When most think of fencing, they might consider famous action sequences on the big screen like “The Princess Bride” or the 1956 classic, “The Swan,” or even more recently, Captain Holt in “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” or Rory and Paris’ bout in “Gilmore Girls.” Fencing, while a fairly rare activity in society today, has been a practice for ages. Liberty University students have the opportunity to contribute to this fun and competitive art.
The Liberty Fencing Club meets up twice a week, welcoming anyone regardless of experience level to participate in the sport. Founded in 2011, the club provides a social community in which three different types of fencing are taught, with equipment provided.
“We are a fencing club that practices the three Olympic styles, so we have foil, épée and saber,” senior and Fencing Club Armorer Sarah Fesmire said. “We have all of our own equipment, so that’s usually a big help for students that are super interested in starting a new sport but don’t want to have to pay all the fees that are associated with starting up a new hobby.”
The club utilizes electronic strips to score each bout. This high-tech equipment, used in the Olympics, tracks points with more accuracy than the eye and is useful for keeping score.
The team rolls out their equipment in DeMoss Hall room 4322 and begins their warm-ups every Monday and Thursday night at 6 p.m. To begin practice, they are led in a quick full-body warm-up across the room which focuses on technique, in addition to various footwork and blade drills. Once everyone is warmed up, athletes begin to clear out three strips for each match or bout.
Freshman Emerson Olson joined in the fall after hearing about the team during CFAW the year before. Olson began fencing in middle school and was instantly hooked on the sport. Olson enjoys the camaraderie and sense of community within the club.
“I really like the mental aspect to the game, trying to figure out your opponent, their patterns,” Olson said. “And I also really like the physicality of it. I think it’s a lot more fun than going to the gym, personally.”
Junior Vivian Halstead, the club’s vice president, was completely new to the sport when she joined the club last year. Halstead now loves the community and hopes to see it continue to grow.
“I … really appreciate Liberty’s fencing club because there’s a huge focus on the fellowship,” Halstead said. “After every practice we go to (Slim Chickens) or the ROT and get dinner together. I’ve made a lot of really good friends in this club. It’s really great for that.”
Halstead also enjoys growing in her fencing skills at tournaments. In addition to practicing for fun, the club participates in several competitions throughout the year, learning from athletes at competing schools.
Olson competed at a competition on Virginia Tech’s campus in October, where he placed third in the Division III Foil event.
The fencing club welcomes newcomers and experienced fencers on Mondays and Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. in DeMoss 4322. Follow their Instagram @libertyufencing for more information.
Smith and Stuart are feature writers for the Liberty Champion.