"il sole 24 ore 2019" 

"he new Italian Light saber combat (lightsaber) champion is from Rome. His name is Francesco D'Addosio - a student of the Ludosport Roma academy -."

"Italian lightsaber champion is Roman"

Is the new Italian champion and has qualified for the world championship in Madrid scheduled for December . The 10th edition of Arena 2019, the name of the national tournament, was held in Turin. There were more than 150 participants from Milan, Turin, Genoa, Rome, Ferrara, Bologna 1and Caserta. In second place from Genoa was Enrico Giovanetti, and in third place was Piero Di Palo from Ferrara's Aemilia Academy. They, too, will go to the world championships in Madrid along with those ranked for style-demonstrated during the fights-Daniele Maggi (Milan), Marco Brondolo (Turin) and Simone Pedrazzi (Ferrara).
Now let's get to know better the new champion, Francesco D'Addosio, class of '95. He holds the rank of knight, one of the highest in the discipline, and is an instructor of Form 4, one of the most spectacular advanced styles. -- Francesco, tell us how you got into LudoSport and how you started practicing light saber combat --

(Francesco)

I was introduced to this discipline in 2012 thanks to two people: Andrea Bruno, a family friend, and Valerio Pinto with whom I shared scouting. Both of them asked me to take a trial lesson to see if I could be interested in it, and from that day on, I got hooked and devoted most of my free time to it.

-- Why did lightsaber fencing in particular? What was it that intrigued you? --

(Francesco)

 I did fencing for about two years but when I saw the potential of lightsaber fencing I fell in love with it right away. It is a discipline with techniques and movements designed to be effective and beautiful to watch.

-- What was it like to participate in the tournament and then become the national champion? What did you experience? --

(Franceso)

 It is always a great experience to participate in a high-level tournament because it brings you to meet athletes from other academies, but most importantly new friends. I knew it wouldn't be easy to get very high, but my team worked so hard to get as far as possible and thanks to this tournament we proved it. To tell the truth, I did not think about the podium but about every single duel I had to face, because it was because of that moment that I could move forward. I felt immense joy because it was a tournament full of satisfaction, but most of all I found firsthand that you just have to put in the effort and work with determination to achieve a goal.

-- Blue sword or red sword? Why? --

(Francesco)

 A good question. Obviously blue sword, although many people tell me to get a red one (blue, or other colors other than red, indicates a more detached and reflective temperament, while the red sword a more instinctive and competitive approach, ed.).

-- What is your favorite style? What does it allow you to do? --

(Francesco)

 Ho praticato fino a ora quattro stili e penso che la forma IV sia adatta al mio fisico e al mio approccio al combattimento (la Forma IV è una delle più imprevedibili e spettacolari, prevede salti, rotolate e cambi di mano, ndr).

 -- Who is Francis when he is not holding a lightsaber? --

(Francesco)

 He is a friend who is ready to laugh and joke and is always ready to help others.

-- What values of the sport do you find yourself in the most? --

(Francesco)

 The values in which I find myself most are respect and friendship.

 -- Are you ready for the World Cup in Madrid? Predictions? --

 I am not super ready, but my team and I will try to work hard to get better and better and always be ready for new challenges.