Over the weekend, the Lightspeed Saber community gathered for the "May To Remember" tournament, featuring three competitive divisions: Cadets (ages 10–13), Women, and Open Gender. The event brought together a mix of experienced fencers and enthusiastic newcomers, each division delivering its share of intensity, surprises, and sportsmanship.
Cadet Division: Young Warriors, Big Hearts
The Cadet division saw six young fencers take the box: Danny T, William T, Liem P, Lucas P, Ben C, and James W. While several competitors brought solid experience to the event, a few brave newcomers stepped up, including James, William, and Danny.
Among them, James—one of the youngest competitors—entered the event with visible apprehension. Meanwhile, Liem remained his usual stoic self. Despite their youth, both James and Liem demonstrated exceptional focus and composure, finishing at the top of their respective pools and earning byes into the elimination bracket.
Perhaps the most inspiring performance came from Danny, who entered the tournament with only the most minimal training. His willingness to step onto the strip and face more seasoned opponents was a testament to the courage that defines the spirit of Lightspeed fencing.
In the elimination rounds, Ben narrowly edged out William in a tightly contested bout, while Lucas delivered a strong performance against Danny. In the semifinals, Ben dispatched the younger James, and Lucas overcame his younger brother, Liem, setting up a thrilling final match.
The final bout between Ben and Lucas was fast-paced and fiercely fought. Ultimately, Ben emerged victorious, clinching the gold, with Lucas taking silver.
Women’s Division: Sibling Rivalry and Strategic Brilliance
By this time during the day, the other event happening in the mall, Anime Night Mart, was in full swing and crowds began to gather to watch the ladies duke it out for first place.
Although not all registered women were able to make it to the Women’s Division, the event moved forward with a strong core group, including the formidable Kolasa sisters—Dinah and Samantha—alongside Rebecca Moore and Patricia Bauler.
Despite the small pool, the competition was tight and well-contested. After the pool rounds, the bracket pairings shaped up to be: Dinah Kolasa vs. Rebecca Moore and Patricia Bauler vs. Samantha Kolasa.
In a curious bit of symmetry, both semifinal bouts ended with identical scores of 16–9. Dinah Kolasa bested Moore with sharp timing, while Patricia Bauler overcame Samantha Kolasa with her trademark defensive skills.
That set the stage for a compelling final: Dinah Kolasa vs. Patricia Bauler, with Dinah aiming to avenge her sister’s earlier defeat.
The match began on even footing, with Bauler holding her own in early exchanges. But Dinah, known for her adaptive and technical style, began to exploit small gaps in Bauler’s otherwise solid defense. Using precise angles and well-timed indirect attacks, Dinah chipped away at Bauler’s lead. As the bout progressed, the momentum shifted decisively.
Dinah Kolasa sealed the victory with a final score of 23–18, capturing the gold medal. Bauler took silver.
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Open Gender Division: Experience Meets Grit in a Stacked Field
The Open Gender division was packed with seasoned Lightspeed Saber veterans—but it also featured a pair of brave newcomers: Matthew Kim and Melissa Folzenlogen. Both were stepping onto the strip for the very first time, each having had only one or two lessons prior to the event. Despite the steep learning curve, both fencers gave it their all. Folzenlogen, drawing on her boxing background, worked to adapt her footwork and reflexes to Lightspeed and managed to secure a victory—a promising start. Kim, though similarly inexperienced, embraced the challenge with enthusiasm, clearly enjoying the process of discovering the sport from the ground up.
In the pools, Jacob Areias delivered a strong showing, taking second place in his group, just behind the sharp and agile Leo Isales. Meanwhile, multi-year champion Rob Chan dominated the event overall, going undefeated in pools with five wins, followed closely by rising first year Chris Tomlinson.
With the brackets limited to the top eight fencers, only the best of the day would go through (in no particular order): Rob Chan, Leo Isales, Chris Tomlinson, Jacob Areias, Dinah Kolasa, Shayan Doroudi, Hien Pham, and Matt Pointer.
In the quarterfinals:
Leo Isales shut out Hien Pham in a dominant 18–0 performance.
Chris Tomlinson overwhelmed Dinah Kolasa in a similarly lopsided bout.
Rob Chan maintained his momentum, decisively defeating Shayan Doroudi.
Matt Pointer earned a strong win over Jacob Areias, using his veteran poise to carry him through.
The semifinals delivered a blend of intensity and familiarity. Rob Chan breezed past Matt Pointer with trademark speed and ring control. Meanwhile, Isales and Tomlinson—who began their Lightspeed journeys around the same time—faced off in a battle of equals. Isales emerged victorious with a final score of 16–10, showcasing both growth and grit.
In the bronze medal match, Pointer, one of the original Lightspeed Saber Academy members, put his experience to good use against Tomlinson. With multiple flying headshots, Pointer stunned his opponent and secured the win at 25–16, earning a well-deserved bronze and revalidating his D rating.
The final bout saw Rob Chan face off against Leo Isales. While Isales had dominated his pool and much of the bracket, he hadn’t yet faced Chan—the most dominant force of the day. Chan’s superior speed, agility, and control proved overwhelming. Under pressure, Isales began to lose his usual composure, picking up several penalty cards and handing over several points to Chan, despite failing to land a hit. Though Isales managed one well-timed leg shot—one of the few successful hits against Chan all tournament—it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Chan remained nearly untouchable throughout.
With that, Rob Chan claimed gold in this B-level event, with Leo Isales earning silver and his C rating, and Matt Pointer taking bronze. Chris Tomlinson did well enough to earn D.
Thanks to all the competitors for coming, and thanks to our Lightspeed parents for bringing their kids out to compete! Thanks to our staff, including Dinah Kolasa, Samantha Kolasa, and Patricia Bauler, and most of all Gym Director and State Director John Mullins for planning everything. Thanks for Rebecca Moore for helping get photos. Thanks for all the competitors for staying and helping to staff the remaining events and providing valuable coaching, and handing out fliers to the many anime fans and passersby.
And of course, congratulations to all the winners. We’ll see ya’ll again soon!!
Cang Snow
Chief Executive Officer
Written with AI assistance
