Empath, 1980 January 28

              Tuesday, January 29,1980 page 9
C h iv a lry A liv e and W e ll at S .M .C .— Touche J by Chris Tallevast
Remember all the movies you watched
when you were a kid? The ones with the
dashing young princes and knights-at-arms
jumping through castle windows
just in time to whip out his trusty sword
and unabashedly slay the enemy with
a few flicks of his wrist, rescue the by
then wailing princess, leap back on the
vine that happens to be swinging next
to the castle window and hop on the
nearest horse and carriage to Lovesville?
Well, it’s just not that easy to slice up
twenty of the King’s best men without
some practical know-how of the weapon
you just bloodied. Historically, most of
the champion knights were excellent
swordsmen. And since the idea of such
romantic ventures never strayed far from
the minds of modern man, fencing, as
the sport associated with individual
point competition using swords has
come to be known, has remained popular
with the European countries and has
enjoyed some success as a recreational
sport in the United States.
Established locally in 1896 by the
Washington Fencers Club, a group of
Army and Navy diplomats, fencing has
expanded to colleges and universities
across the country. Since it is a highly
disciplined activity with a rich military
backing, it is no surprise that several
United States and Olympic champions
have sprouted from West Point and
Annapolis. But here at St. Mary’s, after
years of neglect and anonymity fencing
has regained some reknow'n and speaks
promise of flourishing.
With Athletic Director Tom Wein-gartner
and sponsor Rich Barron’s as­sistance,
the fencing club was given a
foundation and has managed to arrive
at a competitive schedule, though finding
tournaments is a difficulty because of
the competitive level required at such
tourneys. Adding to their ‘incognito’
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nature is their inaccessibility to a suitable
practice facility, though the old theatre
room is no deterrant to the aesthetics
of the sport as art, and the lack of pub-i
m
licity, interest, and misunderstanding
of the scoring system. But the sport is
here at St. Mary’s, it is a club sport which
means anyone is invited to participate,
and is a sure stickler for would-be Eroll
Flynns.
The fencing club even holds matches
here at the school, and is active at a few
tournaments around the state. Fencists
compete using three weapons. Foils
are about 43 inches long and weigh 17
ounces. A light thrust weapon, points
are scored with the point of the foil
only, and may only be registered when
struck on the trunk area of the body.
Five touches constitutes a winner, the
touches being electronically monitored
through a wiring connection from the
blade tip, running through the foil end
and into the registration apparutus.
Epees, which are the same length
as foils but weigh 27 ounces, use the
same scoring system but touches are
allowed on any part of the body. For
this reason, fencists wear a complete
protective outfit.
The modern day equivalent to the
old cavalry sword, sabres are the heaviest
of the weapons and follow a different
point system. Since electronic systems
are not available for sabres, a committee
comprising of a President and four judges
decides who made contact and where.
The President is positioned midway
between both fencists and can veto the
judges’ decision on point contact. Since
the body area is limited to above the
waist, and scoring is done with the point,
sharp, and back edge of the blade, scoring
is often debated.
Competition is allowed for both men
and women. Women, however, are
limited to use of foils only, whereas men
compete with all three of the afore­mentioned
weaponry.
So now that you know a little about
those masked Musketeers sticking around
the gym, get interested and watch a
match. Don’t be surprised if you get
stuck on it yourself.
Swashbucklers D ro p th e ir G uard
Fencing action returned to St. Mary’s
last weekend, with the women squaring
off against William and Mary on January
19, and both men and women traveling
to John Hopkin’s University the day
before, January 18.
Against Hopkins, the men stayed
close but dropped a 17-10 decision to
the better tuned fencists. Competition
occurred in the foil, epee, and sabre
events, with the Saints gaining the upper
hand only in the sabre events, winning
six of nine matches. But that feat was
mottled by Hopkin’s inability to place
any contestants in all six of those
matches, resulting in forfeits to St.
Mary’s.
Chris Tallevast
In the foil competition, St. Mary’s
managed three wins while dropping six
others. Maitre d’Armess Doug Wright
captured those three victories for the
Saints, defeating two Hopkins fencists
handily, winning his third and final
match by a score of 4-5.
The epee event found the Saints even
less skilled, as Hopkins ripped through
the event, winning eight of nine places.
Only St. Mary’s Lane could come up
with a victory, slipping by Hopkin’s
Bennett in the final round, 2-5.
The women fared no better against
the Hopkins stylists, losing 12-1 in
matches. Only St. Mary’s Ruth could
make any headway, defeating Hopkins
Kavee by one touch, 4-5.
Against William and Mary, the women
took their lumps, losing 12-0 in matches.
The Fencing Club returns to action
on January 26 with a home match,
greeting visitors Hood College and Fred­erick
Community College in a 1:00 p.m.
match. On February 9, the Fencers
will travel once again to William and
Mary for a mens only contest. That
meet begins at 12:00 noon.
A
.S'
photo by Kevin Gleason
F u lfill Y o u r N o c tu r n a l D e s ir e s U n d e r G y m lig h ts
by Nancy Dudiak
O A K W O O D L O D G E
Fine Food & Good Wine !
St. Mary’s County’s
Finest Dinner Theater
L o c a t e d a t P i n e y P o i n t 9 9 4 - 2 3 7 7
With the start of the Spring semester,
so too begins the intramural season.
Intramurals? You remember, flag football
in the mud, five minute volleyball games,
turkey shoots, 3 on 3 basketball that
began and ended all in one fun filled
night? You don’t? Well, here’s a little
reminder of what’s in store over the
next few cold, cold months.
First, a small but important correc­tion
should be made. You know the neat
little yellow information sheets floating
around that say, “St. Mary’s College
Intramural Sports?” Well, they’re not
altogether there. They’re around, but a
few minor changes have been made.
Both men’s and women’s basketball
competition, scheduled for the start of
this semester, have been moved to Feb­ruary.
The reason for the alteration is
the real men’s and women’s teams are
still practicing and playing in the large
gym. Since their season will be rolling
to a close in February, the wise men got
together and decided that schedule
wise, it was for the better to move the
competition to a period where there
will be less hassles with time. But to
satisfy your nocturnal desires (at least
for a while), men’s and women’s soccer
have been forwarded to this month.
Game times are scheduled to run from
7:00 to 11:00 p.m., on Sunday through
Thursday.
Also due this Friday (they may
extend the deadline) are rosters for
Racquetball. Both men and women are
invited to* participate, and games are
scheduled and played on your own
time. Courts must be reserved in ad­vance,
with tentative hours in the after­noon,
all week long.
To further vent your frustrated ven-ticles
is the possibility of co-ed swim
competition. Though listed on the bul­letin,
enough interest must be shown
in order to initiate the program.
Anyone interested in any intramural
program should contact Gino Sanders
or Rosemary Klein at the gym office
through extension 322, or catch them
late at night in the snack bar.