Smart learns what adversity is about
BEIJING (AP) - When fencer Keeth Smart was last seen at the Olympics, he was in tears, being consoled by teammates after a second straight one-point loss cost the United States a medal.

He left Athens thinking he understood heartbreak. Four years later, he knows better.

Smart arrived in China older and wiser, having experienced true heartbreak - the death of his parents - and having faced his own mortality after contracting a rare blood disorder.

"I didn't realize how severe my condition was, until a couple of my friends that are medical students, they explained to me that if I had even stubbed my toe, I would have bled to death," Smart said. "I didn't realize why the hospital had put so many precautions, putting me essentially in a bubble room where I couldn't injure myself."

Smart had just come back from a tournament in Algeria in March. He wasn't feeling well, but figured he was just worn down from travel. "A couple of days later, I developed blood lesions on my tongue. That escalated to blood lesions throughout my whole body, so I sort of looked like Tom Hanks in 'Philadelphia,'" Smart said.

He checked into a hospital and got the frightening diagnosis. He also was told to forget about fencing in Beijing.

"They thought I would be in the hospital for a couple months and would require full blood transfusion. Fortunately for me, I was in just phenomenal shape at the time, so they could put me on triple dosage of medicine for what they normally do for patients," he said. "I was able to bounce back pretty quickly."

Smart says he received a clean bill of health before leaving for Beijing, and he enters the individual saber competition seeded fifth. The Americans are seeded seventh in the team competition. They're underdogs, but that was true last time as well - and nobody needs to remind Smart how close they came to the podium in Athens.

His failure to score the decisive point kept the U.S. from beating France in the semifinals. The same thing happened fighting Russia for the bronze.

"It was absolutely unheard of - still is - for a fencer to lose two medals back-to-back, by one point each," Smart said. "It just never happens in this sport."

A year later, Smart's father died of a heart attack. Thomas Smart was the one who encouraged Keeth and his sister, Erinn Smart, to get involved in fencing as youngsters after reading about Peter Westbrook's foundation. Westbrook, a six-time member of the U.S. Olympic team, started the group in 1991 to bring fencing to underprivileged children in New York.

"He was, like, my closest friend," Smart said of his father. "I would talk to him about everything."

Soon after his father's death, Smart's mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. She died this May, about a month after the Olympic fencing team was announced with Keeth and Erinn on it.

"She did know that we qualified for the team, so she was very excited about that. She had actually just renewed her passport," said Erinn, who competes in foil. "She was fighting to hopefully come to these games. It was tough for us to deal with. We're doing what they wanted us to do - keeping with the fencing."

Returning to the Olympics means Keeth Smart can finish what he started four years ago. Even if he doesn't, he expects these Olympics to be memorable.

"I think the last time around, I put so much pressure on myself," he said. "I had to win a medal or, like, my life was a failure. I just felt like that's the only way people would remember me.

"This time around, I realize that there's more to life than winning a medal. I'm more focused on meeting as many different athletes and individuals - just enjoying the whole Olympic movement as much as possible. ... Even though it's my job to win a medal, I feel like I'm enjoying the experience a lot more than last time."

Here's his siter Erinn



Medal-holding mentor
Erinn Smart took up fencing in 1990 when she was enrolled in the fencing school founded in New York City by Peter Westbrook. Her older brother, Keeth, followed her to the club six months later. At first, Erinn was the more enthusiastic fencer of the two siblings, but both quickly fell in love with the sport. Westbrook, the last U.S. male to win an Olympic medal in fencing, serves as mentor for Erinn, Keeth and three other current or former Olympians.

Olympic family
Like the Jacobson siblings in women’s sabre, the Smart family has two members who have Olympic experience. Erinn’s brother will be making his third Olympic appearance in Beijing. In addition, their father, Thomas, worked at multiple Olympic Summer and Winter Games, in the advertising production department for Sports Illustrated.

Overcoming adversity
On May 25, Keeth and Erinn suffered the loss of their mother, Audrey Elizabeth “Liz” Smart, after a two-year battle with stage IV colon cancer. In 2005, their father died of a sudden heart attack. Keeth told NBCOlympics.com, "They were both extremely instrumental in our development in life and fencing. Plus they both loved the entire Olympic movement." Erinn's first tournament back, in Cuba in early-June, was understandably a rough one (63rd place), but she rebounded to finish 10th at the Las Vegas Grand Prix later in the month.

Smart move: Tennis to fencing
Smart exhibited far-reaching athleticism from an early age. While she showed this talent in ballet, figure skating and track, Smart’s favorite sport was tennis. She was such a promising tennis player that she was invited as an 11-year-old to attend the Bolletieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Her favorite player is James Blake, who she was fortunate to watch live at the US Open a couple of years ago.

Good luck charm
In every tournament, Smart wears a red bracelet she got at a competition and a piece of clothing, usually a T-shirt, with red in it for good luck.

Day job
Until January 2008, Smart worked at financial firm Lord Abbott as a regional consultant, before taking leave to concentrate on making the Olympic team. After the games, she plans on going back to working full time. At Barnard, she was an Economic History major.

There are also two siblings on the French fencing team, Fabrice and Jerome Jeannet. These brothas are finer than a mug. Ooooooh, might have to root for the French.

Here's Fabrice:



Born: November 11, 1981

Ht: / Wt: 6'4'' / 187 lbs

General Interests

Hobbies: Bodyboarding, listening to music and fishing. (escrime-ffe.fr 25/09/07)
Occupation: Student
Marital status: Single
Club name: Lagardère Paris Racing: Paris, France
Coach: Jean-Marie Grubo, Jérôme Roussat [personal], Stéphane Riboud [national] (escrime-ffe.fr 11/06/08)
Handed: Right (escrime-ffe.fr 09/07/03)
Additional information: When and where did you begin this sport?
Started fencing in 1984. (Athlete 17/07/03)

Training Regime
10 hours per week. (Athlete 17/07/03)

Most influential person in career
Technical Director of the French national team, Michel Sicard. (Athlete 17/07/03)

Education: Science, Sports Science, Physical Education - STAPS
Language spoken: French, English


Here's Jerome:



Born: February 27, 1978

Ht: / Wt: 6'3'' / 187 lbs

General Interests

Hobbies: Bodyboarding, video games and listening to music. (escrime-ffe.fr 25/09/07)
Occupation: Athlete
Marital status: Single
Club name: Lagardère Paris Racing: Paris, France
Coach: René Grubo [personal], Stéphane Riboud [national] (escrime-ffe.fr 25/09/07)
Handed: Right (Athlete 17/07/03)
Additional information: When and where did you begin this sport?
Began the sport in 1983. (escrime-ffe.fr 25/09/07)

Education: Physical Education, Sport Studies
Language spoken: French, English, Spanish
Debut: 2001 for France, World Championships (Athlete 17/07/03)

SCNDLS said:

Here are the Frenchies doin' tha damn thang.



Why Jerome look all pimpish???



You KNOW he was talkin' shit too. . . in French no less.

This is one sport I've always wanted to learn.

Genesia said:

And with THIS kinda eye candy, now is as good a time as any. Yeah, fencing.

They build fences? How is that a sport? lol

SCNDLS said:

you ---><--- me

Fencing si something I have always wanted to do - for as long as I can remember


Now that my kids are older - maybe i'll make the time to take some classes

Mach said:

That would be cool. It looks like such a noble sport and art form. I remember reading about the American brother and sister YEARS ago when they were kids. It's nice to see they're still on the US team.

SCNDLS said:

I wish them the Best

A beautiful art and sport indeed

Two American women are facing off for the Gold in fencing. So the US got the Gold, Silver AND Bronze in women's fencing.

SCNDLS said:

TIGHT !!

Mach said:

BEIJING (AP) - A trio of American flags were raised to the rafters at the Olympic Fencing Hall as tears streamed down the face of Mariel Zagunis, winner of the first U.S. gold medal of the Beijing Olympics.

"It was a dream come true," said Zagunis, who led an American sweep of Saturday's women's sabre fencing.

Zagunis secured the gold with a 15-8 victory over Sada Jacobson, who won the silver. Becca Ward took the bronze.

Before the fencing medals were awarded, the Americans had been shut out of Olympic medals, trailing the likes of Cuba, North Korea, Taiwan and Uzbekistan in the overall standings. Then the sabre trio went to work, moving the U.S. to the top of the table with three medals.

And to make the night even more memorable, former President George H.W. Bush was in the front row for the medal ceremony, just to the side of where the three flags were lifted.

"It was amazing. It was emotional. It was such a dramatic moment," Bush said. "To win all three was simply magnificent."

Zagunis was also sabre champion in 2004, when she became the first American in a century to win a fencing gold. Now, the U.S. is a legitimate powerhouse - in women's sabre at least. These same three women are seeded No. 1 for the team competition on Thursday.

"We hope that any success we have goes to making our sport more popular," Jacobson said. "If we can get even one girl to take up fencing, then we've done well."

The sport endured some growing pains even after Zagunis' big win in 2004. The U.S. Olympic Committee took over USA Fencing's high performance program for this year's Olympics, citing financial problems for the sport's national governing body.

"We're just here trying to do our jobs," Jacobson said. "It hasn't been an issue that has impeded our performance at all."

Clearly not.

Zagunis and Ward, members of the same Oregon fencing club, met in the semifinals. Zagunis prevailed 15-11, and Ward left in tears.

Ward still looked red-faced and shaken when she came out for the bronze medal match, and she fell behind 6-1 to Russia's Sofiya Velikaya. But the 18-year-old from Portland, Ore., rallied for a dramatic 15-14 victory that ensured a U.S. sweep.

"I kind of got my head back in the bout that I was in, because I was really hung up on my last bout," Ward said. "It was a quick turnaround."

Once that victory was out of the way, Zagunis and Jacobson took center stage. Jacobson, of Dunwoody, Ga., won the bronze in 2004. She was the top seed in this year's competition but couldn't overcome Zagunis in the final.

Zagunis, of Beaverton, Ore., led throughout the gold medal bout - her most lopsided win of the tournament. When it was over, Zagunis ripped off her mask and let out a yell, then shook hands with Jacobson and shared a hug with her teammate. Zagunis returned to the strip with an American flag, which she held in her hands while bowing in two directions.

She then dropped down and kissed the floor.

Jacobson missed out on a similar celebration - but the joy eventually hit her.

"I don't think I anticipated the emotion I would feel up there," Jacobson said of sharing the podium. "It was such a feeling of pride."

At least one famous American felt it too.

"Fencing may not be a big sport in America," Bush said. "But today at the Olympics, it certainly is."
[Edited 8/9/08 9:06am]

Now this is REALLY cool. The NBA and Soccer channels on Dish Network are fully dedicated to showing ALL of the Olympic basketball and soccer games. I'ma be no mo' good for the next two weeks.

SCNDLS said:

I've told some of my peeps " oh hell no man - don't ask me out or come to bother me "

It's the fuckin Olympics man

Mach said:

Who you tellin'???

The women's basketball team is kickin' some Czech booty right now. This is the bomb, no commercials or nuthin!

SCNDLS said:

I have an annual 4 day - 14th yr of attending - camping trip/party to go to next weekend

Fall Ball

I hope someone had a TV or pc or some battery powered shiznit

Mach said:

Okay, I don't really do outside, but it must be loads of fun if this is your FOURTH year in a row.

SCNDLS said:

14th yr

I am an outside girl though I do like a nice indoor adventure as well

Mach said:

Freak.

SCNDLS said:

THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT

I took my shower outside at 1am last night as well

Mach said:

Uh, uhhh, see . . . now you're up there with JustErin. . . straight scalawag.
[Edited 8/10/08 8:19am]

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program. . .

Tagliariol wins men's individual epee

BEIJING (AP) -- Matteo Tagliariol of Italy won the gold medal in men's epee Sunday, beating Fabrice Jeannet of France 15-9.

The final pitted representatives from two of the world's top fencing nations. Tagliariol took control with an early six-point run to lead 8-3, and never looked back.

Jeannet, who plans to retire after the games, did not conceal his disappointment at walking away with the silver.

"The silver medal is synonymous with defeat -- and I don't like defeat," Jeannet said.

Jose Luis Abajo of Spain took the bronze.

Tagliariol won Italy's first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics to give his country's fencing fans something to cheer about. Andrea Baldini, Italy's men's foil star, lost his spot on the Olympic team because of a positive test for a banned substance. (Who knew they 'roided up in fencing )

Italy has a chance to add another gold in fencing Monday in the women's individual foil. The top three seeded athletes in that event are all Italian.

SCNDLS said:

Finally I have been elevated to JustErin's level


wait ...

Mach said: