Wheelchair fencing

[tmcman]

Wheelchair fencing in the North American Cup circuit veteran group, from this month in Pittsburgh,
the weekend the Steelers lost to Oakland and the Pitt Panthers lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Their chairs are fixed at a distance that makes it fairest for both competitors.
The fabric from the waist down grounds the electric weapon so no touches can be scored on legs or chairs.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/4173658330_0517dd6d0f_b.jpg

[DHMN]

I take it they use chairs that are set up ahead of time and not their own? Never even knew this existed...the background is more in focus though but probably due to the lack of lighting causing a slow shutter speed?

[snyderman]

Interesting. My son is up at Edinboro U of P and enjoys fencing as a club hobby at school. Ironic that at 6' 5" and 270, everybody wanted a go at him due to being a large target. They didn't know that he was a power forward/center, a tight end and skis as another hobby meaning the proverbial, 'he moves well for a big guy!'

Great sport. Wheelchair? Never would have guessed. Oh and, nice 'peak action' shot you got there!

dave

[tmcman]

DHMN: I didn't see them set up but the chairs were pretty individual so I'm guessing they are their own and roll in and out of that contraption that holds them down. As an example of the different chairs, McGaha is shown hanging on to his wheel with his back hand. The other guy had a metal bar above his wheel where he could anchor his back hand. And yes, this convention center had many dim areas where iso3200 and f4 was not enough...

Snyderman: Yes, the weapon is a big equalizer and so is athletic ability. One year I had an O lineman on my high school team. He had a quick eye, a good hand and a good sense of combat. Add to that the ability to take two quick steps either forward or back and you've got a dangerous man with a sword in his hand.

[souporman]

Sorry for dragging up an old post, I just found it now.

It's a very cool shot and thanks for the explination of what's going on, I always wondered about the skirting used. Do you know if they fix the distance for foil & saber as well?

Also, 14-14 and a double hit! Must've been a good bout :)