Life En Garde

A sharper look at the people and culture of fencing in Eugene

Life En Garde

Archives for Q&As

Q&A with Sean Hayes, Maestro at the Northwest Fencing Academy

Posted by  on Sunday, February 2nd 2014     

Sean Hayes is an instructor at the Northwest Fencing Academy, where he not only teaches fencing but other Medieval Martial Arts as well. This includes the use of daggers and weapons of varying sizes and shapes, like the poleaxe and long sword.

Allyx Pershing: I am curious as to what got you started in this and what keeps you doing it?

Sean Hayes: I think that we in western cultures have a sort of romantic attachment to the sword. Here in America we have a little bit more romantic attachment to the gun because of the Wild West myths, but in general in western culture we have this attachment to the knightly sword. So I think that fired my imagination. Then I guess in pursuing, “how could I do swordplay?” fencing of course presented itself. Todays fencing is actually descendent from all the old fencing I study and do, the medieval fencing. We have sources that go back 700 years, after that we practiced it but we don’t have sources that tell us what specifically they did. So pursuing fencing sort of led me to look more at the historical roots of things, found books in libraries some of them quite, quite old, some of them reprints of older books, and then just began working and trying to reconstruct the techniques based on the manuscripts that survived.

A: How long have you been practicing?

S: I’ve been fencing for 24 years now and I’ve been doing the historical work for, let me do the math on that, 17 or 18 years. Maybe a touch longer than that, but right in about that range.

A: How long have you been instructing?

S: I’ve been in Eugene for 18 years, so one way or another I’ve been doing it. But I’ve been doing my school as a school for about 7 years.

A: What is your favorite part of instructing?

S: I like watching people develop, and get command of things they either didn’t do before, or possibly didn’t think they could do. Because the movements for any forms of fencing, any martial art, they are very particular, very specific. You can’t just do an approximation, you need to be as precise as possible and gain an unconscious command of the movement so that your mind is then free to focus on what you’re doing in the fencing match and the fight itself. So what I really enjoy is seeing people go through that process and finding a way to help them through that process. Everybody learns at different speeds, everybody has got different learning styles. As you get to know your students that is, relatively speaking, easy because you develop a history and relationship with your students.

Q&A with Natalie Whitson, Beginner Coach at the Eugene Fencers Club

Posted by  on Friday, January 31st 2014     

Natalie Whitson is the “Beginner” coach at the local Eugene Fencers Club. She is also the author of Advice to a Sword-Wielding Maniac.

Ben McBee: How do you get certified to coach?

Natalie Whitson: In September 2001 my coach asked me if I would like to teach and I said yes. I put together lessons and I pretty much struggled through creating lessons until the following year when he said, “You know there’s a coaches college at the Olympic training center in Colorado springs.” I said’ “Oh really’ tell me more.” It’s a one week course where you can go and there’s about 50 hours worth of course work where you learn about sports safety, sports psychology, how to put together lessons, you have to take a question test and if you pass that, you have to give a fencing lesson in front of two fencing masters and then they decided whether or not you get to be a level one coach. I took the level one program; there is a level one, two and three program. Usually people don’t go past a level three. So I passed the level one foil class, that was in 2002 and then I went back for level 2 in 2003. Then I finally went back in 2007 and I got my level one saber-coaching certificate. The college is a wonderful opportunity for people to become teachers and they use modern ways of teaching.

B: Would you say with techniques, I know that fencing has more of a tradition on the east coast, how would you say its different from the east coast to the west coast?

N: Well, I would say that west coast definitely holds its own. For example, there are six Olympic coaches. The last Olympiad, Oregon had two of the six Olympic coaches. You can go to Portland and you can go to clubs, fence against people of the very highest level.  Truly you will find more fencers on the east coast but that doesn’t mean that a place like Oregon doesn’t have the very highest-level fencers.

B: How do you personally train for fencing?

N: Well, there are a couple of things you want to do. Fencing is great in the sense that most people that do it and are attracted to the sport maybe never did sports and were athletic, so that’s why they picked up fencing.

Q&A with Mary Lowe, Eugene Fencers Club Member

Posted by  on Friday, January 31st 2014     

Mary Lowe is a member of the local Eugene Fencers Club and has been fencing since college. In college she fought at a higher competitive level and now she enjoys fencing as more of a hobby.

Ellis Mendon: How did you get started with fencing?

Mary Lowe: I took a PE class in college and loved it and then I joined after that. That was about 26 years ago.

E: Can you tell me a bit about the certain kind of style that you fence?

M: There are three different weapons, foil, saber, and Epee. The difference with the Epee is that the bell is a bit bigger; it covers your whole hand you also have to hit harder for it to go off. The other thing is that the target area is different; it’s the entire body from head to toe, as opposed to waist up, which is what saber is. With saber you can hit with the point as well as with the side slashing motion. With foil it’s not as heavy. The bell is much smaller and it doesn’t have to cover your hand and you don’t have to hit as hard to make it go off. With the saber it’s basically from the waist up, including the arms and the head.

E: Which style do you prefer?

M: Epee. With the foil you have to deal with priority so it’s not only that you hit the other person first but who started the attack. Whoever started the attack, even if they land late they have priority; they have more finesse. Epee is more as if you were a praying mantis, you’re just kind of hanging out bouncing around and you’re trying to find an opening.

E: What do you think is the most challenging part of fencing?

M: It’s a physical sport but it’s a mental sport at the same time; it’s strategy. The stance you get into with fencing is a bit awkward, especially initially, it’s hard to go backward and forward.

E: How do you prepare yourself mentally for a match?

M: In College we used to do this mental imagery exercise to help us calm down and that was competitive fencing. Now I just do fencing for fun, so a lot of it is just you know enjoying the other fencer, and I just don’t take it so seriously like I did before. You’re really happy when the other person does a great move and you are happy for them and kind of proud of them and being on a team that’s the fun of it. You have the individual aspect of it but you also have the team.

Q&A with Kristin, UO Fencing Club Member

Posted by  on Friday, January 31st 2014     

Kristin is a sophomore at University of Oregon and is a member of the UO Fencing Club. She has been passionate about fencing since high school and one day strives to explore the fencing community at large and compete at a higher level.

Ellis Mendon: How did you get involved with the UO Fencing Club?

Kristin: I first started with a little bit of fencing back when I was a senior in high school and I was really into it; except my school was so small that we weren’t able to have a fencing team. So when I came to University of Oregon I immediately checked out the club sports scene and was looking to sign up.

E: What’s your favorite part about fencing?

K: I’m going to have to say working with our coach Adam. He’s a great guy and really considerate. He’ll teach you anything you want to know as long as you go up and ask.

E: What are your goals with fencing: to keep with it as a hobby or competing at a higher level?

K: Oh I would love to compete at a higher level. What we are doing right now, just practicing against each other, is fun and all but I think going and seeing how other peoples forms of fencing come into play and meeting other interesting people and maybe practicing with some of the best people in our state or in our country would be quite a fascinating experience.

E: What first drove you in the direction of fencing?

K: This is actually a really tragic story. I had a friend who had a form of prostate cancer and he went to Western Oregon University and since I did speech and debate all through high school I met him at a tournament one day and we became good friends. I would visit every time we had a speech and debate tournament. One time he asked what’s your dream, what do you want to do? I said, oh I really want to fence but I can’t fence because I don’t have any of the equipment or the resources cause my school doesn’t do it, so I’m just not going to do it. He told me, well you know I think you should shoot for it, I think you would be good, and I think it would be something you love. Then we kind of blew it off, you know like it was a joke or whatever. Then one day he said that if he were to pass that I would have to fence, like there was no question about it and he passed away last year. So I have to keep my promise and I have to fence.

Q&A with Holly Bishop, Head Coordinator of the UO Fencing Club

Posted by  on Thursday, January 30th 2014     

Holly Bishop is the head coordinator for the UO Fencing Club. She has been fencing for two and a half years and acts as a representative between the fencing club and UO club sports. She is also involved with recruiting and occasionally coaches as well.

 Kim Walsh: How did you get into fencing?

Holly Bishop: I got into fencing about two years ago, when I was a freshman. I did the club sports open house, and so originally when I came here for introduction I was like oh I want to do archery, that sounds awesome, I get to do bows and arrows, you know Lord of the Rings, fantastic. And so I went to the open house when I first got here and I guess club archery they stopped the year I got here as a freshman and so I was like shoot! So I was walking around and I saw club fencing and I was like well if I can’t do bows and arrows, I’ll just do swords instead. So I went to the first practice and I loved it, I just loved all the people and members there. I just haven’t stopped, it’s been like 2 and a half years later and you know, here I am.

K: How many players does the club have?

H: Currently, those who regularly come to practice probably between 8 and 10. Although it kind of varies, when I started we had about the same amount, but last year, when I was a sophomore, we had about 5-6.

K: Do you compete against other schools?

H: We try too, unfortunately now a days there aren’t too many places that have tournaments. We occasionally go up to Portland or Seattle and do a tournament with the club.

K: How do you advertise your team, recruit?

H: Really the biggest way is word of mouth, a bunch of our members have asked their friends to come in and I know so many people who have tried fencing and they’re like, “Oh my god I love it,” and talk to their friends and they come in and say, “I love it,” and it just keeps going, going, going.

K: What is your favorite part?

H: Um just being able to hit people (laughs). It definitely is like a stress reliever, to like get out on the strip, which is where you fence. And being able to work on your form and technique. Also being head coordinator, it is really fun to bring in new people and to teach them and then to have them really enjoy it.

Q&A with Bob Smith, an 82-Year-Old Fencing Beginner

Posted by  on Thursday, January 30th 2014     

Bob Smith is an 82-year-old retiree who has just started fencing.

Allyx Pershing: To start off why did you get involved with fencing?

Bob Smith: I’m 82 years old and there are no fencers that age, but I have retired and I was starting to sit around wasting my time and I thought, “I think I’m going to have to try something.” My body is still pretty okay even though every thing is moving slowly, but I can still maneuver. I thought this would give me something. I box; I like aggression not hurting aggression but real aggression. But this, with all of the stretching and stuff, you’re pulling muscles and stuff that you never even knew you had, and that’s all coming together. I’ve still only had 5 or six lessons. I can only fence until I can protect myself. Even as kids you didn’t like someone poking at you with a stick. I’m not afraid of these or anything like that. You don’t want to be poked and you have got to get over that. I’ve read about 3 or 4 books now, and it gets really deep. It is truly unbelievable how much there is to this fencing thing.

A: How did you find this club?

B: Out of the paper.

A: This seems like a great way to stay in shape.

B: Well, luckily I was in fair shape to start with. What I was doing was working my upper body and this is more of the lower body. It’s kind of hard. The upper body and then working out with the strings, just to keep in shape.

A: Did you have any friends or family that have done fencing before?

B: No, I’m the first one. Most of them are too tired or watching TV. They’re not interested. People age differently, some of them start feeling the pains and stuff which makes it worse of course; but that’s the way they are. My brother reads all the time. They’re not active. They don’t run , they don’t exercise, I never exercised too.

A: From what you have seen is there a really substantial fencing culture in Eugene?

B: No. You never read about fencing, you never hear about it. It’s a closed deal. Probably growing, I don’t know if there are fencing clubs in every city.

Q&A with Paul McNamara, founder of the Eugene Fencers Club

Posted by  on Wednesday, January 29th 2014     

Paul McNamara is the founder, president, and head coach of the Eugene Fencers Club. He has been competing for 35 years and has coached thousands of fencing students, some of which have become national champions. He got his training at the Olympic center in Squaw Valley.

Ben McBee: Can you tell me the story of how you started the Eugene Fencers Club?

Paul McNamara: I started the Eugene Fencers Club in 1976 and our first session was here at Roosevelt Middle School in 1977. I had originally taken a class from my first coach Paul Dart who was the collegiate national champion. He was the one who taught me first and had me as his assistant coach at the University of Oregon for two years for about eight different classes a week. When he had injured his knee and couldn’t continue teaching any longer, it was sort of left up to either let the fencing club die or start it up again so I volunteered to be the coach. The first year that I was teaching here as a beginning coach I was invited to the Olympic training center in Squaw Valley and went for a series of six years there. That was where I first started learning the real sport of fencing because I was fencing with Olympians and Olympic masters.

B: Do any moments stick out in your mind as a coach?

P: A number of years back I had a young middle school kid come into the club who had no central vision in his eye. He only saw with his peripheral vision and he spent all this time moving his head around picking up the general colors that were coming through. I taught him to use his ears more. I taught him to focus more on one area and to sweep more, so that when he felt someone’s blade he would attack whichever way the blade was coming. He fenced for about 6 months and actually went to a tournament where he took third out of twelve. He was ecstatic about it; he came in to the club shook my hand and said thank you and that was the last I saw of him.

B: What little tricks do use while fencing to get the better of your opponent?

P: What don’t I use? Distance, timing, misleading actions and body language, anything that works. You do best when you practice on a regular basis. Fencing is very much physical chess. Strategy is everything. When you’ve got somebody who is trying to protect their body with their blade you have to make them open a line long enough and maybe you’ll go there, maybe you’ll go somewhere entirely different.

 

Skip to toolbar