Hi Folks!
I'm looking forward to getting into the threads here!
I took my first fencing lesson in 1978, and have been hooked ever since. I cometed in college in the 80s and up through in mid 90s. It was primarily in saber, back in the days when the fleche was the attack of choice.

Guess I was quite the fencing maniac: at one point I was training at three different clubs! Actually, I think I'm still as much of a maniac about it, I just don't have the time to persue it as much these days. I spent a lot of time learning foil and saber and also rapier/historical weapons.

In addition to studying different weapons, I've had the opportunity to study some very differeent styles/approaches to fencing. The things I learned from my earliest teachers, who's styles were very much rooted in the 20s-30s, were very different from what I'd learned from my eastern european coaches in current competitive styles. Both approaches have very valid things to offer.

After toting a 4 foot rapier around throught the NY subway and various airports for a couple of years, and trying to jam it into a way-too-small fencing bag, I designed and produced an extra-long, extra-big extra-comfortable 5 foot shoulder bag. If you need a bigger bag, whether for long weapons, or just a team bag, take a look: www.cavalierattitude.com

Cheers,
Jeff