And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
In his youth my father, born in 1920, was a very good swordsman. He trained with foil, sabre and other blades. I'm not sure what titles he won as a junior but he was highly regarded. The war interrupted his development, he did win something significant in RAF. Years later he enrolled in foil evening classes at the local college as a beginner. He took me along hoping to spark an interest in me. There was an occasion when the instructor used my father to demonstrate something, my father's instinctive response was to send the instructor's foil flying. My father and I were booted out!
Ah! To have the body I had when I fenced.
ReplyDeleteDoes a left-handed foil cost more than a right-handed one?
ReplyDeleteNot really. But since many left handed fencers are sufficiently ambi to fence righty also. So we buy two!
DeleteNo, slicing would be done with a saber.
ReplyDeleteYep.
DeleteUnless you swing it exceedingly fast.
DeleteOops, brought a pokey thingie to a gun fight.
ReplyDelete"Come at me with that banana!" Steve_in_Ottawa
ReplyDeleteGot my high school letter in fencing many, many, many years ago!
ReplyDeleteIn his youth my father, born in 1920, was a very good swordsman. He trained with foil, sabre and other blades. I'm not sure what titles he won as a junior but he was highly regarded. The war interrupted his development, he did win something significant in RAF. Years later he enrolled in foil evening classes at the local college as a beginner. He took me along hoping to spark an interest in me. There was an occasion when the instructor used my father to demonstrate something, my father's instinctive response was to send the instructor's foil flying. My father and I were booted out!
ReplyDelete