BLADES OF GLORY FENCING OFFERS UNMATCHED COMPETITION BECAUSE IT

With an abundance of grace and overwhelming speed, two armored warriors carry out a fearsome duel before a small crowd of spectators which has gathered to watch the carnage.

Blades clash and dance at speeds the eye cannot register for what seems like hours before one of the combatants makes a small but fateful mistake. His opponent wastes no time in taking advantage of the opening, and with a ferocious lunge buries his blade in the chest of the unlucky swordsman, who lets out one final cry - before smiling, getting up and asking for a re-match.

Such dramatic chivalry constitutes just another night of fun and games for members of Spokane Fencing Unlimited, a private club which holds practice sessions at the West Central Community Center. In a modern world, they are lonely practitioners of an ancient and inherently dignified sport. Since it opened in 1983, the club has served the dual purpose of teaching new fencers and competing in regional tournaments against such teams as Central Washington University, Washington State University, University of Idaho and Whitman College. Since most of the college clubs are student-run organizations rather than official school teams, SFU usually does quite well in competition. In fact, area fencers who have lived in other places, like John McDowell, a 25-year-old cartographer with the Spokane County Assessor's Office, say Spokane is one of the best places for an amateur fencer to live. In addition to the club's competitive reputation, fencers say its equipment is top-notch, its instructors easy to follow and its dues highly economical. But aside from the thrill of getting to fight with a sword, the factors which attract people to fencing are less tangible than reasonable club fees and good equipment. For one thing, says Maria Duthie, a 14-year veteran and national competitor who works as an athletic trainer at Deaconess Sports Therapy and teaches with SFU, fencing is one of the few sports that can be learned as an adult and practiced throughout one's life. The reason is that in most sports, victory typically belongs to the competitor who is able to dominate physically. As a result, such sports tend to be activities which the young enjoy most. In the sport of fencing, on the other hand, it is not uncommon for devotees to continue to compete well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. Jack Warner, 72, handles most of the administrative work for SFU and recently placed fourth in a tournament in which the combined ages of the three people who beat him was less than his own. "I'm trying to keep fencing alive and well in Spokane," said Warner of his leadership role at the club. Fencing, said Duthie, requires a certain amount of physical skill and endurance. But of much greater importance is the fencer's ability to think strategically at a rapid rate, anticipate his or her opponent's next move and respond accordingly. The experience has often been described as a game of chess at 200 mph. "Once you get to a certain level, everybody knows the same moves and everybody can execute them," said Duthie. "It just comes down to, `How good are my tactics versus yours."' "It's a conversation," said Michael Allen, 28, who has fenced for half his life and now helps teach classes at SFU. "Anyone can interrupt at any time, and anyone can put in the period and finish the conversation at any time." There was a time, of course, when fencing was not a sport at all but rather a deadly form of combat. One's ability with a blade was a not merely a source of recreation, it was a vital skill necessary for survival. But as often happens during the evolution of folklore, Duthie says the popular image of Zoro-like characters battling it out has been greatly exaggerated. Though people all over the world have fought with swords of all shapes and sizes, the "foil," or thin sword used in modern fencing, was originally developed by the French as a training weapon. Its lightweight, highly maneuverable design became so popular that it was soon being used in combat as well as on the drilling field. But its heyday lasted only about 40 years before Marco Polo returned from China with gunpowder, which would upstage the sword from that point on. Because of its beginnings in the realm of French aristocracy, fencing continues to maintain a reputation for dignity and sportsmanship. A salute to your opponent before the match and a handshake afterward are mandatory parts of the sport. Those who fail to comply are punished with a point debited from their score. Such traditions guard against the kind of temper tantrums which have plagued other sports. Though fencing remains a popular spectator draw in France, where it is the national sport, it suffers from a lack of viewer interest elsewhere. Duthie said she hopes more and more baby boomers who are looking for a good "lifetime" sport which doesn't inflict as much damage to the body as running but provides a better workout than golf will turn to the sword. The rules also retain strong links to the original lethal purpose of the activity. Three types of fencing are currently practiced, each using a slightly different type of weapon. Under the rules of the first, "epee" fighting, any contact between your sword and your foe's body counts as a point, the idea being that even a minor blow to the arm or leg would, in real life, probably end the fight. In the second style of fencing, known as "foil," combatants must hit each other in the vital organ area. The third type, "sabre" fencing, tries to re-create the kind of battle mounted knights used to engage in by limiting the contact area to the upper body. "I think about how many times I've killed and been killed in the last two years; it gives you some perspective," said McDowell. Because fencing is, at its heart, a fight, Duthie said that for obvious reasons, it's not always the best activity for couples, at least not together. She said one married couple used to arrive in separate cars each week to avoid the possibility of a tense drive home. Because fencing is primarily a mental and not a physical sport, it is open to people with a variety of disabilities. Most leagues now have a wheelchair division, and Duthie has watched fencers with different physical limitations master the strategic aspect of the sport and go on to compete effectively. In contrast to their fierceness during competition, fencers tend to be a tight-knit group of people who enjoy a great deal of camaraderie, Duthie said. She recalled a trip she once made to Southwest Texas State University to interview for graduate school. She called the leader of the school's fencing team and expressed interest in attending one of their practice sessions. Without ever laying eyes on her, he called back and reported that unfortunately, the team would be out of town at a tournament that weekend, but said two team members had volunteered to let her stay in their apartments while they were gone, just because she was a fencer.

Copyright 1998 Cowles Publishing Company
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