Ethan Primeaux, first-year biochemistry major, recalled how happy he was when he saw a new fencing club member smiling under the face mask the whole time they played. He came up to him, introduced him to the rest of the club and showed him the ropes.
Primeaux’s interest in the sport was initially piqued after watching Olympic fencing in high school. During his first semester of college, he decided to join Trinity’s club. He learned the basics of the sport in weekly meetings, and now, he serves as the club’s acting vice president, teaching new members from the ground up.
“I didn’t know it was a sport,” Primeaux said. “When I saw it, I thought it was really cool and very interesting that sword fighting is an actual sport, so when I saw the [club] poster … I decided to give it a try.”
According to acting president Gabriel Garza, junior computer science major, the club has been around for a long time. Twice a week, the club meets on Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the closet near Hixon Natatorium, where they gear up and then proceed to the racquetball court for practice.
Garza joined the fencing club in his very first semester at Trinity. He had no prior fencing experience when joining the club and saw it as a fun way to exercise and relieve stress since the club welcomes newcomers from any skill level.
“It’s a very low stakes club,” Garza said. “There’s basically no competitiveness.”
The club trains new members before they go straight into the action. Newcomers can expect to learn the fencing basics at their first meeting, such as the correct stancing, movement, how to gear up, and how to hold and use the sword. They also get front row seats to fencing matches between fellow members, watching how a typical game unfolds.
The fencing club uses four different swords, each with a different set of rules: the saber, the foil, the épée and the HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) sword. Beginners use the saber sword because, according to Primeaux, it’s the easiest to handle. Once they gain enough experience, they learn more advanced techniques like blocking and eventually participate in their first fencing match.
“It’s like a very distant sport from everything else,” Primeaux said. “I would say our group is probably the perfect group to get into [fencing] because a lot of people that go into it don’t have any experience. We teach them, and I would say it’s probably just as fun to fence as it is to watch someone do it.”
The club is actively seeking new members and anyone interested in joining the fencing club can swing by the racquetball court on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons to get a feel of the sport before suiting up.
This article was updated on Feb. 4*
