COMPETITION RULES UPDATED

The official competition rules manual has been updated with some necessary clarifications. These include:

• Standard competition box size set to 15’x30’

• Standard fight times for some match types set

• Referee signals clarified

• Replaced Special Match Conditions with Priority section

• Clarified repeat-attack rules under Reckless Fencing section.

• Violation penalties updated to include a warning and a second red card.

Head over to the Rules page to download the updated manual.

Note that these are still considered the 2021 rules to denote that no major changes are being made at this time.

JOHNSON MAKES 3RD, DEMARTINO MAKES SILVER, ZALDUA MAKES HISTORY @SOCAL CHAMPIONSHIP

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SUMMARY

RESULTS

1. Tony Zaldua

2. Thom DeMartino

3. Jamar Johnson

4. Andre Gonzales

5. Jeremiah Rodriguez

6. Rico Thompson

7. Walter Simbol

8. William Alonzo

PROMOTIONS & RERATINGS

• Tony Zaldua: +A

• Thom DeMartino: +B

• Andre Gonzales: C

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The Lightspeed Saber SoCal championship, from its very inception, was always to be a prestigious event. For months, competitors vied for position to ensure that they would be qualified to have a chance to be named the regional top dog. But ultimately, only 8 would be allowed in, and those 8 brought some of the best Lightspeed Saber fencing we've ever seen.

The roster included old favorites and veterans, including long-time champion Tony Zaldua, Jamar Johnson, William Alonzo, Andre Gonzales, and Thom DeMartino. The new class, having only earned their qualifying grades this year, were Jeremiah Rodriguez, Walter Simbol, and Rico Thompson. The tournament stood at 3 B's and 5 C's, making it the highest rated tournament in Lightspeed Saber history.

The evening's matches started slow; with all fencers vying for position rather than making it into the playoffs, conserving energy was a key strategy for the 8-person pool and tournament. But that didn't mean some amazing exchanges and points were not scored.

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Walter “Stylin” Simbol vs Tony Zaldua (jumpsuit)

Walter Simbol stunned opponents with his quick and accurate stop-hits and his stellar fashion sense. Thom DeMartino, known for his similar style and level of attack accuracy, let loose with many a flying overhead attack, leading to the most devastating headshots of the night. Not to be outdone, Rico Thompson had to have been the most accomplished floater of the night, nimbly avoiding any low attacks (for Thompson, this would count as anything below his neck) with a Yoda-like grace as he brought his countermoves down to bear. But if Thompson was the most agile in the air, Jamar Johnson had to be the quickest and the most agile on the ground. Fighting left-handed for most of the pool, Johnson intentionally played the psychological game and sowed seeds of doubt and confusion for the elimination rounds. Johnson, also known for strong defense, fended off opponents' attacks well as he moved at will throughout the ring.

Rico Thompson floats against Thom DeMartino

Of course, we could not speak of defense without 2021's most seasoned competitors: Tony Zaldua, Andre Gonzales, and Jeremiah Rodriguez, who made it clear that the 3-point counterattack was essentially a normal healthy breakfast for these fighters, as they turned their opponent's energy and offense against them. Still, no matter how skilled the defender, they could only weather so many attacks, and William Alonzo from Krait Base brought out his characteristic 100%-always-on-no-mercy style to the fore, never giving his opponent's an inch of breathing space as they fought desperately to withstand his numerous assaults.

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Andre Gonzales shields against Jamar Johnson’s attack

By the close of the pool, champion Tony Zaldua led the pack from far afield, with 7 of 7 wins, leaving Jeremiah Rodriguez a distant second with 5 wins, followed by Rico Thompson, Thom DeMartino, Walter Simbol, Andre Gonzales, Jamar Johnson, and Wiliam Alonzo. This meant that the 7th and 8th place positions, Johnson, and Alonzo, were in significant danger, as they had to face tough battles against the top placers in the very first round, lest they be eliminated.

First up were Andre Gonzales and Rico Thompson, two wolves, often tasked with eliminating each other as their skill levels are about equivalent, though with very different styles. Gonzales fights in a more orthodox fashion, with a wide range of moves and skills, while Thompson is much less predictable, using unorthodox stances and relying heavily on his trademark float-over. The battle included several bolts from the wolf captain, though never without answer from the second in command, bringing the hammer down whenever Gonzales mistimed his step. Other exchanges were won by mere inches as the two carnivora traded attacks and dodges. Ultimately, Gonzales won out yet again, taking Thompson out of the lineup and putting Gonzales into the top 4.

Next, Tony Zaldua faced his own teammate, William Alonzo. Alonzo's aggression was high as usual, but Zaldua's stop-hits and remarkable abil;ity to find the opening were too much for Alonzo, who lost in a lopsided 10-1 bout against the number one contender.

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Jeremiah Rodriguez bolts against William Alonzo

Thom DeMartino and Walter Simbol faced off next, again in a very lopsided bout where DeMartino crushed his opponent with superior speed and timing. Though they are both similar fighters, DeMartino was simply more mobile, and better at controlling the pace as well as the space of the battle, giving him the win.

The most-talked about battle of the first round, however, might have been the fight between teammates Jamar Johnson and Jeremiah Rodriguez. Based on pool performance thus far, Rodriguez was favored to win. But Johnson had the advantage of experience, as well as the surprise reveal that he, in fact, is not left-handed. This ended up being a very clean fight, with the both of them delivering thrilling and dramatic exchanges, each of them doing an admirable job of stopping the other's attacks. Ultimately though, Johnson earned an upset win over Rodriguez by a single point, knocking out the former cadet down to 5th place overall, his lowest placement in 2021.

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William Alonzo (front) vs Thom DeMartino

With four fencers knocked out, the tournament came down to the semi finals, where Zaldua would meet Gonzales, and DeMartino would face Johnson. DeMartino and Johnson had a close battle, Johnson clearly being faster and more agile, but DeMartino having the advantage of greater accuracy and reach. Ultimately it wasn't quite enough for Johnson, who lost by two points, allowing DeMartino, once again, to contend for the first place finish.

Andre Gonzales and Tony Zaldua also had a close battle. Gonzales took an early lead, and the champion looked to be in trouble as yet another upset seemed to loom. However, Zaldua rallied, and brought the score even before landing the final points and snatching away the victory from the wolf captain.

And so, as it was in December 2019, Tony Zaldua and Thom DeMartino faced off once again for the crown, and for the league's very first 'A' rating. DeMartino surely remembered the old battle well, as 2019 Zaldua changed up his gameplan, relying on a defensive posture that stunned the former Skull Squad fencer. It only remained to be seen what game plan Zaldua would run this time, and whether DeMartino had one of his own that would beat it out.
As the match started out, it certainly seemed to be the case. The Lightspeed Saber champion seemed gassed, having fought hard to top out the pools, and fought even harder to make up the difference in his previous battle against Andre Gonzales. In a crucial exchange, Zaldua was ahead in time but narrowly missed a hand snipe, letting DeMartino crash down with a powerful blow against Zaldua's helmet, bringing the score to 6-0 in favor of DeMartino.

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Zaldua (left) vs DeMartino

Shortly after, Zaldua visibly began to change plans, altering his tempo and landing his first big score with a double-lunge remise to DeMartino's chest. Zaldua then scored TWO 3-point returns, shooting up the scoreboard and bringing the score to 11-10 with one second remaining. With no time left to lose, DeMartino charged out of the gate with a flying attack into Zaldua's corner. Zaldua, however, bought himself just enough space to dodge the initial action and score a CLEAN counter against DeMartino, finishing the fight at 13-10 as the buzzer sounded, and showing us all why Tony Zaldua is still the reigning Lightspeed Saber champion, and why he is Lightspeed Saber's FIRST 'A' rated fencer.

Despite Zaldua once again taking the top spot, it was no small feat for the other fencers of the top 4. DeMartino earned his 'B' by taking second, and Jamar Johnson earned 3rd place, which was among his best performances in Lightspeed Saber. And Andre Gonzales took 4th to re-earn his C, ensuring his place in the advanced division for the next 12 months.

This tournament could not have happened without the help of the staff and all the supportive moms, dads, brothers, sisters, and friends who came to cheer our fencers on. Thanks to John Mullins for his photography and video clips, thanks to Jowanna Lewis for her great commentary, thanks to Patricia Bauler and Sean Holtzman for directing and reffing the tournament, and thank you to Dinah Kolasa for helping with setup, data, and photography. We'd also like to thank South Coast Fencing Center for hosting us. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you all again in February 2022.

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1st: Zaldua, 2nd: DeMartino, 3rd: Johnson

CANG SNOW
Chief Executive Officer

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DIRECTORS

Cang Snow
Sean Holtzman

REFEREES

Sean Holtzman
Patricia Bauler

STREAMER

Jowanna Lewis

SETUP/assist

Cang Snow
Dinah Kolasa
John Mullins
Sean Holtzman
Patricia Bauler

MEDIA

Dinah Kolasa
John Mullins

COMPILATION

Dinah Kolasa

COMPETITORS

Tony Zaldua (KB)
William Alonzo (KB)
Jeremiah Rodriguez (LSI)
Jamar Johnson (LSI)
Walter Simbol (LSI)
Andre Gonzales (LWB)
Rico Thompson (LWB)
Thom DeMartino

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Final Eight

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TEXAS REGIONAL DIRECTOR STEPS DOWN

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with George Luetkemeyer, Texas Regional Director for Lightspeed Saber League since 2019, and co-owner of Kyber Combat, Texas’ premiere lightsaber combat academy. We talked about the league and where it was going, and we talked about our individual lives and where we were going. It was at this time that George submitted his resignation to me, and I accepted.

George showed his leadership acumen almost right away, once he officially joined up with Kyber Combat in May of 2018. George brought a level of professionalism and training seriousness that all Lightspeed squads should strive for, and it wasn’t long before the team began to excel. George led classes for the group, wrote training protocols and class procedures, established the team’s ranking and promotion system, helped design the Kyber team games, and established the group’s code of conduct, upon which the official Lightspeed Saber code of conduct would later be based.

Needless to say, George’s service and commitment to his squadron brought the attention of Lightspeed Saber upper officers, and the offer was made to bring on George as regional director for Lightspeed Saber in Texas. In this capacity, George brought on numerous new groups into the Lightspeed Saber family, helped manage and lead local tournament efforts, acquired connections with major organizations and venues for competitive and outreach opportunities, and still much, much more.

So it is with sadness that we bid farewell to George and the great passion and service he has brought to our sport, and the league cannot thank him enough for all he has done. However, George has promised that he won’t be going away. As a competitor, George has proven himself just as fast and agile as any of his Kyber compatriots, and has served as a pioneer in the Ren Saber space, a still large and crucial gap in the Lightspeed Saber canon of knowledge. So we fully expect to see more great things from George, just not from above the ring, but inside it, with a flaming crossguard. Thank you George, and we’ll see you in the box!

Cang Snow
Lightspeed Saber League
Chief Executive Officer

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A NEW OPPORTUNITY

With the resignation of Director Luetkemeyer at the end of the year, we are currently putting feelers out for a new director in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The role serves as the lead authority on Lightspeed Saber in the region, including handling personnel, member issues, tournament series, and team outreach. The role requires good communication, writing, and interpersonal skills. If you’re interested, contact Cang Snow or email kybercombat@gmail.com.

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DEMARTINO TAKES 1ST, GONZALES P.B., BAULER DOMINATES POOLS @SOCAL OCT QUAL

WATCH THE STREAMS!

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SUMMARY

TOP 8 RESULTS

1. DeMartino

2. Gonzales

3. Ortiz-Miranda

4. Monterrosa

5. Bauler

6. Thompson

7. Nease, B

8. Nease, M

PROMOTIONS & RERATINGS

• DeMartino: C

• Ortiz-Miranda: D

• Monterrosa: +D

• Nease, B: E

• Nease, M: +E

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Lightspeed Saber SoCal's fall season kicked off with some big surprises and upsets, including many amazing firsts.

But before all that, the roster: the 14 competitors were about 50-50 inexperienced and experienced, including 3 C-level fencers, 2 Ds, and 2 Es, making it a C3 level event. That meant that only one C would be awarded by the end of the competition, and it would only go to the top-place finisher. Patricia Bauler and Jose Ortiz-Miranda, being the two D's in the event, were the key players to watch, as they were both fighting to upgrade their ratings in preparation for the December regional championships. However, it didn't mean that other fencers wouldn't be fighting hard; C-grade Thom DeMartino last earned his rating in 2019, pre-pandemic, and would be in danger of losing his rating in 2022 if he didn't rerate before next summer.

Other top competitors included teammates Andre Gonzales and Rico Thompson, both sitting comfortably at a C-rating, and teammates Brandon Nease and Jacob Areias, both E's gunning to earn their first D-ratings.
The tournament also featured returning U's Kieran Haile, Priscilla Haile, and Conner Gutierrez, all competing in their second competition in the adult league and trying to earn their first grade. Also fighting for a grade were the complete newcomers: Cindy Rojas from Krait Base, and Matt Nease, Alex Monterrosa, and Polina Fadeeva from Lightspeed Saber Irvine (Knight Club).

Polina Fadeeva and Tony Zaldua

RED SQUADRON

Red Squadron was a fairly balanced box, containing Alex Monterrosa, Andre Gonzales, Jose Ortiz-Miranda, Kieran Haile, Brandon Nease, Polina Fadeeva, and Conner Gutierrez.

Right away, it was understood that Andre Gonzales would be one of the key fencers to beat. Gonzales turned in a near perfect performance with 5 of 6 wins, using incredible hooking attacks and solid returns. He didn't have it easy however: Knight Brandon Nease took it all the way to 7-7 against Gonzales, only losing to a mis-timed defense, netting Gonzales the final two points to win the match. Gonzales also nearly suffered the defeat of the century from another Irvine Knight, Conner Gutierrez, who climbed back point by point from a 7-0 deficit to even the match up, only to lose by a single point at the conclusion of a nail-biter encounter that brought both fencers against the ropes.

For their parts, Nease took home 4 of 6 wins using numerous defensive plays and clean attacks, and Gutierrez went home with 2, a much stronger performance compared to his showing at Summer Slash V in Escondido.

Andre Gonzales only lost once in the Red Squadron, and it was the OTHER fencer to beat that handed him his only loss: Jose Ortiz-Miranda, a Krait from Lightspeed Saber Los Angeles. Ortiz-Miranda is a known range-fighter, but he has reconfigured his pommeling style to meet the demands of the new Open rules well, adding some incredible defensive capacity into his repertoire. Everyone knows he needs it, as he is now well reputed for PREFERRING to fight in the corner, where his opponents get overconfident and make mistakes.

For the most part, Ortiz-Miranda won his matches handily, though he was surprised by a relative newcomer, Kieran Haile, who kept the scores fairly close. But it was another newcomer, Alex Monterrosa from Knight Club, who handed Ortiz-Miranda his only loss in the Red Squadron. Monterrosa was probably the only primary two-hander in the box, and the two fencers had actually never crossed blades before. With a combination of speed, great agility, and a relatively uncommon style, Monterrosa came out on top against Ortiz-Miranda at 8 to 5, and finished the pools with 3 of 6 wins.

For all the amazing skill of the fencers in the Red Box, perhaps the one that stood out the most was newcomer Knight Polina Fadeeva, sporting a yellow and black striped track suit remniscient of Bruce Lee in the Game of Death. But, with her blonde hair and a literal SAMURAI SWORD ON HER WAIST she looked a little more like THE BRIDE in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Polina surprised her opponents with speed and aggression, and won 2 of her 6 matches. When asked what was her favorite fight, she described using one of Ortiz-Miranda's moves against him and actually scoring with it.

BLUE SQUADRON

Due to some last-minute substitutions there was an obvious difference between the red and blue squadrons into which the fencers were split: Blue Squadron, with its 2 Cs, had a much higher overall competition rating than Red Squadron (93 vs 64), so it would be an uphill battle for E-fencer Jacob Areias and U's Matt Nease, Priscilla Haile, and Cindy Rojas.

While both Thom DeMartino and Rico Thompson were C's, DeMartino brought considerably more experience into this squadron, and it would make a huge difference. Easily the tallest competitor in the box, and also one of the most accurate shooters in the league, DeMartino dominated most of his matches in his usual manner, and won 5 of 6 matches, including a commanding 8-1 victory against Thompson. Thompson performed well, however, winning 4 of 6 with his high flying floating headshots and unorthodox stance.

While the C's fought in their now well-known and characteristic ways, a newcomer was picking up some new tricks in the box. Priscilla Haile switched into an ultra deep samurai-like stance, using deadly rising slashes to pick off anyone getting too close. While Haile only secured one win using this strategy, she definitely got all her opponents to pause and reassess as they faced this fencer with a much larger repertoire than they had realized. Hopefully it serves her well in the future!

Patricia Bauler

But of all the fencers in the Blue Squadron, no one could have been more surprising than veteran Lightspeed Saber fencer Patricia Bauler (whoever that is), who turned in a stunning 6 of 6 wins, topping out even the higher rated fencers in her pool. Bauler is renowned for her virtuosic defense, and it served her well against DeMartino and Thompson, who, while both accurate and swift, have a preference for diving attacks that happen to be in Bauler's defensive wheelhouse. Bauler crushed DeMartino with a series of 3-point returns, and punished Thompson's floating headshots with Shield-5-counterattacks. It was the best performance of Bauler's career (whoever that is).

Meanwhile, Matt Nease turned in a solid first performance with 3 of 6 wins, using the bladework he learned from his brother, Lightspeed Saber Irvine interim captain Brandon Nease. Nease defeated fellow knight Jacob Areias, who went home with 2 wins. While newcomer Cindy Rojas didn't take home any wins, she performed admirably for her first competition, and especially well for not having been a last minute sub.

By the close of the pools, 8 competitors would move on to the eliminations. Patricia Bauler led the pack with 82 points, followed by Jose Ortiz-Miranda, Thom DeMartino, then Andre Gonzales. Rico Thompson, Brandon Nease, brother Matt Nease, and Alex Monterrosa rounded out the bottom of the pack moving on. Jacob Areias again missed the cut off by a single position, and Conner Gutierrez and Priscilla Haile followed close behind.

The best fight of the quarter finals may have been wolf versus wolf: Rico Thompson versus Andre Gonzales. These two fencers knew eachother's styles well, and, though they lamented having to eliminate eachother, all doubts went out the window as they entered the battlefield and the referee said, "Go!" It's always a blast to watch two wolves go at it, and this did not disappoint. But only one could move on, and of course it had to be the captain, Andre Gonzales.
Meanwhile, in the other box, an extraordinary drama played out as another pair of teammates were tasked with eliminating eachother: Alex Monterrosa and Patricia Bauler. Bauler's defensive capacity was nearly neutralized against the two-handed Monterrosa, who otherwise matched his speed and power against Bauler's technique and patience. The match was close, going all the way to 8-8 before Monterrosa landed a clean foot shot, snatching the win from the #1 seed in a huge upset.

In the semi-finals, Jose Ortiz-Miranda faced Thom DeMartino after knocking out the brothers Nease. This match ended up being a shootout, with Ortiz-Miranda trying to counter DeMartino's reach and accuracy with explosive attacks and remises. While Ortiz-Miranda landed a few impressive clean shots when DeMartino did go on the offensive, DeMartino was just too quick, ultilmately knocking out Ortiz-Miranda.

In the other box at the same time, Alex Monterrosa was facing Andre Gonzales. Monterrosa was doing surprisingly well for a newcomer, but his luck had to run out eventually, as he was soundly defeated by the more experienced Gonzales, who won with a series of squeaky clean hooks and floats that were so accurate, yet gentle, that the referees could hardly believe they had landed at all.

Thom DeMartino II

Then, at last, it came to the finale of the tournament. This was ground that DeMartino had been on before, but for Gonzales, this was a new experience, stepping into the fight for 1st place for the first time in his Lightspeed career. The last time was in 2019 for DeMartino, who was soundly defeated by reigning champion Tony Zaldua, who deployed a stellar defensive strategy against the fast shooting DeMartino. So it was on everyone's mind what strategies each of them would use going into this final bout.

Right away, both fencers come out with pommels in hand, opting for reach rather than defensive power. The problem for Gonzales, then, was the extra inches that DeMartino would naturally have. Gonzales took an early lead, but DeMartino began to rally with higher aggression, forcing Gonzales on the defensive. Unfortunately for the wolf, he ultimately failed three defenses in a row, granting duece after deuce to the big man and losing his lead.

Eventually the final came to an 11-6 lead for DeMartino, who scored the final point as Gonzales raced in but was interrupted by a quick interception from DeMartino. DeMartino ultimately earned his FIRST first place win in his Lightspeed Saber career, while this was Gonzales' highest placement in his Lightspeed Saber career.

The tournament closed with Jose Ortiz-Miranda taking third, with Alex Monterrosa in fourth, and Patricia Bauler close behind. Rico Thompson, Brandon Nease, and Matt Nease rounded out the bottom 3. DeMartino re-earned his C-grade, Alex Monterrosa premieres in the league at D, and Matt Nease earned his E-rating. Congratulations to all of them.

THANKS AND SEE YOU IN NOVEMBER!

Obviously competitions are nothing without the competitors, but before any of that is the staff. We have to thank Sean Holtzman and David Walker who arrived early to setup the boxes and went above and beyond to do a walk of the grounds to make sure the tournament conditions would be as safe as possible for our competitors. Special thanks to David Walker also swept the grounds long before the competitors arrived to ensure safe and secure concrete on which to fight.

We also thank B's Jeremiah Rodriguez, Tony Zaldua, and Rob Chan who allowed lower ranked fencers a chance to climb and served the league as referees and staff. They, along with Director Holtzman, proceeded quickly and kept the tournament moving on time. Director Holtzman also provided surprise prizes to the top placers.

A very special thanks also goes to Steven Buonaugurio and his family, who arrived to commentate on the livestream and by all accounts did a stellar job. This was Steven's first time doing a live commentary on Twitch! Son Jonah helped with miscellaneous tasks, including adjusting the camera, and daughter Bella provided color commentary as well as some technological assistance.

The SoCal October Open was one of, if not the largest tournament in Lightspeed Saber League since COVID hit. We're extremely pleased to be able to offer our quality competitive services once again and we're looking forward to many more. Look for us again November 13 as we take the fight to Los Angeles and watch another 14 competitors fight it out for the right to fight at the SoCal championships this December.

CANG SNOW
Chief Executive Officer

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DIRECTORS

Cang Snow
Sean Holtzman

REFEREES

David Walker
Jeremiah Rodriguez
Tony Zaldua
Rob Chan

STREAMERS

Steven Buonaugurio
Jonah Buonaugurio
Bella Buonaugurio

SETUP

David Walker
Jeremiah Rodriguez
Tony Zaldua
Rob Chan
Sean Holtzman

COMPETITORS

Conner Gutierrez (LSI)
Brandon Nease (LSI)
Jacob Areias (LSI)
Matt Nease (LSI)
Alex Monterrosa (LSI)
Polina Fadeeva (LSI)
Patricia Bauler (LSI)
Andre Gonzales (LWB)
Rico Thompson (LWB)
Cindy Rojas (KB)
Priscilla Haile (KB)
Kieran Haile (KB)
Jose Ortiz-Miranda (KB)
Thom DeMartino

PRIZES

Sean Holtzman

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Final Eight

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Remainder

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