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Fencing team looks towards first foil tournament |
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Thursday, 28 September 2006 |
by MATT SCHNEIDER
Sports Reporter
Fencing is a sport that draws similarities to sword dueling in the Middle Ages or even light saber Star Wars fights.
When asked what character he would be if he were a Star Wars character, fencing club President Don R. Addu said, “I would be Yoda, because he’s small, fast and quick; and foil is nothing but finesse.”
 Active Image | Alisha Park | The Appalachian
Jennifer Tucker, a junior physics major (left), and Kristin Arrowood, a junior computer science major (right), engage in a match at one of the two weekly meetings in the Varsity Gym at Appalachian State.
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However, the fencing club is more than light saber battles, it’s about
technique, poise and focusing on countering the opponent’s attacks.
The Appalachian State University fencing club is starting a new season
this week, as they enter a tournament in Greensboro Friday.
The tournament is a foil tournament, which means point values are not electrical.
“It’s great for our new kids because it’s not electric, and with
electric comes more expensive equipment and more problems usually,”
Addu said. “It’s great for veterans too, because it gets everyone back
in the swing of things after a long summer.”
The team has participated in this tournament for the last five years.
The main competition for the fencers will come from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Addu said Appalachian State is second in the state behind UNC-CH in
fencing, and ASU is the only club fencing team that is competitive in
the state.
New fencers are always being added, as freshmen have joined the club this year.
“I saw it on the Web site, and then at phase one orientation. Walking
by I saw it in the gym and just stopped in,” freshman physics major
Brad J. Couce said.
The team practices every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-10:30 p.m. in Varsity Gym.
Club fees are $50 for membership to the United States Fencing
Association, which allows fencers to participate in events outside of
campus, and a $5 club fee for the university, the lowest fee of all
clubs on campus.
Some freshmen have experience coming in, such as freshman psychology major Ally A. Fuller.
Fuller fenced for five years and gained most of her fencing experience
through practicing at the Raleigh Fencing Club while attending
Southeast Raleigh High School.
“Raleigh had everything,” she said. “It was a nicer facility.”
Facilities are a main problem for the fencing team, as space to practice is sometimes difficult to find.
As for the team’s upcoming tournament this weekend, Addu is looking for one thing.
“I’m just looking for people to go, it’s a great thing to introduce them [to the sport],” he said.
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