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The latest news from around North Texas.
The Summer Olympic Games in Rio may still be more than a month away, but in downtown Dallas you can get a taste of the action.
Several U.S. sporting organizations are in town at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as part of the Dallas Sports Festival, which started June 28 and runs until July 8.
USA Boxing has its Junior Olympics, Prep National Championship and Youth Open competitions. Meanwhile, USA Men's Volleyball is practicing at the center before hosting the FIVB World League competition over the July Fourth weekend. They are the last domestic matches for Team USA before heading to Rio.
And then there's USA Fencing. One exhibitor said 9,000 people are expected over the 10 day event. It's U.S. Fencing's National Championships and July Challenge will be held at the convention center.
The U.S. Olympic Fencing Team was picked in April, but members of the both men's and women's teams will be training in Dallas and the foil teams will participate in a training camp throughout the 10-day event.
As for the competition, they come from across the country and all over the world to compete. It's the organization's largest fencing tournament of the year.
On Wednesday, the Division 1 Women's Sabre Fencing got underway. Division 1 features the top fencers in the country, who've qualified their way into the tournament.
"It's a lot of strategy," said Lark Izenson, of Atlanta. "A lot of footwork. A lot of things combined."
It's a sports that requires atheleticism and strategy, said five-time U.S. Olympic fencing coach Yury Gelman.
"It's still, very often what they call, it's like physical chess," Gelman said. "Basically you’re playing with your opponent, playing with their mind."
Given the attendance at the national championship it's clearly a sport more people are playing, as Gelman said more fencing clubs are forming across the nation.
"I think the main reason why it's growing is probably because of universities," he said.
Izenson fences for Nellya in Atlanta. Morgan Jenkins fences for Orange Coast in Orange County, California. But there's a certain camraderie among the fencers, even while they're yelling and stomping it's all in the name of strategy.
"If you yell, and express that you think it’s your touch, the ref might go along with that," Izenson said.
Gelman said it's a tough sport for those who don't follow it closely to pick up, however the event is open to the public.
As for the Rio team, Gelman said it's one of the best in the tournament.
