08-18-2005, 07:34 PM
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#1 | | Just Joined
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rome, GA
Posts: 13
| Hello fencers!
After way too many years (30+) of being a couch potato, I decided to return to fencing and drag my son along, too. I fenced foil for 3 years in college and then couldn't find anyone to fence with until recently. There's a good fencing club in town and though they specialize in epee, I thought I'd give it a shot. So far, so good.
General comment: Man, have things changed in 30 years!!! In college, women only fenced foil--now, all three weapons and even bringing home (USA) medals in saber. (You go, girl!!!) Electric saber--who'd thought it possible? (I always enjoyed the dramatics of saber fencers trying to convince the judges of a touch.) And, epeeists now fencing like foilists but with bigger blades. Got a lot of catching up to do.
Anyway, glad to be here and hope to see some of you on the strip. If so, please take it easy on the "old man". 
(Lefties rule!!!) | 
|  | | And now for this message... |
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08-18-2005, 10:17 PM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Michigan
Posts: 165
| Oh no, not another lefty!  Welcome back to the sport, GrayGhost! I hope it's all coming back to you after 30 years. The great thing about fencing is that a good parry can beat youthful energy all the time. Experience trumps age. Welcome to the board | |
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08-19-2005, 01:07 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada
Posts: 205
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by GrayGhost (Lefties rule!!!) | Hello and welcome! I'm sure you'll adjust fine into epee
Yeah, you said it! Lefties rule!!
__________________
"I don’t have a choice, I’m a puppet. The Universe sticks its hand up my butt. If I don’t dance, people get hurt."
--Jaye Tyler (Wonderfalls)
International Left-Handers Day -- August 13th | |
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08-19-2005, 11:51 AM
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#4 | | Epee fencing addict
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Glenwood, ny
Posts: 2,326
| Welcome, and don't let the 30+ years of couch potatodom slow you down. I am in my 50s and two years ago I made fencing the cornerstone of my fitness program. Now, I may be in the best shape of my life. Epee rocks! It's my favorite weapon.
__________________
One test is worth a thousand opinions.
I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was. - Toby Keith
Living life without taking the occasional risk is like lemon-pepper chicken without the lemon-peper. It's just chicken. | |
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08-20-2005, 12:40 AM
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#5 | | Just Joined
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rome, GA
Posts: 13
| Hi All!
Thanks for the welcome.
Yep, while epee is cool (my college coach let us fence a secondary weapon in novice tournaments if we were seniors--I tried epee), I've got a few "foilisms" to unlearn: no more right of way & "off target" doesn't exist. Also, there is a lot more emphasis on getting the touch and not worrying about getting hit in return as long as you beat the other guy/gal by 1/25 sec.
BTW: When did they change the rule about the number of touches in a bout? When I last fenced (1971), it was 5 touches/4 minutes. Or was that just a NCAA rule and the AFLA (USFA)/FIE always used 15 touches/9 minutes?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing if I can hold my own.
later,
GrayGhost
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Lefties rule!!! | |
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08-20-2005, 09:58 AM
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#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Florida
Posts: 431
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by GrayGhost Hi All!
Thanks for the welcome.
BTW: When did they change the rule about the number of touches in a bout? When I last fenced (1971), it was 5 touches/4 minutes. Or was that just a NCAA rule and the AFLA (USFA)/FIE always used 15 touches/9 minutes?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing if I can hold my own.
later,
GrayGhost | Direct elimination bouts are still 15 in 9 mins. (actually 15 in 3 3min. periods) Pools bouts are to 5 still.
welcome back to the sport
if you think sabre and epee have changed wait til you see foil it changes every year now.
__________________
The Epeeman, the Epeeman, in frayed and tattered gear
Can lick his weight in wildcats and can drink his weight in beer
And for the foil and sabreman he hasn't any fear
For he's a late edition of the dashing Musketeer.
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08-20-2005, 06:19 PM
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#7 | | Just Joined
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rome, GA
Posts: 13
| Thanks for the info.
Don't get me started on changes in foil!!! I read recently that the FIE is talking about making the weapon arm a valid target in foil. Is that true? If so, then (1) added expense for the poor foil fencer--new lame that covers the arm and (2) it starts looking more and more like epee.
I always liked the rationale I was taught about how we arrived at the different targets for each weapon: - Foil: "Duel to the death"--go for the vital organs, hence the body trunk.
- Epee: "Duel for honor"--first blood, hence the whole body.
- Saber: "Fencing on horseback"--hurt the enemy, not the horse, hence everything above the waist.
Why can't they just leave things alone? Some change is necessary for the good of the sport (I like women fencing all 3 weapons and I think I can get use to "sport" fencing vs "classical"), but some things just don't make sense.
Sorry for getting on my soapbox.
later,
GrayGhost
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Lefties rule!!! | |
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09-03-2005, 02:12 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oregon, USA
Posts: 1,373
| GrayGhost,
Welcome back to fencing! I hope you enjoy the sport the rest of your life and adapt quickly to the rules changes. And don't worry, you're far from the oldest poster on the forum...you'll meet a curmudgeon named Inquartata who is at least twice your age, and still burning up the sabre strips (without crossing over).
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And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
~Hamlet
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09-05-2005, 03:46 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: GREECE/Piraeus
Posts: 1,310
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by GrayGhost After way too many years (30+) of being a couch potato, I decided to return to fencing and drag my son along, too. I fenced foil for 3 years in college and then couldn't find anyone to fence with until recently. There's a good fencing club in town and though they specialize in epee, I thought I'd give it a shot. So far, so good.
General comment: Man, have things changed in 30 years!!! In college, women only fenced foil--now, all three weapons and even bringing home (USA) medals in saber. (You go, girl!!!) Electric saber--who'd thought it possible? (I always enjoyed the dramatics of saber fencers trying to convince the judges of a touch.) And, epeeists now fencing like foilists but with bigger blades. Got a lot of catching up to do.
Anyway, glad to be here and hope to see some of you on the strip. If so, please take it easy on the "old man".
(Lefties rule!!!) | Hello Gray Ghost. Wellcome to the forum and have fun!!!
__________________
The purpose of tactic is to conquer the enemy with proper war movements and actions.
-Tactics of Emperor Leon 6th the Wise
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09-07-2005, 10:47 PM
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#10 | | Boom!
Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada
Posts: 5,925
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by GrayGhost Thanks for the info.
Don't get me started on changes in foil!!! I read recently that the FIE is talking about making the weapon arm a valid target in foil. Is that true? If so, then (1) added expense for the poor foil fencer--new lame that covers the arm and (2) it starts looking more and more like epee.
I always liked the rationale I was taught about how we arrived at the different targets for each weapon: - Foil: "Duel to the death"--go for the vital organs, hence the body trunk.
- Epee: "Duel for honor"--first blood, hence the whole body.
- Saber: "Fencing on horseback"--hurt the enemy, not the horse, hence everything above the waist.
Why can't they just leave things alone? Some change is necessary for the good of the sport (I like women fencing all 3 weapons and I think I can get use to "sport" fencing vs "classical"), but some things just don't make sense.
Sorry for getting on my soapbox.
later,
GrayGhost | Nothing wrong with the soapbox - lots of people here use it.
Welcome to the forum!
__________________
Pound for pound, the amoeba is the most vicious animal on earth. | |
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09-08-2005, 07:25 AM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mass/ct
Posts: 3,226
| Hey! welcome! Its great to meet you!!! | |
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09-08-2005, 12:35 PM
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#12 | | Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Somewhere in your nightmares!
Posts: 23,769
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Originally Posted by ThatReallyHurt Nothing wrong with the soapbox - lots of people here use it. | I prefer the high horse, myself. I get more loft that way. | |
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09-08-2005, 02:19 PM
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#13 | | Boom!
Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada
Posts: 5,925
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by Inquartata I prefer the high horse, myself. I get more loft that way. | Yes, and you leave more horse &#@( behind that way, too. 
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Pound for pound, the amoeba is the most vicious animal on earth. | |
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09-16-2005, 06:11 PM
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#14 | | Just Joined
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rome, GA
Posts: 13
| All,
Thanks for the warm welcome! ... you'll meet a curmudgeon named Inquartata who is at least twice your age, and still burning up the sabre strips (without crossing over). Without giving away too much info about my age , that would make him at least a centenarian. (There's a reason I picked GrayGhost. )
later,
GrayGhost
__________________
Lefties rule!!! | |
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09-16-2005, 09:30 PM
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#15 | | Boom!
Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada
Posts: 5,925
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by GrayGhost ... you'll meet a curmudgeon named Inquartata who is at least twice your age, and still burning up the sabre strips (without crossing over). Without giving away too much info about my age , that would make him at least a centenarian. (There's a reason I picked GrayGhost. ) | Oh, don't worry - the rule still holds.
__________________
Pound for pound, the amoeba is the most vicious animal on earth. | |
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09-18-2005, 12:53 PM
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#16 | | Curmudgeon-in-Chief
Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Somewhere in your nightmares!
Posts: 23,769
| I was born 400 years ago in the Highlands of Scotland. Or something like that. | |
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09-19-2005, 03:15 PM
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#17 | | the dark one
Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: MA/NH line
Posts: 3,825
| Quote: |
Originally Posted by Inquartata I was born 400 years ago in the Highlands of Scotland. Or something like that. | "There can be... ONLY ONE!" Thank god for that. 
Oh, and welcome.
__________________
"Let's see... take responsibility for my own life, or blame YOU? Ding ding ding ding ding! Blame you wins hands-down!" - Bowler Hat Guy, Meet the Robinsons | |
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09-19-2005, 04:11 PM
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#18 | | Épéeist Hive Queen
Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Sweden
Posts: 12,778
| Yay, another leftie! Welcome back to the sport!
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Fencing is my only PvP. | |
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09-19-2005, 11:05 PM
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#19 | | Member
Join Date: May 2005 Location: Philippines
Posts: 49
| At your age, I think you have enough experience in this sport and just a liitle training I'm sure you're abilities will come back soon..
Welcome back
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~ Play not because you have to but because you want to.
--)------------ Zhi
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09-20-2005, 11:29 PM
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#20 | | Just Joined
Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rome, GA
Posts: 13
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Originally Posted by Zhi At your age, I think you have enough experience in this sport and just a liitle training I'm sure you're abilities will come back soon..
Welcome back | Abilities--I sure hope so. However, I not sure about these old legs.
I have decided to enter a local E/Under tournament in about 2 weeks. Don't be surprised if afterwards you hear me say I'm only fencing "for the exercise" (IOW--I got decimated!).
later,
GrayGhost
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Lefties rule!!! | |
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