Fencing club prepares to compete throughout state

The IU Fencing Club is training to compete as an underdog once again, club faculty advisor Stephen Andrews said.

The club, which is funded largely through member dues and fundraising efforts, will compete against NCAA varsity teams in the upcoming Midwest Fencing Championship at the University of Notre Dame on March 2 and 3.

“It’s definitely a handicap,” said Andrews, who is also an assistant professor in the IU history department and the managing editor of The Journal of American History.

Though the club does receive some funding from the IU Club Sports Federation, Andrews said the funding, committed space and recruiting resources of Big Ten varsity programs put the IU club at a disadvantage. Ohio State’s varsity team, for example, is coached by Vladimir Nazlymov, who won 10 world championships for the Soviet Union
 
“If you fence here, you get a chance to reenact Hoosiers three or four times a year,” Andrews said.

Vice President of IU Fencing Mak Johnson said the club practices three days a week and has been putting in extra work.

“It’s been a lot of practicing and conditioning, basically getting everyone faster and stronger as best we can,” Johnson said. 

Johnson is in his second term as vice president of the club and in his sixth year with IU fencing in total.

The men’s foil team finished third overall at the Midwest Championship in 2012, and the men’s foil and sabre teams took home the Schiller award, which is given to the best club team at the tournament.

Andrews, who has been the club’s faculty advisor since 2005, said he believes the club has the potential to replicate or surpass the team’s success from last year.

“Fencing is a weird sport where you can just get on, and we’re certainly good enough to do as well as last year, maybe even better,” he said.
 
The club has already experienced success this year, finishing in the top four at both the Ohio State Duels and the Big Ten Duels at Northwestern University.

Emma Rausch, captain of the women’s foil team, said the OSU Duels were a great learning experience for her team, which, besides Rausch, was made up entirely of first-year fencers.

“We kept our spirits high, which is unusual for first-year fencers,” she said. “We only won two or three rounds, but it was very positive, and there was no ill will there.”

Foil fencing is the most basic type of competitive fencing. The blade is flimsy and light and points are scored by touching the tip to the opponent’s torso. Sabre fencing uses a broader, stiffer blade, and points can be scored by making contact anywhere above the opponent’s waist.

Rausch and Johnson both said the club provides a sense of family for its members as a result of the extended amount of time they spend together.

“There’s been times where I’ve wanted to pull my hair out, and there’s been times when I’ve been as happy as I can be with these guys. They’re kind of like a family,” Johnson said.

The club is open to all levels of experience and accepts all interested students.

Andrews said he has seen students come in with no athletic experience and become great athletes.

The school also offers a beginning fencing class taught by Johnson at the School of Public Health.

The club has two events this spring, the Midwest Fencing Championship and the United States Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs National Championship at Michigan State University.

“Depending on who we pull for our seeding at nationals we could go far,” Andrews said. “It’s a tight group with a lot of talent.”