Fencing club knights an exciting era Students use the proper tools to scrimmage with swords

Author: Eric Bartolloti

Swords are cool.

Everyone knows this, but the only group that knows just why is the Middlebury Fencing Club. Stuck for a time in the pupa (or "cocoon") phase of student club metamorphosis, the group took flight just this past spring, and club captain Spencer Church '10 assures us that the "eclectic and eccentric" group is still going strong.

But it was not always such an easygoing ride.

Thanks to usual suspect, "College Insurance Bureaucracy," our college knew no fencing group for most of the late '90s and early '00s. Their argument, "Weapons = not good" as summarized by Assistant Captain Michael Luby '10, held strong, but failed against the recent joint club and college assertion that "Weapons = not necessarily-anti-good" and that no adult supervision would be required.

At this, club member Tim Murray '11 would smile. He asserted that "[fencing] is very safe." While a sound victory for fencing, more potholes awaited on the bureaucracy battlefield.

Equipment potholes, that is.

Fencing differs from marshmallow roasting because one cannot just "make do" with a tree branch; one needs proper tools. A full set of gear - mask, suit and weapon - runs around $100, and the electronics for official competition cost still more. Suddenly, the $500 budget for starting clubs looks painfully meager. But Captain Spencer would not settle for a five-man crew, and acquired some used equipment from his pre-Middlebury team.

Unfortunately, bureaucracy would have its revenge and thundered, "Used weapons = definitely not good," and this time, they won. The club turned to the Middlebury Athletic Department, which has the goods. Turns out these goods serve only the phys. ed. fencing class.

Fortunately, between a stash from the fencing club of old and a smattering of personal wares, the college club built up an armory that even Sir Lancelot would envy.

After navigating through the "finding a meeting space" trial that confronts every student organization, the group could finally begin printing ridiculous paper signs to put up in dining halls.

And commence fencing.

The battles to resuscitate the club represent fragments of a far greater war: the war against fencing ignorance. As Michael Luby puts it, there is "an ignorance about fencing, like martial arts."

First are common misconceptions in skill priority. While we would expect a sport of handheld weapons to focus on hands and weapons, we would be sorely wrong. Fencing's true focus is found in the feet. From beginners to elites, all levels of fencing prioritize footwork. That is not to say a fencer doesn't use their hands - they do - but rather that a fencer's mobility forms the foundation for everything else. And footwork is fun. Just ask Church about his famous "river-dancing" moves and how they bamboozle opponents.

Misconception number one leads to misconception number two: the College Fencing Club must drill its members with endless steps of feet, feet, feet. But Captain Spencer has developed more appropriate plans for the crew. He knows that most of the strong amateur base can't wait to start stabbing and, thus, the club gets to break out the blades a bit more often.

Ideally, as Church put it, "by the time you learn how to use [the weapon], you respect it."

And while the club welcomes and caters any curious newcomers, it still keeps an eye on larger projects. Plans for scrimmaging UVM, home to Vermont's only official college fencing team, are stirring, and the state's very own fencing league, the Green Mountain League, provides a competitive outlet for fencing energy. This league prides itself on its relaxed and friendly atmosphere, with fellow fencers as referees and an outdoor tournament every year at Fort Ticonderoga.

Middlebury's club is lucky to fence near such knightly company.

The future shines bright for this dynamic sport at Middlebury. With a nickname like "chess with your body" and a student population as sporty and smart as ours, it's no wonder. Of course, to our JK Rowling-infused campus (old stone buildings, Emma Watson rumors, Muggle Quidditch matches), the phrase "chess with your body" probably means jumping onto a life-size chess board and throwing it down with bishops and knights, only without a Sorcerer's Stone at stake. But fortunately for reality, there is another way, and it involves swords, which are cool.