En garde!

by Maya Betti print editor-and-chief

While the members of the Island Lake 6-12 Fencing Team all come from different backgrounds and attend different schools, they certainly share one key characteristic: determination.

The new club, founded by Irondale High School sophomore Muaz Mussa, hopes to allow all fencing enthusiasts, regardless of age or experience, the opportunity to learn fencing and its components in a judgment-free environment.

Mussa fell in love with fencing after an interaction with his cousin who fences. Paired with his love of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, he knew he had to get involved any way he could. However, Mussa soon discovered the difficulty of getting into fencing without the necessary funds. “I tried to go to the [other] fencing club, but it was just super expensive,” said Mussa. “So I was like, ‘what should we do?’ And then I thought you might as well start a fencing club.”

With the help of others interested in the sport, as well as numerous meetings with Irondale administration, the team successfully held practice for the first time on Feb. 7.

In the weekly practices, the student fencers work on activities that teach basic blade work, right of way and open bouting skills. The drills, explains Coach Braeden Walker, are meant to allow each fencer to learn at their own pace. “We get a lot of different people… Some people have been fencing in other places with other blades [and] other people have never picked up a sword in their life.” However, despite the differences in skill-level, Braeden explains that he feels as a whole the team is moving in the right direction.

“There’s definitely a lot of people here who challenge me,” said sophomore Samantha Fuller, who got involved with fencing last December.

While some of her teammates have been fencing since childhood, she doesn’t let it deter her from challenging them during open bouting. “[I] just keep telling them I’ll get you one day,” said Fuller.

Progress for any fencer can be difficult, especially given the nature of the sport, explains sophomore Oscar Rasmussen. “Improving technique isn’t as easy as going an extra lap around the track. You’ve got to like train, your dexterity, your arm strength.”

For non-fencers, practicing things like footwork or bladework might be the obvious solution to improvement, but members of the team note there is more to being good at fencing than just physical capability.

“It’s an extremely emotional sport, because it’s very easy to get aggravated with yourself and the mistakes you make, especially if you keep making the same one over and over again,” said senior Gabriel Luhman.

“It is an intellectual sport almost as much as it is physical,” said Walker. He hopes teaching a balance of patience and a willingness to act will give his students the skill set to thrive in tournaments.

“That’s special about fencing,” said Mussa. “It doesn’t matter how strong or… non- physically active you are, anyone can join the sport.”

The team, while varying in experience, will continue to build upon their foundational skills as they master the fencing technique. With enough practice and dedication, they hope to hold their own in future competitions and tournaments.