Fencing match on "The Bachelor" tonight?

[richard]

He fenced at Duke and was NCAA champion in 1996. This is all the more impressive since he apparently started fencing in college. I wonder why he stopped fencing.

gee, let's see.

hollywood+hot chicks+ $$$ vs. sabre+ROW+screaming

[fixxmyweapon]

gee, let's see.

hollywood+hot chicks+ $$$ vs. sabre+ROW+screaming

yeah, not charlie guy, but kahn is who Mr Epee and I fence epee were discussing.

[remise]

I couldn't take my eyes off her hand holding the bib of her mask. Can anyone say,"Ding! Ooops! Sorry, but putting your hand there makes it a valid target............."

[richard]

yeah, not charlie guy, but kahn is who Mr Epee and I fence epee were discussing.

my bad...........

[Alan]

Is this fight available somewhere on the net ?

Couldn't be worse than Foilepee i guess

.

[esskreemr]

I couldn't take my eyes off her hand holding the bib of her mask. Can anyone say,"Ding! Ooops! Sorry, but putting your hand there makes it a valid target............."

Yes, perfect way to make a good impression on a woman you may be picking to date....

"Oops, sorry about that... Let me get you some ice for that goose-egg on your knuckle!!"

[Twinkletoes]

This is my opinion, but I propose that right now, fencing is
experiencing an upswing in popularity, mostly thanks to the media.
Films especially have featured some form of swordplay over the last 5 years:

Lord of the Rings
star Wars
Pirates of the ...
Troy
the bachelor.. etc..

Heck, Orlando Bloom has done about 5 movies in a row where he
wields a sword!

Fencing is growing in a cult-like fashion as a cool alternative sport and I'm ok with that.I predict that in 5 years the fencing population will nearly double. The more the merrier!


cheers,

Marc

[El Chucko]

The Screen Actors Guild actually has a rider in all contracts now that says that any movie featuring swordplay must also feature Orlando Bloom.

As far as fencing popularity doubling... don't get carried away.

[Zilverzmurfen]

I gotta see this. I'm sure some truly horrible fencing will be shown: "The Bachelor," MONDAY, APRIL 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/blo...r_between.html

I was just zapping and happened to catch this episode! (Yup, seems like it takes a while for some episodes to show on Swedish television.)

The club loked nice and the fencing looked...inventive.

I think the dark haired girl managed very well. I've seen 1 term fencers do worse... I think she looked like a talent that would have done well with a bit of training!

So now since it's been a while, does anyone know if the NY AC club had an upswing in new members joining? I hope so.

It's far from the best fencing I've ever seen (and he absolutely did not look like an épéeist!) but it was publicity for our sport. Yay!

[cfaustus]

It was pretty poor, but it was a good advertisement. It wasn't presented as easy, pathetic, or upper-class. And even if it only attracts 10 people, that's 10 more for our sport.

First off, sorry Mr. Biggs, I am not picking on you, simply using your words as the foil for my following observation.

I find it interesting that posts previous to this seemed to intimate that fencing is beyond the understanding of the general American audience. In fact some of the posts seemed to have a tone of being proud of that fact. One even made a class reference to the 'redneck' response.Yet, here we are concerned that it isn't shown as 'upper-class'. Even if we strip away the bourgeois idea of a class system based upon wealth, there is definitely an elitist air which many fencers hold. It seems to me that the fencing community may be a bit schizophrenic. On one hand we want the sport to be more attractive to the masses with lights, buzzers, space helmets, colored uniforms and dumbed down timings so that 'even the refs can understand what happened', and on the other hand we have people who seem to enjoy the fact that fencing is not something which can be understood by all.

So which is it going to be?

Perhaps there is a middle-of-the-road approach that is not hypocritical. Any suggestions?

[archon]

What network(abc,cbs) airs the Bachelor?

[JackOfHearts]

Perhaps that is merely over-analyzing the situation. The american audience (such as it is) is capable of understanding fencing. Just as they are capable of understanding football, baseball, tennis, curling... wait... I don't understand curling. Hrm....

Anyways, I'm not familiar with ALL the terminology in every sport there is. Yet I can get the general idea of it. Fencing is the same. As long as people can understand the general idea of the sport, they'll watch it. Once they're hooked, they'll start to pick up the lingo, memorize statistics, and maybe even try to get into it themselves. How many kids have aspired to the NBA? I do believe there were a couple that were recruited right out of highschool (Though for the life of me I can't remember names). As long as people are into fencing, and get more people into the sport, then it'll grow, perhaps even get some TV coverage somewhere down the line. Fencing is a fine sport as it is now. Changes are inevitable, they will happen. But it isn't neccesary to "dumb it down" in order to gain viewership.

[Epee_Pox]

Perhaps there is a middle-of-the-road approach that is not hypocritical. Any suggestions?

Simulated lightsabers and full-body LCD lames that light up when and where they are hit. In-your-face production values like a combination of pro football and pro wrestling. Cheerleaders. Full lockout so only one touch ever registers. Fifteen camera angles at three speeds. Powerful running commentary. Broader, stiffer sabre blades with only the leading edge conducting. Penalty shots. A 2-point conversion in epee. Point progression based on the difficulty of the shot. No shrieking allowed, but bellows and roars encouraged. Steroids railed against in public but encouraged behind closed doors. Cheerleaders. League-produced television broadcasts to run on USA and Paramount networks on Saturday afternoons a la American Gladiator. Massive college scholarships from wealthy fencing alumni. Two words: sports book. Colorful uniforms. Ad opportunities on every free surface. Did I mention the cheerleaders?

[Durando]

Penalty shots.

Genius.

...........

[Aeric]

Props to Zilverzmurfen for bringing up a thread from mid April, and no one in the last few posts looked at the date. =)

I'm not exactly sure why...