Army Black Knights defeat RMC Paladins

04 November 2007 - The Cadets from RMC got more than they bargained for this weekend. This weekend the Royal Military College of Canada hosted the 38th RMC International Fencing Competition. Dozens of teams from around the world traveled to Kingston, Ontario to compete in this historic tournament. Headlining the tournament was the annual Military Academy Showdown between the Royal Military College's Paladins and the United States Military Academy Army Black Knights.

Last year, RMC broke an Army winning streak by overwhelming the Black Knight Fencers 5 to 1. The Black Knights, who were looking for retribution for the humiliating loss traveled to Canada with the singular purpose of returning the Shield to the United States.

At the conclusion of the first day of fencing, all strips but two were shut down. The final preparations for the showdown were being made. RMC cadets dressed in uniform and waving the Candian flag poured into the athletic complex to cheer on the Paladins, while a small contingent of supporters cheered on the Black Knights. At 1930 the match commenced.

The first round was between the men's and women's foil teams of each side. The Paldins came out charging and quickly silenced the Men's foil team (score). On the adjacent strip, the Army women squeezed by with a victory. At the end of round 1, the score was tied at 1 victory each.

Round two pit the men's and women's Epeé teams against one another. On both sides it was back and forth, neither team giving the other the opportunity to pull away. By the last bout of both matches, the scores were within 3 points of eachother with Army holding a marginal lead over RMC. In the following gut wrenching minutes, the American men and women managed to squash the Canadians' late charge and put the Army Black Knights ahead of the RMC Paladins 3 to 1. With only the Sabre teams left to fight, it seemed that Army was going to take home the trophy

The final round saw the two teams' sabre squads facing off. Much like the Epeé bouts before them, the Sabre competition was a grueling back and forth grind for the upper hand. By the final match, however, an Army victory was far from certain. The RMC women's team pushed by Army and built a comfortable lead going into the final bout, while the Army men had only a marginal lead over their Canadian counterparts. The tension was high as the final bouts began. The Army men held a slight lead while the Army women had fallen behind. Despite a remarkable comeback by Cadet Jen Montgomery, the women's sabre team fell short 44-45. It was all up to the men's sabre team. With only a two point lead and the momentum of the women's victory to push them, it seemed as though the RMC Paladins would push by Army and steal the win. The Black Knights wanted the win too much though and held off the RMC Paladins to win back the shield 4 to 2.