Friday, July 26, 2002

For most people, any inspiration they found came from class instructors, counselors, or the great and benevolent Bob. However, some of us actually found mentors during Rec-Time. This article is dedicated to one of those people: Mike Page. A long-time fencing instructor for the Satori Camp, Mike taught many students the basics of the sport over the last three days. Of course, when using foils there isn’t anything but basics. It’s definitely one of those sports that takes a day to learn, but a lifetime to master. Then again, this really isn’t about the sport, it’s about the bond between students and teacher. It seems odd, what with the class only being three days long, but we gained an immense respect and liking for him. He has a very gentle demeanor, yet he can break into a vigorous barrage of encouragement that will make you feel like you were just spoon fed a five-shot mocha by the coffee shop girl (howl and whistle as needed).

Sadly though, all good things must come to an end, so we all shook hands and said our good-byes Thursday afternoon. The real travesty, however, is that he might not be coming back for long. He said next year could be his last year, so to any who haven’t taken his class yet, I urge you to catch it the next time around. We found ourselves transformed from buffoons who couldn’t take one step forward or backward to thrusting, lunging, parrying whirlwinds of death (or just lots of small bruises on your torso, which may or may not be fatal). Mike, if you read this, I’d like to thank you on behalf of this year’s fencing students.