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The Terran · 05-25-2007, 12:25 AM

Seems like an obvious emphatic "NO" but I was wondering; Does anyone here smoke? Do you know and fencers that smoke? My club has a picture of some dead maestro smoking a cigarette in fencing gear, so I started wondering if any of you guys smoke.

EDIT Jack Nottingham, that's the dead guys name. (Had to think about that one for a while.)

pokey · 05-25-2007, 12:30 AM

Sure, I know fencers that smoke.

I assume the inference is that smokers are not doing themselves any favors from an athletic viewpoint. Chunkier fencers (I put myself in this category) aren't either, but particularly at the recreational and non-elite level, does it really matter that much?

The Terran · 05-25-2007, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokey

Sure, I know fencers that smoke.

I assume the inference is that smokers are not doing themselves any favors from an athletic viewpoint. Chunkier fencers (I put myself in this category) aren't either, but particularly at the recreational and non-elite level, does it really matter that much?

Well, the "Obvious and emphatic NO" part was sort of a byproduct of growing up post-Reagen, where the general rule of thumb in education is "Tell kids anything that'll keep them from smoking/doingdrugs/having sex, regardless of how detrimental it is." so I'm used to knee jerk reactions about this kind of thing.

Thanks for the response.

Beloit Fencer of Old · 05-25-2007, 07:42 AM

I went to college with fencers who smoked...and not only tobacco products, either.

IHateMrPotatohead · 05-25-2007, 08:01 AM

I smoke.....quite a bit in fact.

Do I think it's good for me? No. Hoever, it's something that I'll give up when I ready to. It's not like I'm trying to make an Olympic team or anything.

jeff · 05-25-2007, 08:02 AM

Smoking non-tobacco products was actually more common in my college team than tobacco... One day, my college coach (who always had his pipe) when seeing the 1st epee fencer with a beer said something like "at least he's not smoking that marijuana" - which made all of us snicker since he was a heavy doper.

I don't know about current fencers; I assume there must be smokers still as stupid as it is. I remember Bobby Russell would sit near the window in the old Salle Santelli in NYC, chain smoking and exhaling the smoke out of the window. I don't imagine it did him any good

KShan5[PrFC] · 05-25-2007, 09:29 AM

I smoke, both cigarettes, and other smoking related products....

GypsyScot · 05-25-2007, 09:39 AM

I used to smoke, constantly, and in a previous thread I told how I smoked suring a competition, it honestly didn't have that much of an effect on my fencing, it made training and my physical fitness routine harder however.

I know of a certain Virginia based coach/ref who smokes and if it meant I could fence Epee like him, I'd pick it back up.

Also in college I knew quite a few fencers on the other teams who were very heavy in alternative smoking habits, I never risked it, my coach looked like he was going to kill me the day I walked into practice half drunk from the night before.... at 3pm.
"Rich, how much you drink, when you stop?"
"A bottle of Clan MacGregor, I stopped drinking at 2:30..... AM."
"You go get coffee, you take shower, you run 2 miles, and I think about not snapping neck."
He could be a scary guy.

fencerbill · 05-25-2007, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terran

Seems like an obvious emphatic "NO" but I was wondering; Does anyone here smoke? Do you know and fencers that smoke? My club has a picture of some dead maestro smoking a cigarette in fencing gear, so I started wondering if any of you guys smoke.

EDIT Jack Nottingham, that's the dead guys name. (Had to think about that one for a while.)

Can anyone say Ed Richards? But he was very polite and smoked in the stairwell when we roomed together as referees.

edew · 05-25-2007, 11:41 AM

Ed hasn't smoked in about 4 or 5 years. He told me, at the Hawaii Open about 4-5 years ago, that he was driving home from the fencing club one night, smoking a cigarette, made a quick cough, looked at the cigarette, threw it out the window (what a litterbug, eh?) and never smoked since.

I guess the will to do anything is within everyone of us. You just have to have the will to quit smoking to quit.

Phaeton · 05-25-2007, 11:50 AM

There are a lot of fencers, and even more officals out there that smoke, and for the most part I really don't have a problem with it at all. They seem to do alright too. I've not been around or known anyone long enough to see if these same smoking individuals end up doing well in the vet sections, but it doesn't seem to be hurting performance to much at the present and in the short term. To each their own. A few months back there was a thread discussing the prevelence of smokers in high level competition, and while a contingent definately exists I'd argue that it's less fencers smoking than being from a place where everyone smokes. Stateside, with the exception of Vegas, smoking is pretty rare compared to most places.

I do, however, find it unethical for respected individuals such as referees and coaches to smoke outside or in the vicinity of the venue if it is a scholastic event. For the most part I glady never see anyone doing it. Having a personal habit is fine, having a horde of children that look up to you seeing you do something potentially unhealthy isn't.

I have a friend with some pretty cranky asthma. Fencing at a strip by the door causes problems if the people outside are chain smoking. This can occasionally be a problem. It's probably best if people refrain from smoking in and around a venue.

the ancient one · 05-25-2007, 11:56 AM

I can remember Gregory Benko (6th place foil 1976 Olympics) at the Dallas Open. In the finals he was smoking and drinking a beer between bouts. In a round robin of 6 he was hit 3 times total by the best foil Texas could offer. That was about 1977-1979ish.

Then there was Leonid Dervbinsky winning the 1980 National Epee Championships in Portland pacing and chain smoking throughout the finals.

This is not an endorsement, of course.

LeftHanded · 05-25-2007, 12:05 PM

I know someone that fences aswell as smokes. The people here that have fenced him have figured they can wear him down by just running him up and down the strip until he is winded and slow. Then the rest is just getting the touches while he is weezing

formerfencer · 05-25-2007, 12:43 PM

I smoke cigars. It was the trade I made with myself to quit cigarettes 10 years ago. Pack a day vs. a stick every week or two...

fencerbill · 05-25-2007, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edew

Ed hasn't smoked in about 4 or 5 years. He told me, at the Hawaii Open about 4-5 years ago, that he was driving home from the fencing club one night, smoking a cigarette, made a quick cough, looked at the cigarette, threw it out the window (what a litterbug, eh?) and never smoked since.

I guess the will to do anything is within everyone of us. You just have to have the will to quit smoking to quit.

Glad to hear about Ed.

The several Sabre World Cups hosted by the New England Division 5 or more years ago were held at Peabody HS. Embarrassing the number of Europeans hanging around the front of the High School smoking in front of all the kids.

counterattack · 05-25-2007, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Terran

Seems like an obvious emphatic "NO" but I was wondering; Does anyone here smoke? Do you know and fencers that smoke? My club has a picture of some dead maestro smoking a cigarette in fencing gear, so I started wondering if any of you guys smoke.

Two of the best epee fencers in California smoke. Both are european. One of them is the national team coach.

And as far as the "outside of Vegas not many people smoke stateside" comment. Yeah. Right. I was in Charlotte visiting friends last year. I might have been in Budapest with how much smoking was going on. Pittsburgh was similar, at least in the 90s. A lot of smoking in SF also, though they are huddled outside in the damp fog wearing black so you don't notice them as much.