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Title
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The Remise
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Date
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June 1939
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volume
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4
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issue
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4
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page start
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11
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page end
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12
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content
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en
THE REMISE
The pressure of other activities made it impossible to prepare a column for the last issue of The Riposte. Apparently, it was no great loss for no fencers dashed off letters of protest to The Times and, as far as this humble scribe was concerned, the column was never missed. We do not discourage easily and, since our pen is mightier than our sword, we continue to wield the former preferred weapon.
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As a self-appointed columnist with but little experience in this interesting ink-splashing sport, we have already learned that the reader often gains impressions contrary to the intent of the writer, despite the pains taken by the latter. Some of the things we have said in all innocence have come back to us as bitterly resented. A certain amount of this is to be expected. The same thing happens in everyday conversation. A fencer once asked me how I liked his foil work in a particular competition. I said that I thought it had been "just tolerable." He glared at me and has never been civil since. Just another case of poor pronunciation.
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I never did get around to writing my impressions of the Intercollegiate Fencing Championships. Perhaps it is just as well for I was disgusted at the time and now that they are well past we can all look back with a smile at what proved to be a horrible experiment. In case you are not familiar with the Intercollegiates, let me explain that they had come to be the outstanding sporting and social event of the entire fencing season. All fencers, young and old, looked forward to the Intercollegiates as the big affair that neither rain nor shine could make them miss. For a grand good time and for an affair packed with thrills and excitement, there was nothing to match it in the fencing calendar. It was a combination of athletic event conducted under the best rules of sportsmanship and a respectable social gathering with all the frivolity of a College Prom. We certainly hope that those days are not gone forever.
This year, for some unknown reason, all that was changed. Instead of the usual hotel ballroom, the fencing was conducted in a gymnasium. The college fencers after a long season of practice in gymnasiums must have been as unimpressed with the setting as were the spectators. Backless wooden benches served as bleachers for the unfortunately large number of people who attended. The failure to provide the usual raised platforms for the fencing and the crowding of the main floor with non-transparent and non-fencing onlookers gave one the impression that he was sitting on a wooden crate in the Times Square subway station. The scoreboard, that former center of great interest and excitement, suffered obscurity along with the fencing. Through it all, however, one sensed the excitement of the Bout Committee which worked hard and well to make the most of a poor arrangement. With such men as they and the other amateurs who volunteered their services, despite it all, we do not fear for the future of this fine affair or that the 1939 fiasco will ever be repeated.
There was some excellent fencing in all three weapons and as always happens there were also some of the weirdest stances seen anywhere except among melting snowmen. Navy won the majority of laurels and rightfully so. Its team was strong and as well balanced as any aggregation we have seen at these championships. The other teams had good performers here and there but seldom clicked as units. Army, Columbia, N.Y.U., City College, Harvard and Yale followed Navy in that order both in score and actual merit.
There was no Grand Ball. There were the final bouts, a handout of medals and then a general shutting off of lights. If I had been one of the Navy boys to be so treated after such a grand victory I would have headed out to sea. It was a shame that they were thus deprived of their evening of proud rejoicing after having suffered several slim years. If they revive the Grand Ball next year, as they must do, they should make it into two parts; one part in honor of the great Navy team of 1938 and the other part in honor of the 1939 winner whoever it may be.
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And now we come to the weaker sex and, as we write this, tears of laughter roll down our cheeks. The Women’s Intercollegiate Championships was a round robin of eight 3-girl teams, to decide the team and individual champions for the current year. That meant that each girl had to fence 21 representatives from the other colleges plus her own two teammates, a total of 23 bouts. Furthermore, these bouts all took place on one day between 10 A.M. and 10 P.M. Fencing for 4 touch bouts, the winner Miss Helena Mroczkowska of Hofstra College, won 22 out of 23 bouts and made a total of 91 touches. In the Men’s Intercollegiates the maximum number of bouts for each competitor was 11 which at 5 touches apiece required 55 touches for a perfect score. Furthermore, the men fenced over a two-day period, approximately halving the physical strain.
Personally, I feel that the girls overdid it, but I also have to admit that they never gave any indication of faltering. They took time out for a social luncheon and dressed formally for a dinner that preceded the Final Matches in the evening. When all was set for the Finals, the Hofstra Team, supposedly resting, was found down in the recreation room engaged in a fast doubles game of ping-pong. Then after the Finals, back into evening gowns, the awarding of prizes and then—I just can’t go on. They all turned jitterbugs and danced until after midnight.
I am worn out at this point, but before leaving the young ladies I want to comment favorably upon their fencing. The five leading girls, whose records you will find elsewhere in this issue fenced beautifully. They were attacking with authority, riposting in good time and balance and fencing clean foil throughout. The younger girls showed promise but lacked the experience and training of the leaders, as might be expected. Most important, they seemed to be enjoying themselves and afforded pleasure and excitement to a good crowd of spectators. Girls’ fencing is coming along rapidly and is today well developed and organized and deserving of the attention and support of fencers and spectators alike.
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Dr. Acel threw consternation into a group of fencers by declaring that fencing was improving so rapidly in India that it was his opinion that India would put an end to Italian, French and Hungarian supremacy in 1940. He stated that India was sending a complete team of Untouchables to the next Olympics.
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The season which started out so promising with the Prep and Novice competitions weakened considerably as the year progressed. To account for this is difficult. One reason is definitely the loss of many of the promising fencers from former years. We miss Sands, Hills, Hurd, Bruder, Pecora, Castellos, Glasion, Weidel, and Gold. We seldom see Lewis, Steere, or Cetrulo. Potter, Goldsmith, and Howard have left the city. These are just a few of the many men whose presence in the past added much to the competitions they entered. Their places are not easily taken.
The Senior competitions held up well through the perseverance of approximately a score of fencers whose love for the sport would not let them waver. The Juniors, however, did not maintain their proper quality. The Junior Championships this year were evidence of this. Brilliant at times, they were in full analysis weaker than in former years. The same can be said of many of the prize competitions. The team competitions were spotty, with one or two strong teams and the rest of the field small and ineffective. We hope this lull is only of temporary nature. We have the important year 1940 approaching so rapidly that it frightens us. Where we will find the right men for a good Olympic team should worry us all. This summer must be used for the formation of large Olympic squads and spent in pounding and pounding to see if the material we have can possibly be formed into a team worthy of following the good teams we have assembled in the past.
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With the National Championships scheduled for San Francisco there were many changes necessary in the New York closing competitions. The All-Eastern Championships were substituted for the usual Nationals, but failed to attract as many out-of-town competitors as had been hoped. That plus the fact, previously mentioned, that the field is slimmer this year made for less keen competition. Nevertheless, they were good competitions and served to bring the Eastern season to a climax.
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The All Eastern Women's Championship was distinguished by the best fencing field of the year. Mrs. Jarmila Vokral of the Salle Herrmann of Philadelphia won six of her eight final bouts to take first place. Her steadiness offset the more fiery nature of some of her opponents and gave her a well-deserved victory. During the year there had been as many different winners as contests and Mrs. Vokral's patience was well rewarded by winning the last and most important competition in the East.
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Norman Lewis won the All Eastern Epee Championship against a solid field of contenders. Again we saw a patient, steady fencer win against more aggressive opponents. Mixing counter-time with occasional shots for the foot he won all but his first bout in the Finals. Jose de Capriles had to be content with second place which he claimed with a remarkably clean touch score from Commander Leonard Doughty who was tied with him in bouts won. Commander Doughty was perhaps the surprise of the tournament fencing very well in both the semi-finals and finals to upset several leading epeeists who, we thought, would outplace him eventually through their broader 1939 competition experience.
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The All Eastern Foil Championship attracted the largest field of all the weapons. New Jersey, New England, Philadelphia and West Point were severally represented. Unfortunately, Dernell Every and John R. Huffman could not enter, but even so 5 of the 8 finalists carried National rankings which they confirmed by taking the first 5 places in the contest. Warren Dow swept through the Finals undefeated as he has done in every individual contest he has entered this season. With compact defense adroitly mixed with opposition and counter-time he demonstrated the value of the newer more mobile school of foil. On the offense too his courageous straight lunges mixed with well-prepared compound attacks gave his opponents no relaxation. Hugh Alessandroni, well recovered from an apparent slump in the semi-finals, was clearly second best, losing only to Dow. His fine hand and fast ripostes rarely failed him and his ability to gain distance upon his opponents with well-conceived attacks gave him many of the finest touches of the evening. Joseph Levis found in his first New York contest that the lack of stiff competition during the year can wreak sad damage to one's fighting ability. When he flashed the amazing speed for which he is famous, a score was inevitable, but these occasions were too infrequent. He found three opponents cunning enough to turn his speed back against him. Given a few more competitions under his belt though and our greatest internationalist should be back in top form.
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Norman Armitage of the Fencers Club went through the entire All Eastern Sabre Championship undefeated. The fencing in this weapon was probably the best of the All Easterns with Armitage clearly the outstanding contestant. Samuel Stewart fenced brilliantly most of the time but impatience and poor strategy cost him the two bouts he lost to take second. Miguel de Capriles, who took third, started poorly and never really reached his best fencing. Even so he did exceptionally well for any man fencing competitively five days out of six. Samuel Stewart, practically out of competition last year, was the only man of the 8 finalists who did not have a 1938 rating. The competition, therefore, was decided by the best. It was unfortunate that John Huffman's work at the University made it impossible for him to compete in this weapon or in foil.
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The Gala Night at the N.Y.A.C. was an innovation that met with remarkable success considering its short notice. The opening fencing exhibitions gave proper tone to the evening’s gathering and was a correct prelude to the awarding of the year’s medals and trophies. The dance which followed capped a fine evening in which the fencers proved that as a sociable group of good friends they are hard to beat. It was unfortunate that so few of the older fencers and former champions were on hand but this had been due to the hurried arrangements. Nevertheless, the younger fencers proved that they have the social instinct to carry on the sport in the manner in which it is probably unique. One need not fear for any future deterioration in this important aspect of our sport. Everyone had a good time and the Gala Night should become an annual institution of importance.
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Mrs. Huffman, our sabre champion’s mother, is a fencing personality known to practically every fencer in the United States. Known affectionately as “Ma” Huffman, she is friend and confessor of all the boys and probably the best sport of the bunch. Her wit and good humor are well known. At the semi-finals of the All Eastern Foil Hugh Alessandroni was disappointed with his fencing that day. Mrs. Huffman told him not to worry for after all he had qualified. “Yes,” said Hugh, “but only by one touch.” “Even so, that is not so bad,” said Mrs. Huffman, “if you work hard next year you will qualify by two touches.”
