As one high school student looks forward to entering college, with dreams of climbing to the top of the stage and lifting the coveted Heisman trophy triumphantly in front of millions of viewers, another is entering the same school not knowing whether or not they will even put in the effort to try becoming a walk-on for a team.
When talking about sports in Utah an average person would mention the various prestigious quarterbacks to emerge from Brigham Young University or, with March Madness raging across the nation, the name Jimmer Fredette might even be tossed around.
What doesn't get brought up is the sport of fencing.
Most people don't even know that there is fencing in Utah let alone a club held right here in Utah Valley University.
There are several top fencers in Utah in fact. BYU student Dayana Martinez who is now seated for the next Venezuelan woman's Olympic Epee teem, UVU alumni Zachary Hansen who is a Division 1 Championship qualifier, and Dylan Nollner who is on scholarship for fencing at Duke University, just to name a few.
Hansen first learned of fencing as a student, looking for an elective class to fill one of his semesters during his Freshman year. He came across the beginning fencing class offered at UVU and decided to enroll.
“After finishing the class I decided to join a local club and that's when I discovered the depth and my love for the sport,” said Hansen. The thrill of participating in a sport doesn't have to end with the finale of the high school years.
A fencing match between two highly ranked fencers is truly something to behold. Sword blades a blur, each opponent trying to find a chink in the others defense enough to slip the tip of the sword in for a score.
“Its a rush to judge the timing and speed of my opponents attack and allow their tip to get within and inch of me before beating them with a parry/riposte,” said Martinez. A parry is a block of an opponents attack and a riposte is a counter attack to the opponent after miss.
“Fencing is like chess, at 80 miles per hour,” said Kenny Nollner, coach of Schoolhouse Fencing in Ogden, UT. “It takes a lot of athleticism and mental discipline.”
For those who are looking for a new sport to try, fencing could be a good way to go. Its not the most expensive sport to participate in being on average $80 a month to fence at most local clubs. As a bonus, clubs also allow their participants to use club gear until personal gear can be purchased.
There is also a moderately sized pool of combatants to fence against for the college aged student. As many as 40 college enrolled students participate in collegiate tournaments in the fall during the Utah Epee Cup.
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