The Fencing Owls, founded in 2012, dedicates itself to introducing students to the fencing sport, providing them practicing opportunities and encouraging each other to compete in tournaments.
“It’s very beginner-friendly, whether you’re brand new to the club or to the sport,” said Nicholas Stone, the Fencing Owls’ Records & Recruitment Officer. “We try to be welcoming to new people.”
Several of the club’s members picked up fencing for the first time in college, said Stone, who also learned fencing after he joined the club. When someone new comes in who has no prior knowledge of the sport’s rules, some of the club’s more experienced fencers will train the new member on the very basics until they can merge with the rest of the club’s practices.
The Fencing Owls are officially more of a recreational club rather than a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); therefore, they do not host tournaments but that does not discourage the team from participating in them.
“The experience someone gets out of this club is whatever they want to make of it,” said Morgan Wiley, the Fencing Owls’ President. “They can be casual about it and just come to practices or they can try and be more competitive and go to as many tournaments as they want.”
The tournaments that club members participate in are ones hosted by bigger organizations, Wiley said. Those types of competitions are where anyone above assigned age-ranges can sign up. The ages range from high school to older adults.
Everyone in the club has their reasons for joining the club and learning fencing.
“I like the challenge to get better and beat somebody that’s good, who has been doing it their whole life,” said club member Jaylon Hancock. “I live for that!”
Fencing is a surprisingly intensive sport, Stone said. He enjoys fencing because it provides him with a good cardio workout.
For club member Seth Watkins, his favorite part of the sport is the strategy aspect.
“One of my favorite parts is the psychology of it,” Watkins said. “Trying to read your opponent, get a read on them, understand them.”
The art of fencing is focused on three different disciplines: Épeé, Foil and Sabre. The Fencing Owls primarily use the Épeé when practicing together.
“There’s Épeé, that’s what everyone is fighting with right now,” Stone said. “Then there’s also the foil and sabre. Épeé has a bigger cup around the handguard. Foil is a lot smaller and the blade tends to be a lot more flexible. Sabre is the full sword.”
The club occasionally takes part in fundraisers and some events. The Fencing Owls look forward to hosting more collaboration fundraisers, Wiley said.
“We started a fundraising committee and we have our more experienced fencers mentoring our newer fencers, which is also a new thing that I started,” Wiley said. “Things have been going pretty great.”
For those interested in trying out fencing with the Fencing Owls, the equipment is already provided.
“We have a lot of personal gear that we lend out to people who don’t have their own gear yet,” the Fencing Owls’ armorer Sarah Stewart said. “We pretty much have enough gear for new people as they come in before they decide if they want to delve into the sport.”
Contact the Fencing Owls to join or for more information at fencingowls@gmail.com. The club can also be found on Instagram at @ksufencingowls and IMLeagues.
