2008 Woodie Awards
Duelists show steps to fencing
Clarence Plank
Issue date: 6/6/07 Section: Sports
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The Fencing Club at Middle Tennessee has been in existance for 10 years and was started by former MTSU student Hunter Jones. The club meets every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Friday at 5:30 p.m. They meet at the recreation center on the basketballs courts.
Right now, the only members that are on campus are club president Joseph Oliverius, treasurer Colin Kappell and coach Chad Crouse.
During the summer, while the rest of the members are away Oliverius, Kappell and Crouse work and practice whenever their work schedules allow, since all are Murfreesboro residents.
The cost of joining the club is 15 dollars, which goes toward tools, replacement equipment and tournament expenses, as well as for the use of the equipment.
"The money goes partly to cover the expenses of the tournament, because we have to give out medals," Kappell said. "It also goes towards a little fund and that goes toward tools and replacement equipment. It's usually the smaller stuff and weapons that break easily."
The club hosts tournaments in the fall and spring semesters with club members. Last semester's tournament applicants had to pay 15 dollars unless they were already pre-registered.
Kappell, a business administration major, got involved with the club after watching Hunter Jones give fencing lessons at a dance studio.
The club uses an Epee instead of foils or sabers, but they do teach how to use them. An Epee is a long, slender, thin blade with a triangular cross section and a bell-shape guard.
The sword is a dueling sword from the mid-19 century and used in tournaments to score points. It is very different from a foil or sabre.
The suit comes with a vest, gloves for the weapon hand only, a plastron, which covers the side where the weapon is being held. The material that makes up the suit is made of tough nylon that is like an interwoven form of chain male.
While the suit may protect someone from being hurt, there is a possibility that it can happen. The material prevents the weapon from going any further into the swordsman so they can just pull it out.
"The only way possibly you can be wounded [is] if you're bare-skinned or if the weapon broke and no one noticed. Luckily, as far as fencing goes, there's only been somewhere in the 20s of fencing deaths ever since the 1600's," Kappell said
They teach students how to advance or retreat in fencing. In tournaments and practices they use a scoring system, which scores points when a swordsman touches another swordsman. Players can score on a double touch, where two players touch at the same time.
For more information about the club, students can call Joseph Oliverius at 615-715-9152 or ask at the CUSTOMS table about the Fencing Club or any of the sports clubs on MTSUs campus.
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