The Gray Epee

7:23:58 PM EDT My week in fencing seems like a slow one, though it has been full.

Tuesday night was UNC night. I generally go there for lessons and a bit of grown up strip time. Coach and Josh are out of town teaching a camp. Even so it was a good night.

Wednesday night was a good night as well. A lot of kids who had not been around showed up and it was like "old home " week. They are such a good little group. I had missed the flavor of open night fencing. I could not bring myself to fence hard against them. I want them to have fun and not just be a target. Jordon will soon be leaving for college. I am not sure if she will continue through the summer or not. Tommy's brother Mike came. I would say little brother, but even at 13 he is taller than Tommy and myself.
He has some natural ability and moves sort of like Tommy. I hope we can make this fun for him so he will wish to continue. It would be good for him.

Mario had the class, though it was mostly open fencing. ( As it is our usual way during the summer.) We talked about the upcoming ref seminar this fall and are looking forward to that.

Friday night we had a foil class. Woody was out of town so Henri and coached that class. ( Henri and I never think of ourselves as coaches, though we have both been to Coaches College for foil.) It was fun. I hate my black coaches vest. It is cheap and leaves black stains on my uniform.

More kids showed up later in the evening. It was hot and they mostly fenced epee, so we switched to free fencing and bouted. It was another good evening.

Except for the USFA problems, there is not a lot to read concerning fencing on the web. Even that is slow  in summer. Sunday is my big day for reading about fencing on-line. Though I do that daily at least twice.

The problems within the USFA have me concerned. I am not badly concerned, I am sure it will all work out in time. My main concern is for Coaches College next summer. I wanted to do that again. It was one of the best experiences I have had this century and it is my great hope that I can find the time and money to go next summer for Epee 1. There is nothing like spending a week at the Olympic Training center in Colorado. I figure by then that I will have had another year with Coach Miller and I will have worked myself up to a " decent" level technically. ( Hey...it could happen!) You don't have to be a great fencer to do this, but you must be correct in your actions and movements from a technical stand point. I will revsit this desire in the spring and see what the future brings.

As Nationals unfold there will be more to read on-line. Thank goodness!


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9:43:26 PM EDT

Last Saturday I was at our beach house for a long weekend. I took time to drive down to Wilmington and fenced at Cape Fear Fencing Club. I fenced with Paul Perkins and Greg Spahr. I did well. I feel like a year ago, I would not have done as well as I did, so I am happy that I see some improvement. I started with my French grip, but switched to pistol grip and did even better. I was grateful to them for letting me fence and that I got in some strip time.

 Wednesday I fenced at home at the Downtown Fencing Club. I worked on under the cuff shots. I had some luck with that in Wilmington and wanted to try and perfect it. I really could not make it work in practice for some reason.

 Thursday I fenced at Chapel Hill. (Do I get around….or what?) I really did not fence at all, but had a private lesson with Josh.

 Friday night I helped set up for the North Carolina State Games fencing competition. I had reservations about helping, but I am glad I did. Robert is a good guy and they were very appreciative.

 Thursday I fenced in the Games. (This is sort of like a version of the Olympics with many different sports on the program.)  Out of the 45 people that pre-registered 35 showed up to fence epee. This was an A2 event (I think) and there were some high level fencers there. (At least from my perspective.  It is a relative sort of thing.) I did well in pools and finished second behind Nick the “A” fencer. It was the first time I got to fence Nick and I enjoyed it. I saw him “wax” a couple of people and it was my hope that that did not happen. It did not. I got 2 touches on him and it was a moral victory of sorts. In one of my first bouts I used my pistol grip and lost 5-4. I had intended to try and use it more, but the French always lent itself to certain situations. I needed to make up some indicators, so I pommeled and used it to gain back some ground on a weaker fencer. I used it against a UNC fencer, as he liked to flick using the bell guard as a fulcrum. When I pommel, my hand is not where it needs to be, for that to work. I beat that young man 5-3.

 So after the dust of pools settled, I had a bye and was seeded 13th out of 35 fencers. That does not sound all that good, but I was up there with the higher rated fencers and I felt pretty good about it.

I know that pools do not mean all that much. I looked at some of the people that were seeded under me and I knew that I would have had to have had a REALLY good day to beat some of them. Now, as I said, pools do not mean that much, but I figure they must mean something. So I was kind of happy with my results.

 In DE’s I fenced the 20th ranked UNC guy I beat in pools. Sadly, he got smarter and my game did not work as I hoped it might. I lost and I was done for the day. I will say that my coach was WAY cuter than his coach.

 There were a few negative comments about this and that at the Games. Mostly (as usual) from a couple of people that took no part it putting it together and never seem to take any part in any sort of Divisional effort. I have always felt if you don’t do anything to help; you should forfeit the right to criticize. On a more positive note, there were refs from a lot of clubs and people helped with cleaning up from all over.

This was a "starter” event in the State Games for fencing. And I am happy that Robert Thomas got us this far. It can improve, but it had to start some place. This was a GOOD start.

I would also say that I felt a sense of community at the event. Everyone seemed to get along. I did not notice anyone being an ass. It was nice.

I had to hang around to get our club equipment back, but it wasn’t bad. I talked to a lot of folks and felt very at home with all of them.

I thought it was a day well spent and I enjoyed it.

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10:46:37 PM EDT

Tuesday I fenced once and had a private lesson at UNC. It was a nice night.

Wednesday at DFC was the first summer class and we are without Coach Miller until the fall. It was a small class, but it had the relaxed flavor of days gone by. We fenced pools and we joked around. It was fun. I had a good time. I have missed that sort of thing in Greensboro.

Cam told me that night that Robert Thomas had called her and needed help setting up for the North Carolina State Games, which will include fencing this year. ( It is kind of like the local version of the Olympics.) Cam and Woody will be doing the "48 Hour Film Festival" shoot that weekend and will not be able to be involved. I sent Robert a note the next day and volunteered to help set up. I feel sense it is Greensboro I should represent our club. I also feel it is the right thing to do for the fencing community. I also feel like I did enough of that last season and deserve a break. It seems however that the " responsible adult " side of my personality won out over the " selfish bastard " side. I was really pulling for the " selfish bastard " side. Damn it!

Oh well........I will find a way to make it fun. I have an idea or two.

The picture above are from my daughter Jaime's wedding. I just got about 400 of them from the photographer and thought I would stick a couple in here.


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8:39:28 PM EDT Tuesday I fenced at UNC. I got there late but had time for private lesson with Coach Miller.

After all this time, I still have trouble coming into a good enguard in six. This weekend, every chance I get I will be working on this. My tip did not lift as often during drills, but Coach did make me do push ups ( not many ) for blowing it once. I happen to like push ups and have never done them with a mask on.

I only had time to fence once. I fenced Keith from Touche. I have gotten to know him a little better sense he has been fencing there. He is a really nice guy. Keith won 15-14, but it was good bout. I was fencing with a pistol grip. I am gaining more confidence in using it.

Even though I wish I would see progress technically, I feel that of late I am fencing better and making some progress.

Henri was at UNC Tuesday night. I watched her private lesson with Coach. Her attacks are so graceful and athletic. I am so proud of her. I thought of a couple of years ago when she use to advance by hopping like a bunny. What a difference!

Coach Miller came to Greensboro for the last group lesson until next fall. It was a lecture of sorts. We asked questions and he answered. Once in a while he would ask us a question. Poor Nicole. She is a girl of action and all this talking is not her cup of tea. On the other hand, I love it. I could listen to knowledgeable people talk about fencing all night.

I think I have been studying with Coach Miller for close to two years. I don't know Coach at all and at the same time I know a lot about him.

Some people will tell you that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. Perhaps.....but I think fencing beats that hands down. Just off the top of my head, I can think of around a thousand ways that fencing or coaching give insight into your personality. I am not talking about the obvious things like how you handle victory or defeat. ( Though those are powerful insights into character.) I am talking about how coaches talk to kids when they are doing poorly at a tournament. The way fencers or coaches treat clubs that are hosting an event. Do they go out of their way to thank them? Do they exhibit good sportsmanship when they are at another club. That may be a bit old fashioned, but I hope it is not. Do they admit when the touch hit the toe and not the floor? Easy to do if you have a big lead, harder to do if you are down by two. Would your coach tell you to admit the hit? Would it make a difference how they ( the coach ) felt about it? The list goes on and on.

Not all insights are concerned with a person being a stand up guy or a dill weed. There are lots of other traits in fencing that reveal your personality. Humor...or the lack of it. Fear or courage. I can think of a small woman with gray hair fencing a young man that is six feet four inches tall and a high rated fencer. Tell me that does not show grit! And she goes back and does it again and again.

Every once in a  while you will see a kid on strip that thinks he is in a Renaissance Fair or something. He will do some sort of weird flowery salute. I have no idea what that reflects in a persons personality. It must mean something more than your indicators are about to get better.

So what do I know about Coach Miller? He will give you a dash of positive reinforcement when you need it or deserve it. He has the patience of Jobe. He must or he would have beat me to death with a bell guard by now. I know how many people love him. That says a lot. But most of all I know the sparkle in his eye when he talks about fencing. I am not joking...his eyes sparkle!




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7:44:41 AM EDT The following is a comment on my journal from my friend Kathy, who fences in Nottingham , England. She was worried about being " mean" by posting this in the comments section of my journal. However, I am grateful for her post and will add it here. You can read more of this truly sweet and intellectual woman's thoughts on a blog called " Quaker Fencer".

"This is really good and useful.  I'll add one point for women over 50.  I heard years ago that, while women lack the burst of speed that men have, they have greater stamina and endurance.  (This was written in relation to marathon running and the author - I can't remember the full context - suggested that if the marathon course were ten miles longer, women would win every time.)  If you're an older woman, this will sometimes work in your favour.  I've even occasionally had the experience of beating or nearly beating a much better male fencer who has run out of energy while fencing.  This won't work against really experienced fencers who are good at conserving their energy and, when you're over 50, physical setbacks can cause knock-on effects for ages.  But it's worth looking at male opponents to judge how much energy they have left - if your male opponent seems to be running out of energy, it's time to draw on reserves and move a lot, as fast as you can, changing distance, etc.

Jim, I feel mean posting this on your blog.  But if, like me, you're a woman over 50 with no previous history of taking vigorous exercise, it's helpful to know that there may be a point in club nights and competitions where, eventually, you'll find you still have energy as the men around you are flagging.  Just as men use their greater strength and speed in mixed-gender bouts, women have to call on stamina and endurance.  "

Thanks Kathz

Now for a few closing words from The Gray Epee and it is for men and more importantly younger men.

I started to include my thoughts on the differences between woman and men that start to fence and are over fifty.

ANYTIME a man starts talking about the differences between a man and a woman, he is getting ready to screw up. ( Pay attention here younglings, these are pearls of wisdom.)

Fortunately, I am going to not delve to deeply into the subject here and I am posting a " GENERALITY DISCLAIMER " so that I might escape with only minor wounds.

Ladies: Please note that I attempt to broach this subject for the good of young males everywhere. I realize that I am dealing in a generality and that I am dealing within a sub-group of woman kind which is also so very, very varied that there is no way to accurately do this. Still I must try.

I continue.

I have known women from every area of our nation and many nations world wide. However, the women I come closest to understanding are women from the Southern United States. Please note that I said " closest to understanding".  There are things different about a Southern woman other than her accent. I think that the thing Southern woman have in common ( They are so varied ) are that because of a rural heritage they are closer to the earth. They are wilder and purposely unpredictable. But because of the common rural heritage and a need for information like this in the past they have always talked with each other about medical problems, child birth and menopause. I mention menopause as it goes hand and hand with aging. Women ( The women I know best) know what is coming as they age.

Young men, however, are pretty much clueless. Yes, they know that some men loose their hair and put on weight. they know that hair starts to grow where it never grew before. Some of them know that anyway, I suspect some are clueless. There are gross misconceptions on sex. I will stop there.

They are unaware of things like: After 40 you will start to gain a pound or two each year and through your sixties in most cases. Not all ( much depends on genetics). At the same time you will start to loose muscle mass in a similar fashion. If you are lucky, you have done some strength training in your 20's and 30's guys. It will pay off.

The very best thing you can do to learn and prepare for aging is to talk with your father, The odds are that you are a similar genetic copy and you might just learn something that will help you in the future. It could also help him. Knowing his medical problems would be of great benefit if he was hospitalized and unresponsive.

Think about it guys. Do it.

Gray Epee.......Over and Out!






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8:24:32 PM EDT I jumping right in here. Go read the post before this first.

7. If you still have speed ( fast hands ) don't break that out right away. Save it for a bit later in the bout.

8. Generally speaking if you are over 50 you have more patience than a male kid in college. Use it. Go back and read number six. ( Okay....this one depends on the the two people on strip, but it is close to being true.)

9. At some point you will win a bout because someone looked at the gray hair and underestimated you. Some times they figure out that they underestimated you, but it is to late. Those victories are yours. Don't worry, you will loose bouts for underestimating others as well. It all balances out.

10. If you fence in a vet event ( non sabre ) you will not find a lot of screamers. I can't think of any I have fenced with. ( Note: Some fencers scream after getting a touch to release tension and I am pretty sure to annoy people around them.) If you are over 50, the odds are you know how to let something  like tension go pretty quickly and silently. If you need to scream after getting a touch, you most likely should think about taking up another sport. Billiards maybe. You should be able to let something go faster than a male teenager. I mean ...really. ( Yet another note: Okay...if you offer an invitation and you get hit there, you are allowed to be rattled. That is something that takes me a while to get over. ) ( One more note: I am joking......kind of.)






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11:04:50 AM EDT
I started this journal a couple of years ago. In my mind I thought that it might be of benefit to someone else that started fencing in their fifties.  I doubt that there is much ( if anything ) that would be of value to people that start fencing after 50.

For the last day or so I have been thinking about this. I sometimes use thinking about fencing as an escape. The place were I work has around 20 people in it. They laid off four yesterday. I knew it was coming. It is hard to see people loose their jobs. It is harder to be a baby boomer and loose your own. There has been some stress in my life knowing this was coming and knowing that the future does not look all that bright either. Thinking about fencing is a wonderful escape.

But as usual I digress.

People that start fencing after 50. Yeah....that was it! It is a small demographic. Smaller yet are the ones that stay with it.

What are the differences between a person that starts after fifty and young person starting fencing?

You can't make much distinction. For example, you might say that the older person may have more body weight, but that may not be true. For every example I can think of (off the top of my head) I can I sight someone that makes it not true.

Yet as sure as there is gray hair and wrinkles around the eyes there are differences.

I have always been into some sort of physical activity. (Martial arts for 18 years, running, weight lifting.) Okay.....none of those things are very evident in my body today,but I did those things. I still make an effort to hit the gym when I can. During these activities I became somewhat knowledgeable concerning exercise and nutrition. (Not that I applied that knowledge, but I knew it.)

When I turned 50, I began to try and read up on exercising in your fifties. Not a pleasant experience. First there is a HUGE drop off in information for people that exercise in there fifties. The majority of information you will find will be on walking and maybe ( shudder) water aerobics. You can find information on weight lifting, but it is designed for people that would have trouble curling a soup can.

Now from time to time you can find info that is of value. However, beware. I found a site once that when into some detail about what you might experience physically in your fifties. Things like you start to loose balance abilities (who knew?) and flexibility. Itwas  shortly after I began reading these web sites that I stopped reading those web sites. So if you are in your fifties and amazingly have some reason to find my silly little journal, here are my suggestions for you:

1. Do not spend very much time trying to read up on physical exercise and what to expect as you pass through your fifties. What you read will tend to become self fulfilling prophecies. Exercise yes...by all means. Pay attention to stretching and your body. You will be fine.

2. Do not compare yourself to someone in their fifties that has been fencing sense they were eight. I have fenced Dragonnetti before. ( I am sure I spelled his name wrong.)

3. If possible find a friend near your own age that fences. Either at your club or on line. ( Note: I was very, very lucky in this regard. I would mention her name , but I would most certainly be cast into the abyss for doing so.)

4. If you are in a club and they are doing physical training or a hell of a warm up and you can't hang......flip off the coach and the teenager that is barely sweating and rest for a while. Okay...you can do this without the flip off. Just do it mentally. If your coach is descent, they will not give you greif. If they give you greif, find a new coach.

5. If you are competing and you get tired, take your own sweet time about coming to the on guard line. Walk around a minute it, wipe the sweat from your nose. pretend to tie your show or fix a weapon. I do this sometimes just to think about what is happening or try to screw up my opponent.

6. You get two minutes between pool bouts ( in most cases) and ten minutes between DEs' Take every frikin' second you need. A ref wants to get on with it...people are waiting.....screw them, they will not wait long.


Damn....I am on a roll and I could keep going, but it is time to get on with the day.

To be continued.............................







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6:47:19 AM EDT The day after I posted my farewell, things happened at work to make me think that the traveling that was to become part of my job may not happen. I have traveled more than Indiana Jones, so I have had my fill and do not regret this not working out.

Sharon ( Nicole's Mom) told me I should finish up the semester. She is my Mother Coach.
It is best to listen to her.

I do not know how things are going to work out in the next month or so, but for now I can stay at home ( DFC) for a while.

It was good group lesson with Coach Miller last night and there was even time to fence Tommy before he got there. ( Which is right after the little kid class.)

The things we worked on in drills were basic. Some were impractical. Coach said as much, but felt that it was necessary. God and Coach....they move in mysterious ways.

I noticed that in drills that my actions are crisper and I am leading with my point better. The bell guard is were it should be most of the time. I felt good about my actions. The drills did not encompass things I wanted to check. Coming back into 6 in second parry ( relaxed arm ) and in a good 6. Coming back is just as important in fencing as going forward. That may be true in life.








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10:36:35 PM EDT Tonight I fenced in Chapel Hill. I fenced just a little. I was under the weather and my mind was not on the game. I stunk on strip.

On the other hand I had a good lesson and I did well. I needed a positive.

This was a sad day for me.

Due to reasons beyond my control (both personal and professional) I find that I can no longer devote the time and energy to fencing that I once did.. I hate that, but I always knew that the time would come. Sadly, it came quicker than expected.

As a result of this I think that I can continue one night a week. I have decided to do this in Chapel Hill (as long as I can afford the gas) and with the greatest of regret will be leaving the Downtown Fencing Club.

I will be becoming a once a week fencer. I will not get much better, but I wasn't getting that much better anyway. It is my hope that I can keep in the game and perhaps in the future I will find away to return to my home and my fencing family.

This in no way reflects badly on the coaches; students or parents that are a part of this club. I hold the coaches of the DFC in the highest of regards. These are people that give unselfishly and freely of their time and energy for the love of the sport and for no other reason than to help the community. I was honored (truly) to have been a part of this team and some small help in this regard.

This really breaks my heart.




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5:59:44 PM EDT In fencing Tommy last weekend in pools he got touches on me twice as we were in an infighting situation.

I have developed a bad habit of trying to run by and not trying to duke it out.

Time to change this and work on the infighting game again.


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