Secondary Source Memo (Times Five)

As far as secondary sources for my fieldstudy go, I have the unique advantage of having a quarterly magazine published by the United States Fencing Association at my disposal. Conveniently enough, my dad (who also fences) had exactly five past issues lying around the house. So these are what I used for the following source memos.

American Fencing, Winter 2010
"Understanding Your Fencer's Learning Styles" by Connie Louie, Ph.D., Prévôt de Sabre

First things first. I didn't know what a Prévôt de Sabre is, so after a bit of research, I found that a Prévôt is a level of fencing coach or instructor just below that of Master. Now that that's squared away, let's move on to the actual content of the article. As the name implies, this article is directed towards coaches and how they can strive to adjust their teaching style to an individual fencer. It discusses the three major learning styles, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, or hands-on. Louie describes the characteristics of each of these three styles and goes on to make suggestions as to how coaches can explain or demonstrate fencing actions or footwork in such a way that will reach the fencer in accordance with their learning style. I thought this would be a valuable article to write about because it addresses the intellectual aspect of fencing and acts as a prime example of the fact that fencing is a mental sport as much as it is a physical one.


American Fencing, Spring 2010
"Wii Sports Resort 'Fencing it Isn't, Fun it Is'" by Kathryn Schifferle

While not quite as scholarly or seriously informative as the first article I discussed, I thought this article would still be a good one to discuss. The article is a very basic review of the Nintendo Wii's "Swordplay" game. In the brief article, Schifferle writes of her initial difficulties at succeeding in the game and her quick progress and eventual mastery of it. Although that's all the article consists of, I think that it accurately represents the misconceptions about fencing that non-fencers have. People are inclined to believe that anything involving "swords" is automatically fencing, but that's just not true.


American Fencing, Summer 2010
"The Spirit of Fair Play... A Double-Edged Sword?" by Jeff Bukantz

This article deals with a general issue that athletes in any sport will deal with at one time or another: ethicality and its effect on the game. Specifically, the article deals with a situation that is, of course, unique to fencing. The issue, or action, is known among fencers as "acknowledging". A fencer may "acknowledge" a touch when they know that they have been hit and that the other fencer deserves the point. This is usually done when the director (fencing's answer to the referee) is hesitant to award the other fencer the touch because they are unsure of exactly what happened. Bukantz discusses how while acknowledging may be an ethical and gentlemanly thing to do, it may not be worth it at times, becuase your opponent may not return that same kindness. I felt this article was interesting because it delves into the issue of ethics and sportsmanship and how they may adversely affect a fencer while they are involved in a bout.


American Fencing, Fall 2010
"Athlete Q&A With Olympian Ann Marsh"

As with the first article I discussed, I had to do some quick research, this time to find out who Ann Marsh is. She is apparently a three time Olympian, having competed in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Summer Olympics. In this article, Marsh answers a question sent in by a reader concerning how to balance fencing, college, and just life in general. As a college student and a dedicated fencer, I can sympathize with this question, and I can imagine that many other fencers can too. Marsh states that school should always be the priority, but goes on to say that fencing can still fit into your schedule. She discusses the importance of setting goals for yourself, and studying while on the road for competitions and whatnot. This article seemed significant to me because it shows the dedication that fencers have to the sport and their desire to continue to participate in it despite other, admittedly more important obligations.


American Fencing, Spring 2011
"The Black Fencer in Western Swordplay" by Benerson Little

The last, and to me, the most interesting article that I decided to use for this source memo is about the role that people of African descent have had in the history of fencing. The article addresses the fact that many African peoples were already familiar with sword fighting through armed conflict in their native countries. The article then moves on to discuss the role that blacks played in the development and history of sword based combat in the New World, primarily under the Spanish. Skilled and respected black fencing masters are also discussed in the article. I found this article particularly interesting for several reasons. First, my love of history and social sciences such as anthropology and sociology made the history addressed in the article appealing to me. I also found it fascinating that people of African descent have been so involved in sword based combat for so long. Fencing is often thought of as a European or white dominated sport, but this article proves that this isn't exactly true. While the article discusses something more akin to historical fencing, rather than modern sport fencing, it still explores an angle that many people either aren't aware of or don't wish to discuss.