North shore fencing tournament

[telkanuru]

Plus, if he thought that I was talking about Veteran tournaments it's his hearing he should be having checked.

I naturally assumed we were talking about tournaments you did well at.

[mrbiggs]

At 1:40 when the event still hadn't started I questioned why. I thought it started at 1:00, they corrected me and said registration ended at 1:00. Ok, time to compile the names and pools etc. At 1:45, 3 fencers came flying in, they didn't seemed concerned that they were too late. Which would've been the case at most other tournaments.

45 minutes after close of registration is on the late side but by no means out of the question for just about any given local tournament. I'd say 20 minutes is about normal for most places. Not necessarily excusable, but normal. And I'm giving these numbers for when everything goes right, no one is late, and the bout committee doesn't make any mistakes.

Even after that time, it's fairly common for fencers who are going to be late to call ahead and ask the BC to wait for them. In my experience, the BC is usually cooperative, although (again) 45 minutes is pushing it.

They turned out to be club members, they were waiting on them. Now fencing begins, 2:00. One of those same fencers has a weapon malfunction. Instead of getting his back up, the referee walks off and finds this young man a new weapon. Would they extend the same courtesy to other fencers? Isn't being prepared part of the deal, not to mention on time?

It happens. Having a tournament hosted at your club is a big advantage--you know the BC, you know the refs, you (often) have free use of club equipment, and your coach is much more likely to be there. Having a referee find a fencer's equipment is on the unprofessional side, but it's not unfair in terms of the fencing, and honestly I find it much less unfair than the other advantages.

So basically, I see where you're coming from here, but the main difference in this situation was the fencer having to get someone else to get his weapon instead of the referee, along with a possible yellow card.


I'm not going to tell you that all these things were fine, or that you should go to a tournament hosted at that location again. But I will tell you that they're fairly standard practice at many local tournaments.

[Fiat Slug]

Only if you've finally lost your hearing and are listening to the voices inside your head. I said you could afford to output more energy in warmups because the actual competition demands less of you.

Well, it's important to us veterans to start on time. We are likely to expand ALL of our energy arguing with the organizers about the delay and will end up having NO energy for warmups.

Why does it take ALL of our energy to argue with the organizers? Because we've lost our hearing.

[Inquartata]

did well at.

ARRRRGGHHHHH!

Anyway, you know what happens when you assume, right?

( Of course, it's an almost unnoticeable transformation for at least one of us. )

[monitorlizerd]

Only if you've finally lost your hearing and are listening to the voices inside your head. I said you could afford to output more energy in warmups because the actual competition demands less of you.

Little does he know.....but then, he's young. If he grows up to be a vet, he'll learn different.

[Inquartata]

Heh. "As he is, I once was; as I am, he will be".

Anywayt, I'm still scratching my head over his "winning things that matter" comment. I mean, I'm not sure what "matters" about winning a Junior or Senior event, either. This is fencing---it's not as though winning anything brings fame, wealth, or anything which might be said to "matter". Heck, even an Olympic gold medal seems to bring little of real value, at least in this country. ( Ask Mariel. )

But maybe I've missed noticing all of the rewards that are showered Telk when he wins things.

[Fencergrl]

But maybe I've missed noticing all of the rewards that are showered Telk when he wins things.

Like the hot fencing groupies?

[telkanuru]

Heh. "As he is, I once was; as I am, he will be".

I was pretty much stating that veteran's tournaments don't matter, and are really just around because old people complain a lot.

Also, nowhere did I say I won things, just that I try to. Straw man.

PS- Fencing groupies are awesome but a little crazy.

[lindajdunn]

I was pretty much stating that veteran's tournaments don't matter, and are really just around because old people complain a lot.

And younger people don't?

Consider, please, the possibility that older people have acquired some experience in how to address people-in-charge in a manner that would more realistically be called "identifying and addressing areas of concern in an effort to improve operations for both organizers and participants" rather than the traditional "complaining".

We don't "complain" so much as we "engage in dialogue" and "get things done".

[piste off]

I was pretty much stating that veteran's tournaments don't matter...

I'd love to hear you tell Walt Dragonetti that, its Xmas time and he would show you his version of The Nutcracker.

R-

[telkanuru]

I'd love to hear you tell Walt Dragonetti that, its Xmas time and he would show you his version of The Nutcracker.

R-

That it would annoy him doesn't actually make it not true.

[Inquartata]

I was pretty much stating that veteran's tournaments don't matter,

I know what you were saying. I'm old, not stupid.

The point of my reply was that almost NO fencing tournaments "matter", except internally. What would you get if you won a Div 1? Or even a World Cup? Money? Fame? Glory? Prestige? Entry to the jet set lifestyle? Free peanuts?

So far as I can tell, "satisfaction" is about it. Tim Morehouse and Jason Rogers are at about the pinnacle of exterior rewards from winning an Olympic medal, and only because they seem to have worked as hard at getting noticed as they have at fencing.

Face it, almost ANY fencing tournament only "matters" in what you take out of it personally. And that applies just as much to senior tournaments, and junior tournaments, and cadet and youth tournaments as to veterans. There's no age group, gender, weapon or rating category that "matters" in any larger sense; and if you think it does, maybe that says more about the degree of your own self-absorption than about the objective state of things...

and are really just around because old people complain a lot.

To paraphrase a wise man, that doesn't make what I've said not true.

[telkanuru]

That's an awful lot of self justification. Inferiority complex much?

[Inquartata]

Yes, yes, the inevitable ad hominem retort. That all you got? Because it doesn't refute my actual point, does it?

[telkanuru]

It doesn't really refute your mom, either, but we have to live with that.

[Inquartata]

Hello, last refuge of a beaten man...

[telkanuru]

Hello, last refuge of a beaten man...

Hey, at least I don't beat your mom.

[Capt. Slo-mo]

Telk:

Your snark is usually well above the 5th grade level. Bring your A-game.

And please don't needlessly antagonize the old folks. We're already over-medicated as it is...

[telkanuru]

Telk:

Your snark is usually well above the 5th grade level. Bring your A-game.

And please don't needlessly antagonize the old folks. We're already over-medicated as it is...

I save my A-game for your mom.

[Fiat Slug]

I save my A-game for your mom.

You save your A-game for veteran fencers' moms?

.