• Please be sure to read the rules and adhere to them. Some banned members have complained that they are not spammers. But they spammed us. Some even tried to redirect our members to other forums. Duh. Be smart. Read the rules and adhere to them and we will all get along just fine. Cheers. :beer: Link to the rules: https://www.forumsforums.com/threads/forum-rules-info.2974/

Last Fencing Event of the Season

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
FINALLY ... DONE :hammer:

I really like these kids. But its a long season. I'll miss seeing them but damn I'm glad its over for the year. We have a party at the school tomorrow and a banquet that is not even on the schedule yet.

But the daily practices are done.

The lost weekends are done.

The broken weapons are ... well those are piled up on my workbench :doh:
 

Attachments

  • 12741996_192865434404689_4924624017067935482_n.jpg
    12741996_192865434404689_4924624017067935482_n.jpg
    121 KB · Views: 92
  • 12728847_192865424404690_7448541911054621889_n.jpg
    12728847_192865424404690_7448541911054621889_n.jpg
    129.5 KB · Views: 92
  • 12734258_192865407738025_5049967118981128833_n.jpg
    12734258_192865407738025_5049967118981128833_n.jpg
    103.4 KB · Views: 95
  • IMG_5840.jpg
    IMG_5840.jpg
    92.6 KB · Views: 100
  • IMG_5848.jpg
    IMG_5848.jpg
    127.5 KB · Views: 98
  • IMG_5849.jpg
    IMG_5849.jpg
    75 KB · Views: 95

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Good pics. I'm sure the kids got an experience from all this that they will never forget. A job well done. Good for you. :clap: :clap: :clap:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Good pics. I'm sure the kids got an experience from all this that they will never forget. A job well done. Good for you. :clap: :clap: :clap:

I think so. For a bunch of them.

The boy in the very last photo is a school troublemaker. His parents have trouble with him at home. One of the people in the school guidance department believe he may shoot up the school. But he's a really good kid. No he doesn't want to do warm up stretches. No he doesn't have the attitude to make him a team leader or captain. But he listens to me. He doesn't talk back or give me trouble. He has now joined the private fencing club a couple towns away and fences there too. Oh, and he's smart. Season started he was getting C's and D's. I've been going back and forth with his parents and working with him and now he brought his grades up to B's.

The 2 girls in the photo with me are my pride and joy fencers. Girl on my left is our team captain and highest ranked fencer. She is also the one who's mom was killed while she was driving a car about 2 months before the start of fencing season. She is still a straight A student and has been working with me on college scholarships, college choices, etc. I think I've been able to help her out in both personal and scholastic life, but the great grades are all hers! Girl on my right is only a sophomore, she just started fencing in national USFA sanctioned events and is my 2nd best girl fencer. I'm working on building her a custom Saber now. She will very likely become our next team captain after the other girl graduates. Great girls, both of them.

Not saying that I haven't had some issues with a couple others. And there are several that just work their way through the program and vanish later on. But I think I have had some success with quite a few of these kids, maybe because the team is small and the season is long? But I am proud of them :wink:
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Had our party today, said goodbye, but there are still several that I will be seeing on a semi-regular basis at the fencing club.

A couple others I stay in contact with (FB friends with their parents). So not really goodbye. Except for 1 of them, I have 1 boy who is a senior, he is the only graduating student I have so the rest should be back next year.

This is most of the Saber squad, which are my kids. The Foil squad is larger, I think they have 16 kids on that side, but they are graduating several on that side of our team.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5865.jpg
    IMG_5865.jpg
    96.7 KB · Views: 83

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Good job Bob. Looks like you all had fun together, except for the girl you are strangling. lol
Dumb question but I know nothing of this sport.
With the foil you go with the tip and touch the opponent.
A sabre is more like a machete, correct?
does it score the same with just the tip? If so why is there much difference? Since a sabre is made to slash there must be points for that also.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Good job Bob. Looks like you all had fun together, except for the girl you are strangling. lol
Dumb question but I know nothing of this sport.
With the foil you go with the tip and touch the opponent.
A sabre is more like a machete, correct?
does it score the same with just the tip? If so why is there much difference? Since a sabre is made to slash there must be points for that also.
In simple terms:

Foil and Epee are both "tip" weapons. Saber is an "edge" weapon.

Both Saber and Foil require that the fencer establish a 'right of way' or 'priority' to score a touch. To do so a specific set of motions must occur. Regardless of if both lights illuminate on the scoring box, only 1 of the fencers can actually score the touch, therefore a referee (bout director) is required to determine which fencer has priority.

Epee requires no such establishment of right of way and both fencers can score a touch simultaneously.

For example, in Saber there are 3 specific criteria required for a fencer to establish his priority during a valid attack. 1) be within 'attack distance' while 'threatening target area' 2) body moving in a forward motion and 3) arm moving in a forward motion.

Saber is an OFFENSIVE weapon and favors attacks. The cutting/slashing motion does not require a stab. Its based on cavalry style cutting/slashing where men on horseback tried to cut the soldiers on the ground. It is the fastest of the 3, with a bout often lasting 1 minute of less. Target area is from the waist up.

Foil is often considered a DEFENSIVE weapon. It is based on the weapons used by nobility in a King's court. A bout can easily last 3 minutes. Target area is the torso only, from the family jewels to the neck and excluding the arms.

Epee is considered a COUNTER DEFENSIVE weapon. The strategy changes based on the score. The weapon is a stout blade with somewhat less flex that the skinny foil. Target area is the entire body from tip of toe to top of head.
 
Top