Themes, and Hypotheses, and Questions, Oh My!

Below are some themes, hypotheses, and questions I was asked to come up with that may act as focuses of my fieldstudy. These are the topics I will be exploring further in the coming weeks as I prepare to write my fieldstudy.

Themes

-Perfection as goal/motivator in fencing.

-Fencing/Blackstone Valley Fencing Academy as community and safe haven.

-Fencing as character building/self improving activity. 

Hypotheses

-Fencing/BVFA is a subculture composed of outsiders to the mainstream because it is unique, and therefore attracts unique people.

Persistent Questions 

-Why does fencing matter in today's world?

-Do the majority of people who fence do so merely for recreational purposes or do they take it seriously and see it as a significant part of their lives?

The above themes all sprung from something that either Michael or Annika said in my interviews with them. I'm especially interested in the idea of perfection in fencing. Since fencing is so unlike any other sport, I think the idea of perfection as a part of it is much different than the idea of perfection in any other sport, so it will be a unique angle to explore. 

My hypothesis is something that I arrived at primarily through my own observations, and isn't anything that I recorded in my fieldnotes. Both Michael and Annika, however, gave the impression that they are, or have been, outsiders at one time or another in their lives. This, combined with conversations I've had with other people and conversations I've overheard others having, will be a good basis for exploration of my hypothesis. 

The first of my questions is the one I'm more interested in, and the one I think will be the real focus of my fieldstudy. I've been thinking of fencing as a romanticized/gentleman's sport, and how the respect and dignity that is such an integral part of it translates over to retaining manners and integrity in an increasingly rude and mannerless world. 

Actually writing out my ideas in an attempt to flesh them out has been rather helpful, and now I have some concrete leads as to where I'm going with my fieldstudy. 

Information in Poem Form

Below is an ethnopoem (a poem that is based off of, and meant to be an analysis of, a transcribed interview) that I wrote after singling out significant portions of my interview with Michael.


It's being perfect,
Being perfect,
Absolutely perfect, 
For a moment, 
Split second in time. 
It's scoring one touch
Tremendous feeling
Out of a thousand.
All I need to do is,
Do it for the rest of my life,
Pass on something I love.
I was born to be
A fencing coach
Is who I am.
Came into this world, 
Made a difference. 

Reflections on an Interview 11/6 Edition

I conducted my second interview this past Tuesday, November 6th with fellow saberist and coach/coach's assistant, Annika Becker. I didn't feel quite as confident going into this interview because I don't feel that I have as solid a relationship with Annika as I do with Michael, who was my first interviewee. I was, once again, though proven wrong.

We conducted the interview in the same place as the first one for the sake of piece and quiet. We commiserated about the cold in the room as we set up our folding chairs. She commented on the 'I Voted' sticker on my laptop as she looked over and signed the consent form I had for her. And just like that, I had begun my second interview.

Initially, I was a little nervous, because I felt like Annika was being a bit less open with me than Michael had been. I didn't know if I'd be able to get the honest answers and poignancy out of her that I'd gotten out of Michael. I asked her too what she was like as a child. Her answer, at first, seemed like it wouldn't be terribly useful. But as we got further into the interview, and I asked her why she started fencing, why she continues to fence, and what impact she thinks fencing has had on the rest of her life, things began to come together. She discussed fencing, and the Blackstone Valley Fencing Academy in particular, as a sort of community in which she's always felt safe and never out of place. She explained that she's always felt that she can be herself at BVFA and people will still accept and respect her for who she is.

Overall, I think this interview was great in that it acted in a very complementary manner to the first interview I conducted. Whereas Michael talked at length about why he fences and what makes fencing such an incredible and character building sport, Annika talked about the role of fencing and the Blackstone Valley Fencing Academy as a community and safe haven in her life. Between the two interviews I was able to draw two profound topics out of my informants- the idea of perfection as being a motivation and a goal in fencing, and the role of the sport as a home away from home, a place to fit in. I really, truly believe that both of these ideas, and some others that both Michael and Annika discussed, will be the cornerstones of my final product.

Reflections on an Interview

I conducted my first interview last Thursday, November 1st with my coach of six years, Michael Olson.  The fact that I've known Michael for the past six years meant that I was pretty comfortable going into the interview. I felt confident that he would be honest and forthcoming given our relationship. I was, however, a bit concerned about asking some of my more open questions, since Michael tends to be a pretty straight shooter and I didn't know how comfortable he would be with opening up to me.

Little did I know that he would tell me things in his answers that I think will be absolutely pivotal in writing my fieldstudy.

The interview took place in the cold, dimly lit side hall where the freight elevator for my fencing club's building is located. As I set up my laptop to record the interview, I asked Michael to look over and sign the informed consent form. In his usual fashion, he joked with me about the pseudonym option and asked first if he could use 'Chuck Norris' and then 'Attila the Hun'.

After a quick test of my laptop, the interview got under way. I started with some closed questions, but ones that had rather lengthy and not completely concrete answers. I asked Michael what he was like as a child, how he got into fencing, and how he came to become a coach and own the club. He was very detailed in all of these answers, especially the last, for which I was grateful. Not only will they be useful to my fieldstudy, but they satisfied some of my own freestanding curiosities.

After these closed questions, I asked Michael what the most rewarding thing to him as a fencer is, to which he replied, "...it's being perfect for a moment." He went on to discuss and expand upon the idea of being perfect for a moment and I think this answer was probably the most significant of the entire interview. It was exactly the kind of honesty and profundity I was looking for. I think it also served to highlight the fact that fencing is unique and completely different from any other sport out there.

So long story short, my first interview went extremely well. Michael was honest and vulnerable and forthcoming, all while still managing to inject humor into his answers. I was very happy with how it went and look forward to applying the information I obtained to writing my fieldstudy.