The fencing club was founded by juniors and co-presidents Kevin Lee and Rebecca Zhou at Jasper in 2013 and reinstated on the West grounds in the fall of 2015.

“We all have our own different fencing clubs where we would fence with our coach,” Lee said,

“but we wanted more time to practice, so we started our own club at school.”

However, practice time was not the singular motivation for the creation of the club. The duo also ventured to spread awareness of the sport across the campus.

“We wanted people to take fencing seriously,” Zhou said. “It’s not like Star Wars where people just stab and poke each other with light sabers. In European countries it is actually really honorable.”

Though they were able to find a sponsor, establish the club and gather potential members like junior Joseph Matawaran, the co-presidents struggled to practice full-out in the school setting.

“There were a lot of complications, like we can’t have swords,” Lee said, “so now it’s less of practicing amongst ourselves and more of teaching our friends how to fence.”

People often hesitate when considering the prospect of being prodded with a piece of metal, but Zhou offers some reassurance to those interested.

“It’s not dangerous,” Zhou said. “It’s actually one of the safest sports.”

Additionally, the club poses no risk to members because foam swords are used in place of actual swords to accommodate school policy. The club also thrives as a haven for those who admire the sport and wish to learn more.

“We teach people the basic stance, show them actual Olympics and world competitions and explain to them how fencing works,” Zhou said.

Though the fencers admit that it took them years to hone their skills, they also make it evident that the process can be both enjoyable and rewarding.

“Once you get a hang of it, it’s really fun,” Lee said. “There’s a lot of strategy behind it, but it’s really straightforward.”

The fencing club meets every Friday after school in Mr. Pfeiffer’s room A1117 and is hoping to attract new members with varying backgrounds and experience and expose them to the world of fencing.

“To help our club grow, we just ask our friends and hope that they spread the news,” Matawaran said. “Anybody is welcome.”