Temple University fencing went 4-0 at the Sacred Heart Invitational in Fairfield, Connecticut this past weekend, defeating New York University, Brown University, Vassar College and host Sacred Heart University.

Temple opened up the day with a 22-5 defeat over NYU before defeating Brown 20-7 in the second match of the day.

The Owls took on Sacred Heart in their third match of the day, defeating the Pioneers 22-5.

Coach Nikki Franke said it was key for Temple to start out fast and carry their momentum throughout.

Our last meet we got out to a slow start and we werent really ready physically as well as mentally when we started, Franke said. So it was very important that they learned from that experience and they were ready to go.

Freshman sabre Zoe Turner led the team in wins, going 9-1 on the day.

Senior sabres Kerry Plunkett and Malia Hee both went 7-1. The two lost just five bouts each the entire day.

Franke commended the supportive leadership the sabres showed to the two freshmen in the squad.

Theyve become very supportive and close, really helping the two freshmen that are there. Theyre leaders, theyre excellent competitors and they set a very good tone, Franke said.

Sophomore Aryana Abtin and senior Kennedy Lovelace dominated in foil, going 8-0 on the day. Junior Megan Ross went 6-1

Junior epee Marielle Luke led the epee squad going 6-1. Freshman epees Margherita Calderaro and Sarah Park went 5-2.

This was Calderaros first team competition of the year, Franke said.

Franke said the squad leaders and captains took initiative to make sure each squad was prepared heading into the weekend.

We had a conversation about the importance of making sure we were prepared as a team, Franke said. That really paid off. They took the lead on that and made sure everyone was in a good place when we started.

Franke was pleased with how the Owls won a lot of close bouts and ploughed through each match with consistency.

I was very pleased with the performance of the team across the board. They were very consistent, Franke said. They were very focused, especially for the end of the semester. Its hard to pull in that focus, so I was pleased.

The Owls will be heading to Charlotte, N.C. on Jan. 3 for the January North American Cup.

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Temple fencing goes undefeated at Sacred Heart Invitational - Temple News

By Bryan Mims, WRAL News reporter

Raleigh, N.C. Groups fighting plans for a rock quarry on land owned by the Raleigh-Durham International Airport are now protesting the plan to build a border fence.

The groups say the fence will close a popular access point to William B. Umstead State Park. RDU officials said the groups have been spreading misinformation.

For several years, signs reading "Stop RDU Quarry" have stood along the trail. In March, the RDU Airport Authority gave the go-ahead. Now, airport officials want a border fence in the area. They say it's for enhanced security and to keep trespassers off their land.

That set off dueling YouTube videos.

The first YouTube video came from a group called RDU Forest, which has been fighting to stop the expansion of the rock quarry on airport land. In the video, bicyclist Matt Thompson said RDU plans to block the Old Reedy Creek Road trail in two places with a fence.

The trail, well-used by hikers and cyclists, provides access from a parking area in Cary to Umstead State Park.

The second video came Monday from the airport. In it, the vice president of communications, Crystal Feldman, said that the airport has a request for bids to design fencing around airport property. She said Umstead State Park informed the airport that this road, built decades ago, runs through a corner of RDU land.

But what would that look like?

Airport spokeswoman Stephanie Hawco said it's likely the road would be realigned or built around the fence, but park access will not be blocked.

In a written statement, she said "activists are spreading misinformation" as "scare tactics."

Jeff Wald uses the trail regularly. What bothers him is the prospect of a tall, chain link fence on either side of the Reedy Creek access road.

"Still, this park is a beautiful gem for North Carolina," Wald said. "And do you want to welcome people to the park with a barbed wire tunnel? And that's what will be at the airport overlook and what will be at the entire entrance here."

An airport spokeswoman said the cost estimate for the fence is about $2.4 million. She said it's early in the process and the airport authority has not voted on any plans.

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Proposed security fence for RDU Airport not sitting well with users of nearby park - WRAL.com

MIAMI -- The Miami Marlins will join Major League Baseball's trend toward artificial turf by installing the surface at Marlins Park for 2020, and they'll move in the fences for the second time in four years.

CEO Derek Jeter said an artificial surface solves the challenge the Marlins have had growing grass in the retractable-roof stadium since it opened in 2012. They'll install the same turf used by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.

Five of the 30 teams in the majors now will have artificial turf. Arizona added it this year, joining Toronto and Tampa Bay. Texas' new ballpark opens in 2020.

"While playing the Diamondbacks in Arizona, we were able to get a close look and examine the new surface at Chase Field," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said on a team website. "We agreed as an organization that this change was for the best after our players and staff had encouraging remarks regarding the playability of the playing surface."

The Marlins also plan to move in their fence in center and right-center field. The distances are changing from 407 to 400 feet in center and from 399 to 387 in right.

The distances "will now be more in line with the field dimensions you see across many of today's ballparks," Jeter said.

Since it opened, Marlins Park has had a reputation for being pitcher-friendly. This year the stadium had the third-lowest home run rate in the majors.

New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo, whose team plays in Miami three series a season, said the new turf will require an adjustment.

"It does change how you play the game just a little bit," Nimmo said. "The bounces ... they can actually bounce over your head rather than right. So we'll see how it plays."

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Marlins to install artificial turf, move in fences for 2020 season - ESPN

Sabre Raymond Zhao is among the newcomers getting acquainted to the college level By Helen Ly 7 hours ago Credit: Eric Zeng

The Penn men's and women's fencing teams have gone through their fair share of changes this year, but the fencers are optimistic about the teams future. A number of freshmen have joined the Red and Blue, and the transition to college fencing has proven to be a major challenge.

Sabre Raymond Zhao is a starter for the men and has done a lot to improve his skills in a college-level environment.

The main difference is youre fighting for a school, [not] yourself, so the intensity is incredible," Zhao said.

Competing for the Quakers is what gives him extra motivation to work harder, and hes quickly learned what it takes to become better.

You have to focus on these short burst of strategies, focusing on clutch situations, and working under pressure, which [are all] important aspects of college fencing," he said.

Sabre Enzo Bergamo and epee Madeline Adams-Kim both see majordifferences between fencing competitions in high school and in college.

The system points are different, and in college, its about adapting to the new format," Bergamo said. The matches are quicker than what youre used to in regular fencing.

High school was more individual and trying to get a higher ranking for yourself, but now, each time you win, you get a point for the team, Adams-Kim agreed.Its team-oriented, which I like a lot."

Being a small fish in a big pond, Zhao, Bergamo, and Adams-Kim are three of the many freshmen new to Penn fencing. However, the bond between the incoming teammates has grown exponentially.

Our team has made great efforts this year, especially acclimating the freshmen with group events," Zhao said. The group cohesion is really good."

Bergamo has found a community in the team, as the fencers share common goals and all experience growth both as athletes and people.

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It is a big family, and everyone received the freshman very well and is always striving to improve and [be] on the same page. he said.

In terms of personal goals, Zhao has high expectations for himself. He hopes to qualify for the NCAA Championships and is very hopeful about the rebuilding process of the team. Adams-Kim also has lofty goals, looking forward to making it to NCAA Regionals and possibly, Nationals.

With a fresh face of athletes, the fencing team continues to strive towards improvement. No matter the end result, the rookies of Penn fencing will play a crucial role in the team's success.

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New to the team, these Penn fencing freshman are stepping up on the mat - The Daily Pennsylvanian

This piece was originally intended as an open letter to the Columbia Fencing Team, urging them to accept the presidential invitation to the White House. It has since been edited to reflect the time passed.

Earlier this month, the Columbia fencing team received an invitation to the White House to be honored for winning the 2019 NCAA championship. The announcement of the invitation immediately polarized our team. Some fencers expressed their intentions not to attend, others were hesitantly excited, and many were more preoccupied with the potential optics of their decision than their personal feelings about the invitation. Even though the Columbia fencing team already went to the White House last week, I still think it is important to note the significance of this eventnot only the larger significance of the teams visit but the smaller significance of the individual decisions made by Columbia fencers. Columbia fencers had the choice as to whether or not they would personally accept the presidents invitation to the White House, and the majority chose to attend.

Unfortunately, this decision did not apply to me (despite the fact that I am on the fencing team), since I was representing the country in an entirely different capacity: competing for the United States at a Junior World Cup in Laupheim, Germany. But I still would like to discuss how important I think it was for my fellow teammates to personally accept the invitation.

I consider that decision to be pretty damn brave. In todays political atmosphere, on Columbias ultra-liberal campus, during this particular election year, you may reasonably fear the social ramifications of visiting the Trump White House. You may fear political ramificationsbeing incorrectly or uncomfortably labeled as a conservative, a Republican, or worse (especially on this campus): a Trump supporter. But I urged my teammates to keep in mind one thing: This decision does not have to be a definitive statement of your personal politics. The recognition of your accomplishment does not need to be politicized, and accepting a presidential invitation does not constitute support for the incumbent. It should be possible to visit the White House out of pride in our accomplishment and respect for the office of the president of the United States without being labeled (properly or improperly) as a Trump supporter.

Furthermore, the fact that we as collegiate athletes even had the option of accepting or rejecting a presidential invitation is in and of itself a privilege. In some other countries, we may not have a choice. It should not merely be a point of pride to us as NCAA champions to be invited to the White House. It should be a point of pride to us as American athletes that we were offered an invitation, as opposed to an order.

But I know that for many fencers on the team, visiting the White House out of a sense of national pride or respect for the presidential office was insufficient. The decision still felt inherently political, and some fencers felt that declining the presidential invitation was the most effective way to demonstrate their opposition toward President Donald Trump or his policies. (A few fencers chose to attend and try to deliver a letter to the president, but thats a subject for another essay.) But I think a much stronger statement was made by the fencers who chose to attend, and in doing so, continued one of the most important legacies of American athletics.

I believe the history of American athletics has consistently demonstrated one clear message regarding the confrontation of controversy: Choosing to attend an event and taking a stand for what you believe in always makes a stronger statement than sitting at home. Take Jesse Owens, the Black track and field athlete who chose to compete at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany (and won four Olympic golds). Take Kathrine Switzer, who registered as a man to run in the 1967 Boston Marathon, and famously evaded race officials trying to physically impede her from participating in the event. Or the members of the 1971 U.S. table tennis team, whose demonstration of sportsmanship with Chinese athletes at the World Table Tennis Championships in Japan led to a reinstatement of diplomatic relations between the United States and China. Any one of these athletes could have chosen to stay at home and all faced backlash for their decision not to. But their resolve to participate in controversial events demonstrates clear support for attendance, or at the very least activeness when faced with a controversial decision. To me, this makes perfect sense. Were athletes; sitting out does not impress us.

So my fellow Columbia fencers, even though the White House invitation (and all the controversy that came with it) already came and went, I encourage you to continue to realize how important of a statement it was to be invited and to have gone. In the future, if youre given another invitation to the White House or any other similarly significant event, make a statement that you will not allow your sport and your accomplishments in that sport to be politicized. In the future, when faced with decisions such as this White House invitation, make a statement that the spirit of camaraderie in athletics is stronger than the divisiveness of a controversial invitation. Make a statement that the Columbia fencing team is what it claims to be: a family that supports each other no matter the circumstance.

And most importantly, if you do not support President Trump (which I should now say I very often dont), consider how even more important your visit to the White House was. For those of you that attended, you have shown that your pride in your country and your accomplishment is more important than your feelings about the current president. You have shown that this current president is not the only representative of our country. He and his administration alone do not define this country. We do. And what we chose to do in this situation was more representative of our country and our countrys values than of President Trump.

The author is a sophomore in Columbia College, intending to major in American Studies and concentrate in Polish language and Culture. She is a member of the Columbia Fencing Team and the USA Junior National Team. The opinions stated here only reflect the view of the author and do not represent those of the fencing team as a whole.

To respond to this op-ed, or to submit an op-ed, contact opinion@columbiaspectator.com.

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The significance of the Columbia fencing team at the White House - CU Columbia Spectator

It is a common dilemma for any hard-bitten politician faced with a hostile crowd: how best to make a sharp exit to avoid embarrassment?

For one 63-year-old Tory councillor confronted with a less than receptive audience during a climate crisis debate the answer was to clamber over some bins and scale a fence.

Nancy Bikson was a last-minute replacement for the Conservative prospective MP Maria Caulfield, who was too busy to attend climate hustings for candidates in the key marginal seat of Lewes, East Sussex, at a school on Monday evening.

Explaining that she was afforded little time to prepare for the event organised by local groups, including a branch of Extinction Rebellion, Bikson said she would not be sticking around for questions after making a short speech. She attracted groans from the crowd, with one man heckling her before she even began speaking, asking: Why dont you go now?

Bikson said she cared deeply about the environment and that she did her bit but concluded, to further groans: Its all about us, there is no such thing as government. Government is just people.

Though she eventually gained polite applause, Bikson left the stage after other candidates made speeches and the event was opened to questions from the audience.

However, when she left via the fire escape she found herself outside in a dead end as the school gates were locked. Rather than trudging back through the packed hall to get out, she pondered her predicament for up to 45 minutes before opting to climb over the fence.

Biksons great escape would have stayed secret were it not for a 13-year-old girl who saw the incident at Priory school.

The teenager, who did not wish to be named, said: I left about an hour early and about half an hour after she [Bikson] left the stage. I came outside and I was about to cycle off and she was behind the gate next to our school canteen which was locked and said, excuse me, can you help me? She sounded quite desperate. I said the only way back out is through the auditorium and she said she didnt want to go back through the auditorium because of everyone. She said they all despise me and they dont want me to go back in there.

Explaining that she felt sorry for the stranded politician, the teenager added: I went back into the canteen to try and open the door from the inside [allowing her a route of escape] but it was locked. Then I got a caretaker. I said a caretaker is coming but she said, dont worry, Ill just climb over the gate. And she got up on the school bins and climbed over the gate. Shed been out there for a while.

After hearing the tale, the schoolgirls mother, who runs a business managing composers, brought the councillors ordeal to a wider audience, posting on Facebook: Lewes Tory MP Maria Caulfield failed to show for tonights climate hustings. Her last-minute replacement left the hall before the questions, having first explained that she knew nothing about climate or the environment.

She was spotted by my daughter 45 minutes later still trying to find her way off the premises without having to go back through the hall. She ended up climbing the fence via the bins. Ignominious.

Bikson apparently admitted her actions later, telling the Evening Standard on Tuesday It was only because there wasnt any other way and I didnt want to disrupt everybody. It was either that or sit outside for a couple of hours.

But when the Guardian rang to get her version of events she was tight-lipped, replying: I can neither confirm nor deny, thank you.

Lewes was previously held by the former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker for nearly two decades before being won by Brexiter Caufield in 2015. But the Conservatives only have a majority of just over 5,000, meaning the constituency, which narrowly voted remain during the EU referendum, is a top target for the Lib Dems.

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No great escape: Tory scales bins and fence to exit climate hustings - The Guardian

Final Up to date: 04/12/19 4:33pm

Dashel Drasher off the mark over fences

Jeremy Scott will think about future plans rigorously after Dashel Drasher opened his account over fences in spectacular type at Haydock.

A four-time winner over hurdles, the six-year-old discovered solely the high-class Champ too sturdy on his chasing debut at Newbury however then made it solely so far as the primary fence when renewing rivalry with Nicky Hendersons cost in a Grade Two occasion on the identical monitor final week.

Bidding for swift compensation simply 5 days later, Dashel Drasher was the 10-11 favorite for the Conservatory Insulations Novices Chase and there was a lot to love about the way in which he dispatched Champagne Thriller by seven lengths underneath common accomplice Matt Griffiths.

Scott mentioned: It was a humorous race, as a result of they went no gallop and there have been numerous fences taken out.

I do not know the way a lot we will learn into it, however I am delighted as a result of he clearly jumped a lot better than he did at Newbury which was nice to see.

I am unsure the place well go now. Theres Cheltenham in 10 days time or Cheltenham on New Yrs Day for the Dipper Novices Chase, however that will likely be fiercely aggressive.

In case youre not cautious you may find yourself having your hand pressured, so well have slightly take into consideration what we do now.

I am unsure we have learnt right now. He appeared to quicken up nicely there over practically two-and-three-quarter miles, nevertheless it was a humorous race.

I believe well stick at this type of journey for his subsequent run anyway, and go from there.

Essentially the most taking efficiency of the afternoon on the Merseyside venue got here from Hendersons Maries Rock, who maintained her unbeaten report emphatically within the Be a part of Racing TV Now Introductory Hurdle.

Profitable on her solely earlier look in a Ffos Las bumper throughout the spring, the Middleham Park Racing-owned filly travelled with zest within the arms of Nico de Boinville earlier than displaying a wise change of drugs to seal a five-length success.

Middleham Parks Tom Palin mentioned: I assumed it was a powerful efficiency on simply her second begin. We thought it appeared fairly a deep race beforehand and we might have been proud of second or third, to be sincere, so she has stunned us a bit.

She was slightly bit eager early on, however general I assumed it was fairly knowledgeable efficiency.

How far shell go, I do not know, however she seems one of the crucial thrilling Nationwide Hunt horses we have had lately on the proof of what shes performed right now.

I will should run it by the syndicate and Mr Henderson, however I might be fairly eager to go for the Listed mares novices hurdle at Taunton on the finish of the month.

I believe she deserves to enter that type of race now, and well discover out a bit extra about her.

Coach Jonjo ONeill loved a double on the cardboard, with Ashfield Paddy (4-1) touchdown the Racing TV Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle underneath Edward Austin earlier than Jonjo Jnr steered Cobolobo (9-Four favorite) to a clear-cut success within the College Of Liverpool Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA Handicap Chase.

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Dashel Drasher off the mark over fences at Haydock | Racing Information - The Union Journal

TUNICA, Miss. (localmemphis.com) The Tunica Humane Society is helping cats and dogs beyond the shelter for this years Giving Tuesday. Its campaign, Freedom Fences and Full Tummies, is aiming to provide food for pets whose owners cant always provide food and fencing so dogs dont need to be chained up.

Sandy Williams works around the clock to take of nearly 150 dogs and 40 cats and rescue those in need on the streets. Their community is one of the poorest in the Mid-South and receives no funding from Tunica county or the state. The no kill shelter is the only animal shelter in the county and is run strictly by donations.

From the very beginning of our humane society, its always been our desire to help as many animals as we can in our community, Williams said. In reality, theres no way we can take all those animals to our shelter.

The money raised with this years campaign will go toward buying dog and cat food for their pantry and buying fences and shelter so animals are protected in the coming winter months. She said its important to keep animals dry, out of the wind, and with fresh water to drink at all times.

We want to set up a special fund, so we can get dogs off of chains, possibly install fences or dog pens to get the dogs off of chains, weve also had a food pantry here, Williams said.

The food pantry is for families in need in their community who cannot always afford to feed their pets. She said its her passion to help as many animals in her community no matter the effort it takes.

Somebody has to do this. Somebody has to be their voice, Williams said. There are so many animals suffering out there with no one to take care of them, and its our passion to provide them a good life.

Click here for additional information about the Tunica Humane Society.

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Tunica Humane Society launches Freedom Fences and Full Tummies campaign to help take care of cats and dogs in their community - WATN - Local 24

Over the summer, after some 15 years, the Trump administration announced the federal government would reinstate capital punishment. A federal judge in Washington, DC, however, last week halted that plan, blocking four scheduled executions. The Justice Department filed a request to stay the decision, and says it plans to appeal.

Yet de facto capital punishment continues to exist for one specific violation, at least for the inmates at an undisclosed number of federal prisons: Attempted escape.

Earlier this month, the federal government issued a solicitation for bids from contractors to refurbish a so-called lethal/non-lethal fence around a federal correctional facility in Tucson, Arizona. Three bids have so far been submitted, ranging from $3.3 million to about $3.8 million. One of the companies, KWR Construction, has been involved in constructing prototypes for US president Donald Trumps long-promised, and highly controversial, border wall.

A lethal/non-lethal fence is an electrified fence running around the perimeter of a prison. Upon first contact, these fences deliver a non-lethal electric shock, but a second one triggers a lethal high-voltage discharge, typically several times more powerful than a standard electric chair. This is meant to kill the potential escapee on the spot.

Lethal force is authorized to prevent inmate escapes, said Justin Long, a spokesperson for the US Bureau of Prisons, the agency that oversees the federal correctional system. Long declined to provide Quartz with the precise number of federal facilities now equipped with lethal electric fences, but said its more than seven.

A majority of US states, meanwhile, still have the death penalty, though few actually carry out executions. And like their federal counterparts, a number of state prisons are surround by non-lethal/lethal electric fencing. In California, where governor Gavin Newsom in March declared a moratorium on executions, about two dozen state prisons are equipped with the deadly fences. Electric prison fences in California deliver 5,000 volts of electricity to inmates trying to escape. In Missouri, the fences mete out 5,100-volt shocks.

As a comparison, most electric chairs employ a shock of between 1,700 and 2,400 volts for 30 to 60 seconds to produce a lethal current, wrote Milo Miller, a former researcher at Southwest Missouri State University, in a paper published in 2001 in the California Western Law Review.

Many states allow for the use of deadly force to thwart an escape attempt, but limit its use to situations where the officer reasonably believes it necessary to prevent or terminate the escape.

The use of firearms or other means of deadly force in a particular situation, by its nature, calls for the application of human judgment or discretion. Fences, unlike humans, cannot think, assess circumstances, or exercise judgment, Miller wrote.

Lethal fencing began in the early 1990s as a way to save money. Some state prisons, including in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Nevada, and Missouri, have now used them for more than two decades. In California, the first lethal fence was installed in 1993. It was part of a program to install 19 electrified fences in order to save $42 million a year ($79 million today).

The Bureau of Prisons began plans to install lethal fencing in federal prisons in 2006 for the same reason. The fences meant less need for tower guards, who earn up to $70,000 per year at some prisons, with overtime, and generous pensions after they retire. Fences dont.

The use of such fences is of concern to human rights advocates.

Under international law, guards standing on towersor any automated systemmust weigh whether or not the use of lethal force is strictly necessary, said Alison Leal Parker, director of US Programs at Human Rights Watch. In this, she told Quartz, the use of lethal force under state and federal law in the US contradicts international human rights law.

There are times when technology can be rights-respecting and even rights-protecting in a way that human decision-making may be flawed, she added. But there are also many, many instancesand I would argue this is onewhere the need to assess whether killing someone is strictly necessary cannot be done by an automated fence.

That is, fences lack the key element of human judgement that would make the use of deadly force legal.

The Eighth Amendment is what we would look at to see if [the fences] are legal, said Nila Bala, an associate director for criminal justice and civil liberties at R Street, a nonpartisan public policy research nonprofit. The amendment forbids the use of cruel and unusual punishment, and the indiscriminate use of lethal force by an automated device would likely not pass this standard.

This issue has never really reached the Supreme Court, Bala told Quartz, though the court has ruled on the use of deadly force in correctional facilities. The law is fairly deferential about what happens in correctional facilities, she said, allowing for good faith judgement made by law enforcement officials, even when it results in the death of the inmate.

But an automated device is different, and its use should raise questions even from a policy point of view, as their function can deviate from the goal of deterring escapees. Inmates could use the fence against each other, Bala said, or use them to commit suicide. Further, she added, there are plenty of examplesboth in the United States, and from other countriesshowing there is no added advantage, in terms of safety, in using indiscriminate lethal force when lesser force would be effective.

Whether or not lethal/non-lethal fences adhere to the letter of the law is almost beside the point, said Nick Schwellenbach, director of investigations at the nonprofit Program on Government Oversight.

This seems like a dramatic escalation of consequences without requiring human intervention, Schwellenbach told Quartz. While electric fences are a more pedestrian technology, this makes me think of the intense debate over drones that could kill without human oversight.

It turns out that inmates arent the only ones under threat from these lethal fences. Its other species that suffer the most.

Mostly they kill birds and small animals, Martin Horn, former commissioner of the NYC Department of Correction, told Quartz.

Indeed, the first five years after California installed lethal electric fencing in 1993 at 25 of its 33 state prisons, some 3,000 migrating birds were electrocuted, according to United States Fish and Wildlife Service data cited by the New York Times. They included 144 burrowing owls, 111 loggerhead shrikes, and 10 red-tailed hawks.

To Steven Van De Steene, a Belgian expert on the use of technology in correctional settings, a dynamic correctional model works best. That means focusing on creating a culture of rehabilitation, fostering trust between staff and inmates, and utilizing non-security-related tools and technologies to create a safer environment, he told Quartz.

If you treat people like animals, he said, they will behave like animals.

See the rest here:
US prison fences designed to kill inmates may be illegal - Quartz

Olympic fencing gold medalist Miles Chamley-Watson is G.H. Mumm's most recent celebrity endorser

G.H. Mumm & Cie., the venerable Champagne producer, has announced a new partnership with American world-class fencer, world champion and Olympic medalist Miles Chamley-Watson. The company, which is headquartered in Reims, in the heart of the Champagne district, is the fourth best-selling Champagne brand in the world, with annual sales of approximately eight million bottles. Its owned by French wine and spirits conglomerate Pernod-Ricard.

Mumm has a long history with celebrity endorsers. From 2000 to 2015, it was an official sponsor of Formula 1 racing. Its distinctive red stripe was showcased on the podium and its Champagne was used to celebrate the winner after each race. They are now the official sponsor of Formula E, a motorsport championship series that only uses electric cars.

Champagne and the art of fencing

The company has also been closely associated with international horse racing. It is the official champagne of the Kentucky Derby, Australias Melbourne Cup and South Africas The Sun Met. Since 2016, the brand has also been closely associated with eight-time Olympic gold medalist sprinter Usain Bolt. He has been featured in a multi-media promotional campaign as the companys CEO or Chief Entertainment Officer.

Its latest celebrity spokesperson, Chamley-Watson joins the G.H. Mumm family, sharing a mission to challenge convention and perceptions of what is considered 'the norm' in traditional fields.

Tina Reejsinghani, G.H. Mumm U.S. Director, noted that Mumm is

Proud to partner with Miles Chamley-Watson, who is a groundbreaking force in fencing and fashion. Miles exudes the values of our brand, driving progress in his field with style. He will be a key ambassador and partner of the brand. His bold and daring attitude is a natural fit to the G.H. Mumm style and heritage.

Chamley-Watson is not a typical fencer. Hes brought a dynamic, unconventional style to the sport. His trademark move The Chamley-Watson whipping his foil around the back of his head to score a point on the opponent, is making waves within the sport. Already in his career, he has modernized fencing and redefined people's expectations around the sport.

According to Chamley-Watson:

I live my life by the motto create a legacy not a moment, which is exactly what G.H. Mumm is doing in the Champagne space. Nothing great ever comes from abiding to the status quo, and Im excited to continue my legacy through this partnership with G.H. Mumm.

Champagne houses are typically conservative and tradition bound, but Chamley-Watson believes that G.H. Mumm is anything but traditional.

They're all about changing the game and doing things differently in their field, which I love.

Champagne and its marketing are usually associated with luxury brands. Fencing isnt usually thought of as a luxury item the way car racing or equestrian events are associated with luxury lifestyles, but Chamley-Watson believes that associating fencing with an upscale luxury item like champagne will help fencing expand its audience.

I think my fans and fans of the sport of fencing will definitely be excited by the association. I genuinely believe in the importance of breaking with tradition and making your own statement so I think G.H. Mumm will translate to the audience who enjoy the sport especially because of the versatility of the champagne you can drink it however you want. Who wouldn't be into that?

A bottle of G.H. Mumm Champagne

As the Olympian has paved the way and changed the face of fencing, so too, in parallel, has G.H. Mumm reinvented what it means to be an international Champagne house with a rich heritage, by modernizing the category to the new age. The brand prides itself on their legendary liquid and iconic heritage among Champagnes, yet insists on pushing boundaries and driving innovation. From the groundbreaking redesign of the Grand Cordon bottle, with a label-less bottle and sleek iconic Cordon Rouge indent, to its modernization of Champagne glassware and consumption, G.H. Mumm is consistently driving progress in its category.

Today, G.H. Mumm and Miles invite consumers to challenge convention and feel empowered to break with tradition, starting with the introduction of G.H. Mumm's newest disruptive innovation The Cloupe. The Cloupe is an innovative hybrid between a flute and coupe glass, drawing from the Maison's rich, disruptive history. Emblazoned with the iconic, indented red sash, this innovative glassware aims to modernize and enhance the Champagne drinking experience with the legendary liquid of G.H. Mumm.

To find out more about the partnership between G.H. Mumm and Miles Chamley-Watson, follow @ghmumm_us on Instagram.

Cheers

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Getting To The Point: Champagne And The Art Of Fencing - Forbes