Fencing Across the Country

[Fencergrl]

It was about 3 feet high & 3 feet wide... yes hard to believe hubby missed it when he backed over it. So I doubt there would be no way to move the rock without heavy machinery, and if we had that, we would just move the van with it.

I'm going from memory... We couldn't just drive forward off the rock, (we tried that & the wheel would just spin in the air) so I suspect he drove up and over the rock before he stopped. Driving back (if we could with the wheel in the air) would have damaged the car with the rock ripping out everything in it's path... muffler, all the lines etc... before encountering the front wheel.

[Fencergrl]

Jack the one corner of the van up high, then fit enough wood blocks underneath the elevated wheel to keep the van clear of the rock when you lower it back down (ramps would make it easier then wood blocks but are more likely to have been left at home in the garage)

SJCFU#2 was closest with this post. Hubby got the chainsaw out (something you would have while camping) and have me drag over one of the logs laying around. He then cut it length-wise, giving us a long flat piece of timber. We used the jack to get the boards under & then it was a simple matter of driving off the rock. We then drove into town to have the gas tank fixed. It surprised me how quickly we were on our way.

There was no mechanic (or gas station) just a hotel with a restaurant & a few houses. When the locals found out our problem they sent us to their local roofer.... apparently it was a common problem in this town & he did all the repairs (when he wasn't fixing roofs or selling drugs). He shoved a screw in the hole... that made it worse, so he drained the tank in a can. He then put the car up on his hoist, and torched on some torch-on roof. We poured the gas back in, & were on our way. After that... that gas tank was bullet-proof. It was well protected for future excursions.

If the gas tank really started losing fuel, hubby said that he would just connect hose to a gas can (we had some fuel with us) & feed the engine. On the Dodge Ram vans, this was a simple matter of removing the housing in between the two front seats... very convenient for carb repairs etc... especially for a guy in a chair.

<thread-jack over... resume scheduled thread>

[blondie1983]

Scott,

I consider it to be one of the most beneficial aspects of fencing, to be able to travel to almost any major city in the world (or a nice suburb) and drop by a fencing club during the week for open bouts, or on a weekend for a tournament. Floor fees can be any where from $0 to $15, but you will fence more people then you would at a tournament (which runs about $25 to $45 just to fence maybe 6-8 people). Some places give student discounts on floor fees.

I have visited a few clubs while traveling and so have people I know. To find good clubs first I checked out tournaments in the area on ask fred (www.askfred.net). That will give you an idea of how many fencers are competitive in that area, what their ratings are, what weapons they fence, and if there is a clustering of clubs near by. From there I would check the club's website for the days of times they open bout (different weapons have different days in some places). When you think you have found a club, call them up and let them know you are interested in stoping by. This is an important step, and I have been reprimanded in the past for not letting clubs know. If it is a smaller club for example, not many people might attend on a Monday night, but by letting them know ahead of time that your coming, they can contact their members on facebook or by email to let them know there is a visitor. This will give you more people to fence and to meet. You can also ask in advance if they have fees, and you can double check what time to show up.

A few problems with just looking on ask fred for a club: the area might not have a lot of tournaments; or you could be stuck choosing between several options. So you might want to mention a few cities/places in your posts here to get more information.

Good luck on your trip, and if you can, share your experiences with us.

[Bryn Ralph]

Aye, Deadhorse: N 7 degrees 12 minutes; w 148 degrees 27 minutes.

The original dead horse still stands in its final position where it died from an arctic blizzard in 1898:so legend has it.

[stottiecake]

The time and effort that you are all spending on this is very touching.

Most of the time people where I live disapprove of the idea entirely, as if taking a year off before college is the most irresponsible decision that I could make... Its nice to get some support.

Hi Scott, Eddie's dad here. I happened to take a gap year in between school and university in England and I believe it is a good idea. My gap year turned into 5 and I ended up studying a completely different subject when I finally got to university. I also met a lot of Australian's and Kiwi's that would travel the world before returning home to settle down. You happen to be a well rounded individual and I am sure you would have no problems going straight to school but if if you do take the gap year you may be even better prepared for college. Let me know if you want help on a blog - we could follow you on the HS fencing site as well.

Good Luck

[Fencergrl]

You might want to become "sourtoed"... it's the manly thing to do.

http://www.sourtoecocktailclub.com/how.html

Edit... This is starting to make me miss the north country. I so want to be up north right now.

[s.brookes]

Hi Scott, Eddie's dad here. I happened to take a gap year in between school and university in England and I believe it is a good idea. My gap year turned into 5 and I ended up studying a completely different subject when I finally got to university. I also met a lot of Australian's and Kiwi's that would travel the world before returning home to settle down. You happen to be a well rounded individual and I am sure you would have no problems going straight to school but if if you do take the gap year you may be even better prepared for college. Let me know if you want help on a blog - we could follow you on the HS fencing site as well.

Good Luck

Mr. Cottiss its great to hear from you especially here! I'm glad to see you getting involved in the fencing community - like I said, I think that Eddie would do well in USFA and I think you'll be a great fencing dad.

I think its awesome that you took time off, and I'd definitely like to talk to you more about it when we get a chance. Let me know if Eddie is going to fence any tournaments I'll try to make it there to see him and we can talk then!

[garyhayenga]

No one brought up PIL!

You just did!

[s.brookes]

... Pil?

[migopod]

... Pil?

....

[s.brookes]

oh, yes.

[I_luv_saber]

Better yet, do as Jason suggests AND bring along a flipcam and get footage of all the clubs you visit. Maybe do some interviews and concoct a video diary. Then edit it up as a documentary.

You could make meeeeelions of dollars.

Or maybe at least be able to convince some club owners to waive the floor fee...

[Craig]

Document the whole thing as you do it. Make it a blog or something. Maybe Craig will set you up with a regular series on the front page here. Highlight a different club and the city/town where it's located in each entry. Maybe at the end write a story about it for American Fencing. When you contact clubs, frame it in precisely that way--"I'm traveling across country, writing about the different fencing clubs I find." Not only are you likely to get a near universally positive response from the clubs, you will also add a new and interesting level to your own experience. I'd recommend plotting out the trip--and the clubs where you'll stop--ahead of time.

Sounds cool. Would support this project.