Columbia Fencing in today's NY Times

[Montoya]

Nice article for George K.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/sp...ts&oref=slogin

[edew]

It's not printed on the national edition. At least not in the West Coast edition. That's too bad. I can always get news and info on the March Madness or Vijay Singh beating Tiger. Those news are everywhere. But for regional news about NY fencing or some such, I'll never get it unless NYT (or whatever other national paper) prints it in the national edition. I think people will be more interested in such news than another commentary on the sweet sixteen.

[Peach]

There was an article about Dave Micahnik in the most recent Penn Alumni magazine.

[DenverFencing]

I got it here in Denver. Page C14. Even as a Penn alumni, I can still appreciate a nice Columbia Fencing article and coverage of the NCAA Fencing Championships.

[silver2e]

Didn't realize George K. choreographed stage sword fights for the Metropolitan Opera--for a decade says the article.

[sah62]

George was the coach at Huntington High School on Long Island before he started coaching at Columbia. I've never asked him, but I wonder if that was his first school coaching gig.

[Chafunkta]

I think people will be more interested in such news than another commentary on the sweet sixteen.

Wait, besides the members of this forum, who are these people?

[edew]

Just people interested in reading about something else other than what can easily be read in local papers, USA Today, other national papers (Wash Post, LA Times, WSJ, etc) and easily seen on TV (ESPN, ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox, CNN...)

[introspective]

I offer the following viewpoint as a former fencer. The sport is still seen as an outsiders sport only a few people involve themselves in. In that sence, it's like Martial Arts: it's popularity came about after WWII.

It still does not have widespread appeal. After WWII, it came to the US and started to take off; but it lost momentum in the late 1970's-early 80's. The history of Europe's role in WWII has not helped fencings' cause. Italy lost 4,000 Jews to Hitler, and hid the rest, Hungrey lost over 300,000, Germany lost a few million, France collapsed but resisted. It's not an accident that there is a relationship between the European conflict and the introduction of a European sport to the American Continent. Prior to that the USA traditionally heralded Baseball.

The reputation has changed very slightly over the past 10 or 15 years but not by much. Even in my family, where there were Italian Fencers, they see it as being for Giggalos, and 'fancy' people. Really, even in places like that where they have lots of fencing. It suffers from too many attachments to aristocricy and needs to be brought to the local levels by bringing it to local public schools.

Next generation will see more, and next after that.

[jspierre]

Didn't realize George K. choreographed stage sword fights for the Metropolitan Opera--for a decade says the article.

His father, Oscar, was the bigger name at the MET. The walls of George K's old salle in Huntington Bay was lined with autographed, framed photos of opera stars, signed to his father, Oscar.

George K is a pillar of US fencing, a throw-back to the old school, and a connection to the European cultural heart of the sport. I mean this in the best sense.

I was lucky enough to have him as my first coach, and credit him with the regard I still have for proper en guard, good footwork, respect at the salle for your coach, and how to fence smart and hard.

[introspective]

jspierre: I hope you didn't take my post in the wrong spirit. Since I am so old and since my ancestors are WWII veterans, in both europe and asia, and also hail from Foggia where fencing is very popular, there is a certain history behind things that we have to realize. But all things must pass, and any unpopular feelings associated with the sport will also fade into the past. Everyone who fenced during the war and after have had to overcome certain obstacles. But in any case, all the top fencers now and then, were repsected by other fellow fencers, and fenced well and as smart as possible, given that the 3rd Reich was hot on the heels of competitors.