Fencing.Net - Your Guide to Fencing & Fencing Equipment

shamshir · 03-31-2003, 06:24 PM

I'm sort of of two minds about posting this, as some may find it an offensive topic. Nevertheless, as this is a discussion board, and some of the discussions here have been on questionable topics, I thought I'd bring it up anyway.

Post your FIE hot (or not) list.

I thought I'd make two nominations from women's foil:

- Ekaterina Youcheva
- Sylwia Gruchala
- some Romanian foilist (don't know her name)

I have some pictures of Youcheva from the fechten.de site. She is definitely a cutie.

Feel free to add men to this list too. Objectification of athletes should be an equal-opportunity human failing.

edew · 03-31-2003, 08:02 PM

Gruchala is definitely babe material. Youcheva? Not so sure.

Certainly many of the women's epee fencers are babe material: Ildiko Mincza, Laura Flessel-Colovic, Gianna Hablutzel-Burki, and several others. I haven't seen enough different women sabre fencers to give a good recommendation (the secretary problem).

a517dogg · 04-01-2003, 02:05 AM

epee fencers are always the most beautiful women.

edew · 04-01-2003, 02:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 135711
Takes pencil from behind ear and starts writing.... no secretary? looking for a babe? I'll nominate one of my former foil teachers, he was a babe.

I got you babe
`^,)>>>------

If you don't understand the secretary problem, please don't make unrelated comments about it. The secretary problem is a mathematical question concerning how to best pick a secretary from an infinite field of candidates.

a517dogg · 04-01-2003, 02:26 AM

you pick the best looking one obviously.

135711 · 04-01-2003, 04:07 AM

well, that leaves me out! back to the pastels!

Jason · 04-01-2003, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by edew
If you don't understand the secretary problem, please don't make unrelated comments about it. The secretary problem is a mathematical question concerning how to best pick a secretary from an infinite field of candidates.

If an infinite number of secretaries were to type at an infinite number of type writers...

edew · 04-01-2003, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by a517dogg
you pick the best looking one obviously.

Yeah, but how many do you have to pass over before you can determine what is the best one? You have to look at the prospective secretaries one at a time, and once you dismiss one, you can't ask her back. And once you choose one, you can't unchoose her and look for another.

shamshir · 04-01-2003, 10:12 AM

Gruchala is a bit too baked (i.e. tanned) for my tastes, but she's definitely fine, and I'd say she has the best bare legs of any foil fencer I've seen so far.

Youcheva... I've seen some pictures of her that weren't so great, but the ones from the World Championships in Madeira were exquisite. It is possible, though, that I sing her praises simply because she looks kinda mean and cranky on the piste, which always adds to the mystique.

shamshir · 04-01-2003, 11:29 AM

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edew · 04-01-2003, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shamshir
Gruchala is a bit too baked (i.e. tanned) for my tastes, but she's definitely fine, and I'd say she has the best bare legs of any foil fencer I've seen so far.

Youcheva... I've seen some pictures of her that weren't so great, but the ones from the World Championships in Madeira were exquisite. It is possible, though, that I sing her praises simply because she looks kinda mean and cranky on the piste, which always adds to the mystique.

Yeah, Gruchala looks like she should be in a SoCal beach movie or TV show.

I'll give her two years before she moves out to LA for a shot.

damianip · 04-01-2003, 01:30 PM

Here's a short list off the top my head:

Diana Bianchedi, Francesca Bortolozzi, Frida Scarpa, Aida Mohamed, Sherraine Schalm, Yang Shaoqi, Ildikó Mincza, Hajnalka Toth, Laura Carlescu Badea, etc. etc.

I suspect that, for whatever reason, elite women fencers are, as a rule, better looking than most other sports' elite women athletes.

Would, anyone like to chime in with the female point of view regarding the male competitors?

Paolo

edew · 04-01-2003, 01:38 PM

I don't know, there are some pretty spiffy looking women professional surfers. Rock climbing and cycling also seem to produce some nice eye candy.

Basketball, track (and distance), swimming, and gymnastics don't seem to have their fair share.

Ixnay on the weightlifters.

shamshir · 04-01-2003, 01:55 PM

I had forgotten about Bianchedi. Laura Badea may be the Romanian I was referring to, because it was one of the four team members.

As for Sherraine Schalm, heh, I've been in her bedroom. It's true, I swear. Well, technically. Never mind that she was just showing me her collection of traded tracksuits from World Cups. She had a swiss one, UK, New Zealand, and I think part of an Italian one. It's probably a much bigger collection by now.

There was a period of about a year during which we hung out together a fair bit. She's really fun to spend time with, and she has a refreshingly perverse sense of humour for a woman.

Two funny anecdotes. Sherraine told me that when she was just starting out Arnd Schmitt, the German epeeist, was one of her (dreamy) fencing idols. When she started competing seriously at the international level (but before she started kicking ***) she actually met him, and one time he actually hit on her.

Another funny story. Raffaello Caserta (Italian sabre fencer) was smitten with her. One time Sherraine gave me a letter to give to Caserta at the World Cup in NYC. When I did, his face lit up like a beacon and he ran over to his buddy Luigi Tarantino to brag.

However, she's married now, and is fencing under her new name, Sherraine Mackay.

On another note, did I misread something, or did I see Sylwia Gruchala's name in this year's NCAA fencing results?

shamshir · 04-01-2003, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by edew
Basketball, track (and distance), swimming, and gymnastics don't seem to have their fair share.

Ixnay on the weightlifters.

Basketball doesn't because it calls for freakish bodies, that, while they may be "attractive" on men (though I beg to differ), don't look so great on women. Hugely tall Amazon women, etc.

Gymnastics doesn't because, I suspect, they're all practically pre-pubescent, and the ones that aren't have delayed growth. My girlfriend's friend used to be a serious gymnast in the Netherlands. Apparently she didn't get her period until she was sixteen, and that was only after she stopped training/competing. Though there was a Hungarian gymnast a while back that was serious eye candy -- needless to say, she wasn't very good due to her shapely figure.

Swimming is a mystery. But I have to say, the sport that contains probably the highest babe quotient is diving. Those divers are hot, dammit.

And, in some countries, so are volleyball players. I was once at a training camp in Poland, as a guest, training with the sabre team (I had no business being there, really, but they were anxious to take my money of course). We had meals in a cafeteria where all other sport athletes would also congregate. That Polish v-ball team was devastating to the senses.

edew · 04-01-2003, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shamshir
[...]
On another note, did I misread something, or did I see Sylwia Gruchala's name in this year's NCAA fencing results?

You did mis-read. That's Alicja Kraczalo (or however it's spelled). There's another Kraczalo, a Kryztaine or Katarinze or something like that Kraczalo. Look it up in the FIE standings.

Aoife · 04-01-2003, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Basketball doesn't because it calls for freakish bodies, that, while they may be "attractive" on men (though I beg to differ), don't look so great on women.

That is so very true! I noticed that just the other day, as in our school changing rooms there are posters of many different sportswomen, and I couldn't help but notice the mannishness of the basketball players.

As for good looking fencers.... I noticed a couple at the Invicta Open in Canturbury (UK, March 15th-16th), but I don't know any names... sorry. (But I'm certain one knows who he is, as I was watching his bouts for quite some time

) And then there's my coach, but he's my coach (not to mention my teacher) so we'll say no more (other than to acknowledge that he is probably the most desired teacher at my all-girls school- and with good cause).

damianip · 04-01-2003, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by edew
You did mis-read. That's Alicja Kraczalo (or however it's spelled). There's another Kraczalo, a Kryztaine or Katarinze or something like that Kraczalo. Look it up in the FIE standings.

One is Katarzyna Kryczalo. She's a top ranked junior.

The other is Alicja Kryczalo (the sister). She fences for Notre Dame. She's one of the reasons US fencers can't get that Div I ride anymore.

http://und.ocsn.com/sports/c-fenc/mt..._alicja00.html

Paolo

Boo Boo · 04-01-2003, 06:10 PM

I am intrigued, Aoife, about the good looking blokes at the Invicta. If you remember anything else about them, then tell me... :-) (have my own gorgeous men's foil fencer - who wasn't at the Invicta - so just being nosey...;-))

I believe that 5 sunbed sessions a week is a compulsary part of the Polish women's foil team's training schedule (miss one, you are off the team...). I am also sure that selection for the team is partly on looks - haven't seen any short, dumpy, pastey, spotty, mousey haired Polish women foilists...

At least most of the Polish girls have sunbed tans: there are quite a few "orange" Germans around (some of them use tanning pills and overdose a bit...)

Boo

shamshir · 04-01-2003, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by damianip
One is Katarzyna Kryczalo. She's a top ranked junior.

The other is Alicja Kryczalo (the sister). She fences for Notre Dame. She's one of the reasons US fencers can't get that Div I ride anymore.

http://und.ocsn.com/sports/c-fenc/mt..._alicja00.html

Paolo

What do you mean by Div I ride? I'm not sure what that implies.... Div I as in Div I NAC's?

My mistake, but I had definitely seen Alicja Kryczalo in the FIE rankings for foil. That's why it was familiar.