FENCING 101
The sport of fencing is fast and athletic, a far cry from the choreographed bouts you see on film or on the stage. Instead of swinging from a chandelier or leaping from balconies, you will see two fencers moving back and forth on a 6-feet by 44-feet strip. The action is so fast the touches are scored electrically.
THE BOUT
Competitors win a fencing bout by being the first to score 15 points (in direct elimination play) or 5 points (in preliminary pool play) against their opponent, or by having a higher score than their opponent when the time limit expires. Each time a fencer lands a valid hit - a touch - on their opponent, she receives one point. The time limit for direct elimination matches is nine minutes - three three-minute periods with a one-minute break between each. Fencing at the Olympic Games will feature a single-elimination table format, much like that used in Tennis. There will be no preliminary rounds, as the initial seeding into the table will be determined by World Rankings.
THE WEAPONS
Foil, epee and saber are the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. While some fencers compete in all three events, the elite generally choose to focus their energies on mastering one weapon.
The foil is a descendant of the light court sword formerly used by nobility to train for duels. It has a flexible, rectangular blade approximately 35 inches in length and weighing less than one pound. Points are scored with the tip of the blade and must land on valid targets: torso from shoulders to groin in the front and to the waist in the back. The arms, neck, head and legs are considered off-target. Hits to this non-valid target temporarily halts the fencing action, but does not result any points being awarded.
The saber is the modern version of the slashing cavalry sword.
The epee (literally meaning "sword" in French) is the descendant of the dueling sword.
FOR MORE INFO
For more on fencing rules and history please go to the following links:
www.usfencing.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing
TOP FIVE FENCING FACTS
1. Fencing is one of only four sports to be included in every modern Olympic Games, since the first in 1896. Fencing was also a sport in the original Olympic Games in ancient Greece.
2. Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern Olympic Games, was a fencer.
3. The tip of the fencing weapon is the second fastest moving object in sport; the first is the marksman's bullet.
4. Fencing is conducted on a 14m x 2m "strip" or "piste" to replicate combat in confined quarters such as a castle hallway. The end of the fencing strip represents the line drawn in the earth by duelists' seconds: to retreat behind this line during the duel indicated cowardice and loss of honor.
5. The 750 gram weight test used to calibrate a touch, or is based on the amount of tension required to break the skin. In a duel, the victor's honor was insured when blood was first drawn -- even if from a minor wound such as a blister.
HANNA THOMPSON QUALIFIES FOR THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS GAMES
Amazing things are happening in Rochester and at the Rochester Fencing Club!
Hanna Thompson, Rochester native, Ohio State graduate, and coached by our very own Nat Goodhartz, has qualified for the US Olympic Team!
She wil be leaving for Beijing on July 31st. Remember that the opening ceremonies begin on August 8, 2008.
RFC is having a reception to congratulate her on her success at Lorraine's Lunch Basket at 6:30pm on Tuesday, April 22nd. The address is 777 Culver Road, below the fencing club and across the street from East High School. Come join us and meet a local Olympian!
Rochester Fencing Club Summer Camp
Rochester Fencing Club Summer Camp for Foil Fencers
- Run by Women's Foil Coach Dr. Nat Goodhartz, Olympian Iris Zimmermann, and coach Colin Clinton.
- If you would like to contact us about the camp you can do so by emailing rochesterfencing@hotmail.com or calling the club at 585-654-6047.
Rochester Area Fencing Foundation, Inc.
Rochester Fencing Club has recently been approved for 501c3 status.
Fencing, one of the original sports in the Olympic Games since it's modern inception in 1886, is a unique and fast growing sport. Athletes, parents, and people involved in fencing have always commented on the sport's ability to teach individuals about self assurance, patience, respect, and personal and social responsibility. The newly formed 501c3, RAFF, is a part of the dream to use fencing as a vehicle to bring these types of qualities to the leaders of tomorrow within the communities in and around the city of Rochester.
If you would like to make a donation you can send a check to Sue Clinton at the Rochester Fencing Club, 777 Culver Road, Rochester, NY 14609. Please make the check out to RAFF and make sure to include your name, address, and contact number so we can send you your tax deduction information.