Blockbuster films feature swashbuckling pirates, Jedis dueling with lightsabers, sword wielding magician wizards, heroic gladiators and godlike Achilles conquering soldiers with heavy metal swords, not to mention skilled witches foiling evil. Across the globe, from Italy to Germany, to fencing altamonte springs, the public has never been on the fence about sword fighting.
The Summer Olympics has featured fencing since its origin in 1896. In 1924 women entered the foil category. The top ten Olympic fencing countries based on total Olympic medals of both men and women through 2008 are respectively France, Italy, Hungary, USSR, USA, Germany, Poland, Russia, West Germany and Romania.
The foil, the epee, and the sabre are the three categories of Olympic swordsmanship. Each type of weapon has particular rules of engagement. The principal beginner and competitive sword is the foil. The foil, used for thrusting, scores by touching the blade to the torso once. A heavier sword, the epee, is considered a dueling sword. Its blade, unlike the foil, is rigid, and has a bell guard that is larger. Its blade cross section has a V shape. During epee competition, the whole body is a target which can be touched by the point of the blade using double touches.
A sabre sword is another type of competition weapon. Not as rigid as the epee, the sabre blade has a Y or V shape cross section. It can cut and thrust targets above the waist, with the exclusion of the back of the head and the hands. As with the foil, the sabre is allowed to touch once. However, the sabre blade edge can be used to score, not just the blade point.
The Museum of American Fencing is a public facility located in Shreveport, Louisiana. The website includes historical information, trivia, and publications, as well as virtual tours of the museum collection.
Historical trivia from the Museum website includes informing the public about Joanna deTuscan, the 1939 World Professional Foil Champion. Iris Zimmermann, who, at age 16, claimed the title of the youngest US National Foil Championship for women, also went on to become the World Cadet Foil Champion for 1995. Emily Cross was the World Cadet Foil Champion in 2003, and the 2005 and 2006 World Junior Foil Champion. The website informs the public that these women are the only American women to win world foil championships.
Sword fighting is steeped in history and continues to engage global fans. From Hungary to Italy, to fencing altamonte springs, sword fighting appears in real life and fantasy. Battles of imagination, on screen and in books, depict epic battles of yesterday to save kingdoms, and through the ages portray ultimate battles to save the future of mankind.
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