it into the top 8 in order for the competition to retain its C3 rating.
The true novices included Kathy Chavez, Clark Dizon, Emilio Sierra, Chris Isom, Juran Oliver, Jed Padre, Irving Corona, Connor Benbrook, Carlos Sierra, Colin Torres, and Antonio Manquero. For Clark, Emilio, Juran, Jed, Carlos, Colin, and Antonio, it was their debut in competitive Lightspeed Saber fencing, each bringing their own unique drive and determination. Chris Isom, aiming to follow in his brother's footsteps, sought to make his mark. Dinah Kolasa and Jamar Johnson eyed grade advancements, while Kathy Chavez, the tournament's oldest contender, had already secured her first competitive victory in February, and was aiming to land her second.
POOLS
The Red Box was populated by Shar Carter, Emilio Sierra, Carlos Sierra, Jed Padre, Hien Pham, and Josh Isom.
Leading the pack in dominant fashion was Shar Carter, whose impeccable performance saw her emerge victorious in all five of her matches. With a total of 31 points, Carter secured the top spot in the pool.
Meanwhile, Josh Isom, a new but rapidly rising fencer from Lightspeed Saber Academy, adopted a strategic approach during the pool phase. Despite his skill and experience, Isom took a more relaxed stance, especially when facing newer teammates from the academy. This generous gesture allowed his teammates to gain valuable experience and confidence in the competitive arena. With three wins and a total of 25 points, Isom secured the fourth position in the pool, showcasing both his sportsmanship and his prowess as a fencer.
Hien Pham, Emilio Sierra, and Jed Padre also showcased their talent and determination in the Red Box pool. Pham secured one victory and earned a total of 16 points, placing fifth in the pool. Emilio Sierra delivered an exceptional performance in his debut competition, clinching second place in the pool with three wins and an impressive total of 29 points. Notably, Sierra defeated his brother, Carlos Sierra, soundly in their match, underscoring his skill and determination.
Jed Padre made a significant impression in the Red Box, possibly representing the most impressive combination of speed and precision among the six, and earning three wins and a total of 28 points. This stellar performance secured Padre the third position in the pool, highlighting his potential as a formidable competitor in Lightspeed Saber fencing.
The Blue Box was populated by LSA’s Dinah Kolasa, Kathy Chavez, Kat Rodriguez, and Juran Oliver, and Krait Base’s Connor Benbrook and Irving Corona.
Leading the charge was Dinah Kolasa, whose impressive performance saw her emerge victorious in four of five matches. With a total of 34 points, Kolasa secured the top spot in the pool, demonstrating her exceptional talent and command of the box.
Following closely behind was Kat Rodriguez, who delivered a standout performance with three wins and an impressive total of 31 points. Notably, Rodriguez was the only fencer to defeat the pool leader, Dinah Kolasa, underscoring her skill and determination on the box.
Juran Oliver, Connor Benbrook, and Irving Corona also made their mark in the Blue Box pool with solid performances. Oliver secured three wins and a total of 30 points, earning the third position in the pool. Benbrook won three matches, accumulating 29 points, while Irving Corona earned 2 wins and amassed 24 points by the end of the pool phase. Despite initial challenges with adjusting to Lightspeed's lighter power regulations, Corona demonstrated resilience and improvement as the competition progressed.
While Chavez did not net a win this time around, all her matches were close, significantly closer than her previous performance, and her improvement was obvious to all watching.
The Pink Box was populated by favorite Jamar Johnson, LSA’s Jacob Areias and Chris Isom, and teammates Antonio Manquero, Clark Dizon, and Colin Torres.
Leading the pack with an impressive display of talent and determination was Jamar Johnson. Dominating the pool, Johnson emerged victorious in all five of his matches, earning a remarkable total of 37 points and securing the top spot in the pool. With his flawless performance, Johnson asserted himself as a formidable contender in the tournament.
Following closely behind was Clark Dizon, who delivered an outstanding performance in his debut competition. Dizon showcased his skill and adaptability, securing four wins and accumulating a total of 32 points. His exceptional performance earned him the second position in the pool, highlighting his potential as a rising star in Lightspeed Saber fencing.
Chris Isom also made his mark in the Pink Box pool with a solid performance, winning three matches and amassing a total of 31 points. Isom's skill and determination were evident as he navigated his way through the competition, securing the third position in the pool.
Jacob Areias demonstrated his prowess on the box, securing two wins and accumulating 23 points. Despite facing tough competition, Areias showcased resilience and determination, earning the fourth position in the pool.
Antonio Manquero showcased his potential as a competitor, securing one win and accumulating 17 points throughout the pool phase. While facing formidable opponents, Manquero demonstrated skill and determination, earning the fifth position in the pool.
Rounding out the pool was Colin Torres, who faced tough competition and secured 18 points despite not securing any victories. Torres' perseverance and dedication were evident as he navigated his way through the matches, earning the sixth position in the pool.
By the end of the pools, there were some surprises and some bankable bets sitting inside the top 8 (though all would be allowed through to the brackets). Kat Rodriguez earned a respectable 8th position, while teammate Dinah Kolasa earned 4th. Shar Carter was in second, and Jamar Johnson, the favorite, took the top position overall. This meant that Kathy Chavez would battle Colin Torres and Carlos Sierra would tangle with Antonio Manquero to make it into the main bracket.
SINGLE ELIMINATION
In the Round of 32, Colin Torres faced off against Kathy Chavez. Torres showcased skill and determination, ultimately triumphing with a final score of 15-11. Carlos Sierra and Antonio Manquero engaged in a closely contested match, with Sierra edging Manquero out with a narrow victory, prevailing with a score of 14-12.
Advancing to the Round of 16, Jamar Johnson demonstrated his prowess against Colin Torres, securing a decisive win with a score of 14-7 against the newcomer. Teammates Kat Rodriguez and Juran Oliver engaged in a fiercely competitive duel, with Oliver utilizing his height advantage to clinch victory by a narrow margin of 14-12 against the more experienced Rodriguez. Dinah Kolasa faced Jacob Areias in an intense showdown, where this time, greater experience won out, with Areias outranging Kolasa handily to emerge victorious with a score of 15-8.
Emilio Sierra faced off against Irving Corona in a closely contested match, ultimately prevailing with a final score of 15-13, courtesy of a last-minute power violation by Corona. Josh Isom showcased his aggression against the speedy and highly accurate Jed Padre, securing a hard-fought victory with a score of 14-12. Clark Dizon displayed superior skill against Hien Pham, dominating the match with a commanding score of 14-2. Chris Isom exhibited his talent against Connor Benbrook, emerging triumphant with a final score of 14-5 against the Krait.
In a near upset, Carlos Sierra squared off against second seeded Shar Carter, and nearly defeated her. But Carter's greater experience proved decisive as she narrowly secured victory with a score of 14-13.
As the tournament progressed to the Round of 8, Jamar Johnson continued his impressive run with a dominant performance against neophyte Juran Oliver, securing victory with a commanding score of 15-5. Jacob Areias faced Emilio Sierra in a closely contested bout, with Areias emerging victorious with a final score of 14-8. Josh Isom showcased his skill against Clark Dizon, securing a hard-fought victory with a score of 14-12. In a compelling matchup between Chris Isom and Shar Carter, Carter's experience and unique two-handed striking style proved decisive as she emerged victorious with a score of 14-11.
The semi-finals came down to Josh Isom versus Shar Carter, and old teammates Jamar Johnson and Jacob Areias.
Despite their history, Johnson's superior speed and experience proved decisive as he secured victory over Areias, though Areias did score at least one perfectly timed skyhook to the glove that caught Johnson by surprise with a palpable groan. The match finished at 15-7 for Johnson, and granted him passage to the finals.
Meanwhile, Josh Isom squared off against Shar Carter in an aggressive shootout. Isom initially dominated the bout, establishing a commanding lead of 8-1. However, Carter mounted a fierce comeback in the second period, narrowing the gap to 13-12 in Isom's favor. In a tense final exchange, Isom secured victory with a strategic indirect strike to the hand, clinching the match with a final score of 14-12, and earning his spot in the finals.
MEDAL MATCHES
This finally brought us to the medal bouts: Shar Carter versus Jacob Areias and Josh Isom versus Jamar Johnson.
The bronze medal match between Areias and Carter was another shootout. Carter surged ahead early in the match, establishing a lead that she maintained throughout both halves, though many clashes resulted in no points. A priority point went immediately to Carter, pushing her up the board. This eventually ended at 14-7, giving Carter the bronze.
The gold medal pairing could have been predicted, given that these two were the highest ranked in the tournament. What many did not know was that they were also very closely ranked, with Isom only narrowly edging Johnson by a few positions. So it would come down, many would be forgiven to suspect, to Johnson’s experience and speed versus Isom’s spryness and aggression.
Somewhat surprisingly, this ended up being a very reserved, cautious, and clean match for both fencers, perhaps each of them coming to the same strategy of conserving their energy after a long day of fencing. Johnson initially seized an early lead, but Isom quickly closed the gap, resulting in a tightly contested first half where the competitors were practically tied.
As the match progressed into the second half, Isom maintained a narrow one-point lead, showcasing his careful selection of targets and management of distance. However, Johnson rallied with a series of decisive clean contacts, propelling him to a 13-10 lead. In a climactic final exchange, Johnson delivered a tactical indirect to clinch the crucial final point, securing victory with a final score of 14-10.
With this impressive performance, Jamar Johnson emerged triumphant, claiming the gold medal in a hard-fought and exhilarating duel, while Josh Isom displayed exceptional skill and determination in earning the silver medal.
RESULTS
While four graded fencers did make it into the top 8, Dinah Kolasa came in ninth missing the crucial last ranked competitor needed to rate the tournament at the original C3 level. So Johnson would not achieve the coveted C grade that day. However, four new grades were awarded that day, thanks to the stellar performances by LSA’s Juran Oliver, Chris Isom, and Emilio Sierra, and visiting fencer Clark Dizon, who all earned the rating of ‘E’.
Congratulations to all the winners, and well-fought to all competitors that day. Many thanks Patricia Bauler and John Mullins who kept the whole thing running, and have been keeping everything running behind the scenes. See you all again soon in the next few weeks for the (Un?)Lucky 13 open tournament.
Cang Snow
Chief Executive Officer
