Happy May the Fourth to all those who celebrate!
We here at TPLA are having. big year and it is not stopping. First an announcement:
TPLA is announcing the launch of USA Lightfencing which will act as the national governing body for the rules and sport of Lightfencing here in the US. We work together with USA Fencing and Absolute Fencing to join the FFE and a truly international sport. The NGB will provide training, resources, and help to athletes, coaches, and club owners who want to get involved with Lightfencing here in the USA. We will also be preparing athlete and teams to travel to compete in France for the international Tournament they hold. USA Lightfencing will also hold international tournaments for Athlete from around the world. We are looking forward to taking this to the next level.
We’re excited about the launch of USA Lightfencing, and look forward to many years of collaboration ahead,. We support individuals taking up fencing in all different forms as a way to eventually find themselves to an epee, foil or saber. May the 4th be with you, USA LightFencing! -Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing
Terra Prime will continue as the international outreach arm as well as a content and material provider. This should enable TPLA to produce more and higher quality content for distance learning or simple reference.
Lightsaber in Kung Fu
I am here this 5/4 , in San Jose, California for the Tiger Claw Elite Championship. I will be judging the Tiger Claw May the Fourth LED Sabers form competition. Which leads to another announcement: Rule for solo form or “Dulon” competition will be coming in 2024. Solo work is highly valued at TPLA. Soon these forms and solo exercises will be included in the competitions alongside the combat.
This is our first official forms competition and I give hearty thanks to Gigi Oh and the staff of Tiger Claw/Kung Fu Magazine for showing interest and staging this event within their already successful tournament. i will post video of the competitors. New board member of USA Lightfencing/TPLA Gene Ching is also instrumental in this happening. It was, his brain child. A full report will be coming on this event.
What’s next?
Our Rules are online for all to view and are updated frequently as the sport grows. Check them out here:
https://www.terraprimelightarmory.com/lightfencing-rules-and-regulations
We will be publishing paper version of the rules soon. Also included will be the Forms and Choreography events which will also be a part of the sport as a whole. We will be adding tournaments and events to our schedule. We will be appearing at Game X memorial Day Weekend in Los Angeles. We will appear again at some events again. We will be in Columbus Ohio for USA Fencing Nationals again, hopefully with a longer schedule and more in depth offerings. And our National Tournament in January will be held at Capitol Clash 2025. We will be having training events all around the country and some online as well. Our Hootenanny will happen in August again stay tuned for information on that as well. If you are a coach or a club owner these will have a lot of value for club that become certified with USA Lightfencing, For more information please reach out, either here, our social media outlets, or on our Website. https://www.terraprimelightarmory.com/communication/contact-us.
So as this May the Fourth arrives, so does a new chapter in the LED Lightsaber’s history. We are excited to bring this to an ever growing audience and hope to continue far in to the future! So say it loud and say it proud:
May the Fourth be with you!
Terra Prime Fighting Words 