Features Reporter
“Wait, there’s a fencing class?”
This was Russell Baker’s initial reaction upon hearing about this little-known elective. Earning credit for sword fighting caught his interest, and now Baker is enrolled in the class and enjoying every minute of it.
“[It] sounded exciting,” Baker said. “There’s a sense of adventure in it with movies and the Olympics.”
The elective, taught by Professor Corriann Atkinson Wall, is offered every semester for one kinesiology activity credit. Along with being an elective, fencing is also a club sport.
All of the equipment, such as swords (called foils), chest protection, gloves and masks are provided. About 20 students are enrolled this semester.
The class fences in pairs, ultimately having a chance to face everyone by the end of the semester. The winner of each bout is the first to touch the other’s torso, front or back, five times with the tip of their foil.
“It’s so much fun, even though there’s difficult aspects of it,” Baker said.
He explained that it was quite different than the movies, where they swing their swords around effortlessly. True fencing is much more strategic.
“So far, [Professor Wall] has taught us four parries and lunging attacks,” fellow fencing student Clay Demelio said.
Parries, Baker explained, are different ways to hold the foil to reflect the opponent’s blows and place your own foil on their torso.
Wall has also educated her class in fencing terminology, correct stances, how to referee a bout and proper footwork.
“Learning the strategy base of the sport is what makes the class challenging,” Demelio said.
For him, remembering to utilize everything Wall has taught the class while he is actually in a bout has proved difficult.
“You kind of get into this adrenaline rush,” Demelio said.
On the other hand, he adds with a smile, the quizzes are easy. Wall makes them standard and straightforward. Baker laughed in agreement, saying for him the easiest part of the class is “putting on the equipment.”
“It’s harder than you might think,” Demelio said. “Be prepared for a lot of conditioning. You definitely get a lot more exercise than you think you might.”
Baker nodded and explained that there’s a lot of moving back and forth. A fencer has to remember to stay far enough away to avoid getting touched, yet stay close enough to touch his opponent.
“It’s physically exhausting,” Demelio said.
But before they scare anyone away from taking the class, both students wanted everyone to know that the class is “appropriately challenging, yet fun because of the challenge,” as Baker put it. Both of them recommend fencing class to anyone interested.
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