En Guard, Ready, Fence! Guilford Boy Nabs 3rd In National Championship

GUILFORD, CT —Fencing is this soon-to-be this Guilford six graders' passion, and he's been at it for the past four-plus years. His dedication, and near-daily practicing, has paid off.

Kai Toomre, 10, just returned from the early July US Fencing National Championships. He didn't come home empty-handed.

Toomre, who'll begin 6th grade at Baldwin School this fall, took won 3rd place in the USA Nationals in foil fencing in his age category, Youth 10.

Only the top fencers in the country qualify for the nationals, as his dad, Dr. Derek Toomre, noted. In a highly competitive field, 118 fencers qualified. Fencers from Washington state to Westchester competed.

The Guilford boy practices 5 to 6 days a week in both Guilford at the Fencer School of CT and Tim Morehouse in Port Chester, New York.

Congratulations, Kai!