From the Mighty Computer Keyboard of Nick Evangelista
The following feature comes from e-mail messages received mostly in November of 1998. Nick was kind enough to say I could use anything he'd written to me for TFA MAGAZINE.
Nick Evangelista is a man who wears many hats. You most likely know him as the author of the best selling fencing book of all time THE ART AND SCIENCE OF FENCING but he is also a husband, father, goat farmer, poet, fencing coach, artists, film aficionado, and a lover of fantasy and science fiction literature.
While some of our e-mail conversations have centered on fencing, many more have dealt with movies and some of his experiences in Hollywood. I thought you might enjoy reading these tidbits that you won't find elsewhere.
For more of Nick's thoughts on fencing I recommend that you read his books which you can get from local bookstores or by ordering through amazon.com His most recent writing project is a book called THE FENCER'S BRAIN which will be out later this year.
Just in case you wondered where I got the cool picture of Nick, I snagged it from his webpage--evil computer thief that I was.
Now, on to the good stuff...
--Ann Morris, Editor
(This message was one of the earliest ones and was in response to my asking if it was all right to be so familiar as to use first names only.)
Hello Ann,
If I can call you "Ann", you can call me "Nick". Some folks insist on calling me "Mr.", or "Maestro", or "Maitre", and that's ok if the person feels they want to do that, but "Nick" is ok as far as I'm concerned. I'm not a stickler for formalities. Sometimes formal is ok. Sometimes people come on with such a show of respect, I have to remind myself they're addressing me. I'm not fond of the barrier that sometimes creates with regard to communication, as I've always been an informal, hands-on person. Whatever you call me, I still have to milk my goats in the evening, and they don't care who I am.
(writing a brief bit about fencing)
As for fencing, I recall my origins easily, so it is not difficult for me to identify with the beginning situation all fencers face. I think that is one of my strong points as a teacher. My first lesson -- one of my most traumatic life moments -- still resides quite clearly in my consciousness. Certainly, helping new fencers effectively relate to the process of fencing is one of my favorite parts of fencing mastering.
(I have included my message at this point as it makes the one that followed from Nick more clear.)
Dear Nick,
One of my friends who has the unusual name of Rolaine Smoot, used to keep goats. She and her family actually did raise them to eat. One of them was particularly nasty and always picked on her son when he went into the yard to feed them. His name became Barbecue. The son really hated him.
Then, one night when the family was sitting down to dinner, the son, Ian, asked, "Is this Barbecue?" and upon getting an affirmative reply from Mom, commented with great satisfaction, "He SURE tastes good!"
Rolaine also had a Nubian goat at one time named Uhura, after th >character on the original "Star Trek" series. Rolaine was and is a big "Star Trek:" fan and used to help put on conventions in our area. At one of them, James Doohan, who played Mr. Scott, was a guest. During this particular one, Rolaine's husband called her saying Uhura just would not let him milk her and he was worried about letting her go too long. So, Rolaine told him to bring the goat to her (she usually did the milking) and so he did. Rolaine proceeded to milk the goat out on the lawn of where the convention was being held. James Doohan had been curious when he somehow heard about her having to milk the goat and he came to watch. She showed him how to milk the goat and he gave it a try. She did find it somewhat embarrassing when he asked the goat's name and she had to tell him it was Uhura but Nichelle Nichols who played Uhura was black and the goat was a Nubian and, well, it was appropriate.
There are my second hand goat stories.
Now, have you ever been to a Macdonald's drive-through window with a mule sticking her head out the window over your shoulder from the back of a Volkswagen van? That, I have experienced myself. I was wondering if you'd mind me using something you said in your last message in my online fencing magazine's next issue. Your comments about remembering very well you first lesson and so being able to relate well to the beginning fencer would make a good quote for the opening page. Would you mind?
Thanks for corresponding with me. It's been very pleasant. I do not expect you to keep this up on a frequent basis but it would be nice to communicate now and then, if you don't mind that.
Take care,
annie
Ann,
I have no problem with corresponding. If you have something you'd like to communicate to me, please do, any time. I'll respond. That's the way I do things. I may be slow occasionally, because I'm in the process now of finishing up a new book, but I'll get there.
Also, if you'd like to use that quote you mentioned, sure. If I write something to you, it's always yours to use.
Actually, coming from Los Angeles originally, I used to have a VW van (I'm not sure if that is necessarily a given, but I did). Once in the country, it was used to transport horses, calves, goats, pigs, and sheep. I used to have a lamb that liked to ride in cars, and it would hang it's head out the window like a dog.
By the way, good Star Trek/goat story. Actually, this was the first time I've ever heard Star Trek and goats mentioned together. As an aside, one of my oldest friends, and former student (but not a goat), Anthony De Longis, is an alumnus of one of the Star Trek shows. I'm not sure which one. He plays a bad alien, which really doesn't narrow things down too much, does it? He's also been a villain twice on the Highlander series. Actually, come to think of it, he always plays villains. He is, of course, a nice guy -even for a Hollywood person.
Anyway, do continue to write. I have enjoyed your remarks.
Best,
Nick
(Though I have not included my message here, I think you can guess what was on my end that Nick responded to.)
I didn't know Fritz Leiber fenced. That's a new one on me. I have,
by the way, read a number of his fantasy books, which I liked a lot. I once contacted him about a writing project I had in mind. I wanted to do a study of how and why writers became writers, basically what was the mental process that led them to first sit down in front of a typewriter and start stringing words together. Well, as it turned out, I didn't get enough useful responses from the writers I queried for even an article. Too many "I-don't-recalls," "read-my-books," long explanations on why the writer didn't have time to answer my questions (figure that one out), and no returns. Fritz Leiber was one who did write back, though. He told me he began writing because he thought he could make more money at that than at acting (a nice, honest approach). And apparently he did. Ray Bradbury and Richard Bach were also quite chatty. On the positive side, I ended up with an ok "authors" autograph collection.
I think I read some of Clifford Simak's work early on in my science fiction reading. I'm sure I did. Science fiction was my first literary love, and I read a lot of it. I tried to write some early on, but somehow everything that started out as straight science fiction ended up as something swordsy. Mercifully, these "things" were not published.
I don't believe I've ever read an Asimov novel. When I was a kid I
did read a number of his short stories, though. When I was fourteen, I started reading Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. Both of which are more fantasy than science fiction. Lots of Ray Bradbury, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Charles Collier, William Tenn, and Harlan Ellison, fantasy and science fiction crosses. Straight science fiction: Fred Hoyle, L. Sprague de Camp, A.E. van Vogt, as I said some Asimov stories, and, of course, Robert Heinlein. All more old-timer stuff, I guess.
I like Heinlein, I think, because he has such a strong theme of self-reliance in his writing. Something, living out in the country, I've come to appreciate greatly. My favorite book of his was one about five guys who start a resistance movement against an unspecified Asian conqueror -probably China, although I don't believe it was ever stated flat out -- of the United States. But, you know, for the life of me, I can't recall the book's title.
As for Heinlein's fencing, I believe he was very proud of the fact that he'd fenced, and that he'd won medals. I came across this information when I was working on my encyclopedia (it's funny, when I was doing research for that book, odd bits of fencing info always seemed to come my way almost out of the blue).
I tell new fencing students about fencing: "If it was easy, there wouldn't be any need for fencing teachers, and I'd be otherwise unemployable." It usually gets a laugh, and puts things in the proper perspective.
I like "The Day the Earth Stood Still," too. Michael Renny is my
kind of space alien. If only all space aliens were British! Actually, I'm pretty eclectic in my science fiction likes. The good and the trashy. Everything from "Forbidden Planet" to "Plan 9 from Outer Space," and "The Blob," to "Earth Versus the Flying Saucers."
Of course, the Zorro series was one of my inspirations as a kid.
It's funny, though, I recently bought a pile of Disney videos featuring different connected stories from the show, and I recalled not one of them! I know I must have seen them -- I saw them all -- but it was a case of total amnesia. And you know something else, they were still fun to watch. Often old tv shows don't hold up well under the light of intervening years, but these (mostly) did. There were a couple toe-curling musical numbers I could have lived without. Also, the fencing was pretty darned good. It was staged by Fred Cavens, who did some of the great sword fights during Hollywood's Golden Age (including Tyrone Power's "Mark of Zorro" in 1940 -- one of my all-time favorite swashbuckler films).
With all due respect to STAR TREK, I've always found the stories around series more interesting than the show itself. Maybe I should leave it at that. I've got nothing against STAR TREK. I like the movies. Leonard Nimoy, by the way, worked with my teacher Ralph Faulkner in a little tv drama called "Man of Peace" back in the early, early 1950s. It was about a fencing master dedicated to the art of fencing who has a student who only fences for the brutality he can put into his game. Nimoy played one of Mr. Faulkner's students.(The story was later remade starring James Mason in Mr. Faulkner's role. Mr. Faulkner directed the fencing in this one, and doubled for Mason. This time, the bad fencing student was patterned more along the line of James Dean, as Dean was the reigning "delinquent" at the time.) It's funny, though, seeing Mr. Spock looking like a teenager with real ears.
Oh, yes, you might have seen Tony De Longis's name in "The Art and Science of Fencing." He wrote the forward for the book.
The book I'm working on now is indeed the one you mentioned. It's called "The Fencer's Brain." And its about developing the fencing thought process. This, to me, is the fascinating part of fencing, learning the "language" of fencing. I had hoped to be done with the manuscript this week, but it looks right now as though it won't be done until sometime in November. You know, I'm awful with writing schedules. I've never finished a book on time yet. When I was writing "The Art and Science of Fencing," it took me six months to write the first half of the book (I was supposed to have it done by that time). Then, one day, I got a book catalogue from Masters Press, which had my book listed. Not only was it listed, but the half page ad showed a picture of the book cover, told how many pages were in the book, and gave its price. At this point, I felt the noose around my neck tightening. Here was all this information about a real book, and half of it was still in my head. I wrote the second portion of the book in six weeks (I also drew thirty of so illustrations). Well, that time, I was only a month and a half late. Anyway, I'll get this next one done, too. I always do. I just hope I don't see a catalogue in the meantime.
(In this message, Nick refers to my comments about being legally blind and having arthritis in my knees but still going to the fencing salle to play as well as several other topics.)
One of the pleasant by-products of writing books has been all the interesting people I've made contact with -- including yourself.
(Okay, you didn't need to see the compliment to me but I left it in because what it lets you know a bit more of what a nice guy this Nick Evangelista is.)
As for fencing, you certainly couldn't have picked a better activity whatever your reasons. It does have a lot to offer. You know, I feel more at home with people who fence simply for the love of it than any of the fencing champions, driven only by ego, I've ever known.
By the way, about your arthritis ... have you tried something called Arthred-G? My wife has arthritis in her knees. She's an RN, and was having a real problem being on her feet all the time. Eventually, she tried this stuff. Well, it took about six months of everyday use for it to kick in, but she's been pain free for about two months now. You might give it a try. She buys hers at Wal-Mart.
As for eyes, I'm blind in my right eye, since I was born. I've developed a weird kind of depth perception, and so have no problem with fencing. Once I injured my left eye, and was totally blind for six weeks. All I had were smeary blobs of color. I taught fencing while I was blind. It was an interesting experience for all concerned. It actually improved my teaching. My fencing lessons have come in many odd packages over the years.
Also, I'm ahead of you. I'll be 50 in January. My kids, I might add, are waiting patiently for me to grow up. At least, that's what they tell me.
Nick
(Nick is not much ahead of me. I turned 49 in December.)
Nick
(Here, it helps to see what I had written.)
Nick,
I meant to mention something about vision and fencing. I would be very interested to know if you have suggestions for me or others who have >visual impairments, since you have experienced fencing while nearly blind. >I can find a lot on wheelchair fencing but nothing on fencing for people with other kinds of health problems.
Now, I really must go.
annie
Annie,
This is kind of a tough question to answer, since each fencer has their own individual characteristics to be considered. I was lucky when I had my eye injury because I could weight it against twelve intensive years of fencing training. I worked by touch alone for that time period. I would get a feeling for distance by touching the blade of my student. Offensively and defensively, this contact is very important anyway, even for the sighted fencer. Not enough time is spent employing one's weapon to gain insight into one's opponent's abilities. Touch, traditionally, was very important to classical swordsmanship. The development of this sensitivity was called "Sentiment du Fer," or "the feeling of the blade," where your weapon became part of your nervous system, and even the lightest of blade contact could transmit a wealth of information about your opponent. Let me think about this some more, and I'll see if I can come up with some specific ideas for you.
By the way, have you ever seen the movie "Blind Fury," starring Rutgar Hauer (who was the bad robot in "Blade Runner")? It's about a blind swordsman (set in modern times). A neat, little movie, really well done, with a lot of humor in it. It's based on a Japanese samurai movie series. If you can find it, I recommend it highly.
(Here is another message that deals with many different topics but I think you can follow it without seeing what I had posted to him.)
By the way, I don't think I'm going to have the new book done by Nov. 30. I'm probably going to need another two weeks. Luckily, I have a bit of leverage. They can't start without me. I'm real pleased with what I have so far. "The Fencer's Brain" is going to be a very unusual fencing book. I think people will either love it or hate it; but no in betweens.
As for the theme of "The Fencer's Brain," yes, it is basically abou the psychology and philosophy of fencing. The thought process that makes a fencer. Some ideas on strategy, too. The only material on form and technique will be various arguments for a more classical form over the sloppiness of modern fencing style. It will, I think, be a one of a kind book.
Personally, I think every movie should have some fencing in it. The more the better! Police movies (Lethal Rapier), love stories (The Fencing Strips of Madison County), outer space adventures (Star Swords), jungle films (Tarzan de Bergerac), horror films (Night of the Living Fencers), Historical dramas (Gone with the Foil), pornography (Deep Lunge), and documentaries (Jacque Cousteau's Swordfish). Also, rock videos and every commercial that appears on television.
Actually, fencing has turned up in some of the oddest places, film-wise: The Great Gatsby (with R. Redford; Bruce Dern was the fencing person), Lassie Come Home (actually a neat little duel with walking sticks), The Black Castle (a Boris Karloff horror film, with a good fencing disply from Richard Greene), Theatre of Blood (Vincent Price as a crazed Shakespearian actor), Swamp Thing (don't ask!), The Iron Mistress (a semi-western about Jim Bowie: Bowie knife versus dueling sword; guess which one wins?), Hot Shots, Part Deux (pretty funny); The Love Machine (again, don't ask), The Rocketeer (some ok Robin Hood-like fencing from Timothy Dalton). Also, the Bruce Willis character in The Fifth Element has a French foil -- good for him! -- displayed semi-prominently in his apartment (in the early part of the film).
I always wished they had made use of Basil Rathbone's fencing ability in at least one of his Sherlock Holmes films. After all, Holmes was supposed to have fenced. Also, played singlestick. It would have added a nice touch to the characterization. Have you ever seen Basil Rathbone's music hall song and dance routine in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes? He was really good! He could sing and dance better than Errol Flynn, too.
As for BY THE SWORD, actually it's one of my favorite movies. I
watch it maybe once every couple months. It reminds me, in many ways, of my days at Falcon Studios. I thought it captured the spirit of fencing, the old and new constantly running up against each other, very well.
The statue of old dead Mr. Villard, by the way, is a real statue of Ralph Faulkner that used to reside in Falcon's largest studio (it was saved by some fencing people from Westside Fencing Center in L.A., when the school was being "renovated" by its new owners after Mr. Faulkner's death in 1987; some of the Westside staff subsequently worked on BY THE SWORD). I grew up in fencing in the shadow of that statue.
Also, I knew someone who was very much like the Eric Roberts character. He was a Bulgarian fencing master by the name of George Ganchev. At that time, he was the World Professional Sabre Champion of the World. And his ego was as big as his accomplishments. He was a nice enough guy, though, if you knew where he was coming from, and made allowances for it. Back in the early 1990s, George moved back to Bulgaria, and ran for President of the country. He wasn't elected, but he did get like twenty per cent of the vote. Now, I heard, he's a big wig in the "cultural" department of Bulgaria's government.
You asked before about "The Fencer's Brain." Actually, I have to have it done by the first week in December. I talked to my editor the other day, and he managed to pin me down on a deadline date. Now, I must write and write and write and write and write to get it done on time. The noose is tightening! But I can do it. In a way, I'm glad he cornered me on this, as it seems I have to feel a bit of pressure before I get serious. It just becomes a focal point. Apparently, its the way I work best, because I keep doing it to myself.
I love bad old movies, things like BRIDE OF THE MONSTER, with Bela Lugosi, KILLERS FROM SPACE, with Peter Graves, REEFER MADNESS, Michael Landon's hairy version of James Dean, I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (the non-musical one), stuff like that. Watched the "classic" disaster film EARTHQUAKE not long ago. It was actually fun to watch embarrassing way. Chuck Heston achieved new levels of human woodenness; Ava Gardner seemed to be going for an Oscar nomination in an over the top, Nora Desmond kind of way; and Walter Matthau turned in such an pathetic performance, he wisely used his given name in the credits instead of "W.M." You know, I happen to like CUTTHROAT ISLAND, too; it has some awful scenes, and not much interesting fencing, but there are one or two really nice stunts. Geena Davis did a tumble out a window onto a moving wagon that in its own way makes the movie. I used to think the worst swashbuckler movie of all time was THE SON OF CAPTAIN BLOOD, starring Errol's son Sean, but Roman Polanski's PIRATES is by far the stinkiest of them all (unfortunately, it's soooooo bad and slimey, it's not even fun to watch).
As a matter of fact, Basil Rathbone was considered the best fencer in film during Hollywood's "Golden Age." Actually, he'd fenced in public school in England, and when swashbuckler movies gained fresh momentum in the mid-1930s, he took regular lessons. So, it's no wonder he looked better than Errol Flynn. Errol basically had no self-discipline, and never took lessons (except when he was training for a specific movie role). He was a natural athlete, and that's what saw him through. By the way, I think Basil Rathbone's MARK OF ZORRO duel with Tyrone Power is the best sword fight ever filmed. I could watch that one for an hour,, over and over, without getting bored.
A swashbuckler movie channel would be nice. But I have a feeling that if there was one, they'd mostly be showing things like 1960s Italian swashbucklers starring Steve Reeves (so awful they can be fun -- in small doses). Unfortunately, there are more bad swashbucklers than there are good ones. For all its apparent simplicity, the swashbuckler genre is not an easy one to reproduce successfully. I have collected a lot of these films on tape over the years, also hundreds of fencing scenes, and only a handful of them are memorable. The rest range from not bad to ok to pu. Luckily, for me, I enjoy the grotesquely pitiful ones almost as much as the great ones. It all goes with the life that chose me, I guess. You haven't seen swordplay until you've seen Pippy Longstocking fencing, or Mickey Mouse, or Captain James T. Kirk of the star ship Enterprise. Fun stuff!
Working only with touch and the mechanics of your blade actions to guide you can be quite instructive. You have to focus totally on what you're doing and relax. Once you achieve this, you can start developing a real feel for your weapon. In time, you can actually feel when it becomes part of your nervous system. Your energy seems to flow from your fingers right into your grip. When I can feel this, I know I'm really fencing, and not just operating on automatic. Here, fencing becomes one long, smooth, natural process.
I've taught in all kinds of surrounds over the years. Mr. Faulkner's school was probably the best situation I've come across. Good floors, lots of space. But I've also taught in semi-abandoned store fronts, sidewalks, alleys, garages, back yards, living rooms, barns. The YMCA I taught at in Pasadena, CA, used to shuffle my class around regularly, as they'd forget they had fencing apparently every week, and schedule something else in my space. I was supposed to get their gym for my class, but often I got the nursery or a hallway. It just made me grateful for even passable space. Since I only do private, individual instruction now, one room in my house is fine for my purposes.
I plan to be me for as long as possible. Luckily, fencing tends to promote longevity of both body and brain. So many of the great fencing masters -- old-time and modern -- lived to ripe old ages, and taught right up to the end of the match.
Speaking of older fencers, do you subscribe to VETERAN FENCERS QUARTERLY? It's a fencing magazine geared towards older fencers (I writer for them, and the publisher wants me to take over as managing editor as soon as I finish my present book). The subscription rate is only $8 per year, which makes it hard to say no to. If you're interested, the address is: VFQ, 3075 Overlook Place, Clearwater, FLA 33760. It's a good, little magazine that really captures the spirit of fencing.
Nick
(The following was Nick's response to some comments I made about "fencing parents" who are like "stage mothers.")
I do agree with you about pushing kids. I believe achievement should be derived from a love of what you do, as opposed to being forced on you from outside sources -- parents, for instance. You know, neither of my kids are especially keen on fencing. My daughter, nineteen, hates it (she wants to be a writer); my son, who is only sixteen, occasionally wants lessons (his real interest is computers). I didn't start fencing until I was twenty; so, I figure, they have time to change their minds if they want to. If they do, I can accommodate them. If they don't, that's fine, too.
(At one point I had said I would not publish Nick's comments about the USFA but later decided that others might find them interesting and might agree with him as I do about the nature of that organization and it's not really being for the "average" fencer.)
As for the USFA, it's all politics. I've been in the USFA for nearly thirty years, and I've never seen anything to convince me otherwise. It was even true in Mr. Faulkner's day. The USFA exists to perpetuate the USFA and those individuals it feels are significant to its existence. Period! Do you know they've never officially recognized any of my books? "The Art and Science of Fencing" has become the best selling fencing book of all time, and so has probably had some small impact on fencing, but AMERICAN FENCING MAGAZINE has never made one comment about it. They've commented on other books, but not "The Art and Science of Fencing." They did run an ad for it twice, but I paid for that myself (and even at that, they messed up the scheduling of when the ad was to run, which negated some of its impact). I'm not surprised, though. When my first book, "The Encyclopedia of the Sword," came out, I kind of hoped it would get some "official" play, but the USFA treated it as if it didn't exist. So, when "Art and Science" came out, I was ready for the cold shoulder. And when "Fighting with Sticks" came out this past June, I didn't even give the USFA a second thought. When "The Fencer's Brain" is published, it'll be the same thing.
That's just the way they are.
(I had commented to Nick on how so many of our messages dealt with movies.)
Annie,
I guess I am into movies. I must come by it naturally, though. Falcon Studios, besides being a fencing school, was also a theatrical school. I worked with actors in Calif. I was a consultant to the film industry. I've worked behind and in front of the camera. I've had girl friends (long ago) who were actors. Many of my oldest friends are actors and writer/director/producers. And much of what I've written about fencing has revolved around swashbuckler films. At times, I've also crossed paths with a number of famous thespian folks: Peter O'Toole (was drunk), Danny Kaye (was friendly), Betty Davis (treated me as though I wasn't there), Sybil Shephard (looked at me like I was a bugger), Richard Thomas (we talked movie stuff), Robert Hays (old friend), and ... ELVIS (on whose head I almost accidentally spit), to name a few.
I like movies.
As an aside, have you ever seen H. Bogart's "To Have and Have Not"? The famous fencer Aldo Nadi appears in it as a non-speaking thug. Considering that he had such disdain for the movie industry, I often wonder what he was doing in the film. His few jobs with swashbuckler films -"Captain from Castile," "Mississippi Gambler," and "Frenchman's Creek" -lead nowhere for him, and he ended hating everything Hollywood. Part of his problem was that he couldn't adapt his super ego to funtion at a level below the biggies (in Europe, he was treated as a fencing god), and unless you're a STAR, you have to learn to bend a knee here and there if you want to work. He wouldn't, and he didn't. He was an odd chap.
Another really good film, if you haven't seen it, is "The Postman," with Kevin Costner. I like his "Waterworld," too, even though the critics picked it to pieces. I rarely follow the advice of critics.
Also, have you ever seen "My Dinner with Andre"? You really have to pay attention while your watching that one. Most people I've met can't figure it out. "Huh?" is the average comment. But it's always been one of my personal favorite films.
I could talk movies for years. In fact, the next book I'd like to do is one dealing with swashbckler films.
As for our e-mail stuff, deal with it as you will. I have no problem with leaving things to your discression. You know, though, when I criticize the USFA, I'm usually pretty blatant about it. Still, sometimes, when I'm in a more cheery mood, I'll simply refer to them as "the-powers-that-be." If they recognize themselves, I can't help it. My new book, by the way, will also deal with topics like eliteism, sportsmanship, flicking, politics, and monkeying with the conventions of fencing. Well, they don't recognize my books, anyway. But I do understand your not wanting to attract the contentious and the thought- tormented, who are just hovering out there for a few tidbits to float by so they can begin the feeding frenzy. You'd be surprised at some of the mail I've gotten over the years regarding my writing. At first, it kind of bothered me, but presently you develop a thickish skin. But I don't expect you take any guff on my account. I'm flattered you want to publish anything I've said.
So ...!
Nick
EDITOR'S NOTE: So, we end as we began with Nick's permission to publish his words. I thank him very much for allowing me to share these messages with you. I hope you have enjoyed getting to know a little about this man who is most certainly doing his part to promote the sport we love.
This is only a portion of what I have in files, so if you liked this feature and would like to see more, please let me know by sending e-mail to me at RaggedyAnn@compuserve.com