Charles Selberg
Fencing Master at UC Santa Cruz, member of a team that won gold at the World Master’s Championships
Preserving Fencing History
The passion for fencing history you’ll find reflected here on the West Coast Fencing Archive can be traced to the legacy of Charles Selberg.
An exceptional teacher and storyteller, Charlie brought fencing history to life for his students through his vivid tales of great fencers and famous bouts.
His estate, filled with posters, photos, scrapbooks and other fencing memorabilia, became the initial collection for the Archive. Since then, we have incorporated sixty more collections and counting.
The Latest Story
Unexpectedly More
It keeps happening. Coincidence where it’s entirely unexpected. My good friend Terrence Gargiulo says it’s because I’m in the right place, doing the right things. He’s smarter than me and more spiritual, so I’ll take his words at face value.
Other Tales from the Archive
More Selberg Instructional Series!
Rather than making things suspenseful, as in, “How will I ever learn how to fence properly if the West Coast Fencing Archive doesn’t continue to post more of the Selberg Instructional Series?!” sort of suspense, I’ve opted for stringing the next three installments...
Two Stories
I was thrilled to receive an email back in December from Archive reader and Friend of the Archive Kevin Murakoshi who, while perusing Ebay, came across a selection of papers and books that were related to John McKee
Let’s Review!
I like statistics. Not the kind you learn about in school really. More the kind that come about when you ask yourself questions like, “When will I get THAT done?” and “How many Aldo Nadi stories did I write last year?”
The Zeppelin Sabre
Any trip to visit Charles Selberg would hardly have been considered a success without his regaling his visitor with some grand story.
The Historical Documents of Arthur Lane
The year now gone we knew as 2015 saw the passing of long-time fencer, fencing master, fencing club founder and all around gentleman, Arthur Lane.
‘Tis the Season
Giorgio Santelli’s 1949 holiday card The first year of the West Coast Fencing Archive’s website is drawing to a close, so I thought I’d share some holiday cheer and a few thanks and thoughts. First, many thanks to my partner-in-history, Mark Headley, who also heads up...
The Last Captain
FEATURE LENGTH FENCING DOCUMENTARY
For fifty years, the Hungarian National Sabre team had two constants: they took home gold in every tournament they entered and they had George Piller.
This is the story of Jekelfalussy (Piller) Gyorgy, the 1932 Olympic Sabre champion who defected to the United States during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
By Doug Nichols and Greg Lynch
Meet the Fencers
Meet the Fencing Masters
Relic Spotlight
Two small medallions from Hans Halberstadt.
Film Library
Check out our video library
Vintage Posters
View our collection
Books
By the West Coast Fencing Archive
SHARE YOUR
STORY
Have something to share or add? Our goal is to capture the stories we know are out there. Plus photos, videos, home movies, posters—you name it. All this material helps preserve the stories of West Coast fencing.
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