NBC Interview with WS Team

[FenzerX]

In retrospect, re-viewing this interview, is it any surprise that the WS team underperformed? They have zero team chemistry and actually little animosity to go around.

Ward and Zagunis (and to an extent, Coaches and Parents of Ward and Zagunis), next time check your drama at the door and focus on bringing back a TEAM gold medal like you were supposed to.

Sada gets a pass - she did her job (+5 vs Ukraine)

[Alex_Paul]

Originally Posted by FenzerX

next time check your drama at the door and focus on bringing back a TEAM gold medal like you were supposed to.

Uhmmmm gold silver and two bronze medals at one Olympics and you aren't happy...

How long have you been fencing? Can you remember any similar level of success in the history of US fencing? I know I can't. Before Zagunis it was 100 years since you won a gold in fencing and twenty since you won any medal. These three have racked up 6 in two years!

When two team members are coached by the same person and they come head to head in a quater final at the Olympics it is a fairly rare and extremely tricky situation.

If they wern't as compettitive at heart as they are then they probably wouldn't have got were they are.

I think anyone who has anything but for praise for their achievements is being rediculously harsh.

[FenzerX]

Originally Posted by Alex_Paul

Uhmmmm gold silver and two bronze medals at one Olympics and you aren't happy...

I have been around in fencing 20 years and I can remember what it was like, which is what makes this nonsense worse.

In fact, we have a saying here in the States: "Silver Sucks." Astute readers who remembers the Vanity Fair article on the US Men's Foil team from 1996 know what I'm talking about.

[SEM Fencer]

Originally Posted by FenzerX

Sada gets a pass - she did her job (+5 vs Ukraine)

That's big of you...

[FenzerX]

Sada did her job. You can't fault her for that. If Ward really had "the Kelly Flu" (whatever that is), perhaps they should have let Dagmara fence. Zagunis should have made a better comment to the media then "we were sick." Maybe "they were a better team today" or "we couldn't get it together as a team - these things happen?"

Here's hoping the team we field 4 years hence is a little less selfish in the team event.

[Inquartata]

This is one of my main gripes about fencers: It's never "He won", it's "I lost".

Ukraine won because they fenced better, not because of the US team did or didn't do X. To try to say that their victory was only because of things our fencers did is to discredit the victory.

[peet]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

This is one of my main gripes about fencers: It's never "He won", it's "I lost".

Ukraine won because they fenced better, not because of the US team did or didn't do X. To try to say that their victory was only because of things our fencers did is to discredit the victory.

Straw man!

I don't think anyone is saying that, Inq. They're just saying that they think our ladies could have done better. I think the fencers themselves would agree. In fact they did, in interviews with the media.

-p

[Alex_Paul]

Originally Posted by FenzerX

Here's hoping the team we field 4 years hence is a little less selfish in the team event.

Here's hope that they are fencing at all or you may well go back to how you were 4 years and one week ago with sweet fanny Addams for a century.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by peet

Straw man!

I don't think anyone is saying that, Inq.

"is it any surprise that the WS team underperformed? They have zero team chemistry and actually little animosity to go around."

But to be fair, my comment was really misplaced. It belonged in the Women's Team Sabre thread in the Olympic subforunm, where for a while there was a streak of posts about "why they lost", verging on "why they sucked".

At that level, no one is unbeatable, and you don't have to fence badly to be beaten. You don't even have to fence less well than you usually do. You just have to run into someone fencing better than they usually do.

That's all I'm saying.