Pomme de Terre review

[Peach]

As you may notice, I mostly post reviews of tournaments when I like them

The Pomme was, as usual, a blast. However, some of that blast could be described as furnace-blast--it was atrociously, unforgivingly, searingly hot. The hallways outside the gym and the bathrooms were nice and chilly, but the gym was just plain horrible.

That said, as usual it was a well-run, friendly, pleasant experience. The bout committee was exceedingly well organized. I didn't have to wait in line for the armorer. There were two vendors - Blue Gauntlet and Zivkovic. Proprintwear was there with a wide variety of T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Phil Daly of Proprintwear brought a sample of the USA logo that he will be able to embroider on pants legs at Summer Nationals (he's bringing the machine). The Brandeis team, as usual, was selling hot dogs, pizza & other food. The T-shirt was nice, though I admit that I'm not fond of the cartoony motifs of the last couple of years.

There were plenty of referees, many of them top referees and most of them exceedingly well qualified, and the finals were done on modular strips with a backdrop in front of the bleachers so that a large audience could be accommodated--the perennial problem of the off-limits basketball court seemed to have been solved by some kind of overlay.

The seeding, pools, and DEs were posted in LARGE PRINT (hallelujah) in multiple places.

For those who are curious, I finished about the same distance from the end in both the open women's epee and the open women's sabre events--it was just different ends. Daria Schneider pulled off the gold in the women's sabre after being behind for most of the bout. As usual, the prizes were potato-related! The teenagers tied for third were trying to figure out what the heck to do with potato peelers, and I offered to take them off their hands, but they declined the offer.

I stayed at the Home Suites again. If anyone is planning on doing the Pomme de Terre next year, I really recommend that place. They have a free breakfast, a clean pool, free newspapers, and I'm typing this on a free computer in the breakfast lounge. Also, I ate tapas at the Solea in downtown Waltham (Moody Street) and it was wonderful. The Tom Can Cook restaurant tonight wasn't as good, but it was pleasant, and I recommend Lizzy's for ice cream.

[mrbiggs]

Anyone know when the results will be posted?

[MyrddinsPrecint]

it worked well for me........

but, yeah, saturday i was very very very close to some sort of heatstroke kind of thing, and for the first time, took my 10 minutes and specifically held up everything for it...

today was better, because i was fencing epee.

but this has always been my favorite tournament.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

The heat was just unbearable....I don't think the tournament was any better or worse run than years before...but the heat...wow. Obviously it being Pomme it was a great tournament with good fencing, good reffing (minus a few who royaly screwed some great fencers), and a good BC. The food from Brandeis was decently priced ( one complaint, I bought two bananas, opened em, and as MP can assert to, they were completely brown, I asked for my $1.50 back, and they said no....because I picked out the bananas [even though they did]), and they had pizza today which was nice.

[telkanuru]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

Anyone know when the results will be posted?

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

done and done.

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by telkanuru

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

done and done.

Thanks a bundle!

[parrythis]

Originally Posted by telkanuru

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

done and done.

Kudos to the person that got the fully detailed results posted by the day after the event.

[Basquet]

Does anyone know where to find last year's (2004) Pomme de Terre results? They don't seem to be in the archives on the NEUSFA site...or anywhere else...

[mackillian]

I had a great time despite the murderous heat. The gym really seemed like a greenhouse. I learned a lot and didn't come in last.

here's the pics I managed to get while I was there.

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by parrythis

Kudos to the person that got the fully detailed results posted by the day after the event.

that's pretty standard in the New England Division. It can change depending on who's hosting the tournament, but only once or twice has it taken as much as a week.........

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by mackillian

I had a great time despite the murderous heat. The gym really seemed like a greenhouse. I learned a lot and didn't come in last.

here's the pics I managed to get while I was there.

pictures of MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

???


who ARE you?

[mackillian]

Yeah, I took pictures of whatever I could while I wandered around after I was eliminated from my events and tried to get whatever stuff on the finals stips that I could.

I'm a fencer with Seacoast Fencing Club who happens to also love taking pictures of fencing...um, my name is Jamie Taylor. My interests are...just kidding.

It presents sort of a bind, because while I want to actually fence, I ALSO want to take pics of the awesome fencing, of which there were LOADS.

And I have no idea who you are either!


edited to say I also have no idea who anyone else is either. I'm awfully shy at first and usually don't introduce myself unless asked.

[telkanuru]

Well, I was running the DEs for the MFO on Sunday, so if you saw a haggard looking guy in a red shirt running around shouting "My kingdom for foil referees" because they were all in the break room where they couldn't hear the announcements, that was me I did bump into Mr. Dote and some others, but I didn't introduce myself because I felt saying "Hi, I'm Telkanuru" is both odd and creepy.

The tournament was run really well, although there were one or two "WTF why is epee not on grounded strips" moments. It's really more of a thing where people hang out and fence and have fun, rather than a high-stress tournament, which is nice right before Nationals, I guess. That's not to say the competition is less intense, just that the people are in general more laid back.

The reffing was pretty good, although my epee ref in the team comp called a floor touch foot and a foot touch floor, but I guess that balances out. I did see one MST bout that can only be defined as one team being screwed with their pants on, but that ref should never have touched any bout, nevermind one with a team he did not like.

I really liked the finals-strip setup, but that was nothing new as far as I remember. The copper strips were actually laid properly, which was awsome after ~4 college events where they were definitely not.

The MEO final bout was an awsome thing to watch, even if it was a bit one sided.

For accomodations... um, my house was nice? I have AC, unlike the venue

[MyrddinsPrecint]

Originally Posted by telkanuru

Well, I was running the DEs for the MFO on Sunday, so if you saw a haggard looking guy in a red shirt running around shouting "My kingdom for foil referees" because they were all in the break room where they couldn't hear the announcements, that was me I did bump into Mr. Dote and some others, but I didn't introduce myself because I felt saying "Hi, I'm Telkanuru" is both odd and creepy.

...........................

For accomodations... um, my house was nice? I have AC, unlike the venue

no, you just seem odd and creepy. i look cute when i say "hi! i'm MP."

your house has nice showers???

(oooooooh. big scandal. i was NAKED in telk's house!!)

[fencerontheline]

Originally Posted by telkanuru

I did bump into Mr. Dote and some others, but I didn't introduce myself because I felt saying "Hi, I'm Telkanuru" is both odd and creepy.

Aha, I knew you were either a fencing.net person or one of many members of my fanclub/ one of the people that stalk me cuz I'm beautiful.....

[mrbiggs]

Originally Posted by telkanuru

I didn't introduce myself because I felt saying "Hi, I'm Telkanuru" is both odd and creepy.

Yeah, I have to introduce myself as "hi, I'm mrbiggs." I don't think there is anything on EARTH more awkward. I'ma get a new screenname when I can think of a good one.

Mr. Biggs.

Not good.

[glowstix]

Originally Posted by mackillian

I had a great time despite the murderous heat. The gym really seemed like a greenhouse. I learned a lot and didn't come in last.

here's the pics I managed to get while I was there.

oooowww..awesome pics!!

[Lev]

I took a few photos on saturday after being kicked out early
Only posted some of the winners, more to come:

http://www.libertybase.com/phpn/modules/Gallery/PDT2005

Lev

[telkanuru]

Originally Posted by Lev

I took a few photos on saturday after being kicked out early
Only posted some of the winners, more to come:

http://www.libertybase.com/phpn/modules/Gallery/PDT2005

Lev

Did you get a picture of the elbow to the face?

[Lev]

No, wasn't there at the time. Saw only last couple of touches. What happened?