Hi 76 / Lo 59
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Volume 72, Issue 122,
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
News Take a stab at fencing by LEE CLARK
This is the final installment series profiling campus organizations involved in combative arts. Maybe business freshman and UH fencing club member Ricardo Arredondo likes to fence because he is a fan of the swordplay in the Zorro movies. Or maybe he enjoys the intensity of a fencing workout. Maybe he just wants to get in touch with his sociopathic side. "I enjoy (fencing) because there's nothing better than stabbing people you don't know," Arredondo jokingly said. The sport of fencing dates back to the ancient Egyptians, but modern swordsmanship became popular in Europe, beginning in Italy, around 1400. Soon after, Italian fencing masters began opening fencing schools in France, Spain and England. By 1896, fencing had become so popular that the first modern Olympic Games in Athens included fencing as one of its original sports. Fencers use one of three types of swords. Most prefer the foil, which has a light-weight, flexible blade. The other two swords used in fencing are the épée, which has a more rigid blade than the foil, and the sabre. Master's of Business Administration student Jason de Lane joined the UH fencing club last semester. De Lane, an eight-year veteran of fencing, would like to see more students participate in the sport. He realizes, however, that the combative nature of fencing may turn people off. "Fencing is outside of people's comfort zones," de Lane said. "It's intimidating to pick up a sword and try." On the other hand, de Lane said a beginner to fencing cannot help but feel a burst of boldness once they put on the protective jacket and mask. "It's comparable to a football player putting on shoulder pads and a helmet," he said. "It's a feeling of empowerment." De Lane encourages novice fencers to hone their skills by fencing more experienced athletes. "I tell beginner fencers to find the absolute best fencer they can and fence them until (the veteran) refuses to fence (the beginner) anymore because the only way (a beginner) is going to get better is by getting their butt kicked," de Lane said. De Lane said beginners feel comfortable with fencing because there is a sense of camaraderie and generosity felt between the veterans and the beginners. "You find that the more experienced fencers have a desire to hand down what they have learned, not only at practices with members of their own club, but with opponents at a fencing competition as well," he said. De Lane compared the mental challenge required for fencing to that in a game of chess. "Like a game of chess, you've got to think two, three, four and five moves ahead offensively and defensively," de Lane said. "It's not just running with a blade at your opponent and stabbing them haphazardly." De Lane said that fencing at UH is open to men, women and even wheelchair-bound people. "Some of the best fencers I have ever come across and been beaten by are wheelchair-fencers," de Lane said. "Wheelchair-fencers have some of the best handwork in the sport." The UH fencing club, along with clubs from many other large Texas public universities, is a member of the Southwest Intercollegiate Fencing Association. SWIFA provides two fencing tournaments per semester, and the location of the tournament rotates among the campuses of member universities. The last SWIFA tournament was held on January 27 at the UH Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, where a UH three-member squad, of which de Lane was a member, placed fourth out of 14 teams in the foil competition. The next SWIFA tournament will take place April 14 and 15 on the campus of University of Texas at San Antonio. Fencing club practices are held at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday in Multi-Purpose Room One at the Recreation Center. Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu |
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