weapon popularity: regions or phases?

[Victor]

I've noticed that some areas seem to have a slight abundance of fencers in one weapon in preference to the other two, as evidenced by turnout at locally run events. So I wonder if this is indicative of: 1. The local interest and reinforcement of fencers as newbies are introduced to the sport and pick up the favored weapon, or 2. A natural fluctuation over time that isn't truly as regional as it might appear. ...

So. Does your club/city/division subtley favor a weapon, and does that preference change from season to season or remain constant?

[D'Artagnan1673]

My personal opinion would be that the Gulf Coast Division in Tx. has more epee fencers than foilists. There is no question that sabre is the least fenced weapon in our division. According to the divisions chart, let's see how many rated fencers we have in each weapon. Keep in mind that this info could be a little faulty because I'm listed as being rated in foil, but its actually epee. Another clubmate is listed as a C in epee, but he is a C in foil.

Foil
A - 2
B - 4
C - 7
D - 10
E - 22
Total Rated - 45

Epee
A - 3
B - 5
C - 6
D - 18
E - 11
Total Rated - 43

Sabre
A - 0
B - 2
C - 1
D - 2
E - 2
Total Rated - 7

[Victor]

My personal opinion would be that the Gulf Coast Division in Tx. has more epee fencers than foilists. ...

Yes, but does that tendency change over time, or remain constant within your region?

[D'Artagnan1673]

By showing the ratings our division holds, I was trying to point out the although epee seems to bring more fencers at local competitions, both foil and epee seem to be neck to neck. Neither really have an advantage of numbers.

[Namir]

Michigan seems to be primarily foil.
Indiana fences much more epee.

[Aeric]

Our area used to be foil, but then we started fencing nationally.

We saw how mutilated foil became with the flick and directors giving right-of-way to marching attacks. So we basically evolved to epee, where we are doing very well in. Foil experience transfers to epee VERY well.

[Tomas N]

Well, the two divisions in which I fence are quite different. Western PA is mostly foil and sabre. Northern Ohio is mostly epee and foil. I think there's a certain path dependency in the weapons. Coaches focus on a particular weapons, programs get built up around them, and a density of fencers in a particular weapon develops. I think that the bias towards a particular weapon can stick for quite a while. Certainly years, if not decades.

Tomas

[MikeHarm]

I've found that as well, though the foil footwork seems to tick off a lot of epeeists I've noticed.

Our area used to be foil, but then we started fencing nationally.

We saw how mutilated foil became with the flick and directors giving right-of-way to marching attacks. So we basically evolved to epee, where we are doing very well in. Foil experience transfers to epee VERY well.

[Katman]

My personal opinion would be that the Gulf Coast Division in Tx. has more epee fencers than foilists. There is no question that sabre is the least fenced weapon in our division.

I agree with D'Art. As for clubs, there are 3 that I frequent.

Bayou City: Seems to be mostly sabre for now. They have these phantom fencers that I never see on the nights I go but are there, without fail, at the tournaments I attend.

Salle Mauro: Foil foil foil.

U of H: Mostly foil, but I think we all have epee tendancies.

Right now the division is in a bit of limbo due to a new club and migrating fencers. To address one of your points,

1. The local interest and reinforcement of fencers as newbies are introduced to the sport and pick up the favored weapon

Perhaps. Speaking strictly for UH, most of the college students that join the beginner's class are intrested in learning to 'sword fight.' We teach them foil but they later pick up epee because it's 'less stupid,' to quote a fellow team mate.

[telkanuru]

In New England, there's a dang lot of fencers wherever you go, so I can't actually give you tallys, but I'd say foil and epee are too close to call for the top, while sabre trails by a slight fraction. I've *seen* more epee 'A's at competition, but that means very little, I think, due to both my competition experience and the fact that I tend towards fencing in epee competitions, and arrive too late or too early for the other weapons. There are a good deal of 'B's and 'C's in every weapon and gender, tho.

And no, it's sabre footwork that ticks me off in epee. A note on that- the guy who won the Pomme de Terre (== big NE tourney) in Men's Epee Unrated was a sabreur fencing epee. scary

[whtouche]

And no, it's sabre footwork that ticks me off in epee. A note on that- the guy who won the Pomme de Terre (== big NE tourney) in Men's Epee Unrated was a sabreur fencing epee. scary

Yes, but he's actually a proficient epeeist, not just a crazy sabre fencer holding an epee (as I tend to be when there are no sabre tournaments to fence).

As for number of fencers in each weapon....in new england it's hard to call. There are definetly more epee A's than other weapons, with foil being second and sabre third - with only two A rated male fencers that I can think of, and at least a couple of women. But 90% of an iceberg is underwater, as they say - so it's not really possible to judge the prevelance of one weapon over another based on how many people have high ratings or even ratings at all.

That all being said, as to the original question....uh, I dunno.

[deflagratio]

Lets see Alabama is definately dominated by foils. Epee i think has a slight lead over sabre. But because sabre has the lower number it is therefore Elite.

[mlr2fence]

I think it depends on the coaching. I looked for the best coach and went with that weapon.

[D'Artagnan1673]

As for my club, all four of us! We start out the beginners with foil. If they make it through the first year, which very few do, they will typically pick up epee as well thanks to my coercion. The more targets, the better.

Of our relatively steady veteren fencers, the demographics go as such.

foil only - 2
foil primary + epee - 3
foil and epee equally - 2
epee primary + occassional foil - myself

Of our beginners, all 3 fence exclusively foil.

** Hopefully we may pick up some enthusiasm as our tournament this weekend is being fenced at a local university's gym and the university has been advertising across campus.

[ztron24]

illinois is strong in both foil and epee, but it seems that epee tournements generally have higher ratings, and more fencers. so... i'm voting epee. although for juniors sabre and foil are tops.

[Almightynoitall]

Nevada has an equal mix of ratings in epee and foil... but the epeeists carry much higher ratings...

[Army Fencer]

In nearly every region I've been to, epee has been the most popular and had the highest ratings. Sabre has always been the least popular.

...It's curious that we do so poorly internationally in epee, and so well in sabre.

[frenzl]

my division (western NY) is almost completely foil, that's why i starting to go fro epee now.

[darius]

Blasphemy!

RFC (and thus most of the nationally competitive crew) is foil-only, but U of Rochester has a core of strong epeeists, including some of Michael Marx's students. Looking east to Syracuse, Lubo Kalaptchiev has a youth epee program that could generate results in the future.

Sabre is lacking, but we're building a group at UR, and RIT's club is predominantly sabre -- if we could get them electrified, then we'd be talking.

darius

[Tireur]

Originally Posted by D'Artagnan1673
My personal opinion would be that the Gulf Coast Division in Tx. has more epee fencers than foilists. There is no question that sabre is the least fenced weapon in our division.


They still have the Van Buskirk sabre there? 3-man and individual?
How well is it attended?