Be En Gare and Lunge for the Niche Sport and Art of Fencing
If regular sports aren’t your forte, fencing offers both unique physical and mental challenges.
By Sharon Kim and Em Sandis
If regular sports aren’t your forte, fencing offers both unique physical and mental challenges.
By Sharon Kim and Em Sandis
Fencing has been practiced in some form for centuries, and many still participate today, although it’s not as popular as many other sports.
In addition to one Pioneer senior who has been fencing for eight years, for the past 18 months, local fencers have been practicing just a short walk from Pioneer, at The Fencing Center at Blossom Hill Plaza, just past Tacos el Compa and Subway.
As any sport, fencing is a time consuming art which is a factor for interested students to consider. There are three types of swords that can be used either recreationally or competitively: foil, epee and saber. While all three are similar, they vary in terms of style, grip and attack area. In the age of modern technology, electric systems allow for fencers to engage in a faster and more efficient way.
Pioneer senior Anup Banerjee who has fenced for eight years and goes to Sunnyvale’s Silicon Valley Fencing Center, knows firsthand the delicate balance of school, fencing and breaking through procrastination tendencies.
“Fencing has taken up a large part of my after school time as my week consists of group & individual classes for the sport in addition to physical training done on the side. This has often left me exhausted while still having schoolwork to do,” said Banerjee.
Michael Botenhagen, Prevot D’Escrime Epee Head Coach of the Fencing Center, said that fencing relies on an individual competitor, but is influenced by a community.
“(You) want to represent (yourself) and that's the number one thing, and that’s the biggest part of competition. When you go out there, you represent yourself, number one you represent you. Number two, you represent your family. Number three, you represent your club and number four last on the list, you represent coach, coach is always last because it’s not about them, it’s about you,” said Botenhagen.
The most rewarding part for Banerjee is being able to fence alongside his peers in a sport they all mutually enjoy, and the relationships that are built through tournaments and competitions.
“The relationships and my personal growth within the sport. I love the people I’ve met and the relationships made, everybody’s extremely supportive and we thrive off of each other's feedback and encouragement. Friends de-stress tournaments and are often the things I look forward to most when going for competitions,” said Banerjee. “Additionally, seeing myself become a stronger fencer from both a stylistic perspective in addition to results/rankings, being able to see my efforts directly result in progress is the biggest motivator to me.”
This extracurricular can be a great way for students to get out and explore options to better themselves as well as boost credits for college. However, Botenhagen feels strongly against participating without a passion for the sport.
“The danger of it and especially here in the Silicon Valley, school is so difficult now and parents push so hard for good grades, so fencing becomes another notch in your pencil case,” said Botenhagen.
After getting first hand experience with fencing from The Fencing Center, Kylan Huang, 12, recommends this sport for those willing to take a different approach to fitness and sports as a whole than the typical after school extracurricular.
“I don’t know about kids who already have a sport but for students who don’t have a sport and want one, it would be a really unique sport that would be a great way to get exercise,” said Huang.
In addition to one Pioneer senior who has been fencing for eight years, for the past 18 months, local fencers have been practicing just a short walk from Pioneer, at The Fencing Center at Blossom Hill Plaza, just past Tacos el Compa and Subway.
As any sport, fencing is a time consuming art which is a factor for interested students to consider. There are three types of swords that can be used either recreationally or competitively: foil, epee and saber. While all three are similar, they vary in terms of style, grip and attack area. In the age of modern technology, electric systems allow for fencers to engage in a faster and more efficient way.
Pioneer senior Anup Banerjee who has fenced for eight years and goes to Sunnyvale’s Silicon Valley Fencing Center, knows firsthand the delicate balance of school, fencing and breaking through procrastination tendencies.
“Fencing has taken up a large part of my after school time as my week consists of group & individual classes for the sport in addition to physical training done on the side. This has often left me exhausted while still having schoolwork to do,” said Banerjee.
Michael Botenhagen, Prevot D’Escrime Epee Head Coach of the Fencing Center, said that fencing relies on an individual competitor, but is influenced by a community.
“(You) want to represent (yourself) and that's the number one thing, and that’s the biggest part of competition. When you go out there, you represent yourself, number one you represent you. Number two, you represent your family. Number three, you represent your club and number four last on the list, you represent coach, coach is always last because it’s not about them, it’s about you,” said Botenhagen.
The most rewarding part for Banerjee is being able to fence alongside his peers in a sport they all mutually enjoy, and the relationships that are built through tournaments and competitions.
“The relationships and my personal growth within the sport. I love the people I’ve met and the relationships made, everybody’s extremely supportive and we thrive off of each other's feedback and encouragement. Friends de-stress tournaments and are often the things I look forward to most when going for competitions,” said Banerjee. “Additionally, seeing myself become a stronger fencer from both a stylistic perspective in addition to results/rankings, being able to see my efforts directly result in progress is the biggest motivator to me.”
This extracurricular can be a great way for students to get out and explore options to better themselves as well as boost credits for college. However, Botenhagen feels strongly against participating without a passion for the sport.
“The danger of it and especially here in the Silicon Valley, school is so difficult now and parents push so hard for good grades, so fencing becomes another notch in your pencil case,” said Botenhagen.
After getting first hand experience with fencing from The Fencing Center, Kylan Huang, 12, recommends this sport for those willing to take a different approach to fitness and sports as a whole than the typical after school extracurricular.
“I don’t know about kids who already have a sport but for students who don’t have a sport and want one, it would be a really unique sport that would be a great way to get exercise,” said Huang.