Santelli's Invitation Tournament
Item
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Title
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Santelli's Invitation Tournament
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Date
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January 9, 1936
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volume
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1
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issue
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2
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pages
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1, 2
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list of authors
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Barbara L. Cochrane
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content
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en
SANTELLI'S INVITATION TOURNAMENT
By Barbara Cochrane
On Sunday, December 29, the electrical machine made its debut here in an invitation competition at the Salle Santelli. The new machine automatically records the touches, thus eliminating the judges.
The contestants wear the usual epee uniform, but a wire runs up the fencing arm down to a belt around the waist. This wire has a plug at each end. The belt has a metal ring to which is clipped the plug from the spring reel at the end of the strip, which in turn is connected to the scoring box.
The epee points, instead of being taped on, are now part of the sword and are set on a spring. Two slender wires are cemented to the blade, connecting the points with the plug inside the bell-guard. When the contestant goes on the strip, he attaches his epee to the plug dangling from his sleeve, and is himself attached to the wire in the reel. When the epee points are pressed against the target, they recede, and a contact is made which sends an electrical impulse to the box, ringing the bell and lighting the bulb. The light flashes on the same side of the box as the contestant who gains the touch.
The director stands opposite the box across the strip. He calls "Halt" when the light goes on, awards the touch, cries "On Guard, Play" and the bout is continued.
In the case of a double touch, both lamps light simultaneously. A number of double touches were recorded during the competition, which might have been otherwise decided by the judges on the sidelines, but the decision of the machine was unquestioningly accepted by the audience, to say nothing of the contestants.
Occasionally, of course, a faulty epee delays the proceedings. But it is felt that, as the electrical machine becomes more widely used, the epees will improve in structure.
As for the tournament itself, it was held on an elimination basis, a two-out-of-three-bouts victory being necessary to move up to the next round. In the finals, the bout was for 10 touches, the winner to have a lead of at least two touches.
There were eight competitors: Lt. F.R. Weber, U.S.A., Leo Nunes and George Thompson, N.Y.A.C.; Tracy Jaeckel, of the Fencers Club; M.A. de Capriles, J.R. de Capriles, and Max Kapner, of the University F.C.; and Peter Mijer of the Salle Santelli.
J. de Capriles defeated Jaeckel, Nunes defeated Mijer, Weber defeated Kapner, and Thompson defeated M. de Capriles. Then J. de Capriles beat Nunes, while Weber, after a hard battle, downed Thompson. The two winners then met in the final.
Weber opened the bout with attacks which gave him a 3-1 lead. De Capriles came back to tie at 3-3 and forged ahead at 5-4. They then changed sides. With splendid timing and precision de Capriles gained a 9-5 lead, and then fenced cautiously. Weber, fighting courageously, slowly closed the gap and eventually tied at 9-9. Great excitement, manifested by the awed silence, ensued. In this tense atmosphere, Jose de Capriles, fencing coolly and confidently, scored the tenth touch on a stop against Weber’s attack, and the winning hit on a parry-riposte.
Amid the applause which followed, Mrs. Harold Van Buskirk rose to present the trophy—a statuette of Italo Santelli, the renowned fencing maestro and father of our own George.
Speaking of Giorgio, he and his distinguished pupil, Dr. J.R. Huffman, presented a sabre exhibition just prior to the final bout. A short "warming-up" lesson showed the rhythmic speed attained by Dr. Huffman; the tic-tac of the blades was comparable to the sound of a well-operated telegraph key. It was a brilliant exhibition which brought resounding applause from an audience of over 100, and which included many distinguished fencers and laymen.
