The center of the United States Fencing World rests in Portland, Oregon this weekend, as the city plays host to the National Fencing Championships.

The four-day competition begins Friday, April 25th at the Oregon Convention Center and continues on through Monday, April 28th. More information is available at www.usfencing.org.

The local highlight will come Monday when U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Mariel Zagunis fences in front of her hometown crowd. The Beaverton product and Valley Catholic High School graduate made history during the 2004 Games in Athens when she became the 1st United States fencer to win an Olympic gold medal in 100 years!!!

In the grand scheme of things, the National Championships this weekend will actually be somewhat anti-climatic for Mariel, who has already assured herself a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Fencing Team. Her sights are truly set on Beijing, China, the site of this summer’s Games, where she’ll look to duplicate her Olympic success of four years ago.

Still, it’s always nice to be back in the Portland area. Mariel is taking a break from her college studies at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana right now to focus her attention on fencing. That means more time spent at the Oregon Episcopal School’s Sports and Rec Center, home of the Oregon Fencing Alliance.

The Oregon Fencing Alliance (OFA) is recognized throughout the sport as a world-class fencing program, and is the U.S. National Training Center for Women’s sabre.

OFA also offers fencing classes for beginners starting as young as 6 years of age through adult. Again, these classes are available to the general public, with more information available at the official OFA website .