I do now! ;D
Fencing growing in popularity in areaBy David Doerr
The Facts
August 28, 2005
thefacts.com/story.lasso?ewcd=1d350adfee03bacfThough some might associate fencing more with gentility rather than raw physicality, the sport retains its edge from the days it was known as dueling.
Several members of Brazosport College’s student fencing club say it is that edge that hooked them the second they picked up a sword.
The Brazosport Fencing Extravaganza, a group of area college and high school students, as well as veteran fencers looking to keep their skills sharp, are hoping to pick up a few more members when the club begins its third year this fall.
“It was originally a sport where you could kill someone,” said Chris Williams, a two-year club member. “When you go against somebody who is really good, you’ll get that adrenaline rush and your instincts to attack kick in.”
Many in the club share Williams’ enthusiasm for the chance to pick up a sword and “poke” someone with it.
Kevin O’Neill, the club’s coach, shared a similar sentiment.
“I hope they get to hit people,” O’Neill said, referring to what he hopes club members get out of fencing. “That’s what you’re doing here. It’s not that deep and profound. It is a difficult physical skill and you have to enjoy doing it.”
O’Neill, a competitive fencer for 20 years, helped found the Brazosport Fencing Extravaganza in the summer of 2003, soon after taking a job at the college as a math professor.
He said students in a beginning fencing class at the college came to him wanting to start a club so they could practice and compete outside of school.
After signing up 10 members, the club began gathering equipment, including padding O’Neill made from material he bought at a discount store, he said.
The college helped the club purchase six swords, and one of O’Neill’s friends donated electronic scoring equipment, he said.
The club fences a style called épée, named after the long, slender dueling sword it uses. In épée fencing, there are virtually no rules, O’Neill said.
“The whole body is a target area,” he said. “You can hit the foot or the hand or anywhere, and whoever hits first gets the touch. And that’s it. That is the entirety of the game.”
Although the rules are simple, the game is not, O’Neill said.
“It’s also a very technical game because it’s just as simple for your opponent as it is for you,” he said.
That is where strategy comes into play, said Corey Crawford, who now attends Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, but plans to stay involved in the club.
“It’s more personal,” Crawford said. “It’s not all about speed and size. It’s more tactically based. If someone is taller than you, you have to stay far away from them because they have a longer reach. You have to wait for them to lunge and get strung out before you attack.”
Although the club is based out of the college, it is open to anyone, including high school students, O’Neill said.
“It’s been very gratifying,” he said. “We’ve had very enthusiastic kids and we’ve had a lot of high school kids who have been very devoted to it. They’re a very funny, kind of a quirky group.”
Although fencing is primarily an individual sport, belonging to a club provides fencers with a community and a cheer section, Williams said.
“I like that when you beat someone, it is all you, but you get praise from your team and your coach when you belong to a club,” he said.
Team members practice twice a week at the college’s gymnasium and often attend tournaments in the Houston area, where there are several clubs and renowned fencers, O’Neill said.
“It’s a nice crowd of people,” he said. “They’re not bullies. They’ll beat you, but they won’t beat you up.”
Kat James, a senior at Brazoswood High School, said she likes the rivalry some club members have had with members of the Westchester Fencing Club in Katy.
“A couple of the girls got really into it,” she said.
James said she is working to set up an affiliated fencing club at Brazoswood High School to recruit new members.
Williams said anyone with an interest in fencing can come to the group’s orientation sessions and “just try it.”
Orientation sessions for beginners will be at 5 p.m. Thursday and Sept. 8 at the Brazosport College gymnasium, O’Neill said.
The club will provide prospective fencers with equipment until they feel the need to buy their own, he said.
O’Neill said people know right away if they like fencing once they try it.
“If it makes you smile, you should be doing it,” he said.
For information, call O’Neill at (979) 848-7433.