Editorial
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Title
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Editorial
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Date
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April 1939
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volume
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4
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issue
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3
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page start
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2
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page end
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2
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content
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en
EDITORIAL
Fencers in and around the Metropolitan area received a letter in late March from Aldo Nadi, announcing a fencing seminar, a series of open class demonstrations in foil, sabre, and epee. The Editors of this magazine were mentioned in that letter as being partially responsible for instigating the series. That is correct.
Aldo Nadi should require no introduction to readers of The Riposte. As the contributor of a critical column at one time, as the center of various controversies at other times, and as a frequent advertiser, his name has appeared in these pages as he himself has stated, "perhaps too often." Nevertheless, The Riposte did feel that he required an introduction—not as a personality but as a fencer. An invaluable asset was being overlooked. For three years little advantage was being taken of the fact that the world’s greatest competitive fencer was now in the United States.
Result - A double dare! We dared Aldo Nadi to undertake a series of group meetings where he would explain the whys and wherefores of actual competitive fencing and fence in rotation with all those who enrolled in the series. This he is doing, and it is proving helpful, interesting, and exciting to those who are availing themselves of the opportunity. Aldo Nadi has accepted our dare.
The other dare was made to the fencers themselves. We dared them to participate in the endeavor. Four boys are now traveling 130 miles each way to be on hand every Monday. Three present National Champions are enrolled in the current series. Some fencers with less than two years’ experience are participating. But what about the large cross-section of amateurs that most need just this type of thing to put themselves across? Until they turn out as they should and make use of the program planned for them, we can only say that the fencers have refused the dare.
