Santelli - 1970's
1972- Giorgio is honored at a black tie dinner at the Statler Hotel.
Robert Lipsyte interviews Giorgio for an article in the New York Times. Here is the contents of the article:
The Fencing Master, by Robert Lipsyte
"Now take this country," said George Santelli. "I call you names. You give me a
good punch in the nose. I, being 72 years old, would have no chance against you
in a fist fight. So, I call a lawyer. I sue.
Ah. Childish."
He touched his nose, a beak of great power and majesty above a white moustache,
and waited for the traffic noise to subside on Sixth Avenue, directly beneath
the fourth-floor window of his famous salle-d'armes.
"A duel would solve many problems," he continued. "We have insulted each other.
We have common friends who cannot invite us to the same parties. It becomes very
difficult. So, we have a duel with sabres."
"It is not very dangerous. We each bring a doctor, and two seconds. The best
fencer among them directs the duel, ready to leap in should either of us become
angry or lose control. We have a chance to show courage, save face, derive
satisfaction, gain new respect for each other. We shed a little blood, earn a
few stitches, throw our arms about each other and drink champagne."
He stretched his tall, still supple body, and raised an arm that, in its day,
was said to have borne the strongest sabre in Europe. "Paul Lukas, the actor,
came to my father's salle in Budapest. He had insulted his producer, and he had
been challenged. We had a week to prepare him for the duel, so I concentrated on
teaching him to parry the blow to the head and return it. Secretly, we blunted
the sabers so Lukas's face wouldn't be disfigured. The duel went well. They
hacked at each other and raised welts. The doctor squeezed a drop of
blood from one of the producer's welts, and everyone was very happy."
Salle Santelli
Santelli's father, Italo, ran one of Europe's most famous salles d'armes, a
training center for aristocrats and Olympic athletes in an age and in a country
that still admired the swordsman. The Hungarian Government had brought Italo to
Budapest in 1896 from his native Italy and subsidized his school. In 1924,
George was brought here by the New York Athletic Club. He was fencing master
there for 25 years.
Santelli has been the dominant figure in American fencing for many years, He
coached the Olympic teams from 1928 through 1952, revolutionized technique, and
exerted an incomparable spiritual force with his single-minded and selfless
dedication to his sport.
Through Salle Santelli, which he opened after World War II, he broke the racial
and class restrictions of fencing by encouraging Negroes and holding free
classes for public high school students. Tonight, in
a rare tribute in this sport, Santelli will be honored at the Statler Hotel.
Santelli admits to having fought only one duel himself, an affair of great
complexity. During the 1924 Olympics in Paris, a dispute arose between an
Italian fencer and an official. A witness was necessary and Italo Santelli's
testimony led to the disqualification of the Italian fencer, and a scandal. The
captain of the Italian team, Adolfo
Cotronei, wrote a newspaper article denouncing Italo as a renegade and a liar.
Italo, 61 years old, challenged Cotronei, who was about 30.
On a Barge Off Abazia
George, unearthing an obscure rule in the dueling code that allowed a son to
replace his father under certain circumstances, met Cotronei on a barge in the
waters off Abbazia, between Trieste and Fiume.
"We really fenced," said Santelli, staring out his salle window at the Women's
House of Detention. "We did not hack. It lasted perhaps three and one-half
minutes. He came down like this, so I parried and riposted and struck him on the
side of the head. He was temporarily blinded, and so the duel was stopped. He
required 12 stitches.
The men met again, at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, and Cotronei stood
dinner and drinks, absurdly proud of his scar, the slight squint in his left
eye, and the monocle he wore.
"I do not believe," said Santelli, "that there should be dueling in this country
at this time. Americans think who won? who lost? and this is not dueling,
dueling is saving face and gaining satisfaction. It grows from the culture."
His lips parted for large teeth. "But I must say that dueling was an educational
thing. It taught many people to behave properly. You have to prepare for a duel,
spend money on equipment, pay the fencing master, pay the doctor, suffer the
wounds. The next time you think twice before you call a man an insulting name."
1976 - Student Denise O'Connor makes the U.S. Olympic team again. Ms. O'Connor remains a close personal friend of Maestro Santelli's until his death in 1985, having lunch with him almost every Friday.
1979 - Student Denise O'Connor is inducted into the New Jersey City University Sports Hall of Fame for her fencing contributions in 1954 -1957.
Randall, Charles R: Saber student of Santelli's in the late 1960s and early 1970's. He now coaches the Club Esgrima Vallarta team in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and has students on the Mexico National Saber team, in 2004 his student becomes Women's National saber champion, and 50% of the team is comprised of his students. Club website at: http://ww.oocities.com/esgrimavta
"In the late 70s' around 77-78 I had returned to the salle and saw Giorgio in the salle infrequently when I was there. The teaching staff was excellent, under his direct supervision using his established methods and training program and in the evenings the salle continued to be packed. Once the Salle moved to New Jersey I was no longer able to train at Salle Santelli. In 2001 I co-founded the fencing club in Puerto Vallarta based on the same elements of goodwill, sportsmanship and the kindness offered to me by Giorgio. My style of teaching today incorporates many of the elements of both Maestro Csaba Elthes and Maestro Giorgio Santelli." Mr. Randall's story begins in the 1960's click here to view
