A group of dedicated athletes attempts to stab each other every Monday and Wednesday night in Carmichael Gym. These are the members of the N.C . State Club Fencing team.
Kevin Barkett , a senior majoring in physics and the president of the team, spoke about what drove him to join the club and what he enjoys about the sport of fencing.
“I was intrigued by it freshman year, I thought I’d explore something new since it’s college, and fencing class was available, so I figured why not,” Barkett explained. “Now I like the competitive nature of the sport and the concept behind it. I mean, how often do you get to wield a sword and stab people in a fair fight?”
The fencing club team has about 15 members that show up every week, ranging in experience levels from students just beginning to learn the rules of fencing to class A—the top, national-ranking group—students. The rules of fencing are not complicated, as in most sports, especially with the style of fencing the club team at State.
The club team uses a fencing style known as épée , which is simpler than the other two types of fencing, foil and sabre . With épée , any hit from the tip of the épée scores a point and each bout usually goes to 15. On the tip of the weapon, there is a button connected to an electrical system that runs down the length of the blade and through wires up the fencer’s sleeve. From there, either a signal is transmitted through wires or wirelessly to an electrical scoring box, which lights up every time the button is compressed for a strike.
Graduate student in civil engineering and also coach of the team, Kelly Herrick, who has fenced for over 11 years, spoke of the advantages of épée over foil and sabre .
“There are fewer rules in épée than foil and sabre ,” Herrick said. “Those two rely on a referee interpreting the flow of the bout, who has control. “Épée gets rid of that middle man.”
Herrick also explained why he enjoys fencing so much after 11 years.
“I like fencing because it doesn’t require just physical activity, you have to be able to think as well,” Herrick said. “You have to have that balance. You can be quick and you can be smart, but if you can’t do both, you won’t do as well.”
While Herrick is one of the few fencers at State who fenced before college, most students on the team initially gained interest for the team by taking the PE class. The class had always been a recruiting tool for the club, finding new students interested in the sport, who enjoy it enough to continue on the team after they complete the class. However, the fencing class is no longer offered at State and the club team could feel the consequences down the line.
Josh Holben , a senior in aerospace engineering, spoke of the effect that the loss of the fencing class could have on the club team.
“It’s one of the biggest draws that brings people to the fencing club. A lot of the times, people have heard of fencing before so they take the class at State. Then, if they like it, they continue with the club,” Holben said. “Most of the people come here because they took the class.”
Fencing is a sport of balance, both physically and mentally. Fencers must stay focused, as the action of the sport happens so fast, and physically, balance is the most important aspect of the sport, being able to move back and forth with ease while parrying opponent’s attacks and lunging for attacks.
While the nature of the sport is difficult to sum up, Holben provided an analogy to explain the sport.
“It works your mind and it works your body,” Holben said. “It’s like chess with swords.”
