Nadi Gives Brilliant Exhibition
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Nadi Gives Brilliant Exhibition
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December 19, 1935
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The article describes a prestigious fencing exhibition led by the celebrated Aldo Nadi, whose unique skill and style dazzled the audience, especially in his final match against Johnny Huffman. Other highlights included victories by Norman Armitage and Barbara Cochrane, adding to an evening filled with remarkable displays of talent and sportsmanship.
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Nadi Gives Brilliant Exhibition
The Nadi exhibition came off in regal—should we say princely—style? There was a prince listed among other patrons and at the supper-dance, noticed a gentleman with a black and white scarf concealing his shirt-front. During one of the intermissions he waited until everybody had returned to their tables and then slowly crossed the ballroom floor, stick in hand, looking neither right nor left to take his grand exit. We can't imagine anyone but a prince having such sang-froid.
Seriously, however, the program started with what your editor likes to think was an exciting épée match. You see, Tracy Jaeckel was leading 7-4 and we had to work awfully hard to convince the audience that once we won a championship. Fortunately for us, however, Tracy was not at his best physically due to ptomaine poisoning the night before, and we managed to be on the long end of a 10-8 victory. The sabre match between Norman Armitage and Nick Murray was a grand performance, with Norman coming from behind to squeeze out a 10-9 decision. At that, he nearly lost the bout when a beautiful head-cut escaped the eyes of the prominent veterans on the jury. But Nick refused the gift of the bout in true sportsmanlike manner, and Norman won cleanly on the next exchange.
Then came the first climax of the evening. Our own George Santelli carried the fight to The Great Nadi in an exhibition foil bout. No score was kept and no attempt was made to simulate a real combat. Nadi proved his right to the reputation of being unbeaten, and made in the bile of the skeptics in the crowd who called our attention to a certain unorthodoxy in his style, the most prominent feature of which was the attack with a bent arm. We wonder whether in a real match "Giorgio" could have capitalized on his well-timed stop-thrusts against the belted attack. Even the skeptics, however, could not deny that the perfect coordination of the great Italian champion and his lightning speed enabled him to perform what to us were miracles of efficiency.
In the women's bout, Mrs. de Tuscan won the assembled guests not only by her comeliness but also by her energetic attacks. But in the end, it was the lovely, slim, poised novice champion, Miss Barbara Cochrane, who earned the plaudits of the crowd with a clean cut victory of 8-5. The foil match between the two intercollegiate champions, John Hurd (1934) and Hugo Castello (1935), proved Hurd's superiority. Castello was not at his best, being heavy and slow.
The final match of the evening pitted Aldo Nadi against Johnny Huffman. Again, the Italian master swordsman gave the audience the thrill they had anticipated. John put up an excellent fight, but the better he fenced, the easier he seemed to be for Nadi. Several times we recall Nadi attacked, parrying Huffman's stop-thrust and delivering a scoring chest-cut all as part of a continuous, flowing movement. There can be no doubt in the minds of the spectators that Aldo Nadi's greatness has not been over-publicized or exaggerated. We hope that we shall have the opportunity to see him perform on several occasions.
