Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

El Chucko · 10-01-2006, 04:52 AM

I was at a tournament today hosted at a small college, and I overheard a conversation that I thought was pretty funny.

It began with a young college student, who had recently discovered a love for fencing, and had invited her family to see what her new hobby was all about. It was the sort of thing that I have seen a few times before, having learned to fence at college, myself.

She excitedly told her Mom, Dad, Brothers and Grandmother of the other tournaments she had been to, how her team had come in second, how this fencer was good, that fencer was dishonest, etc. Her family politely listened and nodded and smiled faintly. Then, her attention drawn elsewhere, she scurried off.

Once she was out of earshot, I am pretty sure it was her brother that asked, "Is this exciting, or what?"
"WHAT!" decided Grandma.
"I've seen BOWLING matches that were more exciting than this!" her father added.

I grinned to myself as I continued to work on the epee I was attending to.

Folks, you can add lights in the masks and visors and wireless scoring rigs and change the rules 100 times but fencing just is not a spectator sport!

LUDICROUS · 10-01-2006, 05:13 AM

I agree. As exciting as the World Champs sabre final (mens indiv) last year was, to the non fencing masses its just two guys running up and down screaming

.

Phaeton · 10-01-2006, 06:11 AM

I don't know. I think epee has more spectator appeal. Sabre is too fast.

lone-woodwose · 10-01-2006, 07:50 AM

i agree with Phaeton.
my girlfriend can only follow epee. she thinks sabre and foil look cool but get boring.

Peach · 10-01-2006, 08:36 AM

I've had the reverse experience. When I am with non-fencers watching it live or on television, they find it very exciting--though usually after I explain just a little bit. But then, I'm a teacher so maybe it's easier for me to make it exciting for them.

lindajdunn · 10-01-2006, 08:41 AM

I've had the same experience as Peach except I'm not a teacher.

OTOH, I'm a computer specialist so I have a great deal of experience translating tech talk into layman's language.

***Craig*** · 10-01-2006, 08:42 AM

Of course he'll find bowling more exciting if he's a bowler.

Also - bad, boring fencing is ... bad to watch.

Good fencing is...good to watch.

I need to make hot-keys for the stock responses to the "not spectator friendly" threads...

Craig

Gav · 10-01-2006, 09:27 AM

Quote:

I need to make hot-keys for the stock responses to the "not spectator friendly" threads...

So do I. It's clear to me that, whenever I see these comments being posted, that those making the comments (or passing them on) have not really thought this through. There is no doubt in my mind that top level fencing is a dream to watch. Even "The Widow" grudgingly admitted to liking the fencing from the last olympics.
In any case if you watch low-level sport, of any kind, it is very often awful. That even includes the so-called popular sports.

IHateMrPotatohead · 10-01-2006, 09:37 AM

Golf is a pretty popular sport. It's terribly boring though. If that can get a fair amount of tv time, so can fencing.

jeff · 10-01-2006, 10:22 AM

I just got an e-mail from a friend mentioning that Scrabble was getting air time on ESPN, so I don't think "fencing is less boring than other sports" is the reason it's not mass-market. Ditto with golf - it's like watching paint dry!

Tomas N · 10-01-2006, 10:23 AM

One thing we need to do better (or at least I need to do better) is to highlight the "good bouts" in these smaller tournaments much more. For instance, yesterday we ran an open foil tournament in the morning and open epee in the afternoon. Like usual, by the time open epee got started, we were in the final two rounds of the foil. About 15 minutes or so into the epee pools, the foil final started. I thought about stopping all the epee pools (after the current bout was over) and having everyone watch the foil final. That would have given the final bout (which was quite good) the kind of excitement and attention it deserved. But instead, I decided to keep things moving along and didn't stop the pools. So we should probably have a thread on how to organize tournaments in a way that highlights the exciting and hides the boring. Even Dad and grandma would have liked the finals yesterday if we could have gotten them there at the right time.

Tomas

Zasha · 10-01-2006, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IHateMrPotatohead

Golf is a pretty popular sport. It's terribly boring though. If that can get a fair amount of tv time, so can fencing.

i don't think senior citizens would be so keen to watch fencing on tv.

Peach · 10-01-2006, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zasha

i don't think senior citizens would be so keen to watch fencing on tv.

Senior citizens aren't a big target for commercials. If it's on TV, it has a substantial percentage of younger viewers. That's the rule for most things besides news programs, on which you will notice a high percentage of the ads are for laxatives

Zilverzmurfen · 10-01-2006, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IHateMrPotatohead

Golf is a pretty popular sport. It's terribly boring though.

As is tennis. Yawn.

mrbiggs · 10-01-2006, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chucko

I was at a tournament today hosted at a small college, and I overheard a conversation that I thought was pretty funny.

It began with a young college student, who had recently discovered a love for fencing, and had invited her family to see what her new hobby was all about. It was the sort of thing that I have seen a few times before, having learned to fence at college, myself.

She excitedly told her Mom, Dad, Brothers and Grandmother of the other tournaments she had been to, how her team had come in second, how this fencer was good, that fencer was dishonest, etc. Her family politely listened and nodded and smiled faintly. Then, her attention drawn elsewhere, she scurried off.

Once she was out of earshot, I am pretty sure it was her brother that asked, "Is this exciting, or what?"
"WHAT!" decided Grandma.
"I've seen BOWLING matches that were more exciting than this!" her father added.

I grinned to myself as I continued to work on the epee I was attending to.

Folks, you can add lights in the masks and visors and wireless scoring rigs and change the rules 100 times but fencing just is not a spectator sport!

In their defense, low level women's epee is certainly the most painful fencing to watch. I can't stand most of those bouts either...

Inquartata · 10-01-2006, 01:08 PM

Rivaled only by low-level women's foil...and sometimes mid-level women's foil.

Anyway, Gav may think it's a foregone conclusion that everyone can find fencing exciting to watch, but I think he's fooling himself, and so are the nonfencing friends that tell him so. Gav, they don't want to hurt your feelings, or they are vicariously caught up in YOUR excitement.

I guess the two sides will never agree that the other has any validity whatsoever, but I'm squarely in the "never make it as a spectator sport" camp.

Sciurus-Rex · 10-01-2006, 01:19 PM

I find that it's ME that people find interesting and exciting to watch, fencing or not.

Inquartata · 10-01-2006, 01:22 PM

Pfft! We are all imitating your avatar right now!

BrianH · 10-01-2006, 01:23 PM

I have been competing in fencing since 1980, and have never cared one way or another about our sport being on television. I love fencing, I love practicing, I love competing, I love teaching. If others would prefer to watch scrabble or golf or poker on TV, that's just fine with me. I don't need their interest or approval to validate my enjoyment.

Gav · 10-01-2006, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inquartata

Anyway, Gav may think it's a foregone conclusion that everyone can find fencing exciting to watch, but I think he's fooling himself, and so are the nonfencing friends that tell him so. Gav, they don't want to hurt your feelings, or they are vicariously caught up in YOUR excitement.

I guess the two sides will never agree that the other has any validity whatsoever, but I'm squarely in the "never make it as a spectator sport" camp.

My Emphasis,

You just couldn't help yourself could you Inq'?

Bolded stuff:

That is actually NOT what I think so don't bother putting the words into my mouth. In fact I think that given the correct conditions fencing could have the same attractiveness as most sports of the same ilk - and I think the closest mass audience is Tennis.

Underlined stuff:

This may be true - but that would make me a good communicator and commentator if true. A lot of popular sports which I consider dull as dishwater can be made bearable by a good commentator who draws you into the action; a good example would be F1 commentated by Murray Walker.

And as for your assertion for "non fencing friends fooling themselves" I just shrug. If you like the idea of more people enjoying the sport you do then you have to make the effort. I've made previous statements about this before and see no reason to repeat myself again. Not everyone that I've have given good reviews of fencing has actually been a friend...