The Feminine Touch
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Title
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The Feminine Touch
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Date
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February 20, 1936
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volume
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1
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issue
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5
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page start
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3
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page end
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3
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content
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en
THE FEMININE TOUCH
The Women’s Junior Championship Madeline “Toots” Granson, daughter of the Yale fencing coach, win the National Junior Foil Championship at the Fencers Club on Lincoln’s birthday. Her victory was something of a surprise over the favored Carol Alessandroni, who took 2nd place, but it was well deserved. Miss Granson was energetic and determined, several times coming from behind to win, her attacks of second intention bringing her many touches on the counter riposte.
Madeline Dalton, last year’s intercollegiate champion, took 3rd place over Kathleen Hughes Hallett, Detroit’s blonde representative, on touches after each had won two bouts. Miss Hughes Hallett swept through the semi-final in brilliant style, but her inability to attack decisively from the guard position proved a fatal weakness in the finals. Miss Dalton scored 4 of her 5 touches on Miss Hughes Hallett with well-timed stop thrusts against the marching attack. Barbara Cochrane seemed to have an attack of the jitters .... or perhaps of too much success in her first year of competition .... and was eliminated in the semi-final.
The most startling upset, of course, was the elimination of Maria Cerra in the preliminaries held a week earlier, and only a few days after Miss Cerra’s brilliant performance in the Vince tournament. Miss Cerra was defeated by Miss Cochrane in a beautiful bout, in which the latter scored several times on Miss Cerra’s preparation of the attack. It will be recalled that last year Miss Frances Siegel won the junior championship from Miss Cerra by similar tactics, that is, taking full advantage of Miss Cerra’s momentary hesitation on the attack within lunging distance. After her defeat by Miss Cochrane, Miss Cerra’s game was disorganized, and she dropped another bout to the tough Aggie Russi, of the Brooklyn Fencers Club, who is an unorthodox but difficult swordswoman.
Dorothy Hafner, novice champion of several years ago, flashed her best form in many seasons to qualify with Miss Cochrane from this preliminary pool and eventually reached the final six. The other finalist, Miss Dorothy Gimmelman, of N.Y.U., scored an upset in qualifying ahead of Miss Carol King and Miss Mildred Stewart, both of whom had the more impressive records until last week’s championship.
M. A. de C.
