Riverside wireless epee

[carlos]

How did the Riverside epee open in NYC go?
[FRED] Riverside Epee Open
Did the wireless epee systems work? Did fencing in the round change epee tactics?

Thanks for your opinions,

Carlos

[TitanHawk]

I believe it was cancled due to rain

[nyacfencing]

Originally Posted by TitanHawk

I believe it was cancled due to rain

I didn't go to it, but I was out in Riverside Park that day and can say that it was a clear, warm, sunny and beautiful day.

I think they had an event scheduled for the week before in the Cloisters that was cancelled for rain.

[TitanHawk]

Ah yes, that would be correct. I apologize.

[Fishkillfencers]

It was a gorgeous day:

http://www.fishkillfencers.com/reo/reo.html

We had a great time. There were lots of curious spectators and parents asking where their children can learn to fence.

We fenced the semis wirelessly in the round, but by the time we got to the finals, it was just too buggy. It does change things - there are fewer halts, so time can pass quickly. As a fencer, I was a little disoriented - there are a lot more variables (there were some interesting post-fleche actions). As a spectator, I think it has a more natural flow.

We're working on rescheduling the Cloisters tournament sometime in June. Hopefully the bugs will be fixed by then.

[carlos]

Thanks. I'm glad to hear that you had good weather. And anytime lots of kids get to see the sport we have a good opportunity. I liked the picture of the spectator kids outside the bball court lunging together.

I hope the bugs can be worked out of the reel-less system for epee; it's a great idea.

[KD5MDK]

What kind of bugs did you encounter (I presume you're not referring to mesquitos and horseflies)?

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

What kind of bugs did you encounter (I presume you're not referring to mesquitos and horseflies)?

I'd guess either touches that failed to register or non-touches that didn't. :)

-B

[Fishkillfencers]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

I'd guess either touches that failed to register or non-touches that didn't.

-B

Both, actually. Plus, it didn't help that we were running out of battery power by the end of the day.

[aikiskip13]

the day was perfect weather wise as was the setting, fencing in view of the Hudson River in Riverside Park. the organizers went out of their way to try to anticipate any problems and provided complimentary water for everyone. they did a real nice job.
most of the strips were on dirt, some were partially on the grass. when the breeze picked up there was a bit of dust but it did not seem to interfere with the fencing. it might have thrown off some equipment.
it was certainly one of the most enjoyable tournaments I have been to.
the organizers are creative and looking to present fencing in a fun, attractive and interesting light.

[xenadog]

It was my second outdoor turnement, Riverside was great the dust did add another element, like wet grass can, but thats outdoor fenceing. looking forward to the next event:

[touchhog]

Have you ever been in a fencing meet, stood at the window and wondered
why you are inside with artificial light and not outside where the gorgeous
weather is?
That's when outdoor fencing kicks in... wear old sneakers, put on sunglasses
and avoid floor- (as is dust-) touches. Tips are alergic to dust.
The footwork should be a bit more careful, but lunges with sliding (in the gravel) 'extensions' are possible!
And when it comes to fencing in the round, or 'wherever', that's even
more fun - using the sun as a tactical element

Riverside was perfect especially in this regard
the weather could not have been better.

The organization was great + cool prizes! I was amazed about the additional
stuff for outdoors that needs to be taken care of: all running on batteries,
possibility of rain at any point, wind blowing the paperwork around, sun baking the electronics, marking the strips.
Sunlight makes reading he scoring boxes tough,a cold morning bout makes you think about your joints , then the sun warms everything up...

[OFFencing]

Fencing outside is great and in the round adds to the fun. Some things need to be considered; sunglasses that can fit under you mask and different shoes. Fencing shoes don't work well on grass or dirt. I use a very light pair of hiking shoes and they work great. I have fenced well enough to make it to the round where the wireless equipment was used. I really like fencing in the round. You do have to push yourself to use the roundness. If you don't think about it you just end up moving back and forth like on a normal strip.

[FearTheFerret]

Fencing outdoors was loads of fun. It was a beautiful day, and the sun (surprisingly) barely cause any problems. After i got knocked out i even managed to get a tan!

My only complaints are about the dirt, which was a bit dry and loose, causing a few slips and falls, and a few dirty tips (for future reference, toe shots outdoors are a bad idea).

As for the wireless equiptment, the first bout was a beauty to watch. Everything worked perfectly, and those who participated in it have been raving ever since. The only issue was that that bell guards did not properly ground out, but this was handled very well by the team of refs.

The other two attempts at wireless bouts were not quite as smooth. There were many phantom touches, causing a lot of stops in the action.

Altogether though, the day was well worth my time. I think everyone had fun, and the specators enjoyed themselves too (hopefully we picked up a few new recruits).

- Fear

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by FearTheFerret

for future reference, toe shots outdoors are a bad idea

Or, more accurately, failed toe shots are a bad idea. Assuming one's opponent's shoes aren't rediculously filthy, successful toe shots shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Clearly one just needs to become so phenomincally good that failure just doesn't happen any more. :)

-B

[RoninX]

Just an observation: this thread has got to be the record holder for people who created accounts just to post on one thread...

[KD5MDK]

Probably, although I'd have to (shudder) check the recall thread of DOOM to make sure.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

Probably, although I'd have to (shudder) check the recall thread of DOOM to make sure.

All though to be fair there might be a number of posters there that joined in order to participate in that thread and then continued to post elsewhere, making the count fairly difficult.

-B

[KD5MDK]

But the join date, and "view posts by" sorted by date, might clear that up, if I had all the time in the world on my hands.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by KD5MDK

But the join date, and "view posts by" sorted by date, might clear that up, if I had all the time in the world on my hands.

Good point.

-B