Pope John student wins silver fencing medal

During the weekend of June 11 and 12, over 440 young fencers competed at 2022 Cobra International Youth Fencing Tournament, one of which was Allen Trudnos, a member of the National Fencing Alliance (NFA) and Pope John junior high school student. He competed in the junior men’s saber competition.

In the preliminary pools, fencers fight to five “touches” and whoever reaches that number first wins. Trudnos did extremely well, winning all six matches, and ranking first, meaning he automatically advanced to the Direct Elimination round, where they play to 15 points. From there he advanced to the top eight of fencers for the semi-finals, and then he placed among the top two fencers.

The it was time for the final bout for the gold medal. Trudnos faced off against Ben Avram, of Maryland. Avram ultimately won 15:12 against Trudnos. The winner earns the United States Fencing Association’s highest national ranking, “A.” Trudnos won a silver medal and “B” national ranking. Cobra International was his best results so far during a junior men’s saber competition.

Coming August 2022, the NFA, at 38 Station Road, Sparta, will offer a special fencing summer camp for beginner, intermediate and advanced fencers. Entry is on a first come-first served basis, with a minimum starting age of seven years old.

For more information on the NFA Summer Camp visit nationalfencing.com, send a request by email to mark@nationalfencing.com or call 973-910-3774.