Too late to fence?

[piste off]

And even though he didn't make it to the Olympics, there was John Moreau who won the DIV 1 ME at 54!

Actually he did make it to the Olympics, in 1984.

He is an outlier though. At 54 he was in better shape than most of the top fencers today.

[piste off]

Pish, so, like, that's supposed to make a difference??!?? Ha, I spit on your long limbedness. I eat that kind of mutant for breakfast....

Fence him, then get back to us.

If after that you are trying to find your tail, it will be located between your legs.

[Purple Fencer]

Fence him, then get back to us.

If after that you are trying to find your tail, it will be located between your legs.

If you've never fenced Mergs....be advise he moves pretty well for an old man/officer.

[jkormann]

Fence him, then get back to us.

If after that you are trying to find your tail, it will be located between your legs.

Agreed. I didn't put Dr. Ridge's link up there for a zip-thud contest. It was an example of someone who entered the sport as an adult and has done well. He's focused, fast, smart and very good.

[hello?]

Agreed. I didn't put Dr. Ridge's link up there for a zip-thud contest. It was an example of someone who entered the sport as an adult and has done well. He's focused, fast, smart and very good.

Cancer surgeon. Yeah, I'd say "focused, smart, and very good."

Not to mention, funny.

I'll always remember an early conversation I had with him (I did not know him at all then) after a tournament where he had not done particularly (exceedingly) well.

ME: Well, you did well considering all the people who were here.

HE: I was one of "the people" who were here.

[eac]

Be aware that the Junior Olympics have zero to do with the actual Olympics, and that there is a huge chasm between Division II and I. That being said, I tend to be extremely negative in general and about people starting late in particular, and from what you've said, I'd bet on you hitting your goals if you stay committed, and possibly surpassing them significantly. So, full speed ahead. Don't skimp on the hours per week, though.

[Mergs]

Agreed. I didn't put Dr. Ridge's link up there for a zip-thud contest. It was an example of someone who entered the sport as an adult and has done well. He's focused, fast, smart and very good.

Um, I was making the leetle joke, nes pas? It seems that Mr. P. Off may have missed that part. Meh, no matter.

I have seen Dr. Ridge fence (and will probably do so again in March at the NAC), and yes, for someone that has come to the game later in life, he has done extremely well. And you make my point to the OP about being focused, smart and having athletic ability in order to be successful.

[Brick]

To return to topic, you can practice theory, have natural talent, former experience in combat sports, and still not move very quickly beyond low-level competitive fencing (which is the category you seem to be in). The truth is, is that in any mind-game oriented sport, each competitor will have their own tricks that they won't just show anyone who walks by, on top of skills that they know well and excel at controlling on the receiving end, such as posting. These traits alone require experience to figure out the way to combat them on your own, on top of mere time at tournaments learning bout management, and other important tournament skills. If you say, "I can learn all of these skills in a practice bout though!", then this is an indication that you will need more experience (you'll never get enough.) So in general, I wouldn't think about racing through all of you experiences, hoping to get a placement somewhere, but focus, instead, on choosing the best tournaments and experiences for you (your coaches should be able to help you out there).