The clang of swords is barely heard over the gasps and cheers from the audience. Two figures, clad in white, dance back and forth on a narrow strip of ground, slashing and parrying the other’s strikes under the careful watch of a stone-faced referee. Suddenly, Sophomore Andrew Lee lunges for his opponent, striking him across the torso and setting off the buzzer that signals another point.
Lee started fencing a year ago, when boredom drove him in search of a new hobby. He discovered Z Fencing, a sports club facility, only ten minutes away in Pasadena, where he still trains and practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
“At first I chose basketball, but I wasn’t very good at it,” Lee said. “I didn’t want to just sit around my house, so I went online and Googled fencing and found some places.”
Although the location of each tournament differs, Lee had the home court advantage when his club hosted their own on Jan. 27.
Using his strength in defense, he made it into the elimination round where he defeated seven opponents, an accomplishment for a beginner, before being knocked out and earning 9th place.
Lee is preparing for his next tournament on March 3, held at a fencing club in downtown Los Angeles.
“The tournaments are busy and I feel claustrophobic at times,” Lee said. “I actually did okay in my last tournament by not coming in last.”
To warm up, Lee’s practices begin with running a few laps around the gym, push-ups and sit-ups, before training with standard drills that improve his guarding and offense. Fencers practice on two strips of ground with mirrors lining the walls. Sometimes, Lee’s director will videotape him and give pointers on how to improve his performance for future competitions.
When fencing, Lee wears a form-fitting white jacket and pants made of tough nylon for full body protection, making injuries a rarity. During competitions, Lee also wears an additional polyester layer with interwoven metal fibers called the Lamé, which is plugged into an electric socket.
When a sword, that is also plugged in, touches the Lamé, an electric circuit is completed and sets off the sensor that alerts officials when fencers score a point.
Originally, scoring relied simply on the referee’s judgment; however, due to the fast-paced nature of the sport, this method is flawed. With new technology such as cameras and the Lamé, it is easier to accurately judge a match.
Difficulty levels depend on which type of sword is used, each with different rules. Lee usually fences with a sabre, or saber in American English, a sword that is modeled after a weapon that cavalrymen fought with. With the saber, points can only be scored by hits on the upper part of the body, such as the arms and torso.
Lee occasionally fences in foil or épeé, two other types of swords used in fencing, matches. The épeé, which is French for “sword,” is the heaviest out of the three types and the closest to medival dueling. The foil is the thinnest sword and was derived from practice swords due to its light weight.
Unlike the foil and the épeé, attack has priority over defense with the saber. Before he signed up a year ago, Lee had no prior knowledge of fencing and its rules.
“The most challenging part about fencing is thinking on your feet because your opponent will just charge at you,” Lee said. “I also don’t like how we always have to squat because it’s painful.”
Lee sees his struggles as challenges that he can work to overcome. In the future, he strives to fence well enough to apply for a scholarship. Although Lee does not have a target school in mind yet, he hopes to compete at a college level.
“I can’t really point out just one thing I like about fencing,” Lee said. “I think everything about it is fun.”