Wheelchair fencing!
Written by admin2 on July 13th, 2009Filed under: Themes, Wheelchairman of the Board, Irked Videos
Spotlighting wheelchair fencer Simon Wilson:
50-year-old Simon Wilson, from Nottingham, is the best wheelchair fencer in Great Britain. He’s been competing at the sport for two years. For the seven years before that, he competed in able-bodied competitions wearing a prosthetic limb he’s needed since he was a young boy, when a bone-eating disease caused his left leg to require amputation. It took a LOT of convincing before Simon was prepared to try the wheelchair version of his beloved sport. Simon, a parts manager at a car shop, recalls that “a Great Britain coach approached me and said, ‘Would you be offended if I said you should try the wheelchair version?’ He told me my hand-speed was great but I would never be any good because of my lack of mobility.” Fast-forward several years…Simon now hopes to represent Britain at the 2012 London Paralympics.
Paraphrasing up-and-coming wheelchair fencer Phil Bramley (also hoping for London 2012):
Wheelchair fencing is different than able-bodied fencing. You’re confined to a sitting position. You rely on your instincts. You obviously can’t get out of your opponent’s way by physically moving backwards and forwards. It’s a VERY quick sport, over in a matter of minutes.
Quoting WheelchairFencer.org:
The irony is that footwork is just as useful and important in wheelchair fencing as it is in able-bodied fencing. While able-bodied fencers focus on moving up and down the strip, advancing and retreating with their lower extremities, ever changing the speed and tempo to gain an advantage over their opponent, so it is with wheelchair fencing. The difference being that the wheelchair fencer uses his upper body position, shifting it incrementally to open or close the distance between himself and his opponent.
Quoting Jonny Greatrex (aka “Jonny Dangerous”), a reporter for Birmingham’s Sunday Mercury:
…the easiest way to score a point is to hit the part of your opponent nearest to you as, unlike Olympic fencing, any blow landed counts.
Any part of the torso, head and arms are considered fair game in wheelchair fencing. You can even hit your opponent’s chair if the earthed mat which covers it should slip. The victor is the first to 15 points or the person with the highest score after three minutes.
A sensor on the end of the weapon will beep if 750g of pressure is put on it—the amount needed to draw blood in an actual sword-fight.
Watch Jonny Dangerous dueling with Simon Wilson:
To learn more, visit:
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I love Simon Wilson, he is the best, even though he is 50 he is really great.
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Hi,
Mobility scooters are great for those who may not be able to get around easily. Power scooters have both advantages and disadvantages. A person who needs a scooter should really pay attention to what they are purchasing if they want to invest in something that will last forever.
Thanks,