The Friday Five

I'm not really into sporting events. I'll watch Red Sox games with Himself, but that has more to do with sharing something Himself loves than being a real fanatic. With the Olympics in full swing, I've barely payed attention to the drama happening across the pond. There is one Olympic sport I do enjoy: Fencing.

1. Many years ago, I took a fencing class. There was a certain romance about the sport, no doubt from all the King Arthur stories I read in Medieval English Lit classes and watching Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone swashbuckle their way across the silver screen.

2. I worked with foil and epee. They are elegant weapons said in my best Obi-Wan Kenobi voice. (The instructor refused to teach the women the use of sabre claiming sabre was not a woman's weapon. I'm pretty sure the instructor was a chauvinist. Hey Mr. B, did you watch Kim Jiyeon's (Korea) stunning run for the gold in women's individual sabre?)

3. Fencing is a bit like playing chess except you're not only the chess master but the chess piece as well.

4. Unlike a lot of other sports, the action is extremely fast. A fifteen touch bout takes approximately 11 minutes with a one minute break after eight touches.

5. Since it's not a wildly popular spectator sport, the action isn't really televised, but I've been able to follow some of the action during the day live on the iPad because there's an app for that.

Do you have a favorite Olympic sport?