Word: foil
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Competitions in foil, saber and épée are black-tie occasions...
...20th century swordsmanship. Bemused spectators at the Long Beach Terrace Theater were greeted by a brass ensemble energetically fanfaring the Olympics. Instead of programs, there were pamphlets explaining the sport. A packed 3,000-seat house cheered as the curtain rose on the finals of the men's foil fencing, held on stage. The rows of dignitaries and, yes, the TV cameramen looked very dignified in black tie. The judges on the floor presented elegant tuxedoed backs to the audience, even though their feet were pragmatically shod in sneakers...
...bout, had the crowd, both knowing and neophyte, in a frenzy of excitement. West Germany's Matthias Behr faced Italy's Mauro Numa. Behr had returned to competition after a hiatus that followed a shattering 1982 fencing accident in which the broken blade of his foil killed the reigning 1980 Olympic champion, Soviet Vladimir Smirnov. Numa took the gold, Behr the silver and Cerioni the bronze. The final bout was won by Numa only after a lightning series of touches, seesawing in the last 28 seconds of a ten-minute contest...
When Storm is 104, the typical fencer that age will still be taking lessons from his coaches. Or so say the fencers; their sport is passionate, intensely personal, a fierce relationship between eternal mentors and lifelong learners. At 22, Jana Angelakis, the youngest member of the five-woman U.S. foil team, is ranked No. 2. She is studying with her third coach, a Soviet named Emmanuil Kaidanov who coaches the men's team at Penn State, where she is enrolled on a full athletic scholarship. Kaidanov, she says, is teaching her the why of fencing. "Mine has always been...
...friend revealed that his most trying experience as a graduate student in the Arts and Sciences has been the department's annual Christmas party. "It's like a fencing match with words as sabres. People foil merely to score points on wit and erudition. While many attacks can be quite cutting. It's even worse if you don't compete because you're seen as incompetent at best, and even stupid...