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Title
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First All Eastern Championships : Dow, Armitage, Lewis and Mrs Vokral Win Foil
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Date
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June 1939
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volume
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4
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issue
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4
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pages
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1, 6-7
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content
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en
FIRST ALL EASTERN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Dow, Armitage, Lewis and Mrs. Vokral Win Foil
New York City took 23 of its foilsmen on April 30th, mixed them together, and drew off 8 to represent that city in the All Eastern and National Championships. They were John R. Huffman, Ralph E. Marson, Nathaniel Lubell, Daniel Bukantz, Norman Lewis, Warren Dow, Silvio Giolito, and Peter O'Connor. Three weeks later, these eight were joined by 12 other qualifiers from the Divisions, and again the weeding-out process began. The eight survivors of this competition entered the Finals on May 24th at the Fencers Club.
As we review the final eight of Dow, Alessandroni, Lewis, Bukantz, Lewis, Lubell, Steere, and Giolito, we see a very compact group of hard competitors. The failure of Jose or Miguel de Capriles, Diaz, Cetrulo, Ralph Marson, Philip Shakespeare, or Harry Kinnard to make the Finals becomes more understandable, for any letdown with these eight meant elimination. Had Dernell Every or John Huffman, the No. 1 and No. 6 ranking foilsmen, been able to compete, the eight Finalists would probably have been forced to include them. Which of the eight would have bowed remains a mystery.
Warren Dow, throughout the entire three rounds of the Championship, lost only one bout, and that bout, surprisingly enough, was lost to a relatively inexperienced young fencer from Harvard University. The stronger his opponent, the better his score seemed to be. Two of the three times he was forced to 4-4 scores were at the hands of Norman Lewis, his only teammate in the Finals. A scrappy contestant with a well-rounded and sound game, Dow has shown greater improvement than any other foilsman during the current season.
Trailing closely behind Dow were Alessandroni and Joseph Levis, whose placing as medalists was no mystery. Redoubtable competitors over the past ten years, the surprising thing is perhaps that Levis placed as high as he did. This was his first 1939 appearance in National-type competition, and he could hardly have been expected to maintain top form in foil without constant top-flight experience. Nevertheless, he did repeat his 1938 National position—an unusual performance.
Summary of the Foil Finals:- Fencers Club, May 24th.
Warren Dow (Salle Santelli) defeated Bukantz 5-2, Levis 5-2, Alessandroni 5-2, Lewis 5-4, Lubell 5-2, and Steere 5-4.
Hugo Alessandroni (Fencers Club) defeated Bukantz 5-3, Levis 5-3, Lewis 5-2, Lubell 5-3, and Steere 5-3.
Joseph Levis (Salle Peroy, Boston, Mass.) defeated Bukantz 5-1, Lubell 5-4, and Steere 5-3. (20 touches against)
Daniel Bukantz (Salle d’Armes Vince) defeated Lewis 5-4, Lubell 5-4, and Steere 5-0. (28 touches against)
Norman Lewis (Salle Santelli) defeated Levis 5-4 and Steere 5-1.
Nathaniel Lubell (Salle d’Armes Vince) defeated Lewis 5-3 and Steere 5-1.
Lieut. Richard Steere (U.S. Navy) lost all bouts fenced.
Silvio Giolito (N.Y.U) defeated all bouts.
—
Sabre
A weird collection of foilsmen and epeeists and a few legitimate sabremen, 21 in all, assembled on May 21st to qualify 8 sabremen from New York into the All Eastern and National Championships. One was reminded of sabre competitions of 15 or 20 years ago when anyone with a knowledge of foil or epee would enter sabre competitions without preliminary training in that weapon. Unlike yesteryears, the foilsmen and epeeists did not survive the first round. The qualifiers Armitage, Marson, de Nagy, Lubart, Stewart, N. Murray, Acel, and J. de Capriles, were without question the 8 strongest sabremen in the competition. These 8 were joined by 7 others from other Divisions on May 22nd and again the field was reduced to 8, the same 8 except that Miguel de Capriles from Long Island displaced his teammate, Philip Lubart. Unfortunately, John Huffman, the No. 1 U.S. sabreman, could not enter the competition because of his duties at New York University.
In the Finals, Norman Armitage maintained the supremacy he had shown throughout the previous rounds. He was undefeated throughout the entire competition. Miguel de Capriles and Samuel Stewart ended in a tie for second with five wins and two losses apiece.
They finished in that order on touches. Stewart fenced brilliantly most of the time but lost second place after leading on the change-over in both of the bouts he lost. It was that close and de Capriles displayed remarkable recovery and stamina to take second after a poor start.
Summary of the Sabre Finals:- Fencers Club, May 25th.
Norman Armitage (Fencers Club) defeated Murray 5-1, Marson 5-4, de Nagy 5-0, Stewart 5-3, Acel 5-2, M. de Capriles 5-2, and J. de Capriles 5-1.
Miguel de Capriles (Salle Santelli) defeated Murray 5-3, Marson 5-0, Stewart 5-3, Acel 5-1, and J. de Capriles 5-4.
Samuel T. Stewart (N.Y.A.C.) defeated Murray 5-4, Marson 5-2, de Nagy 5-1, Acel 5-3, and J. de Capriles 5-4.
Ralph Marson (N.Y.A.C.) defeated Murray 5-3, de Nagy 5-4, Acel 5-1, and J. de Capriles 5-2.
Bela de Nagy (N.Y.A.C.) defeated Murray 5-2, Acel 5-3, M. de Capriles 5-2, and J. de Capriles 5-4.
Nicholas Murray (N.Y.A.C.) defeated Acel 5-3 and J. de Capriles 5-1.
Dr. Ervin Acel (N.Y.A.C.) defeated J. de Capriles 5-3.
Jose de Capriles (Salle Santelli) lost all bouts.
—
Epee
Only 16 men entered the qualifying round on May 7th to send 6 New Yorkers into the All Eastern and National Championships. This was the smallest field of recent years and left much to be desired in the quality of fencing. The matches, however, proved to be close and hard fought. Unlike the foil and sabre there were some marked upsets. The qualifiers were Von Munchhausen, Di Giacinto, Driscoll, Mijer, Jaeckel and Cornett. Among those eliminated were Kapner, Santos, Thompson, Stark, Ohlsen, Skrobisch and Grombach.
Seven more epeeists joined the New York six in the second round on May 26th and six of these seven survived the day with only Jaeckel and Cornett carried over from the New York group.
Norman Lewis topped the 8 man Finals on May 23rd at the Fencers Club. After losing his first bout to Miguel de Capriles, Lewis settled down to careful epee to lose no more bouts and take first place over the National Champion, Jose R. de Capriles. Jose de Capriles was actually tied for second with Commander Leonard Doughty, both having lost two bouts and won five, but de Capriles in his seven bouts had been touched by the remarkably low total of 9 touches as against Doughty’s total of 14.
Summary of the Epee Finals:- Fencers Club, May 23rd.
Norman Lewis (Salle Santelli) defeated J. de Capriles 3-1, Jaeckel 3-2, Edwards 3-2, Cornett 3-1, Manzo 3-1, and Doughty 3-2.
Jose de Capriles (Salle Santelli) defeated Edwards 3-0, M. de Capriles 3-1, Cornett 3-0, Manzo 3-2, and Doughty 3-0.
Commander Leonard Doughty (U.S. Navy) defeated Jaeckel 3-2, Edwards 3-2, M. de Capriles 3-2, Cornett 3-2, and Manzo 3-1.
Tracy Jaeckel (Fencers Club) defeated J. de Capriles 3-0, M. de Capriles 3-2, and Manzo 3-1.
Miguel de Capriles (Salle Santelli) defeated Edwards 3-2, Lewis 3-1, and Manzo 3-0.
Winslow Cornett (Fencers Club) defeated Jaeckel 3-1, M. de Capriles 3-2, and Manzo 3-1.
Lieut. Morris Edwards (West Point Fencers Club) defeated Jaeckel 3-2 and Cornett 3-0.
Cadet Salvatore Manzo (West Point Fencers Club) defeated Edwards 3-2.
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Women's Foil
Of the 18 girls entering the qualifying round on April 25th to decide the six qualifiers from New York into the All Eastern and National Championships, there were six carrying National rankings. These six were the six qualifiers, again confirming the correctness of those rankings, although at times it appeared that upsets were in prospect. The six qualifiers were the Mrs. Carol Alessandroni Hamilton and Dolly Funke and the Misses Madeline Dalton, Maria Cerra, Barbara Cochrane, and Dorothy Grimmelmann.
At the Finals on May 19th at the Fencers Club we saw 11 qualifiers from the Divisions join the 6 New Yorkers, and wreak such havoc before the evening was over that they took 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th places in the 9 women Finals. Mrs. Jarmila Vokral of Philadelphia led the field in the Finals by winning six out of her eight bouts. A triple tie for second among Miss Barbara Cochrane, Mrs. Marion Lloyd Vince, and Miss Mildred Stewart was decided on touches in that order. There was considerable erratic fencing during the evening, but the field was strong and the evening presented a well-balanced program of strong bouts to an interested and excited group of spectators. The surprise of the evening was the failure of Miss Maria Cerra (No. 3 ranking), Mrs. Dolly Funke (1938—No. 3), and Miss Helena Mroczkowska (new Intercollegiate Champion) to reach the Finals.
Summary of the Women’s Foil Finals:- Fencers Club, May 19th.
Mrs. Jarmila Vokral (Salle Herrmann, Phila.) defeated Miss Dalton 4-1, Mrs. Oppenheim 4-1, Mrs. Hamilton 4-1, Miss Cochrane 4-3, Miss Principe 4-1, and Miss Grimmelmann 4-2.
Miss Barbara Cochrane (Salle Santelli) defeated Miss Dalton 4-1, Miss Stewart 4-1, Mrs. Vince 4-0, Miss Principe 4-3, and Miss Grimmelmann 4-2.
Mrs. Marion Lloyd Vince (Salle D’Armes Vince) defeated Miss Dalton 4-3, Miss Stewart 4-1, Mrs. Hamilton 4-2, Mrs. Vokral 4-3, and Miss Grimmelmann 4-2.
Miss Mildred Stewart (Salle Santelli) defeated Mrs. Vokral 4-1, Mrs. Oppenheim 4-3, Mrs. Hamilton 4-3, Miss Principe 4-2, and Miss Grimmelmann 4-2.
Mrs. Carol Alessandroni Hamilton (Fencers Club) defeated Miss Dalton 4-2, Mrs. Oppenheim 4-1, Miss Cochrane 4-3, and Miss Grimmelmann 4-2.
Mrs. Lisele Oppenheim (Unattached, New England Division) defeated Miss Dalton 4-2, Miss Cochrane 4-3, Mrs. Vince 4-3, and Miss Principe 4-0.
Miss Dorothy Grimmelmann (Salle Santelli) defeated Miss Dalton 4-3, Mrs. Oppenheim 4-1, and Miss Principe 4-1.
Miss Aida Principe (Salle Messineo, Wash. D.C.) defeated Mrs. Hamilton 4-1 and Mrs. Vince 4-3.
Miss Madeline Dalton (Salle D’Armes Vince) defeated Miss Principe 4-2 and Miss Stewart 4-3.
