brizzle
Lindsay Parsons
No Buy . . . No Sell!
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,293
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Post by brizzle on Sept 20, 2015 15:47:16 GMT
I used to fence for county & country and my club was the Polish fencing club calked Ognisko. I was seen as a prodigy and at 13 I had the national team coach travel to the Polish club, twice a week. I had Clifton college, amongst others such as Phoenix, try so hard to get me to join them. I used to take great pleasure in beating any fencer from Clifton college as, not only were they awful snobs but they also cheated. In those days the pool stages were not electrically judged & so you had your opponents as hit judges and the college had their own umpire. They tried every trick in the book as did Millfield and most of the public schools. Yes, they were bloody snobs the cheating bit made me chuckle, as my daughter used to play hockey against a few private schools, Taunton and Millfield amongst them, and these poor overworked sports teachers were among the most bias officials when it came to free hits and the like, certainly could not take a defeat against the minions and riff raff!!!That struck a chord. It's like a game between BRFC and B*FC. That lot could never tolerate defeat.
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Post by a more piratey game on Sept 20, 2015 15:50:24 GMT
I used to fence for county & country and my club was the Polish fencing club calked Ognisko. I was seen as a prodigy and at 13 I had the national team coach travel to the Polish club, twice a week. I had Clifton college, amongst others such as Phoenix, try so hard to get me to join them. I used to take great pleasure in beating any fencer from Clifton college as, not only were they awful snobs but they also cheated. In those days the pool stages were not electrically judged & so you had your opponents as hit judges and the college had their own umpire. They tried every trick in the book as did Millfield and most of the public schools. Yes, they were bloody snobs the cheating bit made me chuckle, as my daughter used to play hockey against a few private schools, Taunton and Millfield amongst them, and these poor overworked sports teachers were among the most bias officials when it came to free hits and the like, certainly could not take a defeat against the minions and riff raff!!! Those parents don't pay good money to come second to what's free!
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,278
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Post by kingswood Polak on Sept 20, 2015 18:26:44 GMT
I used to fence for county & country and my club was the Polish fencing club calked Ognisko. I was seen as a prodigy and at 13 I had the national team coach travel to the Polish club, twice a week. I had Clifton college, amongst others such as Phoenix, try so hard to get me to join them. I used to take great pleasure in beating any fencer from Clifton college as, not only were they awful snobs but they also cheated. In those days the pool stages were not electrically judged & so you had your opponents as hit judges and the college had their own umpire. They tried every trick in the book as did Millfield and most of the public schools. Yes, they were bloody snobs the cheating bit made me chuckle, as my daughter used to play hockey against a few private schools, Taunton and Millfield amongst them, and these poor overworked sports teachers were among the most bias officials when it came to free hits and the like, certainly could not take a defeat against the minions and riff raff!!! It didn't help that I had a number 1 skinhead cut as well as being from Polish fencing club. It was always so very nice to be victorious at Clifton. Once you got through to semi finals then it was electric and, even if I seem to be blowing my own trumpet, I was bloody good. Such a shame I knocked so much sport on the head. Wine, women and weed seemed so much more exciting. Daft sod I am
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Post by lostinspace on Sept 20, 2015 18:59:53 GMT
the cheating bit made me chuckle, as my daughter used to play hockey against a few private schools, Taunton and Millfield amongst them, and these poor overworked sports teachers were among the most bias officials when it came to free hits and the like, certainly could not take a defeat against the minions and riff raff!!! It didn't help that I had a number 1 skinhead cut as well as being from Polish fencing club. It was always so very nice to be victorious at Clifton. Once you got through to semi finals then it was electric and, even if I seem to be blowing my own trumpet, I was bloody good. Such a shame I knocked so much sport on the head. Wine, women and weed seemed so much more exciting. Daft sod I am wine and women i could forgive you for!!! but as for the other well never my idea of fun, but thats life's choices i 'spose.... and each to their own,,,,,a case of what i know now is what i could have done with knowing then,......... but then we would all be millionaires!!
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,278
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Post by kingswood Polak on Sept 21, 2015 12:22:38 GMT
It didn't help that I had a number 1 skinhead cut as well as being from Polish fencing club. It was always so very nice to be victorious at Clifton. Once you got through to semi finals then it was electric and, even if I seem to be blowing my own trumpet, I was bloody good. Such a shame I knocked so much sport on the head. Wine, women and weed seemed so much more exciting. Daft sod I am wine and women i could forgive you for!!! but as for the other well never my idea of fun, but thats life's choices i 'spose.... and each to their own,,,,,a case of what i know now is what i could have done with knowing then,......... but then we would all be millionaires!! Without going into an extremely self indulgent essay, I have many regrets. I find it hard to hear people who say they don't have any regrets, I just don't believe them or maybe I have become a very cynical man due to experience. I very much regret not carrying on with fencing but it was very expensive to buy kit and my parents were never blessed with being more than just enough. I sometimes think I use that as an excuse but it was entirely my fault. When one is a teenager then it's too easy to not appreciate what had been done on my behalf & I cannot forgive myself for how badly my coach took it, he put so much time and effort into me let alone his own personal money. How I wish I had my time over again. Yes, I certainly have deep regrets and now understand how my decisions affected others. I have found the hardest thing of all is in forgiving myself to be frank.
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kingswood Polak
Without music life would be a mistake
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 10,278
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Post by kingswood Polak on Sept 21, 2015 12:36:52 GMT
the cheating bit made me chuckle, as my daughter used to play hockey against a few private schools, Taunton and Millfield amongst them, and these poor overworked sports teachers were among the most bias officials when it came to free hits and the like, certainly could not take a defeat against the minions and riff raff!!! Those parents don't pay good money to come second to what's free! The one guy that I cannot forget is/was a guy called Hillier. His son was 3 years my senior and was treated like fencing royalty here, in the Bristol & South West area. I always questioned how the father could be the umpire when his boy was fighting. I beat him on every occasion we met but it was at Millfield where he took it too far. It was an open secret that he was favourable towards his boy but I had won, 5-2 & then he went to the jury d'appel to say his sword was faulty and we then were forced to a rematch. I won that by 5-0. The crazy part was that, had his sword been broken, in the manner he used then I would have been run through ! I was a young teenager & remember being in tears of anger & frustration but my coach & Dad got me refocused and he didn't get one hit. Millfield & Charterhouse were the two worst offenders. To be presented with the under 19's winners trophy, at 14, is something I will never forget. The joy in me and my club & parents was frowned upon by the judges and coaches. I have never felt so proud & relieved since that tournament. I had been cheated so many times before that I knew I didn't have to win but I had to beat both opponent & judges. It really does seem like another lifetime to me now.
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brizzle
Lindsay Parsons
No Buy . . . No Sell!
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4,293
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Post by brizzle on Sept 21, 2015 13:09:47 GMT
Those parents don't pay good money to come second to what's free! The one guy that I cannot forget is/was a guy called Hillier. His son was 3 years my senior and was treated like fencing royalty here, in the Bristol & South West area. I always questioned how the father could be the umpire when his boy was fighting. I beat him on every occasion we met but it was at Millfield where he took it too far. It was an open secret that he was favourable towards his boy but I had won, 5-2 & then he went to the jury d'appel to say his sword was faulty and we then were forced to a rematch. I won that by 5-0. The crazy part was that, had his sword been broken, in the manner he used then I would have been run through ! I was a young teenager & remember being in tears of anger & frustration but my coach & Dad got me refocused and he didn't get one hit. Millfield & Charterhouse were the two worst offenders. To be presented with the under 19's winners trophy, at 14, is something I will never forget. The joy in me and my club & parents was frowned upon by the judges and coaches. I have never felt so proud & relieved since that tournament. I had been cheated so many times before that I knew I didn't have to win but I had to beat both opponent & judges. It really does seem like another lifetime to me now. KP, reading of your fencing exploits reminds me of the old boxing adage, that when boxing for a title in the US, you had to knock your American opponent to get a draw. Still it's all part of life's rich tapestry eh, and toughens you up too.
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Post by a more piratey game on Sept 21, 2015 13:44:23 GMT
Those parents don't pay good money to come second to what's free! The one guy that I cannot forget is/was a guy called Hillier. His son was 3 years my senior and was treated like fencing royalty here, in the Bristol & South West area. I always questioned how the father could be the umpire when his boy was fighting. I beat him on every occasion we met but it was at Millfield where he took it too far. It was an open secret that he was favourable towards his boy but I had won, 5-2 & then he went to the jury d'appel to say his sword was faulty and we then were forced to a rematch. I won that by 5-0. The crazy part was that, had his sword been broken, in the manner he used then I would have been run through ! I was a young teenager & remember being in tears of anger & frustration but my coach & Dad got me refocused and he didn't get one hit. Millfield & Charterhouse were the two worst offenders. To be presented with the under 19's winners trophy, at 14, is something I will never forget. The joy in me and my club & parents was frowned upon by the judges and coaches. I have never felt so proud & relieved since that tournament. I had been cheated so many times before that I knew I didn't have to win but I had to beat both opponent & judges. It really does seem like another lifetime to me now. the script for Karate Kid!
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