"A fencer is actually just a collection of educated reflexes….
Anyone can be a fencer if he has average intelligence and build - as long as he is willing to learn and to work hard."
Until he met his wife, Ruth Elizabeth, in 1933, Schmitter was mostly employed as a musician for various bands. He married Ruth in 1938 and realized he couldn't keep traveling to fencing meets and support a familyas well. Schmitter was then working at Ditzler Color Company in Detroit as a lab technician. He offered to help coach MSU's fencing team on a part time basis and ended up coaching two nights a week through the five month season for both 1938-39 and 1939-40.
MSU offered Schmitter a position as full-time coach in September of 1940. He was offered $1,800 a year to coach the MSU Fencing Team full time. "That was a raise of $100 a year over what I was making at Ditzler and I only had to work 10 months a year," Schmitter grinned. "I don't mind paid vacations anymore than anyone else--I took the job!"
Shortly after getting the job at MSU Schmitter realized that his fencing technique was not as solid as he would like it to be. "I could win with what I was doing but it wasn't really a teachable style. I realized that I needed to improve my own technique if I was going to continue teaching." Shortly after that Schmitter began studying with Maestro Giorgio Santelli. "He helped me with my form and taught me a teachable style of fencing," Schmitter said. "He did it as a "professional courtesy, can you imagine that? We became very close friends. He was a good man."
Although he did not hold the required degree in Physical Education, his abilities in many sports including tennis, badminton, handball and boxing, qualified him for the position which included teaching Health and Physical Education classes. While teaching and coaching, Schmitter completed his bachelor degree in HPR in 1951. "If I were applying for that job now without a diploma, I'd never be accepted," he said. "I was just lucky then because I'd done other things besides teaching myself to fence."
Schmitter took a six month sabbatical leave from teaching and coaching at MSU in 1956 and obtained his Maestro Di Scherma (Fencing Master's Diploma) at the prestigious National Fencing Academy in Naples, Italy. For three months Master Giuseppe Mangiarotti gave Schmitter hour-long lessons six days a week. "My legs never quit aching for three months," Schmitter said with a grimace. "I was 49 when I finally earned my diploma. I don't know if I'd have gotten it that soon if it hadn't been for my wife's urging."
Schmitter returned from Italy and continued coaching and teaching at MSU. He applied for and received his diploma in 1976. Schmitter remained MSU's coach until his retirement in 1983.
When asked why he thinks he was able to excel in fencing without any early coaching, Schmitter said, "I knew enough of mechanics, geometry and physics to figure things out. Fencing is a very logical sport. A fencer is actually just a collection of educated reflexes. Your arm is attached to your head and your legs just do what they are supposed to automatically. Anyone can be a fencer if he has average intelligence and build -- as long as he is willing to learn and to work hard."
Schmitter considered hard work to be one element that was essential to his success. He also believes that it is equally important that he never stopped learning. That is reflected in his ability to speak Italian, French, Russian and German. He plays tuba in both the Mason Orchestra and the Mackinaw City Band. Though rheumatoid arthritis has slowed him down a bit in the past few years he still enjoys working with young people. "Hopefully my experiences can benefit others. I want people to come to me if they have a problem, and maybe we can work it out together. My goal in life is to do as much for as many people as I can. I don't hate anyone--not even my enemies, life's just too short for that."
Maestro Schmitter will be sorely missed.
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[ 03-18-2002: Message edited by: HilandDoug ]</p>
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