Fencing club hits the mark

By: Steven Mac Gilvray

Posted: 12/4/08

Even though the sport of fencing is still generally unknown to most people on ECU's campus, one student organization is trying to change that.

Founded in 2005, the ECU fencing club's purpose is to teach and build awareness of the sport of fencing.

Fencing's origins can be traced back to medieval European honor duels, often fought to the death, but this club only duels in friendly competition, all while teaching the traditional ways of the sword.

The club teaches two out of the three most common styles of fencing: foil and epee.

"In foil, your main target is your opponent's torso while in epee, anywhere on your opponent's body is a valid scoring zone," said Stephen Kmiec, captain of the club.

In modern fencing, the point of dueling is to score points against your opponent, most matches being the first to 15 points.

All touches are scored electronically. A spring in the tip of the sword will cause the scoring box to light up if enough pressure is applied, signaling a hit has been made.

In addition to practicing every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m. in the Rec. Center, this club also competes regularly at fencing tournaments held throughout the state.

"We frequently travel to places such as Wilmington, New Bern and Raleigh; these cities have fencing clubs in them that frequently host tournaments that we compete in," said Jess Beall, current president of the fencing club.

This year has marked a dramatic surge of interest in the sport of fencing at the university, and as a result, the club's membership sharply increased from six members last year to 20 this year.

"Part of it may have something to do with the fact that people may have seen fencing on television during the 2008 Olympics and want to try it for themselves," Kmiec said.

"I think our recruitment spike has also been because of our successful advertising campaign this year. We decided to advertise by placing flyers in the dorms, and that seemed to have helped out dramatically," Beall added.

While most of the regular members of the club first showed up out of curiosity, the social aspect of the club keeps the club's members coming back week after week.

"The group that hangs out regularly spends at least as much time together outside the club as they do during official club activities, and it's just really nice to spend time around people with similar interests," said ECU sophomore Arthur Tesh, who has been a member of the club for about a month.

"There are a lot of really interesting people in this club, a lot of like minded people in this club and we all get along. I also love the competition and the camaraderie that goes along with this sport," said Phillip Allen, a sophomore and a member of the club for over a year.

Even though this sport was first centered around violent duels to the death, the ECU fencing club has found a way to create a warm, inviting community, while at the same time teaching the old ways of the sword in a friendly, competitive environment, according to its members.

Kimberley Barr, a freshman and a new member of the club says, "This is a club where all the members are very supportive of one another. If you are doing something incorrectly, others are very eager to help you. Through fencing I have not only found a sport that I really love, but I have also made a lot of new friends."

This writer can be contacted at features@theeastcarolinian.com.