Metal clashed as each opponent parried a sideways dance of tiny steps and lunging attacks. Tucked away in the Shippensburg University’s recreational center is where the Fencing Club members meet twice a week, don white vests of armor, pull down netted screens across their faces and play a sword game.
The weapons the Fencing Club uses are actually not swords at all, but foils and epees. To the untrained eye, both weapons look nearly identical, however, an epee has a larger hand guard and is a little heavier, said Laura Mills, sophomore and president of Fencing Club.
With foil, opponents are allowed to strike only on the chest, and with an epee, opponents can strike anywhere from the head to the toes, Mills said. Each hit is a point and is determined by the referee. The winner is the first fencer to reach the set number of points, which is usually 15.
Despite the terminology and rules, the Fencing Club, which was founded about three years ago, is open to everyone.
Only a couple of the members have fencing experience outside of the club, Mills said. Mills herself never fenced prior to joining the club.
“I wanted to try something new and get in touch with a lot of different people,” Mills said.
About 10 members came for practice that day. Pairs of students took turns sparring as they fine-tuned their skills for their upcoming tournament at West Chester University. It was their first tournament of the school year.
It is important to compete against different people, Mills said, because fighting against the same people all the time makes the fight predictable. Everyone has his or her own style, but after a while it becomes easy to predict an opponent’s next move.
For beginners, the first few weeks are spent working on footwork, a skill that is drilled for the first 10 minutes of each practice, even for veterans, said Samuel Gau, founder of the club. Footwork is important for form and balance, which helps to heighten fencers’ fighting ability. Practicing footwork is meant to commemorate the history of fencing and maintain age-old traditions.
Each rally begins with salutes to the referee, the audience and the opponent, Mills said, explaining the slight head bows and quickly raised foils of each opponent. Tradition is an important element of fencing, and disregard for the formalities can result in penalties.
Fencing Club is more than a place for people to fence — but it is a place to build friendships while learning new skills.
“We’re a family with similar interests of swinging weapons around,” Gau said.
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