Things that make you scratch your head

[dramamine]

Everyone has seen/heard things at a tournament or the club that just made them go: whaaaaaaaaaa?. Let's hear some of yours. Who knows, maybe some people reading this thread are the crazies in question and they can explain their behaviour.

To get the ball rolling:

- People in foil/sabre acknowledging extremely obvious or one light hits. Usually the person doing this is a jerk. Thanks, rocket scientist, I think the judge can see the box.

- Fencers/coaches not wearing masks during a full speed, full out lesson. WTF can possibly be gained from doing this? How stupid would you feel if something actually went wrong? Just, why?

- Epee judges who call the action. "Attack no, counter attack", "Parry riposte", etc. I saw a ref who is active on the national circuit and refs lots of high level bouts doing this on the weekend. What's the point? I guess it's not particularly harmful, but it's kind of abrasive, and just unnecessary.

Whaddya got?

[Katman]

Originally Posted by dramamine

- People in foil/sabre acknowledging extremely obvious or one light hits. Usually the person doing this is a jerk. Thanks, rocket scientist, I think the judge can see the box.

When I do this it's more of a "you nailed me and it was completely obvious, good job." It's a compliment to the good action my opponent must have set up. I don't mean it to be condescending in any way.

To contribute: people that spike or punt their masks. I've been pissed before and ripped my mask off, but I've stopped short of rocketing my most important piece of safety equipment across the venue.

I suppose people would throw their weapons more if they weren't somewhat attached to them.

[Zilverzmurfen]

I've a funny comment, told by one of the parents who were reffing at Nationals this weekend.

In the poule she was reffing there was this one girl who had constant problems with her weapons, and if it wasn't her weapons it was the body cord. She got a yellow card for presenting a faulty weapon and went off to her bag to get a new one, presented it to the ref for control -- and it had a grub screw missing.

Her comment upon this?
"It must have fallen out during training last Thursday!"

[Mr.MightyMouse]

Originally Posted by dramamine

Epee judges who call the action. "Attack no, counter attack", "Parry riposte", etc. I saw a ref who is active on the national circuit and refs lots of high level bouts doing this on the weekend. What's the point? I guess it's not particularly harmful, but it's kind of abrasive, and just unnecessary.

Whaddya got?

IMHO - an explanation for epee refs calling the action is twofold -
1.Force of habit by the ones which direct foil and/or saber as well
2.If the argument arises whether the touch was made in real time, or on a valid riposte after another fencer is off the strip, etc.., pre corps-a-corps or pre halt in general.



2 oddest things that pop up right away - this past weekend - Junior Men Saber - Fencer A flunges and hits Fencer B squarely on the mask - 1 light. Fencer B does not retreat at all and gives Fencer A a nice pissy manhug. Ref calls the touch, turns around to walk towards the center of the strip, at that time Fencer B whacks A across the chest with his weapon.

About 25 years ago - a saber bout - Fencer B continously hits A with tremendous force after clear A's touches.
Score is 4:0 - A, after another clear A's attack + touch, A takes a parry 3 on B's late whack , and ripostes to B's shoulder with enough strength to make B scream louder than Ian Gillan - "Child in Time" period.

[dramamine]

Originally Posted by Mr.MightyMouse

2 oddest things that pop up right away - this past weekend - Junior Men Saber - Fencer A flunges and hits Fencer B squarely on the mask - 1 light. Fencer B does not retreat at all and gives Fencer A a nice pissy manhug. Ref calls the touch, turns around to walk towards the center of the strip, at that time Fencer B whacks A across the chest with his weapon.

About 25 years ago - a saber bout - Fencer B continously hits A with tremendous force after clear A's touches.
Score is 4:0 - A, after another clear A's attack + touch, A takes a parry 3 on B's late whack , and ripostes to B's shoulder with enough strength to make B scream louder than Ian Gillan - "Child in Time" period.

Both of these are really funny. Thanks for sharing.

[arc]

Originally Posted by Katman

When I do this it's more of a "you nailed me and it was completely obvious, good job." It's a compliment to the good action my opponent must have set up. I don't mean it to be condescending in any way.

Dittos.

Originally Posted by Katman

To contribute: people that spike or punt their masks. I've been pissed before and ripped my mask off, but I've stopped short of rocketing my most important piece of safety equipment across the venue.

I suppose people would throw their weapons more if they weren't somewhat attached to them.

I actually got to be scorekeeper when a sabre fencer managed to do both of these ... he was upset at losing the bout, and made a forceful "salute" that culminated in him flinging his weapon backwards so hard that it came out of his hand & unplugged the body cord, flying back to ricochet off a wall & land back in front of him, followed by punting the mask the length of the gym ...

Originally Posted by Mr.MightyMouse

2 oddest things that pop up right away - this past weekend - Junior Men Saber - Fencer A flunges and hits Fencer B squarely on the mask - 1 light. Fencer B does not retreat at all and gives Fencer A a nice pissy manhug. Ref calls the touch, turns around to walk towards the center of the strip, at that time Fencer B whacks A across the chest with his weapon.

About 25 years ago - a saber bout - Fencer B continously hits A with tremendous force after clear A's touches.
Score is 4:0 - A, after another clear A's attack + touch, A takes a parry 3 on B's late whack , and ripostes to B's shoulder with enough strength to make B scream louder than Ian Gillan - "Child in Time" period.

When I first started fencing, my coach back then related a similar story from when he was captain of the USC varsity sabre squad fencing the captain of UCLA's squad ... first touch, feint, draw the parry, change lines & hit, followed by a clearly after the touch "WHACK" to the chest. Second touch, same action, but the whack was to the stomach ... so he starts again, with the adage "once is accident, twice is coincidence, but three times is conspiracy" running thrugh his head ... and third touch, likewise, but whack to the legs. So he's up 3-0, but he's getting physically clobbered, and evidently deliberately, and the ref isn't doing anything about it. So next touch, he starts the feint, and deliberately breaks his arm to draw a stop hit ... and when it comes, he extends (causing the stop hit to miss low) and comes down on top of the guy's mask with the pommel & coquille, knocking him out cold, ultimately putting him in the hospital with a concussion. And the clueless ref didn't penalize that, either ...

[telkanuru]

I never understood why fencers would go on one knee for weights. Do you WANT me to drop it on your head?

[ACrimsonRapier]

Originally Posted by Katman

When I do this it's more of a "you nailed me and it was completely obvious, good job." It's a compliment to the good action my opponent must have set up. I don't mean it to be condescending in any way.

To contribute: people that spike or punt their masks. I've been pissed before and ripped my mask off, but I've stopped short of rocketing my most important piece of safety equipment across the venue.

I suppose people would throw their weapons more if they weren't somewhat attached to them.

I acknowledge it at times, too, but I noticed the people who do it consistently . . . aren't jerks, but I feel like they're saying "my mistake" rather than "good touch". Like I got them not because of my skill, but an error on their part. Dunno if that makes much sense.

Anyway, one of the twins I fence with fences epee, but decided to fence foil a bit since there's no one that gives him much of a challenge at our school. So he fenced his twin brother in foil, lost, and flung the foil against the wall. It broke off the body cord and the back of the pistol grip hit the wall and broke. :X Oh, sibling rivalry . . .

[KShan5[PrFC]]

How about someone spiking a foil and having it come back and hit them in the eye sending them to the ER?

That was hilarious.

[TooLoftheDeviL]

Originally Posted by KShan5[PrFC]

How about someone spiking a foil and having it come back and hit them in the eye sending them to the ER?

That was hilarious.

Couple years ago my dad launched a golf club a hefty distance. The head broke off on a golf cart and came flying back and cut his throat open. >.>

He's okie, but he doesn't golf anymore.

[monitorlizerd]

How about the parent/fencer who's mask has a punch buried to the hilt in it at eye level...
1) Says "s/he/I can just use it for practice"
2) takes/insists it go to another armorer for retesting..."It passed last week!"

We really need three new smileys..:bang, :cluex4, and :bringiton. They're perfect for this.

Susie

[Phincer]

Oh! I have one!

Fencer fences first tournament in May. An RYC. Dad blows a gasket at having to join USFA for $50, realizing that he will have to re-join in July.

As a member of the BC, I just sat there and said nothing but wanted to say to him- "if you're complaining about spending $50 now, just wait until Little Missy really gets going in fencing! That uni and lame? She'll outgrow it this fall! And again next year, and the next! Get over it bud!"

I could go on, but you get the point. And dad was not standing there in jeans and a t-shirt either. Niiiiiiice clothes.

[DJ Apostrophe]

Originally Posted by Phincer

Oh! I have one!

Fencer fences first tournament in May. An RYC. Dad blows a gasket at having to join USFA for $50, realizing that he will have to re-join in July.

As a member of the BC, I just sat there and said nothing but wanted to say to him- "if you're complaining about spending $50 now, just wait until Little Missy really gets going in fencing! That uni and lame? She'll outgrow it this fall! And again next year, and the next! Get over it bud!"

I could go on, but you get the point. And dad was not standing there in jeans and a t-shirt either. Niiiiiiice clothes.

By joining US Fencing for the first time after April 1st in the membership year their membership is good through the following season. (So a first time membership purchased in May of 08 would be good through 7/31/09).

-w

[Gav]

I think the thing that most makes me scratch my head (although I prefer to imagine a comicbook ? appearing) occurs when I fence someone either new or completely inept (usually both). There are times I just want to take their Epee away and say "go stand in the corner".

[Peach]

1. People who complain loudly and bitterly about the refereeing, argue with the referee, and say they were repeatedly screwed, when the tournament is self-refereed and was announced as such. WHAT a waste of breath. I dislike self-refereed tournaments in general, but if I'm fencing one I put up with it, and merely mutter in disbelief to my friends on the sidelines.

2. Once I really messed up and lost a DE I should have won. Only in marginal control of myself, I stormed out of the building to the loading dock, and punted my mask, screaming "****!"

"ExCUSE me, ma'am, there's no need to use language like that," said a security guard I hadn't realized was standing there. I had to apologize profusely.

3. Refereeing a youth NAC. One of the boys in my pool obviously had the flu and his parents made him fence anyway. Another screamed "NOOOOOOOOOO!" whenever an action was called against him, and began sobbing. Over and over and over again.

4. Being followed around the venue by a fencer of my acquaintance who wanted to complain to me about the behavior of his opponent in the DE he just lost, who happened to be one of my coaches.

[Phincer]

Originally Posted by DJ Apostrophe

By joining US Fencing for the first time after April 1st in the membership year their membership is good through the following season. (So a first time membership purchased in May of 08 would be good through 7/31/09).

-w

Ya know, I had heard that somewhere, but wasn't sure if it was right, and its been ages since we all joined. No one else jumped in and cooled him off.

We'll just chalk it up to frustration training for a newb parent. I like to be as helpful as possible but when someone comes up to you screaming, I tend not to be so helpful. I get dumb real fast.

His kid isn't strong enough to be breaking blades with any regularity yet, so it was good to test that blood pressure now...

edit: I checked the membership application, and that is not stated anywhere on it. Might be a good thing to add for next year.

[Nolano]

I don't understand how mad some people get when beaten...
I guess it's my E rating, but I beat two A's this weekend, and all I noticed was that one of them dropped his mask and the other flicked the ground in anger... My coach said one actually threw his mask, and the other threw his weapon on the ground and jumped on it. I was kinda elated to notice.

[epeemike81]

Originally Posted by KShan5[PrFC]

How about someone spiking a foil and having it come back and hit them in the eye sending them to the ER?

That was hilarious.

it was an epee, IIRC.

-m

[Rick Shellhouse]

Originally Posted by telkanuru

I never understood why fencers would go on one knee for weights. Do you WANT me to drop it on your head?

Ok....Ill turn it around...are you so clumsy and inept you WOULD drop it on my head? Especially considering if my weapon is on my knee....you would have to move over about a foot to drop it on my head and not my weapon...

Im 6'4".....hold the weapon where its comfortable for me and that tips gonna be at least even with my head...how many refs can properly test the weight and shims at that height....????


R