Funny things happen at the tournament

[RedsectorA]

Oh that story is a "Peach" ..pun intended!

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Joel

"The more we think we know about, the greater the unknown!"

[Mergs]

HA! and they laughed at me when I suggested fixing a mask bib with duct tape! Use the Force!

[Cutter]

Oh my Delia, I wish I had seen that one. hehehehehe. I had my gym shorts slide down during a lesson once but caught them before too much was exposed. Can't imagine losing my drawers during competition. But, just one more valuable use for duct tape I believe we are now up to 2,462 uses.

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Cutter
"It's just a flesh wound."

[Purple Fencer]

Oh, Peach, that's just TOO funny! GAD I wish I'd been there!

Closest thing to happen around me was my first Pacific Coast sectionals in '97. We were fencing the Redlands Fencing Center for the 16th place spot in team Epee, and the honor of getting our butts handed to us by No Fear from San Diego (we won, and DID get our butts handed to us, but it was fun, nonetheless).

On of the guys on the Redlands team was using borrowed knickers, and they kept falling. He ended up making a belt & suspenders outta duct tape! At the same time, my velcro closure would keep opening when I lunged. I ended up with about three large safety pins holding it closed. A teammate had twio of them. I promptly went to a zipper closure after that.

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Sam Signorelli -- Boldly going forward...'cause I can't find reverse!

[swordsen]

foolish tournament moments. Gads, there are so many.....
One of the best (or worst) occured at a small event in South Carolina a few years back. I have a bad habit of hitting myself in the mask with my blade when I do something stupid. And this one DE bout I was doing nothing but stupid. the break came at three minutes and I took my mask off, turned around and proceeded to smack myself across the forehead with my epee. Let us discuss pain. I am standing there trying not to scream and feeling sweat running down my face and wondering if it is now blood. Luckily it wasn't and I replaced my mask and finished getting annihilated. It would hve been real embarasing to have to withdraw becasue I had cut my head open.
Surprisingly enough, I don't think anyone noticed that I did it.

[This message has been edited by swordsen (edited 06-26-2001).]

[Cutter]

Swordsen, yet another funny moment. Wish I could have seen the expression on your face when blade met flesh.

I also have a bad habit - smacking the floor with my blade when I do something dumb. This time, my leg was in the wrong place and I smacked myself really hard on the ankle. There I was hopping around on the strip cursing myself for dumbness and then further dumbness for smacking myself. By the way, I did draw blood.


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Cutter
"It's just a flesh wound."

[Fleche]

Zelda - it was a B grade comp in Sydney, late last year. I think some A graders were there as well, although they weren't supposed to be . . .

Fleche

[Purple Fencer]

Somebody, please stop the thread! Peach and Swordsen's stories made me laugh until my sides hurt!

The most fun thread in weeks!

Swordsen...I hope the bruises have healed by now!

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Sam Signorelli -- Boldly going forward...'cause I can't find reverse!

[Shadow Fencer]

I agree with you Purple...Peach, Swordsen and Cutter have me rolling!!!

A fencing buddy of mine at a tournament earlier this month...his pants ripped on during a lunge and he was wearing dark blue underware.... and my hubby was videotaping his bout and it's captured for all to see!

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I live to fence and fence to live!!

[Peach]

Oh, dear, Swordsen and Cutter made me nearly spit a mouthful of carrot all over my monitor.

I guess I'd better stop smacking myself in the mask when I do something stupid. . .

[Cutter]

Just to let everyone know, I still smack the floor, I just make sure no body parts are in the way first.

Peach, I told some people your story the other night and they were rolling.

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Cutter
"It's just a flesh wound."

[This message has been edited by Cutter (edited 06-26-2001).]

[Pinky]

I am glad others have moments on the strip that are.....tense, to say the least.
2 episodes stand out in my mind:
Middle of DE bout with a D foil fencer in mixed foil. I am unrated and frantically defending myself. I tried to retreat too fast, got my backside in back of my feet and landed plop! right on my butt. I just sat there, so embarrassed I determined I would never remove my mask. The kind director helped me up, asked if I was okay and ready to restart. I finished the bout but my backside was bruised and sore for days. I guess I was "whupped" in that DE bout in more ways that one.
Second memory...another DE bout. I am way behind, frustrated and furious, fencing a lefty and getting nowhere. To make it worse, I had just had a lesson on leftys and where to attack, but durn, if my opponent was not throwing herself onto my foil.
Last point, 14-8, and I decide, what the heck, I'll try a fleche. I fleche to the right, she moves to her left, and we collide. She is bigger than I am but she goes down like a rock..starts crying, etc. I just stand there like a dufus. I should of apologized, helped her up, begged the director not to red card me. But I was so angry I just stood there, watching her. The director then looks at me and states, "that was totally unneccessary, you used uncalled for force, you get a red card and you are lucky I don't black card you for that little show". I was, like, "WHAT?" Sometimes fencers collide and a right and left fencer have more of a chance than others, so this was not that big of a deal. But, because I didn't demonstrate an appropriate level of dismay, concern, and remorse, I was the talk of the tournament, about me "knocking some poor little girl down". That taught me a lesson, several, in fact...don't get angry and frustrated, or if you do, overcome it....and ALWAYS help your opponent up and demonstrate the appropriate level of concern, even if you feel like skewering the person as they lie there on the floor instead, because you will get a bad rep for 'unsportsman like behavior', which is the direct opposite, for me, of what fencing is about. I love the formality, the rules, the ettiquette. That is the ultimate disgrace...to be a bad sport.

[MHS Fencer]

At the Junior JO's (yeah, it seems redundant) I was fencing against Ben Solomon (fairly high ranked epeeist) and I was holding my own, the score was something like 10-8, his lead, and I had had some success with the toe touch. I decide to go for the toe again, except as I started to go down my left leg collided with my right and I flung myself forward superman style. As I was falling (director's call) he managed to hit me on the back. I had previously received a yellow card for a broken body cord (which is why I had been knocked into repechage - I hadn't noticed that it was broken because it didn't work only when stretched) and thus I received a red card. Now, after putting on this display of idiocy (falling flat on my face) I proceeded to spend the next minute or two appealing the awarding of two points by contending that he hit me after I was on the ground and the halt was called and thus that the touch shouldn't be allowed. Needless to say I went on to lose the bout (couldn't regain my composure, although it was only 15-12, if I had gotten the toe touch it woulda been tied 13-13, but coulda woulda shoulda, it wasn't.)BTW, he ended up taking 3rd, so I can't feel too badly about losing.

At this years North Atlantic Senior Men's Epee championships one person in my pool (can't remember his name) was retreating and did a back flip on the strip, I was impressed, the director wasn't, and the fencer got a yellow card.

Ah well, I found them funny
-Ian

[Chris]

Originally posted by MHS Fencer:
At this years North Atlantic Senior Men's Epee championships one person in my pool (can't remember his name) was retreating and did a back flip on the strip, I was impressed, the director wasn't, and the fencer got a yellow card.

Ah well, I found them funny
-Ian

When I was in college, our team was fencing the Penn State Team; (I was fencing foil) their foil squad was pretty good, but so was ours, and I was trying hard to play a tight distance game; several times, I was able to pull one of them into a long attack, (easy enough) and let them close in so I could just barely reach the edge of there lamé with a counter thrust (no flicking here!); naturally, with the priority of their attack, they would go for their final thrust, and yet, (here's the tricky part) I would then retreat, out of distance, thus avoiding their point; Of course, by trying so hard, it was easy to trip over my own feet, and several times, I did this, falling into backwards body roll, and popping back up onto my feet; only once becoming tangled in the cord. Everyone thought it was funny; especially me, having the last laugh, as I would get the touch!

(This was before they strengthened the language of the rules and enforcement).

It occurs to me now, that, these were, perhaps, unfairly earned, as in the act of falling backwards, I am able to pull the target AWAY from the opponent, and (more importantly) his thrusting blade, far more quickly than if I was remaining on my feet.

Of course, the wording of the subject rule uses words dangerous, and loss of control, and there's no reason to beleive such a move can't be executed WITH control, and, as you are moving AWAY from your opponent, there's not much danger to them from the move; Of course, it could be argued that you ARE at least exposing the back to your opponent!

Fencing = Fun!

Chris

[Peach]

Here is proof that duct tape can hold ANYthing together (aside from ducts, of course):
http://www.dmturner.org/Pictures/ducttape.jpg

[Peach]

Even better - http://www.dmturner.org/Pictures/ducttape2.jpg

[Shadow Fencer]

Peach-the photos were great. Don't know what made me laugh more... the duct tape or your facial expression!!!

After reading your post, I discovered that the zipper on my knickers does the same thing.... the top of the knickers are fastened by velcro but the zipper easily slides open.... guess it's the design of the knickers!! Can be embarrasing, but I can feel the zipper slide open... oh well, should be interesting for me tomorrow as I have a lesson....either my coach will say something.... or nothing!!!!



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I live to fence and fence to live!!

[Peach]

Good luck! I recommend safety pins (duct tape gums up the washer). It's nice to hear somebody else has random problems with the zipper--I swear, I LOST weight, not gained it (though I think my shape has gradually changed due to age). I bought a new pair in Sacramento and made sure the waistband was really loose this time.

What was amusing is that I got these pictures from two different sources--one nice lady handed me a print in Sacramento, the other mailed a photo to me. Everybody obviously thought the occasion warranted documentation.