Who are the captains? 

Hailey Pavelka, Isaac Fassil, Cole Spoden

Who placed well in the tournament? 

• Men’s Epee had 27 competitors, Issac Fassil medaled with sixth place, and Aidan Storm got tenth
• Women’s Epee had 25 competitors and Megan Stevens got 9th place.
• New fencers typically don’t do well their first year because fencing doesn’t have a JV category; new fencers are competing against people who have been fencing for years. Despite this, Thomas Redwing got 16th out of 41 fencers in men’s foil, which is great!

What is going on this month? Any future tournaments? 

• We have a tournament at Blake Middle School on February 5th, and then we host the State Tournament on February 26th and 27th.

Anything else about the team? 

• They’re a great group of individuals who are dedicated to improvement.  This isn’t a sport people grow up watching on TV with their parents while wearing a jersey of their favorite fencer like other sports. The enthusiasm everyone, and especially the new members of our team has for an obscure sport is electrifying. Even though fencing is a sport where you fence as an individual, the support they have for each other as a team is outstanding.  Hailey Pavelka does an incredible job of keeping the team focused and motivated.  Our older fencers are guiding our newer fencers with patience and maturity.  It’s wonderful to see high school students acting like coaches to help others become better fencers who compete with class and grace, whether they win or lose.

Top 5 Fun Facts: 

• Fencing has been included in every Olympic game since 1898.
• There are three rounds (three minutes each) with a minute break in between or reach 15 hits (scores) in the individual fencing contests and nine rounds or get 45 hits in the team events (team events are only in the state tournament for High School Leagues).
• There are a ton of different fencing swords! The Foil was used as a practice weapon in the mid 17th century. Hitting the target area (the torso) with the tip of the blade will make the player win the competition.
•  An Eppe is a more modern, heavier, stiffer blade, and larger bell guard (to protect the hand) than foil. The entire body is the target area to score a hit. A push-button on the tip of the blade is used for modern electric scoring and it was invented in 1936. The length is the same as the foil. 
• In the 17th and 18th centuries, swords were used for actual dueling in Western Europe. They used Foil while training and Epee while fighting. 
• The Sabre is the third sword after Foil and Eppe. The weight is the same as the foil. It also used modern electric scoring, the same as the Eppe. Hitting the body from the waist up to the head (except hands) with the tip or the edge of the blade can make a score.