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Ariela · 07-26-2003, 12:13 AM

today , after i fenced my mother , my 11 year old brother told me he is considerinf getting into fencing and asked me to take him along next practice. it made me very happy but also very concearned about a few things. first is that the first time i watched ppl fecning i thought fencing was a bit too slow ( i had gotten used to the back flips we see on movies ! ) second is that my brother is much younger than anyone i know there and much , and also hes half black and fat im kinda affraid he mjight suffer prejudice from other fencers, so what could i do to make him more interested in fencing ?!

wflaschka · 07-26-2003, 12:54 AM

Welcome to life!

It's very thoughtful and grown-up to worry about that.

People will often surprise you by how nice they are. Who could be prejudiced, against a nice 11-year-old kid?

And if someone is mean to him... that's life. Prejudice won't go away, no matter how much you protect your brother. Your brother will have to learn to be strong, and rely on his friends and family for strength. What else can you do? Be happy when you can.

Remember all the famous fencing siblings. Keeth and Erin Smart; Sada and Emily Jacobson; Felicia and Iris Zimmerman. You're on the road to fame!

Ariela · 07-26-2003, 03:19 AM

well i have lived thru prejudice , which was stronger when i was a child , because i was the only half jewish half italian child in a school where evryone was italian ( an catholic) but most prejudice was due because i was fat ( like my brother ) but then i grew up and turned into a 36 dd blue eyed chick with pouty lips , so part of my fat became breasts and the sentence " well i am jewish" would make all the prejudice from men go away in seconds . so i became stronger , but im affraid it wont be as easy to my brother , specially because my mom overprotects him . she doesnt let him know of his african blackground ( even tho he knows his grandma from his fathers side) always saying that he is all that dark because she ( my mom ) is jewish and jews are from the middle east therefore hes darker than evrybody else. also hes fat ( and his fat wont turn into huge bubs like mine) but she doesnt let anybody say hes fat , and thats the biggest prejudice against him ive ever seen , well maybe its not really prejudice but fat ppl may understand it as prejudice ( well i was fat untill like 4 years ago , and i am still fat for this countrys standarts , so i know what i am talking about ) that was when me and my brother went on a boat cruise and he put on a life guard vest and it didnt fit him so the girl distribuitng the life g. vests said "hey come here fatty , this life g. vest doesnt fit you , so lets change this one for a bigger one"

i know that i wont make prejudice go away and that hes gotta be strong to live thru it , but i wouldnt like him to live prejudice thru me .
also he has a quite explosive personality, and i would like him to quit fencing because of prejudice , also because it took him to learn 1 hr to learn what i took a month to learn about fencing . ( so i think hed be a pretty good fencer )

Talyn · 07-27-2003, 01:25 AM

Give him a go, and fat in guys do go away...

Once he reaches puberty he will either grow taller and the fat will even out or he'll get fatter...

hmmm... I would suggest that he still starts fencing, if he fences a lot the fat will naturally go away.

pkt · 07-27-2003, 02:40 AM

"...but then i grew up and turned into a 36 dd blue eyed chick with pouty lips , so part of my fat became breasts"

"...also hes fat ( and his fat wont turn into huge bubs like mine)"

This site is getting good.

Ariela, you gave me the second LOL reading this site. I had to read twice to make sure I read what I thought I read.

the first one was in the "Did dubya say that" thread by
Talyn

"Man dubya rules, hes the only president ive ever known that could walk up to the stage with his head held high knowing that hes just going to humiliate himself."

Then that line of yours...

Of course breasts are just bloated sweat glands!!!

Thank you,

PK

pkt · 07-27-2003, 03:23 AM

Ariel,

I'm glad that your brother has you as a big sister.

It seems to me that you do not approve of your mother being so overly protective.

That said, you're doing the exact same thing your mother is doing. I know, I know, the intention is good, but you know what they say about the road to Hell is paved with. Being Catholic and Italian and Jewish, you should at least half know the answer to that biblical reference.

If I know fencers, since most of them in your club are older than your brother, I doubt very much that your clubmates will discriminate against him because of his size, especially these days when obesity is an epidemic in N. America - that's why i bought the stocks of a Vancouver-based company that makes a cholesterol-lowering drug called Reducol and I've been proven right.

In spite of the fact that I've been proven worng about my judgment about people's character, but my call on fencers on genereal shouldn't be.

If your brother is well coordinated, strong, and physically capable, people will judge him on his performance, not his size.

I've fenced and I'm fencing with oversized adults. In the 70s I have teased them about giving me a handicap: providing me with extra target - :shame: These days, that'd be construed as harassment or discrimination.

So I know what I'm speaking of. Things have changed. Fencers are a chivalrous bunch, they shouldn't discriminate your brother. If your answers to my questions two paragraphs back, then they might reject him for being poorly coordinated, weak and physically incapable.

That said, I still very much doubt that in our community your clubmates would discriminate against your half-brother in spite of his weakness. But afterall, he's only 11!! when puberty kicks in and he's fencing, he'll burn off those fat. But you'll have to make sure that he works hard at his fencing or whatever he tries.

Make sure you introduce him to everyone as your brother and ask the others to help him learn to fence then he'll have a lot less difficulties. Most fencers like to be mentors to guide someone in their passion.

Best of luck to your brother

Along the journey of our life half way
I found myself again in a dark wood.
Wherein the straight road no longer lay

Ah, tongue can never make it understood
So harsh and dense and savage to traverse
That fear returns in thinking on that wood

It is so bitter death is hardly worse
But, for the good it was my chance to gain
The other things I saw there I'll rehearse

~ from Dante's divine Comedy

PK

PK

Event Horizon · 07-27-2003, 04:27 AM

Let him fence. Get him started on an active lifestyle that will be beneficial to him in the future. Fencing can be a very good cardiovascular workout and IMHO more fun than doing aerobics or jogging. Plus, you'll always have a sparring partner outside of the Salle.

bug · 07-27-2003, 03:06 PM

Don't let fear of prejudice deter you from sharing fencing with your brother. While I completely understand that you want to protect him, you won't be able to do so forever. Being from a mixed background myself (African-American/Caucasian) with a little brother, I really understand where you're coming from. Rarely do I ever experience racial discrimination, and the last place I would expect it to come from is a fencing club where everyone already knows you. His weight problem probably won't be a big deal either. He's 11, he'll stretch out over the next few years, and fencing will defintely help with that.

So in conclusion, take your brother to the club and have him fence. I'm sure he'll love it, especially if he has you to help him and to look up to. If you still fear that he may experience prejudice, teach him to be as strong and as confident as you have been, and he'll be just fine.

whtouche · 07-27-2003, 04:09 PM

Ariela: Out of curiousity - what country are you from?

jeff · 07-27-2003, 06:28 PM

Ariela, I'll join the others in welcoming you and your brother to fencing. Racism is out there in the world, but a fencing club is one of the most unlikely places for him to run into it. I know of a few incidents, but they go back to the 1970s when African American fencers were still pretty rare, and under pretty untypical circumstances. It's about the most multi-ethnic sport I know of now.

Getting your brother into fencing will also help with his physical conditioning, while helping him mature mentally to better handle life's challenges.

Talyn · 07-29-2003, 09:41 AM

Hope your bro gets nice fit and... ehh yea ... has a good time

daeceg · 07-29-2003, 09:59 AM

Besides...how many people are gonna tick off a big guy who knows how to use a sword? 8-)

PeterGustafsson · 07-29-2003, 10:54 AM

Hi!

On the racism issue:

If that rears its ugly head, just ask the club leaders to tell the perp about the Smart siblings and Peter Westbrook. Should do the trick.

Have a nice time!

Peter Gustafsson

Lady Cristina · 07-29-2003, 07:18 PM

Ariela, I was only 9 when I started fencing. Everyone in my class was much older but they treated my like one of them unless they were protecting me. I always say the fencers are my second family because I've known them for so long. Your brother just make a friend that he can talk to about everything. I know thats the way it was for me. Good luck

Nusy · 07-30-2003, 03:02 PM

Hey, starting at the age of 11 is OK!!! I started when I was only 9, and I still love fencing, and can't miss a competition (though I never had any better result...)

Indy4ever · 08-02-2003, 07:10 PM

I only started a few years ago, and I honestly wish I had started sooner. if you are eleven and you suck no one cares, but if you are sixteen and then it is a tiny bit harder to ignore (especially when other people my age are getting to the L4 in senior opens).

Ariela · 08-02-2003, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by whtouche
Ariela: Out of curiousity - what country are you from?

brazil ...... i know its quite strange to talk about racism ( against black ppl) in a country where 60 % of the population is black but in fecning here 99% of fencers are white , and thats what worried me . but one day after i posted that i remebered this black chick in my club , ( whos also overweight) who is really respected here. but she only shows up evryonce in a while , but that really calmed me down .

Ariela · 08-02-2003, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by pkt
"...but then i grew up and turned into a 36 dd blue eyed chick with pouty lips , so part of my fat became breasts"

"...also hes fat ( and his fat wont turn into huge bubs like mine)"

This site is getting good.

Ariela, you gave me the second LOL reading this site. I had to read twice to make sure I read what I thought I read.

the first one was in the "Did dubya say that" thread by
Talyn

"Man dubya rules, hes the only president ive ever known that could walk up to the stage with his head held high knowing that hes just going to humiliate himself."

Then that line of yours...

Of course breasts are just bloated sweat glands!!!

Thank you,

PK

hehehehehe is ok that doesnt win tournaments , i know ( as i havent won any yet ! ) but when you have been discriminated all your childhood , it tastes better then beer with peppermint liqueur ! ( oh my favourite! )

three_hundred_fifty_five · 08-04-2003, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ariela
...but then i grew up and turned into a 36 dd blue eyed chick with pouty lips , so part of my fat became breasts...

Hmm, I don't mean to point out the white elephant in the room but "Hey, there are innocent children and men reading this forum". My innocent Amish mind is going to burn in hell!!!

daeceg · 08-05-2003, 12:08 AM

If your innocent Amish mind is reading this forum online in the first place, you've already positioned yourself to be shunned, so you may as well enjoy the ride.

(amazing what having family in Lebanon County will teach you about the Amish...)