dry tournaments

[KC]

I have just recieved news that a college in KY will be have a USFA sanctioned event in Foil Epee and Sabre... The Sabre they are saying will be dry.

Question, can you hand out a rating from a dry tournament? I thought all USFA touranments had to be electric.

Simple question but I have been unable to find an answer. I know you may say why go to a dry sabre tournament... Most of my club members do not have their electrics yet so this would be a great oppritunity for them to compete without all that cost.

So if you know, let me know.

Thanks

[Zelda]

Dont quote me on this seeing I am an aussie and all, but it seems to me that it would only be USFA sanctioned for foil and epee if the sabre is being fenced dry......I was under the impression USFA sanctioned comps had to be electric.

[sallearmourer]

The rules for Dry sabre are still in place and yes you can run a dry sabre event.

Tim Loomis

[Chris]

As Tim indicated, non-electric competition results are accepted by the USFA, although ALL events are presumed to be electric unless clearly, and officially scheduled in advance and indicated as non-electric.

Personally, I like fencing sabre dry, as I have never been thrilled with people getting credit for the laid-on, and accidental hits that can happen so often in electric sabre. (of course, in foil and epee, people get hits that they weren't really trying to make, but it happens much less.)

The BIG problem with 'dry' sabre is finding referees who can effectively communicate the phrase to the judges, and know how to analyze the judges' voting as well as the action!


Good luck!

[Peach]

The big problem with dry sabre is all the referees it drives completely blind and mad . . .as anyone who has ever reffed a novice youth dry sabre tournament knows.

[Inquartata]

Yes, the problem with the electric apparatus is that it sees too much, and the problem with fencing "dry" is that the ref and judges see too little...

Traditionalist though I am, I would not care to go back to fencing steam sabre. Before the advent of "the box" I had all but given up ever attacking or stop-cutting the arm, no one ever seemed to see the touches there. And the counter game was one of my better ones, so that was a real annoyance...

[pkt]

Peach & In4,

I disagree.

As one who has lived through the pre-electric sabre days, I can list many benefits of electric sabre, cost not being one of them.

1. The competitors have only the incompetence of the ref to deal with. Not 4 other blathering idiots who did not see good hits but see the hits that missed.

2. One can intentionally go for wrist cuts, stop cuts and other fancy stuff that would otherwise be missed in steam sabre.

3. It makes life a lot easier for the ref and therefore presumably he/she can ref better. That's the theory. As a ref myself. I totally agree with going over to electric. Hey, this IS afterall, the 21st century.

4. As a result, one does not have to hit hard as a result one can be faster.

5. With the timing on the machines, the sabreur has to be on his toes.

...

PK

[Chris]

Originally posted by Peach
The big problem with dry sabre is all the referees it drives completely blind and mad . . .as anyone who has ever reffed a novice youth dry sabre tournament knows.

Well, perhaps I didn't explain myself completely, I like fencing 'dry' - as for competing, well, it IS hard to trade the definitive indicators for four people shrugging away in confusion!

[Peach]

Originally posted by pkt
Peach & In4,

I disagree.


(long list of reasons for fencing electric sabre)

Um . . . reading your post, do you mean you agree and want to add even more reasons for fencing electric? I couldn't figure out where you disagreed with me. I agree with everything you said. I was just pointing out that dry is hard to referee.

[sallearmourer]

Peach I personally find refereeing dry sabre easier than eletric but I am of the age of doing it on a National level back before the invention of electric sabre.


Tim

[Inquartata]

Heh, well, Tim, of course refereeing dry sabre is easier, there's no box to refute one's mistaken calls...

[Capt. Slo-mo]

I always had trouble in dry fencing with the jury substituting the final action for the beginning of the phrase. As in:

There is a swishing miss, a sucessful riposte and a remise that lands with a vengance. The director starts the phrase account with: "There is an attack from the left, a riposte and a remise. Does the first attack land?" And the refs, remembering the final thwacking blow, invariably raise their hands.

I don't miss those days at all. I'd much rather go with a few "proximity field" touches than return to dry. Not to mention the sabre fencers who thought the best way to score dry was to leave a permanent crease in your jacket from the force of the attack.