fencing

16 Stories

Capitol Fencing Is Going Up for State of the Union Address

Washington prepares for truck convoys to disrupt traffic

(Newser) - Fencing that circled the US Capitol for months after the January 2021 insurrection will be put back up before President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday, as concern grows about potential demonstrations or truck convoys snarling traffic in the nation's capital. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger...

Allegations Against US Fencer Keep Him Out of Olympic Village

Alen Hadzic appealed the decision, lost

(Newser) - An alternate on the US fencing team is in Tokyo with the rest of the team, but he had to fly separately and is not allowed to train or live in the Olympic Village due to accusations of sexual misconduct that three women have made against him. Alen Hadzic, 29,...

Reminder of Capitol Riot Is About to Come Down

In the event of another attack, officials say fencing could go right back up

(Newser) - The fencing installed around the Capitol after the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection will start being removed as soon as Friday, but most visitors are still not allowed inside the iconic building. That's according to the House sergeant-at-arms in a memo Wednesday to all members of Congress and staff, the...

Capitol Police's Fence Idea Meets With Pushback

DC mayor is no fan of the idea, for one

(Newser) - The acting chief of the US Capitol Police would like to see permanent fencing installed around the Capitol in the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the building—and she's not the first to make that suggestion. In a Thursday statement , Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman said a 2006...

House Sale 'Makes No Sense' —Until Admissions Scandal

Harvard investigating sale of coach's home to father of 2 students

(Newser) - The modest home on a quarter-acre lot in Needham, Mass., had been assessed at $549,300. When it sold for $989,500 in May 2016, Needham's top assessor was surprised to find it "in bad shape." Of the sale, he simply noted: "Makes no sense."...

Star Wars Fans Will Love France's New Sport

May the force be with vous during your lightsaber battle

(Newser) - Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must. It's now easier than ever in France to act out Star Wars fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, per the AP . Of course, the LED-lit,...

Muslim-American Fencer Makes History With Medal
Muslim-American Fencer
Makes History With Medal
Olympics
Aug 13, 2016 4:55 PM CDT

Muslim-American Fencer Makes History With Medal

Ibtihaj Muhammad is first US Olympian compete in hijab

(Newser) - US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad came to the Rio Olympics determined to show the world that sports is a place where Muslim-American women can excel. Muhammad will return to New Jersey with proof that she was right. The AP reports Muhammad, who became the first US Olympian to wear a hijab...

Fencer in Hijab Makes History for Team USA

Ibtihaj Muhammad hopes to inspire change

(Newser) - At age 12, Ibtihaj Muhammad chose to learn fencing because she considered it the easiest sport in which she could compete while wearing a hijab. Eighteen years later, she's made history as Team USA's first hijab-wearing Olympian, reports the BBC . The 30-year-old former world champion, ranked eighth in...

After 13 Years, Some WTC Fence to Come Down

As early as May

(Newser) - For 13 years, the World Trade Center site has been ringed by a tall fence. In what the Wall Street Journal is calling a "major milestone," some of the fencing will finally come down this year. Joe Daniels, president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, says...

Fencing Coach Foils Crime as Only a Fencing Coach Can

Tennessee man chases off robbers with sword

(Newser) - Two Nashville robbers had the misfortune to try to steal a purse in a shopping center parking lot just as Franco Scaramuzza pulled in. That's because Scaramuzza is a fencing coach who had just left practice and still had his equipment with him, reports WSMV . What results is explained...

10 Celebrities and Their Sometimes Weird Hobbies

David Arquette really likes ... to knit?

(Newser) - How to unwind after a tough day of attending awards ceremonies and movie premieres? Well, if you're Tom Cruise, by fencing. That's the sport Tom enjoys along with Will Smith and David Beckham, the Huffington Post notes in its list of 10 celebrity leisure activities:
  • David Arquette: The
...

Hollywood Swordfight Master Bob Anderson Dead at 89

 Darth Vader 
 Swordsman 
 Dead at 89 
OBITUARY
Jan 3, 2012 3:00 AM CST

Darth Vader Swordsman Dead at 89

Bob Anderson was Hollywood's ultimate sword fighter

(Newser) - Bob Anderson was so influential in the world of movie swordsmanship that any list of Hollywood's top 10 sword fights is likely to feature at least five examples of his work. Anderson, who has died at the age of 89, was an Olympian fencer for Britain before beginning a...

Obama Goes En Garde!
 Obama Goes En Garde! 
Sep 17, 2009 7:49 AM CDT

Obama Goes En Garde!

The president helps boost Chicago's Olympic bid by fencing with light sabers

(Newser) - Health care reform? Racism brouhaha? Barack Obama took a break from it all—and possibly worked out some frustration—on the White House lawn yesterday during a fencing demonstration, Gawker reports. The president and first lady brandished light sabers during an event promoting Chicago’s bid to host the 2016...

It Was Gauguin Who Cut Off van Gogh's Ear

Historians say Dutch painter loss his ear in a fight

(Newser) - Vincent van Gogh's fame derives not only from his paintings, but from the legendary story that he sliced off his own ear and presented it to a prostitute. But two art historians now say that the Dutch painter didn't mutilate himself. After a decade of research, they argue that Paul...

First Gold for US: Women's Fencing

(Newser) - Mariel Zagunis won the first US gold medal of the Beijing Olympics, leading an American sweep today in women's saber fencing. Zagunis, the 2004 saber champion, took the gold with a victory over Sada Jacobson, who took the silver. Becca Ward won the bronze.

College Athletes Scrape for Cash for Low-Profile Sports

Cleaning and car washes fill funding gaps

(Newser) - Football and basketball squads are big money makers for colleges, but less popular spectator sports have trouble just staying afloat. How much trouble? Penn State's fencing team clears trash at the football stadium after games to earn funds for the team,  reports the New York Times. Star athletes at...

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