Veterans Challenge IV

[Peach]

If you missed it, don't miss it next year. This is one fantastic tournament.

It was held at Boston Fencing Club October 9-11, with team and individual events in al weapons, strictly for veterans. Every time I've gone it's been well run, and it's at a wonderful time of the year for Massachusetts--the weather was great and the trees are beginning to turn.

There were team events and individual ones, with cool engraved glass plaques for the team winners, plus engraved glass bowls for the individual winners and nice medals. There were special medals for all of the categories including the highest over-40, over-50, over-60, and in some cases over-70 finisher, and an award for the oldest overall competitor. I competed in the individual sabre, in a composite team for the open, and also in a thrown-together team for the women's sabre, and it was excellent fencing and a lot of fun. I saw friends from all over the country and made some new ones.

The best thing, though, is the clambake afterwards. There's nothing like sitting with a couple of plates in front of you carrying a whole lobster, a few ears of corn, a bowl of butter, salad, chicken, and everything else after a full day of fencing!

Oh, yeah, and excellent T-shirt.

Bill Hall and all the others involved with setting this up deserve a huge amount of credit.

[Peach]

Just adding minor suggestions for improvement, directed to anyone who runs a veterans event because I've run into this before:

Don't tell the fencers in your pool you're not going to call their names, they should look at the pool sheet to see when their bouts are coming up. And don't post the seeding lists and tableaus at the end of a strip where fencing is going on and then yell at the fencers for standing and peering. One youngish gentleman who was helping out with the organization thought he was being very humorous with me about it, but he was in fact being very rude. MOST OF US CAN'T READ ANYTHING THAT SMALL WITHOUT OUR GLASSES. We really can't.

And speak up, sonny. A mumbled "fence" command will result in both fencers standing there patiently for a while longer. You may think we're joking with you. We're not. We hear some things very clearly, but not when we have masks on, people are fencing all around, and we're not looking at you.

[Inquartata]

It sounds fun, but it's an awfully long way to go for some of us...

[Peach]

A friend was there from Portland, Oregon, but she had children and grandchildren in the area and a summer house on the Cape. A guy on my team is from Wisconsin (though he represented Poland in the World Veterans).

[nahouw]

If you missed it, don't miss it next year. This is one fantastic tournament.

The best thing, though, is the clambake afterwards. There's nothing like sitting with a couple of plates in front of you carrying a whole lobster, a few ears of corn, a bowl of butter, salad, chicken, and everything else after a full day of fencing!

Oh, yeah, and excellent T-shirt.

Bill Hall and all the others involved with setting this up deserve a huge amount of credit.

I am very happy that I attended this tournament since I am now a veteran!!! Best competition that I have ever been to. Bill Hall and the Boston Fencing Club run an excellent, efficient tournament, and the lobster-clam bake was absolutely wonderful!! A great way to end a day of fencing. Kudos to Bill and the BFC for the great job that they do to pull this event off!!!

The t-shirt is great -- they seem to out-do themselves every year. If you are a veteran, this is definitely the tournament to attend -- even if you have to fly to get to Boston. Almost all the events are highly rated, and if more people came, then more classifications could be given out. Veterans World Championships will be held in Tampa next year, so some European fencers will also attend this tournament next year. Definitely one to be added to your calendar.

[mackillian]

Anywhere that I can find the results?

[Peach]

http://j.altbush.home.comcast.net/vets/results.html

Anywhere that I can find the results?

[mackillian]

Oh man, that's awesome. The instructor I had for beginning fencing and now my clubmate placed first in foil.

[dreadfoily]

Peach: it's sounds like I missed another good competition.....BUT! did I tell you, I've hung up my epees forever. I really miss the fencing and so forth, but I simply can't keep up with everything. I gave my four epees, one foil, 2 body cords, jacket, knickers(?), and......MY BRANDNEW NIGRINI FIE two thousand baud, mask to my former coach to use or pass on. I just couldn't take it anymore, from I moved literally 3 thousand miles for fencing, and then back, and there's not much here. I found a new guy, very nice, but doesn't do epee.

I LOVE EPEE< I miss epee, so I run....wherefore?



I still do pastels, and still have the still-life of three peaches on a ceramic plate in the window......It will have to do rather than the clams.....

[telkanuru]

http://j.altbush.home.comcast.net/vets/results.html

Unless I'm mistaken i your identity, looks like they didn't make you work too hard

I'll keep the event as something too look forward to in 22 years

[sabreur]

Just adding minor suggestions for improvement, directed to anyone who runs a veterans event because I've run into this before:

Don't tell the fencers in your pool you're not going to call their names, they should look at the pool sheet to see when their bouts are coming up. And don't post the seeding lists and tableaus at the end of a strip where fencing is going on and then yell at the fencers for standing and peering. One youngish gentleman who was helping out with the organization thought he was being very humorous with me about it, but he was in fact being very rude. MOST OF US CAN'T READ ANYTHING THAT SMALL WITHOUT OUR GLASSES. We really can't.

And speak up, sonny. A mumbled "fence" command will result in both fencers standing there patiently for a while longer. You may think we're joking with you. We're not. We hear some things very clearly, but not when we have masks on, people are fencing all around, and we're not looking at you.

And those of us who wear our glasses for fencing DON'T wear our bifocals--so we can't read little stuff either.

MR

[oso97]

Don't tell the fencers in your pool you're not going to call their names, they should look at the pool sheet to see when their bouts are coming up.

I promise the next time I referee a veteran event (seems like every NAC I go to), I will not do this, if the veterans in the pool promise to hang around and LISTEN when I announce the on-deck bout

[Peach]

I promise the next time I referee a veteran event (seems like every NAC I go to), I will not do this, if the veterans in the pool promise to hang around and LISTEN when I announce the on-deck bout

Thanks--and say it loudly, too. I used to think it was funny when older people said this back when I had excellent hearing, but everybody DOES seem to mumble now.

[Peach]

Unless I'm mistaken i your identity, looks like they didn't make you work too hard

I'll keep the event as something too look forward to in 22 years

I was one of the few who wasn't doubling or tripling up in weapons, I hasten to add. In two of my DEs, I was fencing the winner of another event. I'm too easily confused to fence more than one weapon, myself.

[telkanuru]

Ditto on that, despite my lack of veteran status. Give me a sabre, and I'll look at you very confused... where's the wires...

[mackillian]

Peach, did you fence Yvonne Walton?

[Peach]

Peach, did you fence Yvonne Walton?

Yes, a couple of times. It was a fun bout! She's very nice. But then so was everyone in that event.

Yvonne won the foil, and Sue Tipton won the epee, and both of them were doing the sabre for fun. In fact, looking at the tableau, I think I was one of maybe four people in the women's sabre who wasn't doing at least one other weapon.

[mackillian]

She's awesome. I'm glad you had fun bouts with her.

[FoilyGeezer]

Peach, did you fence Yvonne Walton?

I notice that Sydney Jane Fadner came in second in the WF event to Walton, so she must be good. I had the honor to fence Ms Fadner last year and it was an absolutely nail-biting experience!

[mackillian]

Yvonne also gets all embarassed when it's brought up in club when she places well in a tourney. She flushes bright red.

So of course our head coach mentions those things whenever he can.


Which means we all get to give her crap tonight.