Fencing in the news

[Amy & Joseph Kormann]

Ok, it's the NY Post... Around here it's still categorized under 'news'..

Cindy Adams, December 5, 2003 -- TODAY "The Last Samurai" comes out.
Some people see it for Tom Cruise. On West 25th they see it for the
swordplay. The Fencers Club is 125 years old and has 425 members, but -
en garde! - it's $800 to join. I went to see this gentleman's sport,
where a code of conduct, proper manners, no cursing behind the mask are
the rules. Think "The Three Musketeers," "Scaramouche," "Cyrano" and
"Zorro," and it's a shock to learn the executive director is no
Hungarian nobleman, but a wife and mother named Rita Finkel. In aisles
as narrow as a medieval castle hallway, maybe 50 men and women, age 8 to
80, in white knickers, stood parrying and thrusting. Some from Yale,
Columbia, Harvard, Brandeis, NYU, none porky, none dorky ("Can't be a
dummy to fence since it's one-third ballet, one-third legal homicide and
one-third physical chess") and some with famous names, which if you
print they'll challenge you to a duel. I learned, in sports nothing
moves faster than a sword - except a speeding bullet. And, since it was
considered bad form to harm a horse, a saber's target area is above the
waist only. And, one walks with sword down like a pair of scissors. And,
fencers included Gen. Patton, Monaco's Prince Albert (like what the hell
else does he have to do), Dolly Parton - Dolly Parton?! - yeah, Dolly
Parton, Andrew Jackson, Neil Diamond. And, the world's No. 1 fencer is
an American. Keeth Smart. His training for the Athens Olympics is - can
you hear me now? - subsidized by Verizon.

And their opinion of Tom Cruise's swashbuckling swordsmanship? Olympics
coach Buckie Leach told me: "Well-choreographed. He appeared
well-trained. His weapons were real, with the real sound. They just
weren't sharp. Understand, stage fighting is different. Actors are
trying not to hit one another." I did not take a lesson. Please. Anyone
throws down a gantlet I wouldn't have enough energy even to bend down
and pick it up.

[Harlan Harris]

Amy & Joseph Kormann <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote in news:bqr6v4$nun$1
@news.monmouth.com:

> Ok, it's the NY Post... Around here it's still categorized under 'news'..

Well, for real NYC fencing news, anyone know what happened to Metropolis
Fencing (a block away from Fencers Club)? They were there Sunday, but I
went down to fence on Thursday, and there was a sign in the window to the
effect that they're being evicted. Anyone have scandalous details?

-Harlan

[Jonathan Jefferies]

Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
>
> Cindy Adams, December 5, 2003 -- TODAY "The Last Samurai" comes out.
> Some people see it for Tom Cruise. On West 25th they see it for the
> swordplay. The Fencers Club is 125 years old and has 425 members, but -
> en garde! - it's $800 to join.

Question: Is there any other club that charges anything like that to join?
What are the monthly dues?

Inquiring minds and all that!
J.

[Amy & Joseph Kormann]

Jonathan Jefferies wrote:

> Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
>
>> Cindy Adams, December 5, 2003 -- TODAY "The Last Samurai" comes
>> out. Some people see it for Tom Cruise. On West 25th they see it for
>> the swordplay. The Fencers Club is 125 years old and has 425 members,
>> but - en garde! - it's $800 to join.
>
>
> Question: Is there any other club that charges anything like that to
> join?
> What are the monthly dues?


www.bcaf.com
www.atlanticfencing.com

They're following the model that most gyms / fitness centers use.

[Fencer91162]

>
>Jonathan Jefferies wrote:
>
>> Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
>>
>>> Cindy Adams, December 5, 2003 -- TODAY "The Last Samurai" comes
>>> out. Some people see it for Tom Cruise. On West 25th they see it for
>>> the swordplay. The Fencers Club is 125 years old and has 425 members,
>>> but - en garde! - it's $800 to join.
>>
>>
>> Question: Is there any other club that charges anything like that to
>> join?
>> What are the monthly dues?
>
>
>www.bcaf.com
>www.atlanticfencing.com
>
>They're following the model that most gyms / fitness centers use.
>
>
BCAF doesn't charge anything to join. The $330 that you see is a charge if you
let your membership lapse and want to re-activate. It's waived for college
students.

You can pay $15 a night for a floor fee if you're only going to be there a
couple of times a month, or pay $55/month plus 15/lesson. I take two lessons a
week and end up paying $190/month (give or take). I get an awful lot of
fencing for $190/month.

$800 sounds like an awful lot to join a club, unless there are no other fees.

Debbie B.

[Amy & Joseph Kormann]

Jonathan Jefferies wrote:

> Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
>
>> Cindy Adams, December 5, 2003 -- TODAY "The Last Samurai" comes
>> out. Some people see it for Tom Cruise. On West 25th they see it for
>> the swordplay. The Fencers Club is 125 years old and has 425 members,
>> but - en garde! - it's $800 to join.
>
>
> Question: Is there any other club that charges anything like that to
> join?
> What are the monthly dues?
>
> Inquiring minds and all that!
> J.
>
Looking at their web-site (www.fencersclub.com), they have a $300
one-time initiation fee and a $500 (student) or $575 (adult) membership fee.

If you look at their "Special Offers" link, they have a package deal
that can include a massage for an additional $50. Now that's a good
idea! Local events could make a killing by offering a massage for an
additional $! You'd have more people in line for the massage than their
own DE pools!

[Harold Buck]

In article <bqu4vr$c7l$1@news.monmouth.com>,
Amy & Joseph Kormann <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote:

> Jonathan Jefferies wrote:
>
> > Amy & Joseph Kormann wrote:
> >
> >> Cindy Adams, December 5, 2003 -- TODAY "The Last Samurai" comes
> >> out. Some people see it for Tom Cruise. On West 25th they see it for
> >> the swordplay. The Fencers Club is 125 years old and has 425 members,
> >> but - en garde! - it's $800 to join.
> >
> >
> > Question: Is there any other club that charges anything like that to
> > join?
> > What are the monthly dues?
> >
> > Inquiring minds and all that!
> > J.
> >
> Looking at their web-site (www.fencersclub.com), they have a $300
> one-time initiation fee and a $500 (student) or $575 (adult) membership fee.
>
> If you look at their "Special Offers" link, they have a package deal
> that can include a massage for an additional $50. Now that's a good
> idea! Local events could make a killing by offering a massage for an
> additional $! You'd have more people in line for the massage than their
> own DE pools!


Um, it's not THAT kind of massage.

--Harold Buck


"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson

[Jonathan Jefferies]

Harold Buck wrote:
> In article <bqu4vr$c7l$1@news.monmouth.com>,
> Amy & Joseph Kormann <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote:
>
: deleted material

>>If you look at their "Special Offers" link, they have a package deal
>>that can include a massage for an additional $50. Now that's a good
>>idea! Local events could make a killing by offering a massage for an
>>additional $! You'd have more people in line for the massage than their
>>own DE pools!
>
>
>
> Um, it's not THAT kind of massage.
>
> --Harold Buck

Geeze Harold,
You've already tried it an were
disappointed?
J.

[William Black]

"Amy & Joseph Kormann" <ajkormann@monmouth.com> wrote in message
news:bqr6v4$nun$1@news.monmouth.com...

> And their opinion of Tom Cruise's swashbuckling swordsmanship? Olympics
> coach Buckie Leach told me: "Well-choreographed. He appeared
> well-trained. His weapons were real, with the real sound. They just
> weren't sharp.

Does he fence with sharp weapons?

And anyone who thinks that the sound on a movie is what they record when
they take the pictures needs to do a basic course on film making.

On the few period TV shows and films I've been involved in all the weapon
noises were dubbed in afterwards as the things often aren't actually
touching each other when the director wants the noise to happen.

--
William Black
------------------
On time, on budget, or works;
Pick any two from three

[Harlan Harris]

OK, to follow up, there have been two New York Times articles on fencing in
the last two days! One yesterday on Fencers Club (sports section), and one
today on the currently homeless Metropolis (city section). Here are links,
but they'll only be good for a few days:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/13/sp...ts/13VECS.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/14/ny...ty/14fenc.html

> Well, for real NYC fencing news, anyone know what happened to
> Metropolis Fencing (a block away from Fencers Club)? They were there
> Sunday, but I went down to fence on Thursday, and there was a sign in
> the window to the effect that they're being evicted. Anyone have
> scandalous details?

-Harlan