Closing the Distance: Chasing a Father's Olympic Fencing Legacy

by Jeff Bukantz

Closing The Distance is a memoir that reveals the trials and tribulations Jeff Bukantz encountered while following in his father's legendary footsteps. Throughout the book, the author provides insight about the highs and lows of competing in the Olympics, including inside stories about the 2004 Athens Olympic Games where he led the American Fencing Team to its first gold medal in 100 years. Besides the unique experiences of the author, the memoir takes a heart-warming look at the powerful force of family and the competitive human spirit.

246 pages, Paperback

First published June 21, 2006

Reviews

[Juliette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't like John McEnroe. I just don't like divas, and Jeff Bukantz, the John McEnroe of Fencing, is a diva. His father, Danny, comes across as a humble sportsman, and his mom is a nice lady. Jeff comes across as a brash bully and a hypocrite. His mission to earn as many medals as Danny is a lofty goal, but I wonder about his thirty-year quest for medals.

But what makes a person great isn't the hardware. On the contrary, it's about the software. It's about having integrity and earning the respect and confidence of your peers. Axelrod had the hardware, the bronze medal. He defined himself by that piece of bronze. As a person, however, he was defined by his flawed software. While my father always went out of his way to be courteous and supportive, Axelrod always seemed to deliberately antagonize and be unnecessarily confrontational. Axelrod was quick to humiliate a fellow fencer who disagreed with him as my father was to drop an unsolicited compliment. (209)

Pretty, right? It's difficult to find fault with any of that. Here's what Jeff Bukantz says just a page later.

Very publicly, and with only a few feet separating us, he made some incredibly derogatory comment about my dad, who wasn't there to defend himself . . . . In a split second, I dropped my foil and mask, and lurched at a surprised Axelrod. With my right hand, I grabbed him by the front of his T-shirt, cocked my left hand, and growled, "Listen if I ever hear you say a bad word about my father again, I will break your nose. Do you understand?" (210)

Worse yet, he is unsportsmanlike on the piste.

Body contact, albeit illegal in fencing and warranting penalty cards, was my friend. Let's just say it worked to my advantage, as most fencers gave me a wide berth.
Yet some fencers failed to respect and fear my reputation and gave me no alternative but to teach them a lesson. (166)

And here's one of the ways that he "teaches" other fencers.

As expected, Rainford fleched and attempted to pass me on my left. Big mistake. VERY big mistake. At the perfect moment, I shifted slightly to my left and hit him with the mother of all hip checks. Rainford hit the pillar with a resounding thud and crashed to the ground with a sickening splat. . . .
Best of all, I was able to convince the referee that Rainford had actually run into me. So not only did The Brute get knocked silly, but he was also handed a yellow card for causing the contact. Ha! (168-169)

Yes, he worked hard; I won't deny him that. But, when things didn't go his way, he fell back on this "I deserve this" mentality. And, let me tell you, this was not the week for me to entertain entitled men.
I've been with my coach and around other fencers long enough that I don't expect tea parties after practice, but Bukantz made me realize that I just don't have the unrelenting and constant Me-First mentality that he attributes to athletes, and I question whether I should even be in this sport.

[Gene Wee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read if you've ever fenced - need to have a knowledge of the sport to appreciate the details. Interesting story. Write repeats a lot.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw this and decided I need to read it. It has such a fencing-dork title.