Fencing

Xavier Club Fencing is dedicated to good sportsmanship in the noblest sense of the word through fun, pushing boundaries, and team camaraderie.  Each year, the Club tries to get more involved in the unique sport of fencing, improve our athletic talent, and try to grow as people.  The club is currently involved in the Midwest Fencing Conference.  We’ve been involved in tournaments at Purdue University, Ohio State University, and Notre Dame University.  This year, we were also involved in Fencing Club Championships at Indiana University, where one of our weapons teams beat the Naval Academy team. We receive the opportunity to fence some of the best at these tournaments, including U.S. team members.  The road trips to and from events are also part of the experience.  This is just part of what makes Fencing Club interesting, challenging, and fun.

Club practices are a mixture of pleasure, learning, and practice. While we stretch, we talk about our days and chat.  It’s a great way to meet people. Warm-ups then prepare our muscles for further activity.  Warm-ups include drills, as well as short games of dodge ball, soccer, or another activity.  Around tournament season in particular, we also fix weapons which requires a certain amount of skill, but learning how to fix your own weapon is indispensable.

Then we get duel it out in one of three weapons: foil, epée, or sabre.  After setting up the electric strip, we get a good work-out, as fencing requires a high-degree of energy and works the whole body.  Learning how to direct (judge) each fencing bout is also part of the club, and helps you to truly understand the inner-mechanics of fencing, while watching other fencers movements forces you to re-evaluate your own fencing style.  The club wouldn’t be complete without our coach John Funk, who is not just a coach, but also mentor and friend.  He puts in countless hours fixing weapons, preparing for tournaments, and much more.  He really helps you understand the sport, and makes practices interesting and fun.

From practice, to going to tournaments, or just hanging out, Fencing Club has fun, meets challenges on and off the strip, and is a great way to get involved and meet interesting people.  You not only do so on campus, but have some great experiences off campus as well.  Plus, you never know when you can use some sword-handling skills.  En Garde!

For more information, our website is at: http://www.kc8onw.net/~kelvad/home.html