Fencing

I LOVE FENCING!

Fencing changed my life. It helped me lose weight, be healthy, gain friendships, learn patience, teamwork, and hard work.

The Olympic sport that is fencing, dates wayyy back to the Middle Ages, possibly even before. It originated in Europe, with the first fencing weapon (don't say sword!), the Rapier. It was light weight, and used mostly for practicing dueling. It most closely resembles today's Foil.

Click here to read more about the history of fencing

There are three weapons; Foil, Epee, and Sabre. Each weapon has it's own set of rules and the equipment varies as well. The foil is the lightest of the three, and usually used as a beginner weapon for those new to the sport. The main target area is the chest and torso. In competitive (electrical) fencing, foil fencers wear a lame to show the target area and record touches (points) during a bout. In foil, you can only hit with the tip of the blade. There are also rules of right-of-way, which is how scoring is determined.

Sabre has a larger bell guard, and resembles more of a Calvary sword. Sabre fencers can score touches by the point, as well as by slashing. Sabre is very fast paced, and also has rules of right-of-way, but to the beginner it is difficult to see because of the speed. Sabre's target areas are from the waist up (chest, torso, arms, head). Sabre fencers too, wear a lame.

Then there is Epee, my love. Epee also has a large guard, but its shape is similar to the foil because you can only score with the point, so you don't need protection from slashing. Epee is somewhat of a free-for-all, there are no rules of right of way. You can hit anywhere on the body, from fingers to toes. And you and your opponent can hit at the same time and both receive points, unlike the other two weapons. Epee requires a lot of patience because of it's free-for-all nature.

One of the things I love most about fencing, is that it teaches you how to work on a team and as an individual. While you're a part of a team, you don't all compete at the same time like in soccer or football. You go one at a time. So it is a matter of how you do as an individual that affects your team. So you need to do well, not only for yourself, but for your team as well.

From left to right: Epee, Sabre, Foil

I started fencing my freshman year of high school, thanks to a former friend who had interest in joining the school team. She asked me to come with her to the preseason team meeting so she wouldn't be alone. I agreed to go, since I had only seen fencing on TV or in movies, thinking it'd be cool to see in person. I can't recall what the coaches and some varsity team members said during the meeting, but I was hooked. I signed up then and there.

I was a little out of shape, having not played softball or done horseback riding in a year or two. The practices were intense. The coaches didn't do cuts like other varsity teams because their practices were so vigorous that people cut themselves. I didn't think I was going to make it past the first day, but I wanted to prove something to myself, and I really wanted to get a weapon in my hand and I knew I wouldn't until after the first few weeks of conditioning.

While I stuck with it, going to practice every day, even Saturdays and Holidays, my friend who originally had the interest slacked off. She missed practices, or would show up and not participate. She didn't want to fully quit, but didn't really wanna do it either.

I was on the Junior Varsity squad my freshman year, I learned a lot. I made a lot of new friends. I lost weight and was being healthy and active. And I fell in love with the sport. I joined a club over the summer, where I practiced for two hours, twice a week, to stay in shape and get better for the next season. I continued this practice regime every summer.

My sophomore year, I learned even more, and I got my chance to enter a big tournament. It was the Brentwood Holiday Tournament. I wasn't scheduled to compete, but this older girl, Angela, who I looked up to a lot on the team because of her personality and fencing skills, pulled her groin while warming up. My coach asked me to take her place. I was so nervous but so excited. It was an individual tournament, so I didn't have the pressure of letting anyone but myself down. I didn't place in the tournament, but just participating in it fed the hungry competitive nature I had inside. It made me want to work harder and compete more.

My senior year was the most memorable year, I placed at every tournament that season, and finished with a winning record. My team as a whole placed 2nd at the County Championship. And I earned the James Nelson Memorial Award, which is given to one boy and one girl fencer every year, nominated by the coaches for their efforts on and off the strip. It's the award I'm most proud of, of all my medals, plaques, and trophies.



I went on to fence at Hunter College. Hunter is only a Division 3 school, so it's not competitive, and I didn't get any scholarship for fencing. But I didn't care, I fenced because I loved it. My freshman year I was as at my peak, picking up where I left off in high school. I placed in nearly every tournament, and had a winning record for the season. My sophomore year, I was in a bit of a slump and did fairly well. Not as well as I wanted to, being as competitive as I was. Then the summer before my junior year, I was in a bad car accident. I suffered a severe concussion, and had symptoms that lingered for over a year, and both of my knees were crushed in the car. I had constant pain, every single day. I couldn't stand or walk for long periods of time. I attempted to fence, but couldn't do it. I fenced terribly because I was in too much pain to concentrate and too much pain to practice as often as I should have. I fenced in maybe two or three meets/tournaments and had to stop. I tried again my senior year of college, but again, couldn't do more than a few meets/tournaments. It was too painful.

That's me on the right

Now, almost 4 years after my accident, I've found a new way to get involved with fencing again. I can't personally compete, my knees are still too weak (even after surgeries on both), but I am teaching others.

One of my friends is the current coach at Centereach High School, this past fall he opened a fencing club in Sachem. As of now, the club only meets once a week, but has sparked a lot of interest. There's two classes, and combined there's around 30 kids. The first session is coming to an end this week, but there's a new session starting up again next week. The kids range in age from elementary school to high school, and you can see some of them are just doing it because they're being forced to, but others love it. They are at the gym early every week, always smiling and eager to please the coaches (Anthony and myself). I love that I can be involved with the sport I love, and I love even more that I can spread/teach it to new people. I hope that this club eventually evolves into a varsity team for the school, and I also hope that one day I can be a full-time coach.

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You can also contact coach Anthony Mattera at 631-438-2842 or sachemfencing@gmail.com for more information about the club.