Post by schlager7 on Dec 28, 2011 8:52:35 GMT -6
Fencing club all about the duel
Original article in The Galveston County Daily News
By Bronwyn Turner
Correspondent
Published December 28, 2011
CAPTION: Mia Adolphs, 8, left, practices assaulting with Zach McGee during the Galveston Fencing Club practice at O’Connell High School gym. The club meets Mondays and Wednesdays at O’Connell and Tuesdays and Thursdays at Holy Family Catholic School.
GALVESTON — Several times a week the Galveston Fencing Club gathers for ancient combat with a high-tech edge.
The club, formed in 1999, offers beginner lessons for a sport once depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
More experienced fencers also participate, crossing swords cabled into an electronic score box and wearing jackets covered with a layer of electrically conductive material to register on-target hits.
Electronics aside, a demanding duel still is the focus.
“Fencing is very physical, but it’s also very mental,” said John Trojanowski, of Dickinson, one of two regular instructors. “Basically you are trying to reach out and literally touch someone and they’re trying to do their best to keep you from doing it, and touch you.
“The range of options you can take, the range of ploys you can try on your opponent is almost limitless. It very much engages the mind and certainly engages the body.”
Trojanowski started fencing in 1995 with the Clear Lake Fencing Club, following up on a longtime interest in the sport. He met his wife, Nicole, there.
They both have day jobs — he works at Vic’s Estate and Fine Jewelry in Galveston and she is a silversmith and jeweler working for a Houston company. But when the workday is over, both are drawn to the challenges and rewards of fencing.
“There are not that many things in life that have the history, the romance the mythology that fencing has,” Trojanowski said.
Members in the Galveston club include Realtors, businessmen, retirees and high school and college students. Geddy Hamblen, a Texas A&M student, is among the instructors.
Kathy Machol is a substitute instructor. She was drawn into fencing when her daughter took up the sport in college.
“Fencing appeals to a lot of people because if I win, the victory is mine; my defeat is mine,” Trojanowski said. “I can’t blame the team and I don’t share glory with the team. There’s a lot of ownership in fencing. Everything you get, you earn.”
The sport is also easy to take on the road. Everything the fencer needs can be carried in a bag easily stored on a car seat for travel to weekly tournaments set up across the state.
The Galveston Fencing Club offers classes and dueling opportunities every Monday and Wednesday night at O’Connell College Preparatory School for high school age and older. For younger fencers, sessions are offered every Tuesday and Thursday at Holy Family Catholic School.
Local tournaments include the Naomia Abbott Memorial Women’s Tournament, set for April 7, the Jean Lafitte Classic Competition for new or recreational fencers set for June 2 and the Buccaneer Open, a new tournament for fencers of all skill levels, set for May 12. The Galveston Fencing Club will also host a qualifying competition April 21 and 22 for local fencers who want to participate in the national championships.
Future plans for the club may include wheelchair fencing, a Paralympic sport.
The club also hopes to encourage more families to participate.
“It’s one way to end sibling rivalry, I’ll tell you that,” Trojanowski said.
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At A Glance
WHAT: Galveston Fencing Club, a member club of the United States Fencing Association, offering beginner lessons in foil, epee and saber, as well as dueling sessions for more experienced fencers.
WHEN and WHERE: Meetings are Mondays and Wednesdays in the gym at the O’Connell College Preparatory School, 1320 Tremont St., in Galveston, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for high school and adult fencers. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the club meets in the gym at Holy Family Catholic School, 2601 Ursuline Ave. in Galveston, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for younger fencers.
CONTACT: gfencing@gmail.com
Original article in The Galveston County Daily News
By Bronwyn Turner
Correspondent
Published December 28, 2011
CAPTION: Mia Adolphs, 8, left, practices assaulting with Zach McGee during the Galveston Fencing Club practice at O’Connell High School gym. The club meets Mondays and Wednesdays at O’Connell and Tuesdays and Thursdays at Holy Family Catholic School.
GALVESTON — Several times a week the Galveston Fencing Club gathers for ancient combat with a high-tech edge.
The club, formed in 1999, offers beginner lessons for a sport once depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
More experienced fencers also participate, crossing swords cabled into an electronic score box and wearing jackets covered with a layer of electrically conductive material to register on-target hits.
Electronics aside, a demanding duel still is the focus.
“Fencing is very physical, but it’s also very mental,” said John Trojanowski, of Dickinson, one of two regular instructors. “Basically you are trying to reach out and literally touch someone and they’re trying to do their best to keep you from doing it, and touch you.
“The range of options you can take, the range of ploys you can try on your opponent is almost limitless. It very much engages the mind and certainly engages the body.”
Trojanowski started fencing in 1995 with the Clear Lake Fencing Club, following up on a longtime interest in the sport. He met his wife, Nicole, there.
They both have day jobs — he works at Vic’s Estate and Fine Jewelry in Galveston and she is a silversmith and jeweler working for a Houston company. But when the workday is over, both are drawn to the challenges and rewards of fencing.
“There are not that many things in life that have the history, the romance the mythology that fencing has,” Trojanowski said.
Members in the Galveston club include Realtors, businessmen, retirees and high school and college students. Geddy Hamblen, a Texas A&M student, is among the instructors.
Kathy Machol is a substitute instructor. She was drawn into fencing when her daughter took up the sport in college.
“Fencing appeals to a lot of people because if I win, the victory is mine; my defeat is mine,” Trojanowski said. “I can’t blame the team and I don’t share glory with the team. There’s a lot of ownership in fencing. Everything you get, you earn.”
The sport is also easy to take on the road. Everything the fencer needs can be carried in a bag easily stored on a car seat for travel to weekly tournaments set up across the state.
The Galveston Fencing Club offers classes and dueling opportunities every Monday and Wednesday night at O’Connell College Preparatory School for high school age and older. For younger fencers, sessions are offered every Tuesday and Thursday at Holy Family Catholic School.
Local tournaments include the Naomia Abbott Memorial Women’s Tournament, set for April 7, the Jean Lafitte Classic Competition for new or recreational fencers set for June 2 and the Buccaneer Open, a new tournament for fencers of all skill levels, set for May 12. The Galveston Fencing Club will also host a qualifying competition April 21 and 22 for local fencers who want to participate in the national championships.
Future plans for the club may include wheelchair fencing, a Paralympic sport.
The club also hopes to encourage more families to participate.
“It’s one way to end sibling rivalry, I’ll tell you that,” Trojanowski said.
+++
At A Glance
WHAT: Galveston Fencing Club, a member club of the United States Fencing Association, offering beginner lessons in foil, epee and saber, as well as dueling sessions for more experienced fencers.
WHEN and WHERE: Meetings are Mondays and Wednesdays in the gym at the O’Connell College Preparatory School, 1320 Tremont St., in Galveston, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for high school and adult fencers. Tuesdays and Thursdays, the club meets in the gym at Holy Family Catholic School, 2601 Ursuline Ave. in Galveston, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for younger fencers.
CONTACT: gfencing@gmail.com