Rationality | West Coast Fencing Archive

Boffers: Found!

by Doug Nichols | Apr 13, 2020 | Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches A - E, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, D'Asaro, Michael, McDougall, John, Nottingham, Jack, Selberg, Charles

Some time back, I wrote a story about Boffers. Designed by fencer/coach Jack Nottingham, they were the Rolls-Royce of polyethylene toy swords.

Image Upgrades by Happenstance

by Doug Nichols | Apr 6, 2020 | Biagini, Gerard, Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches F - J, Coaches K - O, Coaches U - Z, Craus, Polly, Faulkner, Ralph, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers P - T, Funke, Erich, Halberstadt, Hans, Jan York, Lane, Arthur, Nadi, Aldo, Uyttenhove, Henri, Vince, Joseph

I love running across old photos of fencers. It doesn’t matter who’s in them or what condition they’re in for me to be fascinated with the discovery and the challenge of putting names to faces.

Martini & Rossi International Programs

by Doug Nichols | Mar 30, 2020 | Blog Post, Borack, Carl, Coaches, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Okawa, Heziburo, Piller, George, Richards, Ed

Ebay can be tricky to navigate. Not in a general sense. However, sometimes real gems can be found that are hidden between the lines when sellers don’t have a clue about what they’re selling.

Life is Money!

by Doug Nichols | Mar 23, 2020 | Blog Post, Coaches, Coaches F - J, Halberstadt, Hans

One of the great features of all the scrapbooks created by Hans Halberstadt is the inclusion of ephemeral media. Hans would post cartoons, news clippings and magazine articles, interspersed with snapshots and portrait photography.

Women’s Foil, circa 1971

by Doug Nichols | Mar 16, 2020 | Angell, Tommy, Blog Post, Borack, Carl, Calvert, Delmart, Coaches, Coaches A - E, Coaches F - J, Coaches U - Z, D'Asaro, Michael, Faulkner, Ralph, Fencers, Fencers A - E, Fencers K - O, Halberstadt, Hans, King, Harriet, Mitchell, Maxine, Nonomura, George, Posters, Posters California, Posters National, Schools/Clubs, UC Berkeley, Uyttenhove, Henri

The 1971 US National Championships were held on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, commonly known as Cal. The locals did pretty well, too!

Selberg Instructional Series Teaches Parries

by Doug Nichols | Mar 9, 2020 | Blog Post, Carnighan, Len, Coaches, Coaches K - O, Coaches P - T, McDougall, John, Selberg, Charles

Time flies when you’re having fun and it’s been almost 4 years since I shared any of Charles Selberg’s Instructional Film Loop series, so let’s dive back in!

Order from the Chaos