Press Release: DCFC at the 2023 Vet World Fencing Championships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
No limits: DC athletes to compete at Veteran World Fencing Championships
October 5, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Winning is an ageless goal for three local fencers from DC Fencers Club (DCFC) who will represent Team USA at the 23rd Veteran Fencing World Championships, held Oct. 11-16 in Daytona Beach, Fla. “Vet Worlds” is the premiere fencing event for fencers over age 50 and is conducted by the International Fencing Federation (FIE). They are among the Team USA athletes who earned spots based on best two out of three results from the 2022-2023 USA Fencing national season.
Valerie Asher, 62, of Bethesda, Md., is a 10-time member of the Vet World team. She is the top ranked Vet 60 Women’s Epee fencer in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, having recently won individual gold in 40+, 50+, and 60+ Women’s Epee at the Pan American Veteran World Championships in Uruguay in August. Asher is a physician specializing in Otolaryngology in Silver Spring, Md.
Carole Jeandheur, 63, of Falls Church, Va. This is Jeandheur’s first time earning a spot at Vet Worlds. She is a longtime club member and was part of the 1992 U.S. Championship Women’s Epee Team, one of Head Coach Janusz Smolenski’s first big wins at D.C. Fencers Club. Carole is a retired lawyer and her three children fenced at DCFC.
Joe Deucher, 53, of Rockville, Md. joins the team for the third time in 2023. A cyber-security expert in the federal government, Deucher has trained at DCFC for 11 years.
DC Fencers Club has consistently sent fencers to the Veteran World Championships since they were first competed in 1998. DCFC’s own Kaz Campe took the World Champion title in Vet 60 Men’s Epee that year.
Veteran fencing (for ages 40+ to 70+) is a growing category that offers mature athletes an opportunity for serious competition in a sport that rewards mental acuity as much as physical agility. Since 2017, the US Fencing Association has also hosted Vet 80 exhibition events.
Stateside fans can cheer on Asher, Jeandheur, and Deucher, and all of Team USA with live results on the official Vet Worlds website.
About fencing competitions
Fencing competitions in all three weapons (sabre, epee, and foil) usually consist of two rounds of bouting. In the first round of “pools,” six to eight fencers compete in a round-robin of 5-touch/3 minute bouts. Pool results inform the seeding of the next round, Direct Elimination (aka “DEs”). These elimination bouts are 15 touch/9 minute bouts (10 touch/6 minute bouts in the veteran category. Winners of DE rounds advance to the table of 64, 32, 16, semifinals, and finals.
About DC Fencers Club
For more than 30 years, DC Fencers Club (DCFC) has consistently produced national and international champions. We polish the skills of fencers who strive to compete at the highest level, and we encourage fencers of all ages and ability levels. For more information on classes, camps, and lessons, visit us at www.dcfencing.com or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
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