A fresh perspective on fencing: a noble sport with futuristic appeal

The idea of fencing conjures up romantic images of gallant noblemen in tights dueling for the hearts of fair maidens, poised adversaries battling for honor, bell sleeves and corsets. As a lover of fantasy and the sort of person who indulges in games of pretend every so often, I was naturally enchanted by the news that Vassar has a fencing team of its own. The very thought that I could witness a real, live sword fight was too good to leave unrealized, so I put on my favorite cap, gathered all of my preconceived notions, mashed them up into expectations and headed off towards Walker Field House.

The sleek glass tunnel that connects the Athletics and Fitness Center to the Field House served a prophetic role, for as soon as I turned the corner into the room where the dueling was occurring, I realized immediately that I had set the dial in the wrong direction on my time machine. Instead of being greeted with ruffled shirts, I found myself aboard the mother ship surrounded by a community of cyborgs. A quick trip to Wikipedia revealed that fencing and technology met in the 1950s and have been heading to infinity and beyond ever since.

Each fencer, in his or her not entirely flattering suit of armor, is tethered to a small box that, through this strange symbiotic relationship, detects when a hit is landed. This fascinating and savvy invention allows for electronic scoring that is so far superior to the abilities and biases of the human eye that it has literally revolutionized the sport. And, best of all, no more blood! (I hear cleanup was a pain back in the day.)

Each duel occupies about as much space as a shuffleboard court. Factor in the size of the Walker Field House, and you get a large white space filled with grey-clad, foil-wielding humanoids connected to machines. In other words, you have the makings of a science fiction epic. The effect really was invigorating. I was curious, titillated and ready to move beyond the first impressions of a fan-boy to see the sport in action.
Fencing moves quickly and without mercy.

Combatants face each other and wiggle about their allotted space, punctuating the tension with brief scuffling clashes of silver. Each duel
is assigned a human judge as well as an electronic score box, and the whole business was all very somber and serious. Standard fencing protocol seems to call for a victory grunt that would put the Williams sisters (of tennis fame) to shame, and, don't worry, despite protective masks that conceal the face, you'll always know which one's a Vassar player because of a bright pink sock that cheekily punctuates the ensemble.

Sometime after the match, after taking a moment to calm down after the thrill of watching storm troopers duke it out with medieval weaponry, I was lucky enough to have a quick chat with fencer extraordinaire Elizabeth Ilechko '12. Ilechko explained that fencing is broken down into three categories based on the weapon used. First, there's the familiar foil. It's light and it's meant to be thrust at torsos, chests, shoulders and backs, though the rules only permit single touches. Next, there's the épée, which is heavier than its foil counterpart and can be thrust at any part of an opponent's body without shame or hesitation. Did I mention that double touches are considered fair play? Finally, there's the exotic sabre. The sabre adds a slicing motion into the mix and targets the area from hip to hip and up called the "saddle line."

Ilechko was entirely sympathetic with my slightly-unorthodox interpretation of the sport. "A lot of my friends, when I say I'm on the fencing team, mock it, but fencing is interesting and fun and slightly atypical. It's a sport that plays out of the box, and people should and watch it."

Ilechko continues, "When I'm fencing, I'm excited and nervous, and my adrenaline's pumping and sometimes I catch myself thinking like I'm in The Princess Bride." It's just this sort of lighthearted interpretation coupled with competitive drive and swords that makes fencing a fun and exciting spectator event. One might even say that fencing is out of this world!