Illinois
Item
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Title
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Illinois
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Date
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May 1940
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volume
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5
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issue
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3
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page start
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16
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page end
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16
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content
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en
ILLINOIS
The Illinois Division decided to conduct its Championships differently this year, qualifying two fencers from the semi-finals in each weapon into a 10-touch Final Bout for the Championship. The preliminaries and semi-finals were held over two week-ends followed by the Final Night on the third week-end. The plan proved so successful, interspersed with exhibition bouts and entertainment, that Illinois claims to have held its most interesting and colorful Championship with a record attendance of between 200 and 400. (We print both estimates, submitted separately.)
There were 25 entries in the first round of the Illinois Foil Championship held at the Lakeshore Athletic Club on March 24th. The following 6 men finished in the order named to qualify for the National Championships, the first two qualifying into the Illinois Championship Finals: Jerry Mau (Edgewater Fencers Club), Herbert Strauss, Jr. (Hermanson Fencing School), Tully Friedman and Clifford Groh (Northwestern University Fencers Club), Alex George (University of Chicago) and Campbell Wilson (Hermanson).
There were 18 girls entered in the first round of the Illinois Women's Foil Championship at the Lakeshore Athletic Club the same day. The six top semi-finalists and qualifiers into the National Championships finished in the following order: Miss Carol King (Hermanson Fencing School), Miss Betty Ann Richards (La Grange Fencing Club), Miss Maryalice van Wesche (University of Chicago), Miss Norma Macintosh (Edgewater Fencers Club), Miss Dorothy Ingram and Miss Mary Elizabeth Grenander (University of Chicago).
On March 31st, 19 contestants entered the first round of the Illinois Epee Championship at the Lakeshore Athletic Club. The six winning semi-finalists and qualifiers into the National Championships were: Fred Seibert (Lakeshore Athletic Club), Loyal Tingley, James Corbett and Charles Corbett (all of the University of Chicago), Floyd Traynham, Jr. (Hermanson School of Fencing) and Arthur Todd (Edgewater Fencers Club).
There were 15 entries in the Illinois Sabre Championship which opened at the Edgewater Athletic Club on March 31st. The six leading semi-finalists were: Eugene Williams (Edgewater Fencers Club), Donald McDonald and Charles Corbett (both of the University of Chicago), Arthur Todd (Edgewater Fencers Club), Charles Glasser (University of Chicago) and Fred Seibert (Lakeshore Athletic Club).
An extensive and varied program accompanied the four Championship bouts at the Finals at the Lake Shore Athletic Club on April 6th. We itemize the program of the Finals:
1. Prof. R. V. Merrill of the University of Chicago gave a short talk on the history and romance of fencing.
2. Mr. Alvar Hermanson gave a sabre exhibition with one of his pupils.
3. Jerry Mau (Edgewater Fencers Club) won the Illinois Foil Championship by defeating Herbert Strauss, Jr. (Hermanson Fencing School) 12-10 in an over-period and excellently fought bout. Mau is a 19-year-old left-hander, one of 4 or 5 excellent foilsmen who have come up through High School fencing in Chicago.
4. Armando Stella (5' 4") vs. Werner Warnholtz (6' 4") in a comic fencing exhibition. (It was funny, too.)
5. Miss Carol King (Hermanson Fencing School) won the Illinois Women's Foil Championship by defeating Miss Betty Ann Richards (La Grange Fencing Club) 8-5.
6. Six fencers in a balloon-busting free-for-all.
7. Fred Seibert (Lakeshore Athletic Club) won the Illinois Epee Championship by defeating Loyal Tingley (University of Chicago) 10-7 in a most exciting bout. This was the first time that the electrical epees had been used by the Illinois Division.
8. Eugene Williams (Edgewater Fencers Club) won the Illinois Sabre Championship by defeating Donald McDonald (University of Chicago) 10-4.
9. A satire grudge fight between Floyd Traynham, Jr. (Hermanson) and Alex George (University of Chicago) in which foils, daggers, boxing gloves and wrestling grips were employed.
10. Presentation of medals by Mr. Avery Brundage, President of the American Olympic Committee.
Special mention has been made of the excellent work of the officials which consisted of Frank S. Righeimer, Jr. as Director and William Corson, Walter Eisen, Camille Waldbott and Gus Rapp as Judges. The Public Address system was in the hands of Tully Friedman, who gave an excellent and interesting 15-minute impromptu talk during a breakdown of the epee machine.
The Illinois Division's officers for next fencing season will be: President, Loyal Tingley; Secretary, Werner Warnholtz; and Treasurer, Frank S. Righeimer, Jr. The Board of Directors and Bout Committee will consist of William Corson, Oscar Barab, Miss Carol King, Charles Corbett, Richard Cameron, and Tully Friedman. Herbert Strauss, Jr. became President-Elect, a new office created to assure the incoming officers of having an experienced man to guide them.
