A selection of my published articles about fencing:
- “Theme and Variations”—originally published in American Fencing, vol. 57, no. 4 (Fall 2007/Winter 2008). This was originally meant to be an informational piece to explain how fencers could help bout committee staff run DE tables more efficiently. But written up as instructions, it was incredibly dull and gave no hint of how much fun it is to talk with fencers during tournaments. The theme-and-variation structure works much better, so much so that I still get comments on it when I’m working a table, along with the occasional smart-aleck imitating the fencer in Variation III.
- “REF: Nationally Rated Referees”—originally published in American Fencing, vol. 61, no. 1 (Spring 2011). I proposed this piece to Cindy Findley, AF’s editor, because I thought referees never get enough credit for the difficult job they do under frequently brutal working conditions. It was great fun to write, too, because I had to talk and email with some of my favorite referees.
- “Why Do Tournaments Run So Late?”—originally published as the “Countering” column, American Fencing, vol. 61, no. 1 (Spring 2011). This one came out of an off-hand email question from Cindy during the proofing stage of a recent AF issue. I explained a couple of the reasons big tournaments tend to run late, and when she asked, I said, “Oh, yes—I could definitely write a few things on the topic.”
Mary Griffith 