fencing, on TV, and American history in the making

[dragonlady7]

sada jacobson won the bronze and mariel zagunis is leading the gold medal match 8-2 after the first period.

Whatever they put on TV tonight, WATCH IT. This has been some amazing fencing and it is well worth watching even if you have no idea what's going on. It's pretty darn apparent. You gotta see this.

It's on Bravo starting at 5 pm EDT (though the fencing might not start until 6).

Added: A guide to watching fencing for those who never have.

Things to watch for in these bouts.

1) The Celebratory Screech/ Simultaneous Celebrations

Sabre fencing depends on right-of-way. If both fencers hit, it must be determined which of them had the right of way (was controlling the action-- attacking, in short). Only one person will get a point on any action, even if both hit.
In an effort to influence the director (judge), if both fencers hit both will celebrate their touch. It is believed among the competitive that if you shriek louder as you pump your fist, the director will believe that it was your touch.

2) The Unofficial Time-Out To Fix One's Hair

Usually after a streak of points by the opponent, a fencer will pause and remove her mask (helmet) to fix her hair because ostensibly her ponytail has come loose. This usually will involve removing the mask entirely, taking out the hair elastic, possibly removing the glove, etc. It can last a long time, and is a good tactic to buy oneself some time and get one's focus back.

They attempted to stop this from happening by making fencers obtain permission from the director to remove their masks-- as it does hold up the action considerably, and is unfair-- but all that rule did was make it so Russian directors could happily deny American fencers any opportunity to remove their masks whatsoever, even if the Americans had nosebleeds or their hair was visibly obscuring their vision or their contact lens had fallen out or they were about to faint. So, reluctantly, the FIE rescinded that rule, and the "hair break" was reinstated.

3) The Equipment Malfunction

At a crucial moment, someone's body cord (the cord going from the weapon through the arm of the jacket to the scoring box), mask cord (the cord connecting the sabre mask to the body jacket), weapon, shoe, or any of an umpteen billion crucial parts WILL malfunction. This will mean that the action has to stop, the person has to go get a new weapon / cord / lamé, etc. The person has to put it on, fix him/herself up, and re-test. It is really annoying.
It is nobody's fault, it is just Murphy's Law. Even the best-maintained, highest-quality equipment will fail, and will most likely fail at a CRUCIAL point in the action. It always freaking happens.

Watch for all of these, and drink every time each of them happens. The first one alone will get you wasted by the end of the first period of the gold medal bout. (There wasn't so much of it in the bronze one, but man-- Tan's a screamer.) You will see at least one apiece of the second two, however. Funnier if you know what's going on.

Enjoy! It's well worth the effort.

Comments

Malfunction

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think there was an equipment malfunction in either bout -- when Mariel changed weapons, it was right after Tan had scored two touches in a row.

That's good gamesmanship -- disrupting your opponent's rhythm, and they're forced to stand there and wait. Also gives your coach a chance to talk to you.

darius