MU Fencing Club came out on top at a tournament Sept. 10 and 11 at Southeast Missouri State. MU’s Fencing Club President Katrina Zacharias said the club did well in each weapon’s division at the tournament.
“A tournament consists of one, two or all three of the weapons,” Zacharias said.
All weapons are held as separate events, she said.
“The three weapons we compete with are the foil, the epee and the sabre,” senior member Matt Willis said.
Zacharias said fencers are ranked and divided into different divisions for a tournament.
“In each pool, each fencer fences one another to a five point bout,” Zacharias said. “After pools are completed, then fencers are ranked based on their number of wins. After that comes the direct elimination rounds that go to 15-point bouts and once a fencer loses he or she is out for the tournament.”
Fencing Club Vice President Liz LaFoe said club morale has never been as high as this year.
“We are all having a lot of fun,” LaFoe said.
This year, the team joined the Midwest Fencing Guild.
“It’s really just a group to get other schools in the region to fence more or different fencers and promote competition,” Zacharias said. “This past weekend (Sept. 10 and 11) sabre and foil were on Saturday, and then epee followed on Sunday.”
Senior Eric Lancaster said SEMO was his first fencing tournament experience.
“I fenced eight bouts and won six of them finishing somewhere in the top eight for foil,” Lancaster said. “The match is not over until it’s over and upsets were rampant. When we were strapped up and hooked into the equipment we used our strength and speed, but the competition was in our minds completely.”
At the end of the SEMO tournament, the MU Fencing Club was victorious.
“As a team we competed against several other schools in the guild,” Zacharias said.
The club won the most medals at the tournament and as a result also won the traveling trophy, the “Giant Sword.”
This sword now resides at MU, and the team will be defending its possession of the sword at a tournament in November.
“I’ve wanted to fence ever since I was six and saw it in the movie ‘The Princess Bride,’” Lafoe said. “Fencing has become quite popular at MU, currently the club is up to over 20 members.”
After the tournament, members like LaFore, Zacharias and Willis explained how they got started in fencing.
“I began fencing a year ago during my first year here at Mizzou,” Zacharias said.
Zacharias uses the sabre as her “main weapon.”
The fencing club welcomes anyone and everyone. Whether you are a student, professor or staff member, the fencing club will welcome you with open swords, Zacharias.
“Fencing is probably the most independent sport. When I step up onto the strip it’s just me up there,” Zacharias said.
Willis had his own reasons for joining the club.
“It gives you confidence and allows you to meet people,” Willis said. “Besides, who doesn’t want to fight with swords?”
On Nov. 12 and 13, the team will have to defend its ownership of the trophy sword.