Club fencing offered to all skill levels

One campus organization is en garde every week.

Club fencing at the USD consists of a group of about 40 people that meet once a week to advance their fencing skills.

Sophomore Alex Hansen, president of the club for the past two semesters, said he enjoys the sport. He added he was just a beginner when he first joined the club, but his skills have advanced greatly since then.

“Going to practice is always a fun time, it’s energetic and a great workout,” he said.

During practice, fencers learn about the rules and regulations of the sport.

In fencing, players use a weapon called a foil. A foil, the safest and simplest form of fencing, is a light, flexible blade with a safe tip that flexes upon contact to prevent injury. The first person to get seven touches on the opponent’s chest wins. Touches are counted by a button on the end of a safe blade which transfers the number to a computer for the point scorer to observe.

Hansen said the strategy of the game is to move swiftly and stay on your toes, which makes it an exciting workout.

“There are approximately forty members that are involved in the club, few members go to practice regularly, this means that each player gets more personalized attention and an immense amount of playing time,” Hansen said.

Frank Turner, a member of the group for the last two and a half years, said he enjoys the game’s fast pace.

“I enjoy it because it is fast paced and because it’s a sport that is completely unique and incomparable to most modern sports,” Turner said.

Turner originally joined the group because he wanted to have a new experience. At the time, he knew a former member of the club who encouraged him to join, and he hasn’t regretted it since.

The club gets most of its equipment from Brian Begley, a former professor at USD.

Hansen said the club has been at USD for about 20 years and small competitions have happened in the past. There’s another fencing club in Sioux Falls that USD occasionally practices and competes with, though matches aren’t regular.

Turner said even without frequent competition with other area clubs, fencing members keep coming back on Thursday nights to practice and improve their game.

“During practice there is friendly competition that goes on that keeps the players coming back for more,” Turner said.